Any fellow reefers in New Hampshire ??
- Thread starter susan
- Start date
C
cruises8
Guest
Hello Susan,
My name is Steve and am also from NH. As you see in my sig, I'm from Hooksett(neighbor to Manchester). I've been in the hobby for 2 years now and am having a lot of fun with it. Well, as far as stores go, There is Inland Reef Aquria in Nashua(mostly reef related-very nice), Seaworld in Salem(knowledgeable but pricey!), and Little Shop of Pets in Portsmouth(very nice place/people, prices aren't bad).
What type of setup do you have? How long has it been set up?
Glad to see another NH member!!! If I remember correctly there are only 2 others on here, and I haven't seen them in a while.
I'm still have much to learn, but this site is a great place to do so! There are some very knowledgable people here so don't be afraid to ask questions! The search feature on this site is also a great tool to take advantage of! Hope this helped!!! Welcome aboard!!!
cruises8
My name is Steve and am also from NH. As you see in my sig, I'm from Hooksett(neighbor to Manchester). I've been in the hobby for 2 years now and am having a lot of fun with it. Well, as far as stores go, There is Inland Reef Aquria in Nashua(mostly reef related-very nice), Seaworld in Salem(knowledgeable but pricey!), and Little Shop of Pets in Portsmouth(very nice place/people, prices aren't bad).
What type of setup do you have? How long has it been set up?
Glad to see another NH member!!! If I remember correctly there are only 2 others on here, and I haven't seen them in a while.
I'm still have much to learn, but this site is a great place to do so! There are some very knowledgable people here so don't be afraid to ask questions! The search feature on this site is also a great tool to take advantage of! Hope this helped!!! Welcome aboard!!!
cruises8
wastedincome420
Member
Hello susan 
I doubt that you will find anyone closer to yo then me.. I live in rochester. And its great to find some so close. There isn't very many "good" fish store nearby.
The closest one that is ANY good would be "Little shop of Pets" in portsmouth, on route 1 next to Jokers,(Same parking lot as Wal-mart). There is also "Inland aquatics" in Nashua, I heard lots of good feed back from people who shop there but I have yet to make it there. Oh ya there is also a lil' store in somersworth but they only have 3 10g tank w/ saltwater fish(I would never by anyfish from em')
If you like to chat some time shoot me a e-mail
Wastedincome420@aol.com
I doubt that you will find anyone closer to yo then me.. I live in rochester. And its great to find some so close. There isn't very many "good" fish store nearby.
The closest one that is ANY good would be "Little shop of Pets" in portsmouth, on route 1 next to Jokers,(Same parking lot as Wal-mart). There is also "Inland aquatics" in Nashua, I heard lots of good feed back from people who shop there but I have yet to make it there. Oh ya there is also a lil' store in somersworth but they only have 3 10g tank w/ saltwater fish(I would never by anyfish from em')
If you like to chat some time shoot me a e-mail
Wastedincome420@aol.com
wastedincome420
Member
opps I should have read Mikes post <img src="graemlins//urrr.gif" border="0" alt="[urrr]" />
I just listed the same places. Oh ya I also have some equipment that I'm looking to get rid of, maybe i have somethings you need
I just listed the same places. Oh ya I also have some equipment that I'm looking to get rid of, maybe i have somethings you need
susan
Member
Hi Steve and Wastedincome420 (cute- what's your real name?)
It's so nice to have fello NHerites and so close!
Steve, I grew up in Raymond and have family there. Hookset's just a hop, skip and a jump away! I've been to a few places in Salem, nut not in Nashua. I'll have to try them. I love going to the "little shop of Pets" in Portsmouth. I talked to Ricky for almost 11/2 hours there today. He took me out behind the tanks and showed me how everything there works as I'm just about to set up my first SW tank. There very nice! (their 250 gal tank is SWEET!!)
Wastedincome420, I'm actually in Farmington. We live off Chestnut Hill Rd. You're right, there's no place like Portsmouth's "Little shop..." The pet store here and in Sommersworth are not really "adequate". What are you itching to get rid of? I need eveerything but the tank and stand.
