Oh, koi! New specialty fish store, Deez Fish, opens in Detroit Lakes - Detroit Lakes Tribune
DETROIT LAKES — Walk through Deez Fish, a new specialty fish store in Detroit Lakes, and you'll see more than 50 tanks full of colorful fish species from around the world, including a freshwater stingray and puffer fish.
There is also a koi pond, and, as Detroit Lakes resident Annie Sisson learned during her first visit to the store on Thursday, June 2, a few special guests are given the opportunity to feed the ornamental Asian carp.
Barbie Porter / Detroit Lakes Tribune
"We even have a few fish that don't occur naturally in nature," said co-owner Derek Schumann, noting one type of fish the store carries, a fish with jellyfish DNA added to it. The added DNA makes the fish available in colorful options that don't occur naturally.
Schumann owns Deez Fish (a play on the first letter of his first name, D) with Travis Stone. The two are hosting the store's grand opening this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, June 4-5. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
"During our grand opening, all purchases in the store come with 10% off," Schumann said, noting that includes purchases of fish, fish food, live plants, fish tanks, tank accessories and more. "We have tanks that hold 2.5 gallons to 75 gallons, and can custom order any size."
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Barbie Porter / Detroit Lakes Tribune
The store also carries fish medicine. If a fish is sick and enters a tank with other fish, it can affect the rest of the population in the tank and potentially create an underwater plague.
Schumann said years of research and experience with fish illnesses have given him insights on how to identify and treat certain ailments. He encourages any owners of fish with health issues to take a video of their fish and stop by the store to chat about possible options to improve the tank's overall health.
Deez Fish's stock is quarantined before it is put up for sale. Schumann pointed to the back of the store and noted that the showroom is about 960 square feet; there is a larger space in the back where new stock is observed to make sure they are in top health before being moved to the showroom.
As teens, both Schumann and Stone enjoyed the hobby of creating underwater worlds in their fish tanks. The two knew each other — they're both 2008 Frazee High School graduates — but until more recently had no idea they shared the same hobby.
"We didn't know until about four or five years ago," Stone said.
Schumann already had a dream of opening a specialty fish store in the lakes area by then, and when he pitched it to Stone, the idea became a reality. Stone, who owns Action Fabricating, knows the business side of opening a shop. And he was game to open another.
The two decided there was no time like the present, and began searching for a location. They also enlisted a friend, Rob Olson, to help them get the store going.
"He has helped with everything along the way and brings even more knowledge to the store," Schumann said of Olson.
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In the future, Deez Fish will expand its in-house inventory by selling saltwater fish in the store. Schumann said he wants to learn a little more about saltwater fish first, and then he'll slowly add those options in. Until then, customers can special order saltwater fish (freshwater fish can be specially ordered, as well).
Whether a customer is a seasoned fish tank enthusiast or a newbie, Schumann said he looks forward to talking shop, providing healthy fish and welcoming newcomers to the hobby.
Deez Fish can be found on Facebook or contacted at 218-234-2777.
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