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ARTICLE INFORMATION:
Author: Howard Norfolk
Title: The Aquarium Stores of Vancouver Canada.
Part III: King Ed Pet Centre
Summary: King Ed's is a general pet store crammed to overflowing with everything to do with pets. The fish rooms contain lots of fish for both beginning and advanced aquarists, and there is a good saltwater section.
Contact for editing purposes:
email: hownorf@aquarticles.com
Date first published: September 2003
Publication: Original to Aquarticles
Reprinted from Aquarticles:		 ARTICLE AND PHOTO USE:
Internet publication (club or non-profit web site):
1. Credit author, original publication, and Aquarticles.
2.  Link to http://www.aquarticles.com  and original website if applicable.
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Printed publication:
Mail one printed copy to:
Jim Norfolk
4131 Bonavista Crescent
Burlington, Ontario
L7M 4 J3

And one copy to:
Aquarticles.com
#205 - 5525 West Boulevard
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6M 3W6
Canada

Note: Individual photos may be reproduced, subject to the same conditions as articles. Photos have been re-sized for easy loading, but higher resolution photos can be supplied if required.

Please note:
These articles, written 2003-4, were intended not just for the benefit of local aquarists and visitors to Vancouver. Rather, they were written as part of the Travel section of Aquarticles, to show people from other cities and countries what the retail aquarium scene was like in Vancouver at that time. The articles will not necessarily be updated and things will inevitably change, so use caution if actually using the articles as a guide.

The Aquarium Stores of Vancouver Canada
by Howard Norfolk
Original to Aquarticles.com

Part III:
King Ed Pet Centre
7377 Kingsway, Burnaby. 604-525-4955
E-mail: kinged_pet@yahoo.com  
For location go to MAP

King Ed Pet Centre was founded in 1978 by Mr & Mrs Lee, who were originally from South Korea. They first opened in a nearby shopping centre, and after four moves and expansions the store is now located in its own two storey building on a triangular corner lot on Kingsway. Kingsway is a busy connector street linking Vancouver with its satellite (but actually older) City of New Westminster.

Click on photos for enlargements, then go "Back"

t-01 King Ed.jpg (4303 bytes)   King Ed's has its own building. It is on a slope, so there are two floors.

The Lees have now retired, and leave the day-to-day running of the store to their daughter Kathy and son Ron.

t-05 Kathy.jpg (4903 bytes)   Friendly Kathy presides at the cash register. Video screens show her what is going on elsewhere in the store..

t-00 Kathy_card front.jpg (2435 bytes)   t-00 Kathy_card back.jpg (2458 bytes)   Kathy is a bit of a pet herself! When I took the photo above she said "How about using this one on my business card!"  So here it is, and yes, it really is her business card - I've scanned in the serious side on the back to prove it!

t-02 Ron.jpg (5292 bytes)   Ron didn't give me his card, but it's probably nothing special anyway!

King Ed's is a general pet store selling birds, reptiles, small animals and all their needs and accessories, and of course it has a large aquarium department. Ron told me that it is one of the largest and busiest pet shops in British Columbia, and to run the store they have twenty full or part time assistants.

King Ed's has huge stocks of just about everything imaginable, in order to satisfy the needs of people who come from all over Vancouver, and even out of town visitors who may just visit once or twice a year. The aim of the Lees has always been to have a good selection of stock and at the lowest possible prices. Ron said that with their increased buying power over the years,  they have been able to keep prices for some fish at or below their 1978 prices.

t-08 Chemicals.jpg (5097 bytes)   There are huge stocks of everything, crammed into the shelves which are full to overflowing. This aisle is devoted to medications and water treatments.

t-06 Food.jpg (5088 bytes)   Here are the dry fish foods.

t-07 Eric w freezer.jpg (3067 bytes)   There are five freezers like this, for frozen foods. Hiding behind the door is Eric, a familiar face in Vancouver pet shops. I first met him when he was working at Perky's Pets in New Westminster.

t-04 Books.jpg (4606 bytes)   In a corner are shelves of books about all kinds of pets. I was just able to peer over and get this photo of the fish books.

t-10 Stairs sign.jpg (4297 bytes)   t-11 Stairs.jpg (3120 bytes)   The shop has two floors, and downstairs are the livestock departments. I always descend these stairs with a nice sense of anticipation - what will I find down there today?

t-12 Stairs photos.jpg (5831 bytes)   On the way down are hundreds of photos of customers' aquariums.

t-19 Budgies.jpg (4140 bytes)   t-20 Koi Sarasas .jpg (4283 bytes)   At the bottom of the stairs, to the right, is the entrance to the bird, reptile and small animal departments. These budgies and parakeets look down on a pond containing large koi and goldfish.

t-23 Tanks general.jpg (4780 bytes)   To the left of the stairs are the fish! King Ed's has 95 freshwater tanks, 42 saltwater tanks, and indoor and outdoor koi ponds.

A note on prices: As detailed in Part I, prices are given here only to show the relative prices of fish, and to give out-of- town readers an idea of what we pay for things in Vancouver. Prices are flexible for various reasons, and by time you read this, the particular fish shown here have probably already been sold.
Prices quoted in the text are in Canadian Dollars:
At time of writing Canadian $10 = US $7.20 = Euro 6.36 = UK Pounds 4.46
(We also pay additional government sales taxes of 14.5%)

King Ed's self imports most of its fish, from a long list of countries that Ron reeled off: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, South America, and also from Los Angeles and Florida.

t-27 Goldfish general.jpg (4383 bytes)   t-25 Goldfish.jpg (4443 bytes)   t-50 Orandas.jpg (4961 bytes) 
Two rows of tanks are devoted to goldfish.