To the both of you:
I have a 55gal plexiglass fresh water tank with a black background and two 18in hoods (currently with reg flourescent bulbs). I plan to convert my aquarium into a reef tank very soon. Here's what I have in mind to get. Tell me if it sounds OK...
(will keep my current whisper III filter)
125 gal Wet dry filter/protien skimmer (entire unit hangs off back of tank) $250-
2 pulsating powerheads
new 4ft hood set up with 2 PC smartlamp $499-
new 4ft hood set up with 2 "blue" bulbs (I like the blue look) $100-
6 bags of playground sand (got that idea from this site) $?
2 bags of LS $35 (ricky rec 1 in of total sand)
50 lbs of base rock (if I can find it) $?
25 lbs of fiji live rock at $7-lb $175
Is this alright? I'd appreciate any input.
What's the idea with using plenums anyway? This site recommends them, but all the fish stores say not to.
What do you two have for a complete tank set up and what do you have in it? How long have you had your reef tanks? Do you have pict of your tanks posted online?
Thanks for all your advise!
It's so nice to have fello NHerites and so close!
Steve, I grew up in Raymond and have family there. Hookset's just a hop, skip and a jump away! I've been to a few places in Salem, nut not in Nashua. I'll have to try them. I love going to the "little shop of Pets" in Portsmouth. I talked to Ricky for almost 11/2 hours there today. He took me out behind the tanks and showed me how everything there works as I'm just about to set up my first SW tank. There very nice! (their 250 gal tank is SWEET!!)
Wastedincome420, I'm actually in Farmington. We live off Chestnut Hill Rd. You're right, there's no place like Portsmouth's "Little shop..." The pet store here and in Sommersworth are not really "adequate". What are you itching to get rid of? I need eveerything but the tank and stand.
To the both of you:
I have a 55gal plexiglass fresh water tank with a black background and two 18in hoods (currently with reg flourescent bulbs). I plan to convert my aquarium into a reef tank very soon. Here's what I have in mind to get. Tell me if it sounds OK...
(will keep my current whisper III filter)
125 gal Wet dry filter/protien skimmer (entire unit hangs off back of tank) $250-
2 pulsating powerheads
new 4ft hood set up with 2 PC smartlamp $499-
new 4ft hood set up with 2 "blue" bulbs (I like the blue look) $100-
6 bags of playground sand (got that idea from this site) $?
2 bags of LS $35 (ricky rec 1 in of total sand)
50 lbs of base rock (if I can find it) $?
25 lbs of fiji live rock at $7-lb $175
Is this alright? I'd appreciate any input.
What's the idea with using plenums anyway? This site recommends them, but all the fish stores say not to.
What do you two have for a complete tank set up and what do you have in it? How long have you had your reef tanks? Do you have pict of your tanks posted online?
Thanks for all your advise!
C
cruises8
Guest
Hey Susan,
Little Shop of pets is my favorite of the ones I listed!!! I bought my protein skimmer there and some LR. They showed me the equipment room to. It is quite impressive! The place in Nashua is also great. That is where I bought my tank from.
As far as your equipment goes, it's sounds pretty good. I'm not sure about the hang-on wet-dry/skimmer. I thought I read that you could get better equipment if you bought a seperate wet-dry and skimmer. I could be wrong, but that is what I recall. What size bulbs are you talking about, 55watt, 96 watt? In either case, that price of $499 sounds a bit high! Are these all prices from Portsmouth? If they are, I know they are a bit high, but if you want to buy from them because they helped you; that is your choice. I paid about $70 more for my skimmer there than I could have paid online, but they helped so I bought it! Are you buying the light kits with the fixture included? Does your tank have a canopy? You can fit more lights in a canopy, and you can use retrofit Power compact lights, that would save you lots of $$$. You can get retofit 96 watt PC retrofit kit for around $99 shipped to your door with a bulb from many online stores. 4 of those would get you any combination of bulbs you want for about $400. And they would each have their own plug, so you could have dusk/dawn control! LR is definitely a must! Good choice!
I think the sand may be a bit much. The play sand comes in 50lb bags, and the LS comes in 10-20lb bags. That is about 340lbs of sand. I have 150lbs of sand in my 75gl and it is about 3" deep. You can put that much, but that's up to you!
