# General > AquaTalk >  What happened to Biotope Aquarium??

## Saiberg

Just went to Biotope last few days & i was so shocked to see the shop at such an unkept state... I used to go to the shop to get some tetras etc, & have a chat with victor regarding fish, plant etc. But now the new guy is not that friendly & mind his own business. Even the tank are not in good condition with some dead fish that i spotted. And the most shocking thing was that the 3 feet ADA display tank that used to look so nice planted with HC etc, now looks like it hasnt been maintained for a while. Even the lily pipe look like it hasnt been cleaned for years. Sad to see the shop in this state now.

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## bernie

And closes on Sunday too.

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## v_nod

I agree with saiberg..Went there a few weeks ago and it seems to be in a mess. The tanks at the back were empty and dirty. The new guy refused to sell some of the stones I bought from victor before, telling me I have to get it in bulk. Not very friendly too. The fish seemed quite lifeless too.

Did they change hands?

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## Saiberg

It says open 12pm on weekday.. I reach 1pm still closed. I called the number on the shop grill and a lady answered. In the end, the guy reach & open the shop around 130pm. Very unprofesional.

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## |squee|

Is that guy a young chap?

I went there a couple of months ago. He was glued to his laptop screen, surfing something. I waited for 10 minutes for him to be done with his stuff until I couldn't wait anymore. I approached him and before I could finish my sentence he showed me his palm like some traffic police officer gesturing for me to wait and continued with his laptop. I gave him a couple more minutes before I left.

I could have easily walked out with some of the ADA stuff at the back and he would never know.

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## Saiberg

Yeah.. Thats the guy. A young chap who obviously doesnt know much about his job except surfing his macbook about korean chicks. A big departure from victor who was so friendly & patient with your queries.. Dont know if Mr. Thio still in charge of the shop or not.. Sad to see the decline in Biotope. I wont be going there anymore thats for sure..

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## |squee|

When I went there he was dressed in his army PT singlet. Still the same guy? Now I'm hoping Victor sees this thread.

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## Saiberg

Yeah. Same guy. Yeah, hope victor sees this.. Dont know where victor is working now... Another LFS? Anyone knows?

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## zonkkie

jeez... was planning to go there soon after around 6 months. Think I ask JZX at AMK to order the ADA stuff for me can already. No point going. Thanks for sharing guys!

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## |squee|

Well you can take a trip down to see how it looks like. The time I was there... the tanks looked fine to me.

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## Saiberg

The tanks are really in a bad condition with dead fishes floating in a few of the tanks.. And the tank on the inner side are all empty but dirty n really an eyesore. Im used to see Biotope fishtank all in good condition during victor there.. So dissapointing now.. Haiz..

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## Kiatster

A few weeks back i went there for the first time to buy some rocks, i was very disappointed with how the shop was maintained and manned by this young chap. Empty tanks, dirty planted tank, a few rocks and no customer service at all. Never going back again.

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## mobile2007

Actually ever since they shifted to marsiling, the shop seems to be getting less and less active. The first male shop assistant was ok, he was always trying to help and strike up conversation. Then, he was gone and a lady shop assistant. Poker face and the shop started to open at late hours. 

And i was totally shocked when i visited them last week. Gone case.  :Shocked:

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## doppelbanddwarf

Sad to hear that Biotope has declined to such a state. It was one of my favourite LFS when it was in AMK and Bukit Merah but since it moved to Marsiling everything seemed to have gone downhill. Wonder whether Mr. Thio is still the owner.

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## Emokidz

I've followed biotope since it was in amk 3 years back. The shop attendant was this nice uncle who would smile and talk to the customers. The last time I visited biotope, there was a lady there. Not really very knowledgeable about her job to say the least. Haven't been there ever since I saw the salt water section and fish in there with cloudy eyes and pale look. Apart from the Ada stuff - which happens to be a little more pricey than other lfs - I will never go back there till I read positive reviews about it. It used to be known for well kept tanks and healthy livestock. Very sad case..

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## Aquanoob

About one month ago, I went to collect the IAPLC 2010 contest year book which I ordered from Thio. The young chap was glued to his computer screen when I walked in and approached him to collect the book. He passed me the book and assumed that it had been paid for and wanted to resume his online activities. I told him that it had not been paid and he can still asked me the price of the book. I could have just lied that the year book was already paid or anyhow give a price and I think he will just collect the sum. Anyway, after paying the book, I went around the shop and was quite shocked at the condition of the tank and fishes. I am a German Blue Ram lover and when I look at the fish, they were lifeless, skinny and I wondered when was the last time the water was changed and they were fed when I noticed their dented stomach. And there were dead bodies in a couple of tanks and algae growing in it too. After I left the shop, I sms Thio to inform him of my observation and he replied that it is time to check on the staff. Apparently, the situation never improve and is deteriorating.

