Going to *****
- Thread starter jelezoglo
- Start date
turningtim
Active Member
First do not listen to ***** they are there to sell you stuff. Yes you can have a 20 gal salt tank but a doubt that the kit you're buying will be what you need. More than likly it is for freshwater and the lights and filtration will not be enough for saltwater needs. You will need a skimmer.
First fiquire out what you want to keep Fish only with live rock and live sand (FOWLR) or a reef tank. The more water volume in a SW tank the better. If you can go bigger do it.
I would suggest holding off and read read read. The Conscientious marine aquarists by Fenner is a great book to start with and of course these boards are a wonderful resource.
When you are ready look for a preowned set up in the newspaper or craigs list. There are some great deals out there if you are patient. Peolpe ungrading to a larger tank or ones that just jumped in and have lost to much money and want to get out.
This is a hobby that can be very rewarding but it can also drain your wallet and kill critters unnessasarily. Do your homework first and learn from other mistakes and take your time!
Welcome to the boards! SLOW DOWN AND BE PATIENT!
HTH
Tim
First fiquire out what you want to keep Fish only with live rock and live sand (FOWLR) or a reef tank. The more water volume in a SW tank the better. If you can go bigger do it.
I would suggest holding off and read read read. The Conscientious marine aquarists by Fenner is a great book to start with and of course these boards are a wonderful resource.
When you are ready look for a preowned set up in the newspaper or craigs list. There are some great deals out there if you are patient. Peolpe ungrading to a larger tank or ones that just jumped in and have lost to much money and want to get out.
This is a hobby that can be very rewarding but it can also drain your wallet and kill critters unnessasarily. Do your homework first and learn from other mistakes and take your time!
Welcome to the boards! SLOW DOWN AND BE PATIENT!
HTH
Tim
pclown
Member
I agree with all of the above! I went to ***** here and the people do not know what they are talking about. I was talking with one and I told him my setup and asked for a good test kit to see what he would say and he gave me the 8 in 1 test strips. I laughed, and then he told me that is what they use and went on to tell how great they were.
Stay away from *****, I am not sure how healthy their fish are either.
Stay away from *****, I am not sure how healthy their fish are either.
lion_crazz
Active Member
The advice above is good. You would be much better off supporting a local fish store, and not *****. They are not worth your time or money usually. Until they learn how to hire people who know how to care for fish, that store should be boycotted by conscientious saltwater hobbiests.
ophiura
Active Member
Once again another bash ***** thread!! :notsure:
I have LOADS of local fish stores that I would definitely not send people to, such as the one who sold a pair of seahorses to an uncycled 6 gallon eclipse system. Better than *****??? Not the *****'s I have around me at least. It is not at all fair to call all of the staff inexperienced. Again, I could go into many local LFS and see all sorts of problems....
Before you buy anything, my only advice is to read here or you may waste money and go through a lot of frustration...not necessarily because it is *****, but because many stores (even fish stores) do not sell the proper equipment.
This is a slow patient hobby. No quick cures or fixes.
Do lots and lots of reading, ask lots and lots of questions.
But you throw in the word "*****" and other things happen
I have LOADS of local fish stores that I would definitely not send people to, such as the one who sold a pair of seahorses to an uncycled 6 gallon eclipse system. Better than *****??? Not the *****'s I have around me at least. It is not at all fair to call all of the staff inexperienced. Again, I could go into many local LFS and see all sorts of problems....
Before you buy anything, my only advice is to read here or you may waste money and go through a lot of frustration...not necessarily because it is *****, but because many stores (even fish stores) do not sell the proper equipment.
This is a slow patient hobby. No quick cures or fixes.
Do lots and lots of reading, ask lots and lots of questions.
But you throw in the word "*****" and other things happen
turningtim
Active Member
Sorry ophiura, It really wasn't the "*****" word its the "magic all in one kit" that kinda set me off. B/c I certainly haven't found one.......
If the hoobbists educates them selves it really doesn't matter where you purchase things.......
Tim
If the hoobbists educates them selves it really doesn't matter where you purchase things.......
Tim
jsgreer1
Member
i bought a tank and set-up from ***** about 3 months ago. the guy's tag said "aquatic specialist" (that he was not.) he said all i need was a tank and stand, live sand, my filter came with my tank and some crap test kit. he said to wait about a week and come get some fish. so i bring my tank home set everything i have up and wait a week then i go get some fish. (like an idiot) i figured how much different could it be from fw. so i bring my fish home (percula clown) and decide to look and see what other kind of fish would go good in my tank then i found this place and wow had i screwed up. so i confronted the ***** fella and he said he forgot about the initial cycle and had never heard of lr because they dont carry it in there store. he also denied the fact that i needed powerheads for flow and said the ls would take care of all the algae so i wouldnt need a clean up crew (***** doesnt sell clean up crews) so i would say definately be aware of what you are doing when you go to *****. i know from experience. i was also charged $279 plus tax for my 26 gal tank with NO lights and a filter. so be careful with that.
