In Dustin Grossman’s store, clowns defend their territory, angels flit about, damsels chase each other and brains and hairy mushrooms sway peacefully in their watery homes.

Sound like an otherworldly dream? It’s The Ocean Floor, in the Camino Real Marketplace.

Grossman developed an interest in aquarium-keeping at an early age, inheriting the passion from his father. Later on, he got his feet wet while working for the Ocean Floor franchise, which dealt mainly with service rather than sales.

Eventually a store popped up here and there, and when the owner of the one at the Marketplace decided he wanted out, Grossman was the natural choice to take it over.

“It’s a growing industry that’s hard to keep up with,” he said. “It’s supply and demand.”
Armed with his knowledge of both the technical and business sides of the shop, Grossman, 30, now sells his expertise to salt water aquarium aficionados, selling fish from as far as Australia, the Caribbean and the Red Sea.

Of course there’s also a good selection of fresh water fish to choose from, if one is not up to the task of maintaining or having someone else maintain so delicate an underwater environment — “Mother Nature in a glass box,” he calls it.

For those who do want to try bringing a piece of tropical ocean into their homes, Grossman recommends a fairly large tank to offset the magnitude of changes that can affect saltwater fish, and hardy fish like clowns and tangs.

“The whole thing is patience and taking it slow,” he said.

Of course, The Ocean Floor is always available to service someone’s tank if needed; the business has a regular clientele of tanks, saltwater and fresh, that they keep up for others.
The Ocean Floor is at 7072 Marketplace Drive in the Camino Real Marketplace. Call 685-2799 for more information.

Strictly Local is a weekly profile of a Goleta Valley-based business. To suggest a business, e-mail managing editor Jim Logan at jlogan@goletavalleyvoice.com.

Photo by Sonia Fernandez