New to the hobby, Need an ID please

[longislandmike]

Hi Guys,
My name is Mike Ryan, I am sort of new to the hobby, I am new to this site. I have been reading and learning here the past couple of months. Thank you very much for all the info and awesome pictures you all share of your aquariums. You guys are awesome, thank you for letting me be a part of it.
I had my 92 corner up and running for a couple of years with not many problems. It was a fish only tank, I kept 5 fish in it. I new they were going to get big, so I made sure they would have room and after some time, they needed it. I decided to get out of the hobby for a little wile when my lion fish died. It was strange, maybe old age or something. He was eating fine the day before, nothing out of the ordinary, My levels were all good. I woke up, checked on the tank and there he was (very sad day) He was the first and last fish I lost. I then decided it was time to hang it up for a wile. My daughters didnt understand or know about death, now I think it will be easier to explain if something should happen.
I decided, I am going for it again. In my old tank, I only had dead coral as rock, nothing live. I cleaned everything (tank, pump, power heads, sump and bleached all the old skeleton coral). I now just purchased some live rock to add to it hoping it will help cycle. The thing is, I noticed there are some little white worm looking things with a flower type head that come in and out. Is this something good or bad? I never had any coral or anything like that. I am now reading and looking into possibly doing a reef tank in the near future. This a picture of my tank and of the little worm type thing.
Thank you again all for everything
This is my tank now (cycling)

This is the worm type thing?

 

[teresaq]

Hi and Welcome.
The white tubes are small feather dusters. They are harmless filter feeders and will not get much bigger.
T

 

[longislandmike]

Hi TeresaQ,
Thank you very much for your help, That is awesome news. I wasnt sure what they were.
Thanks again
Mike

 

[btldreef]

Where on LI are you located? I can probably give you the names of some great LFS's you should check out and another forum that has great stuff for people on the island. I'm in Medford.

 

[longislandmike]

Hi Btldreef,
That sound awesome!! Thank you very much, I really would appreciate that. Its a small world, I live in Holtsville. I usually hit 3 LFS, Acua hut, Country critters and suffolk county fish and reef. My wife thinks I am nuts, I am always making an excuse to go. Its now eaiser with my daughters showing a little interest. My wife will have something to do, she will ask me "why don't you take Marissa to the fish store" I am loving it!!!!
Thank you again,
Mike