wilsonreef
Member
Like Ophiura said, "another ***** bashing" I agree. A lot of people have had a bad experience with ***** I'm sure. But I wonder, if the odds were counted up with only two sources of supplies, either live or hardware would the "BAD LFS"s" out number the "bad *****'s"? I'm not trying to choose sides for either, I for one am just tired of hearing all the horror stories about them. It has been run into the ground! Again, like most everyone on these post's say, " Patience", is a virtue, It has to be in this hobby. So do your home work, know what kind of system you want to run, know your monetary boundries. investigate your alternatives, and really research what you want to do. And always ask questions because on this site I'm sure someone has been there and done that, and can save you a lot of grief and money.
ophiura
Active Member
When I started in this hobby, I set up a 10g tank with an undergravel filter and white gravel and knew nothing about LR and wasn't stopped by the fish store (not *****, BTW) when I set up a tank and threw a bunch of animals into it right away.
You know whose fault it was when things died?
Mine.
Never did I think that it was someone else's fault for selling me stuff whether too much or too little. It wasn't their fault I didn't set my tank up right when I set it up like a FW tank with some salt. Its very easy to blame someone else. It isn't too easy to take responsibility for it when it goes wrong, but it is a key to success in this hobby, IMO.
I understand that people are sometimes sold saltwater set ups, and they feel the store had an obligation to tell them to do it how they are doing it now. But also keep in mind that there are A LOT of successful ways to set up a tank and it may not agree with other things you are told....but it doesn't make the store dishonest or liars. That is where the research before buying thing comes in.
There are good *****'s and there are bad one's. There are good LFS and there are some very bad one's. The names, IMO, don't matter a whole lot except one is a bigger name and an easier target.
You know whose fault it was when things died?
Mine.
Never did I think that it was someone else's fault for selling me stuff whether too much or too little. It wasn't their fault I didn't set my tank up right when I set it up like a FW tank with some salt. Its very easy to blame someone else. It isn't too easy to take responsibility for it when it goes wrong, but it is a key to success in this hobby, IMO.
I understand that people are sometimes sold saltwater set ups, and they feel the store had an obligation to tell them to do it how they are doing it now. But also keep in mind that there are A LOT of successful ways to set up a tank and it may not agree with other things you are told....but it doesn't make the store dishonest or liars. That is where the research before buying thing comes in.
There are good *****'s and there are bad one's. There are good LFS and there are some very bad one's. The names, IMO, don't matter a whole lot except one is a bigger name and an easier target.
misfit
Active Member
I agree with what everyone has said, I did not entend to "bash *****".They can be a useful source for food, eqiupment and such but like I said earlier their livestock is very limited and rarely looks healthy(at least in my area).As for workers in these stores, I dont ask them anything.I do my own research and reading here and other places first.So, I dont depend on them or any LFs for that.
hottie79
Member
I kinda think this may have gone off course a little bit, as said, you can have a 20 gallon SW tank. Take everything anyone selling anything has to say with a grain of salt. Remember, they are just like any other store, the primary purpose is to make money.
Again, as said, read as much as you can, this is a patience hobby, but can be very rewarding, I am pretty new to it as well. It can be really scary with all of the different information sources out there, but this forum is by far the best... We have specialist at almost everything here... The mods here are great, and knowledgable.
welcome to the hobby! It's a lot of work, a lot of patience and a lot of fun. There is so much information on this forum, and if you have a quesiton about any of it, there are always plenty of people to answer, and you will run into many different ideas. A lot of it is trial and error, some is simply personal experience, and some still is just the pure science and nature of it.
As I said, good luck to you!
Again, as said, read as much as you can, this is a patience hobby, but can be very rewarding, I am pretty new to it as well. It can be really scary with all of the different information sources out there, but this forum is by far the best... We have specialist at almost everything here... The mods here are great, and knowledgable.
welcome to the hobby! It's a lot of work, a lot of patience and a lot of fun. There is so much information on this forum, and if you have a quesiton about any of it, there are always plenty of people to answer, and you will run into many different ideas. A lot of it is trial and error, some is simply personal experience, and some still is just the pure science and nature of it.
As I said, good luck to you!
scsinet
Active Member
I'm sorry, but if you listen to ANY one source blindly, you are almost definitely asking for trouble, and you have nobody to blame but yourself for that. You are doing the right thing by backing up what you heard with more questions here. Obviously the salesman set off your BS alarm so you decided to ask around. Good job! You didn't buy right away, you backed off, and asked more questions.
Ophiura is right, this is not a problem that is *****, per se, but rather any randomly chosen store. It's all about who you run into... there are those that know a lot, those that don't. There are stores that run beneficial and ethical houses, and those that just sell stuff.
All these guys are right. The best thing you can do for yourself is be informed before you talk to the local store salesman. Get yourself the Fenner book. It's, IMO, THE best book for a beginning aquarist. I consider myself moderately experienced, and I still reference it at least once a week. Then, when you go to deal with the salesman (who often does have at least some useful information), you can at least have some intiuition as to when you are being steered in the right direction versus the wrong one.
