best lfs for no experience newbie

A

ajewell

Please forgive me for mistakes I am sure to make. I have never posted to any forum before. Our family would like to start a marine aquarium. Our current experience is limited to a betta fish and a newly aquired goldfish. ... I can hear your groans now. We have visited a few lfs and I have read The New Marine Aquarium and I have visited your forum. I am now more confused than ever!
I think what I really need is a trustworthy, patient and expert lfs to guide me in the right direction. I see some of you have recommended Exotic Aquatics in Plano which is a bit of a drive from Arlington. But, I am willing to make the trip if they are the best for someone who is still "wet behind the ears." Any opinions or suggestions!
Also, would you recommend joining the DFWMAS even though we haven't even bought a tank yet? :?
 
I'd have to suggest Frank's Tanks he wont lie to you and give you damsels to cycle with and such, he seems to have the lowest prices as well. I wish i'd met him first when I first started. Hes a sponser here and in fort worth so not that far of a drive for you. Oh, and let me tell you now, go 75 gallons not 55 :wink:
 
Buy the biggest tank you can to start off with! Kind of want to dump my 46 Bow, but alas I'm stuck.

As for pet shops. Frank's Tanks is a great place. Very nice guy. Low prices. Seems knowledgable too!

Also in Arlington is Tranquil Scapes off of Abrams and 360. Very nice guys to hang with. I stop by at least twice a week since my work is on the way.

I'm still new but if you have any questions I'll be glade to try and help you out since I'm in Arlington with ya.

BTW go ahead and join DFWMAS. Go to the meetings and enter the raffles. You could win gift certificates or equipment for your new tank. Also you could ask the members questions and etc.
 
I second that, get the biggest tank you can afford and fit in the spot you want. The larger the water volume, the more forgiving it going to be, and after you get the bug, you'll want to upgrade anyways!

The best advice I can give you is to pick up Bob Fenners book, The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. http://www.fishlore.com/TheMarineAquarist-Fenner.htm

A few years out of date, but probably the best books I have read on keeping marine aquariums.

They also run a great website at www.wetwebmedia.com

Always research before you buy. Filters, pumps, livestock, etc...

You will find huge debates over things like the best lighting, the best filter, things like that. Just research what you want and decide for yourself. Theres a lot of bandwagons in the industry, Reef Central is a great example of bandwaggoning, I tend to avoid the site for the most part.

I would say 30 gallons is the absolute minimum for a marine aquarium for a beginner. IMO a 75 gallon is the best sized and priced learning tank. A 55 is good, but you will regret not getting an 18" deep tank. I would go with a 58, 75, or 120 gallon aquarium if you can afford it and have the room.

The members of this club are great, very helpful and informative.

Just keep in mind while your reading through the 1000000000 posts and opinions on the web, that most of them are just that opinions. Some things work for some, and fail for others. A Liverock, a large sump, refugium, and GOOD skimmer is a tried and true method.. Good flow and water turnover is another must

Get the book!
 
Like everyone else, get the biggest you can afford and fit. You will always want to upgrade. I would suggest over a 100 gallon cause most of all the fish people want to fit you need a bigger tank. If you can do a six foot do a 125,135 or 150. If you can only do a 4 foot tank get a 140.
 
Wow! I never expected such immediate response! Thanks for all the ideas. I had read that, for a beginner, I should start simple, with live rock and protein skimmer and to avoid the sumps, etc. until more experienced. That leads me to believe that I shouldn't start too big either. Any opinions?
 
If you are in Arlington, visit TranquilScape. Don't buy anything until you have visited a few fish stores.
 
althought the simple live rock and skimmer is all the new marine hobbiest reccomends, i'd beg to differ. thats the one book i started with and boy was it ever a pain to upgrade to a sump. If I was you I'd get Marc to build you a sump now and get the expence and installation out of the way now while its easiest and cleanest :wink: . i strongly reccomend this as replacing my wet dry is contenuing to be an ongoing process :lol:
 
First thing to do is READ, READ, READ...and ASK, ASK, ASK!

This is the best place to find info on Marine Aquarium related info....If I have a question...I ask....If someone doesn't ALREADY know the answer to the question....someone will probally find you the right answer(sometimes even with a link!)

Bigger IS better....I started with a 30g tall....now running a 50g....(and always wanting to upgrade....my pacients are about fried!)

A sump added to the equasion adds volume to the overall system...and provides a "safe haven" for orgasims that help the aquarium..and also helps with filtration...