t-36 Discus.jpg (5145 bytes)   t-39 Discus.jpg (4692 bytes)   t-37 Discus.jpg (4667 bytes)

t-38 Discus.jpg (4884 bytes)   t-40 Discus.jpg (4525 bytes)
And there is a good selection of discus. Prices are clearly written on the glass.

t-15 Cichlids.jpg (5851 bytes)   t-21 Parrots.jpg (5259 bytes)
Other New World cichlids are found mixed together in large tanks....

t-51 Red Pike cichlid.jpg (5434 bytes)   t-52 Neon Jewel cichlid.jpg (5679 bytes)
.... but red pike and neon jewel cichlids have their own smaller tanks....

t-45 Cupid.jpg (4924 bytes)   t-33 Koi angels.jpg (4775 bytes)
.... as do these cupid cichlids ($15 each, 3 for $40),  and "koi angels" ($5 each, or 5 for $20).

t-14 Temperalis 40 3 100.jpg (3765 bytes)   The "chocolate cichlid" (Hypselecara temporalis)

t-30 Flowerhorn.jpg (4194 bytes)   The flower horn cichlid is a hybrid fish, very popular in Asia right now. If its markings resemble the Chinese symbol for lucky number 8 it can be worth a fortune, but if they spell out unlucky number 4 you couldn't even give the fish away! Flower horns grow large and tend to be aggressive, so they need to be kept in a tank on their own...

t-17 Piranhas 50 3 120.jpg (4752 bytes)   t-18 Pacu Clarius.jpg (4918 bytes)
....as do these monsters. The large piranhas are $50 each, or 3 for $120, but their vegetarian cousins the pacus are only $10 each.

t-22 Male Bettas.jpg (4399 bytes)   Aggressive in their own little way are these male Siamese fighting fish (Bettas), $1.99.

t-16 Sharks.jpg (6259 bytes)   t-35 Knife etc.jpg (4693 bytes)
Here is a tankful of mostly sharks, and another containing a variety of fish including knifefish.

t-42 Barbs.jpg (5743 bytes)   Lots of barbs

t-43 M asiaticus.jpg (5046 bytes)   A favourite fish of mine is Myxocyprinus asiatica sinensis, here called "bat fish" and sometimes called "hi-fin sharks." They are temperate fish from the Yangtse River in China. I once put two in my outdoor pond and they survived freezing winter temperatures.

t-29 Newt.jpg (5374 bytes)   These Spanish rib newts will apparently grow to be 12" long.

t-34 Ramshorn snails.jpg (2789 bytes)   Ramshorn snails ($3 each, or 4 for $10)

t-46 Africans general.jpg (4802 bytes)   We mustn't forget the African cichlids! This group of tanks is devoted to them.

t-47 Africans.jpg (4939 bytes)   t-48 Africans.jpg (4539 bytes)   t-49 Africans.jpg (4797 bytes)
Each tank contains a variety of Africans.

t-44 Sunshine peacock.jpg (3360 bytes)   A large sunshine peacock (Aulonocara baenshi), from Lake Malawi

t-31 Plants general.jpg (4453 bytes)   This row of tanks contains aquatic plants. Rather than being in expensive individual pots, they are sold as loose clippings, at $3 per bunch, or "3 for $7.49."

The saltwater department is in a room of its own:

t-53 Tanks general.jpg (4607 bytes)   There are 42 saltwater tanks.

t-56 Mixed.jpg (5112 bytes)   t-57 Fish.jpg (4532 bytes)  
They contain many colourful fish, including the beautiful queen angelfish.

t-59 eel.jpg (4341 bytes)   t-59 .jpg (5093 bytes)
A zebra moray eel was actively investigating its tank, but this didn't seem to bother the stoic lionfish.

t-58 Fish.jpg (4145 bytes)   t-55 Red lobster.jpg (4491 bytes)
The six-lined soapfish kept out of trouble, which he should do since he is worth $130, and the red lobster had his own little compartment in a live rock tank.

t-67 Tangs.jpg (4158 bytes)   Damselfish and angelfish are colourful and inexpensive....

t-60 Damsel Chromo.jpg (4554 bytes)   t-61 Blue damsels.jpg (4777 bytes)   t-62 Angels.jpg (5200 bytes)
....so a group of tanks was devoted to them.

t-65 Micro reef.jpg (2686 bytes)   Who says saltwater aquarium keeping has to be expensive? King Ed's has this "micro reef" tank, filter and light for $49.99, and for another $30 will fill it with "live rock, live sand, salt water, a snail, a crab, a shrimp, corals and a plant." (But who knows what this beginners' outfit might lead to!).

Outside:
King Ed's is on sloping ground, so the rear of the lower store level opens out onto the back lot.

t-74 Forklift.jpg (4030 bytes)   Ron uses a forklift to move heavy items such as aquarium salt, rocks, and large tanks.

t-69 Rocks etc.jpg (4285 bytes)   Aquarium rocks and gravels are kept outside under an awning.

t-70 Petrified wood.jpg (3721 bytes)   This petrified wood has to be kept wet.

t-68 Pond plants.jpg (4919 bytes)   Pond lilies and plants are kept nearby. There are also a couple of outside koi ponds.

t-71 Coral.jpg (4497 bytes)   An additional building holds all this coral....

t-73 Tank stands.jpg (2541 bytes)   t-72 Chrome tank.jpg (2583 bytes)   ....and rows and rows of elaborate display tanks and stands. I rather liked this modern-looking bow-fronted acrylic chrome-coloured tank, for $1200.

King Ed's has a "Best Friends Buyer's Club," in which "membership" is free. Members get discounts of 5% to 15% off purchases.

King Ed's is a "destination store," and it is no wonder that people come from all over B.C. to visit. I've just realised that I took so many photos of the fish that I didn't even bother with the reptiles, birds and other animals!