There are many, many, many opinions on lighting, so I would suggest doing a search on here on "lighting". There will be a lot of good info!!!
Hope this helped!!!
Little Shop of pets is my favorite of the ones I listed!!! I bought my protein skimmer there and some LR. They showed me the equipment room to. It is quite impressive! The place in Nashua is also great. That is where I bought my tank from.
As far as your equipment goes, it's sounds pretty good. I'm not sure about the hang-on wet-dry/skimmer. I thought I read that you could get better equipment if you bought a seperate wet-dry and skimmer. I could be wrong, but that is what I recall. What size bulbs are you talking about, 55watt, 96 watt? In either case, that price of $499 sounds a bit high! Are these all prices from Portsmouth? If they are, I know they are a bit high, but if you want to buy from them because they helped you; that is your choice. I paid about $70 more for my skimmer there than I could have paid online, but they helped so I bought it! Are you buying the light kits with the fixture included? Does your tank have a canopy? You can fit more lights in a canopy, and you can use retrofit Power compact lights, that would save you lots of $$$. You can get retofit 96 watt PC retrofit kit for around $99 shipped to your door with a bulb from many online stores. 4 of those would get you any combination of bulbs you want for about $400. And they would each have their own plug, so you could have dusk/dawn control! LR is definitely a must! Good choice!
I think the sand may be a bit much. The play sand comes in 50lb bags, and the LS comes in 10-20lb bags. That is about 340lbs of sand. I have 150lbs of sand in my 75gl and it is about 3" deep. You can put that much, but that's up to you!
There are many, many, many opinions on lighting, so I would suggest doing a search on here on "lighting". There will be a lot of good info!!!
Hope this helped!!!
wastedincome420
Member
Hi susan
Well my name is Mark. I grew up in Farmington most of my life. Glad to hear you like lil' shop. A friend of mine helped Alex(owner) set most of it up. I've meet rich before (but not really MY fav. person) I love the show tank they have too. My new tank is the same thing only smaller (Oceanic 105g 5ft long all black) For some reason no one there likes the idea of having a Deep Sand Bed (I think its cause they no nothing about em') If you use any play sand make sure its South Down. I have a bunch in my closet.
I have a wet/dry trickle filter sump along with a Berlin protien skimmer (they work well) along with somer power heads, and a couple of little giant pumps.
As much as I like everyone at lil' shop (Alex AKA Randy, Tom, rich, etc) and they all seem to be SOOOO nice They WILL take your wallet for one heck of a ride (trust me I know) Most of them do know some stuff but will sell you stuff you either dont need or shouldn't have.
Quote "oh ya you can put a puffer, purple tang, yellow tang, vlamingii tang, and a coral beauty all in a 58g reef tank" <img src="graemlins//uhuh.gif" border="0" alt="[U-Huh]" />
Also $7 a pound for Live rock (and it's not even that nice)(I'll pass ) You can get a much better deal then that IMO.
PS: I know chestnut Hill rd pretty well
well talk to ya agian soon I hope.
Mark
Well my name is Mark. I grew up in Farmington most of my life. Glad to hear you like lil' shop. A friend of mine helped Alex(owner) set most of it up. I've meet rich before (but not really MY fav. person) I love the show tank they have too. My new tank is the same thing only smaller (Oceanic 105g 5ft long all black) For some reason no one there likes the idea of having a Deep Sand Bed
(I think its cause they no nothing about em') If you use any play sand make sure its South Down. I have a bunch in my closet.I have a wet/dry trickle filter sump along with a Berlin protien skimmer (they work well) along with somer power heads, and a couple of little giant pumps.
As much as I like everyone at lil' shop (Alex AKA Randy, Tom, rich, etc) and they all seem to be SOOOO nice They WILL take your wallet for one heck of a ride (trust me I know) Most of them do know some stuff but will sell you stuff you either dont need or shouldn't have.
Quote "oh ya you can put a puffer, purple tang, yellow tang, vlamingii tang, and a coral beauty all in a 58g reef tank" <img src="graemlins//uhuh.gif" border="0" alt="[U-Huh]" />
Also $7 a pound for Live rock (and it's not even that nice)(I'll pass
) You can get a much better deal then that IMO.PS: I know chestnut Hill rd pretty well
well talk to ya agian soon I hope.