I STRONGLY suggest joining the DFWMAS(bised of corse) :wink:
Attend one of the meetings...enter the raffle(I for one seem to have excellent luck with those)

You don't have to be a member to attend either!

People are ALWAYS selling frags of corals(at a fraction of the price of LFS's!) and will guide you in the right direction as how to take care of them....We are a HELPFULL bunch :D

If you still doubt anything...remember...

READ, READ, READ....and ASK, ASK, ASK

This is a GREAT PLACE! :p



P.S. excuse the miss spells :oops:
 
Go to Tranquil Scape...they are right down the street if you live in arlington :D Check out reefcentral.com and don't be afraid to ask questions!
 
The absolute best piece of advice anyone can give you is to do tons of research. Don't buy anything but books for at least a couple of months!

Visit all the shops you can, go to the meetings, look on Reef Central. Especially helpful are the threads on RC where people document their whole tank from start to finish. I spent a whole year researching before I ever set up a tank - not by choice but by circumstance - and I was very well educated and very well prepared by the time it came around. As a result, I saved a lot of money by making the right decisions vis' a vis' equipment.

Let me reiterate:



DON'T BUY ANYTHING BUT BOOKS FOR AT LEAST THREE MONTHS.



Read up on technology, different methods of reefkeeping, animal husbandry and the like. Figure out what you want to keep initially and gear your setup from there, but always with an eye for the future. As many people here will tell you, you will upgrade.
 
Go to Tranquil Scape...they are right down the street if you live in arlington :D Check out reefcentral.com and don't be afraid to ask questions!
 
You have received a lot of information here and I tend to agree with it. We had never had a reef aquarium until last Jan/Feb timeframe. I have a friend who has a tank and started giving me advise and pointing me to the books and web sites. However, the best thing he told me was to see Tranquil Scape. Liem held my hand through the whole process of getting my tank going. His biggest piece of advice that he told me every time I went to the shop was patients . With fresh water you can have everything setup and running with livestock within a week or less. This does not work that way. These guy’s made sure I didn't crash my tank or kill any of the livestock I bought. Someone also mentioned Frank's, he is an awesome person as well. Both of these shops are IMHO not only trying to run a business but also trying to help us have better tanks. Neither of these stores will steer you wrong.
 
Marc is the president of DFWMAS and makes great sumps from what I have seen. I couldn't tell you the first thing about going from wet/dry to a sump but I am sure others will answer your question.

Marc's web site is http://www.melevsreef.com/

Ouida
 
Thanks for pointing me to some good experts! I have had some lfs try to interest me in their "starter systems" which are 25g cube-ish sized tanks with lights, etc. included. These seem a bad idea, especially after what I've read and heard from everyone about the bigger the better.

I'll check out Frank's and Tranquilscape this week. I'm sure I'll have lots more questions when I'm done. If anyone has more advice or other LFS to recommend, I'll still be watching!

Thanks ya'll!
:)
 
Visit as many LFS as you can. You don't have to buy, but ask to see some running setups. Dallas North Aquarium, while a little pricey and a bit far from you, has 3 tanks on display in a wall, and usually another 5 or so setup and running. Check out the tanks, whats in it, how it looks, what filters they are running, etc...this will help give you an idea where you want to be.

Check out http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/index.htm . They have a few articles, but I'd say 90% of thier stuff is via Q&A. People email the staff with questions, and someone will answer. I don't nessesarily agree with all the staffs opinions on everything (the freshwater guy giving reef advice). IMO anything published by Bob (Robert) Fenner or Anthony Calfo is good reading, both have yeeeaaaaars of hands on experience in different aspects of the industry and hobby.
 
Try my website. It might save you the cost of a few of those books people are pointing you to. ;)

www.melevsreef.com

All the sump information is on this page mainly:

www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html

You will find a ton of information on my site, documenting my tanks over the past few years. Clicking on hidden treasure will show you a webpage that sorts everything on my site by category. Visiting my ID page will help you recognize all kinds of livestock, and read what my experience has been with that piece, good or bad: http://www.melevsreef.com/id/

Btw, I'm the president of the club. On ReefCentral.com, I'm known as Melev if you need to contact me there.
 
Nice to meet you Marc. I can tell you have been very busy with your own website and the DFWMAS website. Keep up the good work! I've checked out your website and the in-depth article on sumps. I now understand a little better what a sump is.

I'm still worried that I will be getting in way over my head with a sump setup. There is so much for a newbie to learn and remember in starting a new system and so many pit-falls. I keep thinking I need to keep it simple until I have the basics under control. What would you suggest to help keep my learning curve and headaches (including cost) to a minimum?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top