Puffers, oscars, mollys, oh my! Fish store cry. (Weekly Briefing).

CURTIS Michael, owner of the Fish Cove in La Crescenta, began his fascination with fish as a teenager. Tired of working for other people, he translated his hobby into a business when he opened up the Fish Cove in 1984. The store offers a wide variety of fish and its size rivals a small aquarium. People come to the Fish Cove just to view the 300-gallon coral tank that features various saltwater fish.

"Ours is a fish specialty store. We carry freshwater fish, tropical fish and coldwater fish.

"Our most popular types of fish are mollys and platys. We also have a couple of hundred types of other fish that vary constantly. They are shipped by air from all over the world and run anywhere from $9 up to $150.

"We also carry various puffers, including fresh and saltwater puffers. Puffers are bottom dwelling fish that eat moving fish. One rare type of puffer that we offer is the pignose puffer, a black and brown tropical fish with a pointed nose.

"The largest fish that we carry are oscars. Oscars are South American fish that can grow up to 12 to 13 inches.

"Fish are just like people and have their own personalities. Their personalities are often determined by what breed they are. For example, South American fish tend to be more aggressive.

"We also serve as a full service aquarium store. We offer filters, water testing, all different types of aquariums and a large variety of food.

"We have different types of medication. I use my years of experience in the fish industry to help diagnose health problems in fish. The biggest problem in the industry is improperly maintained aquariums, so I generally begin with a basic water check.

"The general health of our fish is one of the factors that separates The Fish Cove from other pet stores. Our fish are monitored and checked every day. If one fish in a tank becomes sick, we don't sell out of the tank until all of the fish are cured."