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Monday, November 10, 2000, 8:00 a.m. Pacific
Pricey saltwater aquariums bring the vacation home
If the Steinway piano is the most classical gadget for the area's new rich, then the saltwater aquarium is their most exotic diversion. The multigallon tanks with their multihued living accoutrements are being purchased by people who have returned from snorkeling in the tropics. They can't buy a coral reef, so they buy the next best thing. "They come back from their diving trips so struck by the beauty and aesthetics of what they saw that they want to have that in their home all the time," says Trev Dakan, co-owner of Saltwater City, a store specializing in the fish and reef tanks. Saltwater City is tucked in an Eastside strip mall across the street from BMW of Bellevue. "Appropriately so," Dakan says, noting the expense of the hobby. Saltwater aquariums range in price from $2,000 for a stripped-down fish-only tank to $6,000 for a fully loaded reef tank, which blends living corals, colorful fish and bizarre clams into an at-home Atlantis. Business is super at Saltwater City, where sales the first six months of 2000 were equal to sales for all of 1999, Dakan says. A share of the revenue comes from selling what Dakan calls consulting services to aquarium owners. For about $150 a month, depending on the size of the tank, Dakan or another marine biologist will visit an aquarium owner's home twice a month to change and test the water, clean the filters and the glass and offer expert advice. "The service really is for people who have more money than time," Dakan says. The pool guy has stepped aside to make room for the aquarium guy.
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