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by longislandmike
http:///forum/post/3171335
Hi Btldreef,
That sound awesome!! Thank you very much, I really would appreciate that. Its a small world, I live in Holtsville. I usually hit 3 LFS, Acua hut, Country critters and suffolk county fish and reef. My wife thinks I am nuts, I am always making an excuse to go. Its now eaiser with my daughters showing a little interest. My wife will have something to do, she will ask me "why don't you take Marissa to the fish store" I am loving it!!!!
Thank you again,
Mike
LOL, everyone in this hobby is nuts. She'll get hooked too, just give her time. So you're the next town away, I'm in Medford. Anyways, QUARANTINE EVERYTHING THAT COMES FROM AQUA HUT! I love them, and basically live in that store, BUT all their coral and fish is caught wild. They get ich and flatworms ALOT, neither or which you want in your tank. I must say, my fish almost never survive from there. They move their stock so fast that the fish don't get time to acclimate, you're almost always buying a stressed fish. That being said, they have the best prices around. Work with Tony, ask him a million questions, he's a great guy and extremely knowledgeable (He's the long haired, hippy looking dude, always wears a Coralife tee shirt). If you stick with him and you're a consistent customer, he'll give you great deals.
STAY AWAY FROM COUNTRY CRITTERS. If you go there, you might as well just give some bum on the street corner your money. They're terrible. They're overpriced and I guarantee you that you'll have issues with your fish. Look around their tanks carefully, fish always have ich and their system all runs together, so if there's ich in one tank, it's in them all :-(
I really like SCF&R. That's where I started in this hobby. Nice fish, okay corals (used to be nicer). They're very over priced, BUT, the stuff they have is quality. I have never had a fish or coral die from there that wasn't my doing.
There's a new Pets Warehouse that's opening up in Selden soon. That should be promising.
Also check out GC Fish and Reef. A small store, but nice owner. It's on 25 in Lake Grove, just east of the Smithaven Mall. Really decent prices. I haven't been there in months, but keep getting told that it's went under a major renovation and is bigger now. I believe he also discounts if you're a MR member.
A great store you should really check out is Tropical Island Aquariums. It's a small store on Deer Park Avenue that's only been open for about a year, the owner, Michael is a great guy, very helpful (heave accent so can be hard to understand, but he knows it and will explain things a million times until you get it). He has extremely nice coral and fish. Limited selection since the store is small and new, but what he has will make your eyes pop out of your head. Cleanest fish tanks I've seen. Don't go there right after you get paid, you'll be broke, LOL.
Check out ManhattanReefs.com It's a local forum full of Long Islands and city folks that are REALLY into this hobby. I've bought numerous frags and a protein skimmer from people on that site. It can be a little overwhelming in the beginning, but you'll get some crazy deals on there. Plus some LFS's offer discounts if you're a MR member. Like last night I bought 9 frags of ORA SPS corals all of which online go for $50-60 a piece for $110 total from a local guy on the forum. Really nice, helpful people there. I have the same user name on there as well. There's a Long Island section on there with a list of LFS's in the area and members reviews of a lot of them. You'll die laughing when you read the things people say about Critters. It hasn't been updated in a long time but it's decent. I've been to just about every store from the east end to queens. My husband and I go on "fish store road trips" every now and then.
Good luck

 

[longislandmike]

LOL, Yes I know what you mean. A guess we all can get a little nuts in this hobby. I am hoping my wife will get hooked, I guess only time will tell. I am always at Aqua hut myself, Dave told me yesterday they are getting a big shipment last night, I will be going today to have a look. I know what you mean about there fish, thats why I was a little nervous about the feather dusters on the Live rock (I purchased the rock from them). Yes, I know Tony very well! He sold me my Tank when he worked at Country critters. He came to my house and helped me set it up. He is a Great guy, very helpful and very nice person.
I try not to purchase anything from country critters. My daughters love to go and look around though. I always feel like I am bothering them when I ask a question or even just when I am looking at the fish.
I also like going to SCF&R Joe is a very nice guy, He is always looking to help. Not just trying to sell you things but helping you understand the hobby. I purchased the 3 fish I have now from them 2 clowns and one Falco hawk fish. I am now looking to get a 220 gallon tank, I have been looking locally used but nothing yet. If I dont find one soon, I will probably purchase it new.
I am probably going to check out gc fish and reef today, I have never been there before (very exciting)
Thank you for all the info, you have been a wonder help, I really do appreciate it.
Well My daughter and I are off to check GCfish and to check what Aqua hut got in.
Thanks again
L-I-Mike

 

[btldreef]