Mark
wastedincome420
Member
Oh ya I forgot to talk about lighting,
I have PowerCompacts (from Lil' Shop)on my 58g and personally I like VHO's much better. I would say to go with a IceCap 660 ballast which can run upto 4 48" bulbs which equals 440 watts, plus with the IceCap you can run VHO AND PC's on the same ballast I would look into Mail order.
I think that 1 Icecap with 4 48" vho's and 1 96w
powercompact retro kit with a atinic bulb for dusk and dawn would be a great way to go. There's NO WAY I would spend $400+ on PC's from lil' shop, that way too much $$.
Also i would reccomend using a Deep Sand Bed with about 4+" of sand (South Down). If you do a search here on DSB's you will find out how much good they can be
Another thing, last time I checked Lil shop didn't sell real Live sand (only that Natures Ocean stuff in a sealed bag) Which isnt as good as real live stuff with critters in it.
And just for a comparison on the mark up that lil' shop has on dry goods.
I paid $69.99 for a rio power head which you can get on-line for $44.00 AND the Custom SeaLife 36" Power compact fixture That I paid $200 for mail order $125.00
Dont get me wrong when it comes to buying live stock, I have no problems with lil' shop but When I buy drygoods it MUCH cheaper to shop around and use the internet
Mark
I have PowerCompacts (from Lil' Shop)on my 58g and personally I like VHO's much better. I would say to go with a IceCap 660 ballast which can run upto 4 48" bulbs which equals 440 watts, plus with the IceCap you can run VHO AND PC's on the same ballast
I would look into Mail order.I think that 1 Icecap with 4 48" vho's and 1 96w
powercompact retro kit with a atinic bulb for dusk and dawn would be a great way to go. There's NO WAY I would spend $400+ on PC's from lil' shop, that way too much $$.
Also i would reccomend using a Deep Sand Bed with about 4+" of sand (South Down). If you do a search here on DSB's you will find out how much good they can be
Another thing, last time I checked Lil shop didn't sell real Live sand (only that Natures Ocean stuff in a sealed bag) Which isnt as good as real live stuff with critters in it.
And just for a comparison on the mark up that lil' shop has on dry goods.
I paid $69.99 for a rio power head which you can get on-line for $44.00 AND the Custom SeaLife 36" Power compact fixture That I paid $200 for mail order $125.00
Dont get me wrong when it comes to buying live stock, I have no problems with lil' shop but When I buy drygoods it MUCH cheaper to shop around and use the internet
Mark
C
cruises8
Guest
I forgot to tell you about my setup. I have a 75gl tank that has been up for almost a year. Before that I had a 37gl. My tank has a 3" sand bed of Southdown sand and about 70lbs of LR. For filtration I have a wet/dry, a Emperor 280, and a Berlin hang-on skimmer. There are also 2 powerheads. I just put a 440 watt VHO setup on my tank 3 weeks ago. I also have 1 96 watt PC. I love the look of the VHO's. All 4 VHO's only cost me $250 shipped. That included bulbs, ballast, wiring, and endcaps. I would(if I were you) buy my lights online. Waaayyy cheaper!!
For livestock I have some blue mushrooms, and star polyps, a damsel, a false percula, and a snowflake eel.
The exact lighting you should get will all depend on what you are going to keep for fish, corals, etc... A good way to judge is to do some research on what you are going to want to have in the tank, find out what lighting requirements they need, and choose your lighting from there. I also would recommend the VHO's, but research and then decide!!!
I almost forgot!!! Here are 2 pics of my tank. Please excuse the blurry pics, I don't have my digital camera.... YET!!! These are before the new VHO's.
For livestock I have some blue mushrooms, and star polyps, a damsel, a false percula, and a snowflake eel.
The exact lighting you should get will all depend on what you are going to keep for fish, corals, etc... A good way to judge is to do some research on what you are going to want to have in the tank, find out what lighting requirements they need, and choose your lighting from there. I also would recommend the VHO's, but research and then decide!!!
I almost forgot!!! Here are 2 pics of my tank. Please excuse the blurry pics, I don't have my digital camera.... YET!!! These are before the new VHO's.