jdecter
Member
I have shopped litterally for 7 weeks several times a week since I've waited for my 9 damsels to cycle my new 80 gallon glass tank.
But after only loosing 2 damsels (the first day) I now have a perfectly balanced tank and some pretty starter fish to boot. I actually plan to keep most of the damsels until any signs that I am crowded or they act aggressively.
So I went to 4 different LFS in the San Jose and East Bay area and I finally found one that I felt knew what they were talking about and that I could trust.
I looked hard too, my town of Tracy California has one LFS and 2 chain stores that sell salt water fish.
But well the LFS only stocks about 10 Variety at any one time and they seem to sell them almost immediately. However their help is only semi knowledgable and I've spent already about 200.00 that I didn't need to on things they told me to buy.
Then when I took it back saying "hey you said I needed 35 lbs of CC with my 60 lbs of live sand and now its making my Nitrite shoot through the roof, take it back" they said sorry we can't. But then I said well I'm not gonna use it they said, oh leave it here we will take it off your hands. It pretty much solidified I don't need to shop with them anymore.
You don't squabble over 70.00 with someone who just spent 1500.00 the week before with you, and expect them to be a returning customer.
So I travelled all over the south bay and found a privately owned LFS almost entirely dedicated to saltwater fish and 100% dedicated to fish.
They knew everything I asked about and even their advice was almost 100% inline with what I've heard around here.
Even so much to advise me not to go buying 3 fish to start (which actually lost them money) but to instead start with one and work slowly.
So I bought a percula clownfish. Gorgious by the way and she ( well its pretty large so I assume its a she) has so far jumped in and done fine with the 7 damsels. I do plan to take a few damsels out when I go to buy the next batch of fish but I was expecting them to bully the new pretty clown.
She seems to be the queen of the tank now, strutting her stuff and when she seems to go where she wants the damsels jet out of the way.
I also bought 5 hermits (I believe they call them blue pincher hermits (I guess I could look on the reciept if I needed)), and 2 turbo to start keeping up with the algae.
It's very excited to seem something so beautiful in my tank and some cute little critters running around the sand.
My next 3 fish I saw in the shop already are:
Coral Beauty Angel
Flame Angel
Emperial Angel
LFS said buy one or 3 or more, never 2 unless their mating pairs.
I struggled for weeks over which angel I wanted because I was told only one of each species.
But I love so many different angels I'd be happy with a tank full of them.
But after only loosing 2 damsels (the first day) I now have a perfectly balanced tank and some pretty starter fish to boot. I actually plan to keep most of the damsels until any signs that I am crowded or they act aggressively.
So I went to 4 different LFS in the San Jose and East Bay area and I finally found one that I felt knew what they were talking about and that I could trust.
I looked hard too, my town of Tracy California has one LFS and 2 chain stores that sell salt water fish.
But well the LFS only stocks about 10 Variety at any one time and they seem to sell them almost immediately. However their help is only semi knowledgable and I've spent already about 200.00 that I didn't need to on things they told me to buy.
Then when I took it back saying "hey you said I needed 35 lbs of CC with my 60 lbs of live sand and now its making my Nitrite shoot through the roof, take it back" they said sorry we can't. But then I said well I'm not gonna use it they said, oh leave it here we will take it off your hands. It pretty much solidified I don't need to shop with them anymore.
You don't squabble over 70.00 with someone who just spent 1500.00 the week before with you, and expect them to be a returning customer.
So I travelled all over the south bay and found a privately owned LFS almost entirely dedicated to saltwater fish and 100% dedicated to fish.
They knew everything I asked about and even their advice was almost 100% inline with what I've heard around here.
Even so much to advise me not to go buying 3 fish to start (which actually lost them money) but to instead start with one and work slowly.
So I bought a percula clownfish. Gorgious by the way and she ( well its pretty large so I assume its a she) has so far jumped in and done fine with the 7 damsels. I do plan to take a few damsels out when I go to buy the next batch of fish but I was expecting them to bully the new pretty clown.
She seems to be the queen of the tank now, strutting her stuff and when she seems to go where she wants the damsels jet out of the way.
I also bought 5 hermits (I believe they call them blue pincher hermits (I guess I could look on the reciept if I needed)), and 2 turbo to start keeping up with the algae.
It's very excited to seem something so beautiful in my tank and some cute little critters running around the sand.
My next 3 fish I saw in the shop already are:
Coral Beauty Angel
Flame Angel
Emperial Angel
LFS said buy one or 3 or more, never 2 unless their mating pairs.
I struggled for weeks over which angel I wanted because I was told only one of each species.
But I love so many different angels I'd be happy with a tank full of them.