my response in red
Originally Posted by longislandmike
http:///forum/post/3171472
LOL, Yes I know what you mean. A guess we all can get a little nuts in this hobby. I am hoping my wife will get hooked, I guess only time will tell. I am always at Aqua hut myself, Dave told me yesterday they are getting a big shipment last night, I will be going today to have a look. They get shipments every Thursday and Sunday I believe. We're headed there tonight as well to pick up more LR.I know what you mean about there fish, thats why I was a little nervous about the feather dusters on the Live rock (I purchased the rock from them)Yeah. I've gotten some wonderful, AND not so wonderful critters from their LR, but you can not beat their prices, especially for rock.. Yes, I know Tony very well! He sold me my Tank when he worked at Country critters. He came to my house and helped me set it up. He is a Great guy, very helpful and very nice person. I would not be as far as I am in this hobby if it weren't for him.
I try not to purchase anything from country critters. My daughters love to go and look around though. I always feel like I am bothering them when I ask a question or even just when I am looking at the fish. Yeah. They're big reef hasn't been looking so great lately. I was in awe of it for so long and now I'm disappointed. And yes, you ask them a question and it's like they don't have the time of day for you. I mean come on, if they're going to ask the amount of money they charge us for, they should answer every question we have willingly and with a smile on their face.
I also like going to SCF&R Joe is a very nice guy, He is always looking to help. Not just trying to sell you things but helping you understand the hobby. I purchased the 3 fish I have now from them 2 clowns and one Falco hawk fish. I am now looking to get a 220 gallon tank, I have been looking locally used but nothing yet. If I dont find one soon, I will probably purchase it new. Joe's a great guy. I bought my first tank from him. He's very helpful. A lot of people complain that he's a salesman, I've never seen it.
I am probably going to check out gc fish and reef today, I have never been there before (very exciting) Let me know how it is. I haven't been there in so long. People on MR keep saying that he's done a lot with the place since I was there. I'm very curious.
Thank you for all the info, you have been a wonder help, I really do appreciate it.
Well My daughter and I are off to check GCfish and to check what Aqua hut got in.
Thanks again
L-I-Mike
Look on MR, people are always selling tanks on there. Have fun and let me know if Aqua Hut has anything really cool in! LOL

 

[longislandmike]

Look on MR, people are always selling tanks on there. Have fun and let me know if Aqua Hut has anything really cool in! LOL
Hi, Ok I wasn't able to make it to gc fish tonight. I did get to Aqua hut though

I purchased some more live rock and some fresh water cobra guppy's (my daughters birthday is tomorrow) she very much wanted her own tank. We purchased her a 5 gallon dora tank. She fell in love with it when we seen it at the store. She has no idea we got it for her. She calls the guppy's pom-pom tails, she is always talking about the pom-pom tails
Thank you for telling me about the MR sight, it is very cool. I signed up tonight under the same name Long-island-mike.
I really didnt see much of a difference at Acua hut, the shipment must have been not that big. They did get a couple of cool looking Long horn cow fish and box fish though.
Thanks again for everything BTLDreff
I will keep you posted on my tanks progress

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by longislandmike
http:///forum/post/3171673
Hi, Ok I wasn't able to make it to gc fish tonight. I did get to Aqua hut though

I purchased some more live rock and some fresh water cobra guppy's (my daughters birthday is tomorrow) she very much wanted her own tank. We purchased her a 5 gallon dora tank. She fell in love with it when we seen it at the store. She has no idea we got it for her. She calls the guppy's pom-pom tails, she is always talking about the pom-pom tails
Thank you for telling me about the MR sight, it is very cool. I signed up tonight under the same name Long-island-mike.
I really didnt see much of a difference at Acua hut, the shipment must have been not that big. They did get a couple of cool looking Long horn cow fish and box fish though.
Thanks again for everything BTLDreff
I will keep you posted on my tanks progress
Yeah, I was at Aqua Hut tonight and didn't see much more. They're getting a coral shipment in Wednesday night I believe. I bought a ton more live rock today. Slowly building up this monster 155G.
Happy Birthday to your daughter and good luck with the tank.

 

[nysharkbait]

Not to be nosey...but whats MR?

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by NySharkBait
http:///forum/post/3172233
Not to be nosey...but whats MR?
manhattanreefs.com it's a local forum for westchester/conn/nj/long island ... where in upstate NY are you? it's a great forum especially since you're new. you could get a lot of used stuff on there for much cheaper and the people are usually really nice. (not so nice to new comers to the hobby some times, but it all depends)

 

[nysharkbait]

I'm in the Finger Lakes region. Avoca, NY. On the southern tier. I'll have to check it out.