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## griffinkid

Yes, i was indeed very disappointed when i visited the shop 3 weeks ago. It was so bad, with fishes dying, dirty tanks and an attendant who is not even keen to interact with customers. Definitely a far cry when compared to biotope during its good times at Ang Mo Kio.  :Sad:

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## Emokidz

After reading so much about how the conditions have become lately, I decided to pop by this afternoon to see what the situation was like. Personally, it was worse than expected. Here a some pictures taken using my phone today. The resolution is really bad, but I think it pretty much sums the entire situation up.

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## Emokidz

A few more pictures...

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## griffinkid

oh dear, the shop is looking more and more unkempt...

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## Saiberg

I guess these pics really show a thousand words.. Sad to see biotope aquarium in this state now..

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## Saiberg

The 3feet ADA display tank is really a dissapointment now. It used to be so nice and was an inspiration to view.. Now its like a big junk of wasted ADA display. The Jet filter is such a wastage here..  :Smile:

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## EvolutionZ

oh gosh.. agree that ever since it shifted to marsling, alot have changed.. used to drop by AMK shop every week last time.. went there months ago too, looking for driftwood.. asked the price of driftwood still need to go and check.. wrong person hired..

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## PKB

Very true about the Salesman glueing himself to the laptop screen. Walk in and walk out and he never lift his head.

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## leonard6july

Aiyah Java fern also dying, shop cannot survive already....... Maybe can ask the young chap to sell the nice setup infront of the shop, less tanks means less job for him...hehe

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## Saiberg

Yeah. Who knows if the salesman want to sell the 3ft ADA tank cabinet & the Jet filter... I grab it. Heehee..  :Smile:

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## felix_fx2

What happened??? Far cry from when they just open there.

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## k3nlim

oh my god...what happened?

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## vinz

I have contacted them and they say they will be doing something about it. I guess good help are not easy to find these days and with the poor margins from the fish hobby industry, good help are not easy to retain.

Cross fingers that this fine shop will regain it's glory days soon.

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## jamesneo

> A few more pictures...


Oh my, the fishes are not fed.

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## zonkkie

Thanks for the pictures Bernard! Really like the last picture on your first post. I guess everyone is so concerned about Biotope because it used to be one of our favourite LFS! Hope it can turnaround!

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## Emokidz

Yup, I guess all of us really hope to see it change back to the old biotope which We all used to know, like and patronize.

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## Saiberg

Yeah.. Agree. Lets hope for the best.

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## o2bubble

Have not go there for more than 6 months due to busy work and personal stuffs, sad to hear that it's in this stage. I'm sure thio will do something about it soon!

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## EvolutionZ

actually come to think of it, if the boss had visited the shop everyday, he would have noticed it himself also.. is he giving up on this shop as well? i hope not.. its the nearest LFS from my house...

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## stormhawk

Do I see Hydra in one of the pictures? On one of my previous visits, they were Hydra present, visible that is, but not in unmanageable numbers. I liked Biotope best when it was still at Bukit Merah near the IKEA store. When it moved to AMK, it was still alright. Now in this present state at Marsiling, that's just downright horrible. Emaciated fish obviously means that the salesman did not even feed the fish.

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## Jimmy

with so many better shops around, why bother? you don't need your customers to tell you or wake you up for your own business, right? the condition just show us how much they value their business and we don't even want to think how much they value their customers.

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## |squee|

I laughed when I saw the picture with the caption "all the stuff I could have stolen" because that was exactly what I thought when I was inside.

I might just ask to apprentice there during the upcoming school holidays...

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## felix_fx2

> I laughed when I saw the picture with the caption "all the stuff I could have stolen" because that was exactly what I thought when I was inside.
> 
> I might just ask to apprentice there during the upcoming school holidays...


Then you will do make over.  :Smile:

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## Goththug

I went there a few weeks back on a Saturday in hopes of getting some faunas, but was quite shocked to find the shop not opened at 1pm.
I called the number that was pasted on the front door, a lady picked up and said that it should be opened. She called and check with the person and called to inform me that the person won't be coming down today so the shop wont be opened. 
Super disappointed.

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## Saiberg

Yeah bro. Thats what i got the last time i went there. The lady say he reaching in 15min.. 30min later still not opened. Really unprofessional & a waste of peoples time.. Think twice before going there.

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## vinz

Biotope shop will make an announcement when the time is right. Let's not speculate any more.

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## David Moses Heng

> Biotope shop will make an announcement when the time is right. Let's not speculate any more.


Thank you Vinz.

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## morning breakfast eat

Is the shop still around? couldnt find it when i was there a few wks ago

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## vinz

Biotope shop has ceased operations for quite long already.

<Sent with Tapatalk on Android>

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