Ophiura is right, this is not a problem that is *****, per se, but rather any randomly chosen store. It's all about who you run into... there are those that know a lot, those that don't. There are stores that run beneficial and ethical houses, and those that just sell stuff.
All these guys are right. The best thing you can do for yourself is be informed before you talk to the local store salesman. Get yourself the Fenner book. It's, IMO, THE best book for a beginning aquarist. I consider myself moderately experienced, and I still reference it at least once a week. Then, when you go to deal with the salesman (who often does have at least some useful information), you can at least have some intiuition as to when you are being steered in the right direction versus the wrong one.
pclown
Member
I believe it is 100% ok to bash ***** or any store (LFS) that gives you wrong advise and ***** is a store in general that does not have experiance people maintaining thier tanks. I would not want to buy a fish from them and I sure am not going to recommend anyone else either. I believe that you do stand a better chance of getting good advise and better fish from your LFS than *****(In most cases). I am not saying all LFS are are good but I have 4 and I would perfer them over what I saw at the ***** here. Most people dont always read and study and may not know thay they need too. They depend on the people at the store to help them and I feel that a LFS is better suited to help them in most cases. I always say that you should not trust any info until you have checked it out first wether it is from *****, the LFS, or this or other sites.
I dont care how much I study and know exactly what I want. I know I will not be buying it from ***** and if someone wants to know why I will be glad to tell them.
I dont care how much I study and know exactly what I want. I know I will not be buying it from ***** and if someone wants to know why I will be glad to tell them.
martinc909
Member
go Bigger
go Bigger
go Bigger
go Bigger
go Bigger
go Bigger
go Bigger
go Bigger
go Bigger
go Bigger
go Bigger
go Bigger
go Bigger
wembleey
New Member
TurningTim said:First do not listen to ***** they are there to sell you stuff. Yes you can have a 20 gal salt tank but a doubt that the kit you're buying will be what you need. More than likly it is for freshwater and the lights and filtration will not be enough for saltwater needs. You will need a skimmer.
First fiquire out what you want to keep Fish only with live rock and live sand (FOWLR) or a reef tank. The more water volume in a SW tank the better. If you can go bigger do it.
I would suggest holding off and read read read. The Conscientious marine aquarists by Fenner is a great book to start with and of course these boards are a wonderful resource.
When you are ready look for a preowned set up in the newspaper or craigs list. There are some great deals out there if you are patient. Peolpe ungrading to a larger tank or ones that just jumped in and have lost to much money and want to get out.
This is a hobby that can be very rewarding but it can also drain your wallet and kill critters unnessasarily. Do your homework first and learn from other mistakes and take your time!
Welcome to the boards! SLOW DOWN AND BE PATIENT!
turningtim
Active Member
uh? :notsure:
What are you trying to say?
What are you trying to say?
wembleey
New Member
I work at *****,
And in the fish department
I have studied enough to make it over there so I can hold my own.
If someone asks me a question regarding fish and I don't know the answer I tell them I don't know. I don't want to give any false info, because I wouldn't want to be given any myself. Therefore I try my hardest to find them the question by looking it up in a book or refering them to someone who does know. ***** and any other LFS is a business so yeah selling product is what we need to do. But also communticating to costumers helping with there concerns and is a big part of us too. There are thousands of petcos
you cant bash all of them just because you had a bad experiance with one. That is childish you people need to grow up!
And in the fish department
I have studied enough to make it over there so I can hold my own.
If someone asks me a question regarding fish and I don't know the answer I tell them I don't know. I don't want to give any false info, because I wouldn't want to be given any myself. Therefore I try my hardest to find them the question by looking it up in a book or refering them to someone who does know. ***** and any other LFS is a business so yeah selling product is what we need to do. But also communticating to costumers helping with there concerns and is a big part of us too. There are thousands of petcos
you cant bash all of them just because you had a bad experiance with one. That is childish you people need to grow up!
turningtim
Active Member
I don't think it childish at all. First I will congradulate you on a job well done and being honest enough to read and make every attempt to help you customers and if you read all of the the thread I did apologize if I offened anyone. B/c your are correct its not just *****. There are several LFS that act in bad faith to sell a product. If I offended you I'm truly sorry but you are not the norm in these chain stores. To add I also know someone else on the boards that is in the same boat with you and I understand the corporate world and the chain store policies.
But let me relate a story of what happened to me last night and maybe you can offer a suggestion of what I can do to fix a major issue. If you're willing I would like any help I can get.
Are you game?
Again I mean no offense, I'm truly sorry. I shows that you are makeing an effort just being here on the boards.
Humbly
Tim
But let me relate a story of what happened to me last night and maybe you can offer a suggestion of what I can do to fix a major issue. If you're willing I would like any help I can get.
Are you game?
Again I mean no offense, I'm truly sorry. I shows that you are makeing an effort just being here on the boards.
Humbly
Tim