 

[longislandmike]

Originally Posted by BTLDreef
http:///forum/post/3171426
Also check out GC Fish and Reef. A small store, but nice owner. It's on 25 in Lake Grove, just east of the Smithaven Mall. Really decent prices. I haven't been there in months, but keep getting told that it's went under a major renovation and is bigger now. I believe he also discounts if you're a MR member.
Hi BTLDreef,
I have been trying to find GC fish and reef. I called information and they had no listing of it. I went out last night and couldn't find anything. I went out this morning with my family, I checked from the SH mall down to Walmart and couldn't find it. I also went by the lows movies thinking maybe over there. The only thing we found that stopped my search was the new Toys R US LOL, once my kids seen that it was all over for me

I went down to SCF& reef tonight (bought a new powerhead and some live rock)
Do I have the name & info correct?
Thanks again
LI-Mike

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by longislandmike
http:///forum/post/3172720
Hi BTLDreef,
I have been trying to find GC fish and reef. I called information and they had no listing of it. I went out last night and couldn't find anything. I went out this morning with my family, I checked from the SH mall down to Walmart and couldn't find it. I also went by the lows movies thinking maybe over there. The only thing we found that stopped my search was the new Toys R US LOL, once my kids seen that it was all over for me

I went down to SCF& reef tonight (bought a new powerhead and some live rock)
Do I have the name & info correct?
Thanks again
LI-Mike
It shares a building with Grumps Cycles on the south side of Route 25 east of the mall.
The address is:
GC FISH & REEF
2536 Middle Country Rd
Centereach NY 11720
631-737-7606
It's about two blocks east of Sound Traxx (that giant car stereo store with all the strobe lights) and just west of The Bridal Suite (that big wedding store on the north side of 25).
I missed it a few times trying to find it, but finally did and now I know where it is. Just look for Grumps Cycles, I think they have a yellow sign.
Good luck

 

[deon nyc]

if u ever get to queens theis is Fish Town USA cornor if francis lewis blvd and Nothern Blvd. their are on of the best around my way with good prices.

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by Deon NYC
http:///forum/post/3172730
if u ever get to queens theis is Fish Town USA cornor if francis lewis blvd and Nothern Blvd. their are on of the best around my way with good prices.
They are identical to AquaHut. AH's prices are actually better 9 times out of 10. Everything is wild caught as well.

 

[longislandmike]

Ok Yes, I know exactly where it is now. Thank you very much, I will be going tomorrow.
Deon NYC, Thank you for info on that shop. I might be taking a trip to queens this week to pick up a tank, I will be sure to check it out.
Thanks again for all the help
LI-Mike

 

[longislandmike]

Originally Posted by BTLDreef
http:///forum/post/3172729
It shares a building with Grumps Cycles on the south side of Route 25 east of the mall.
The address is:
GC FISH & REEF
2536 Middle Country Rd
Centereach NY 11720
631-737-7606
It's about two blocks east of Sound Traxx (that giant car stereo store with all the strobe lights) and just west of The Bridal Suite (that big wedding store on the north side of 25).
I missed it a few times trying to find it, but finally did and now I know where it is. Just look for Grumps Cycles, I think they have a yellow sign.
Good luck
Hi BTLDreef,
I found GC fish and reef today. Thank you very much for telling me about this store. I met Jay, he took alot of time out to explain things to me( Very nice guy). The owner Steve was out on the road, I hope to meet him soon. Jay was telling me how small the store before the renovation, it has a really nice reef set up. I am looking forward to purchasing some of my corals there.
Thanks again for everything, I am very much enjoying the MR site
LI-MIke

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by longislandmike
http:///forum/post/3173226
Hi BTLDreef,
I found GC fish and reef today. Thank you very much for telling me about this store. I met Jay, he took alot of time out to explain things to me( Very nice guy). The owner Steve was out on the road, I hope to meet him soon. Jay was telling me how small the store before the renovation, it has a really nice reef set up. I am looking forward to purchasing some of my corals there.
Thanks again for everything, I am very much enjoying the MR site
LI-MIke
YAY! I'm so glad that you found the store! I'm hoping to get there this coming weekend. I haven't been there since before the renovation and it was TINY then. Jay and Steve are both really nice guys.