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New to the hobby....hello to everyone and some questions.

J

jettie1767

Hi-

I'm new to the hobby and have been lurking around here as well as other forums to get info. I've also bought and read quite a number of books on the subject for the past month or so. It's informative and helpful sites like this that make this hobby enjoyable and challenging at the same time!

So for starters, my name is Warren and I live in Colts Neck. For those that don't know it, it's right beside Freehold..hehe. I have maintained several FW tanks since high school and are very well-versed with them. This time though, I want to get into saltwater and plan to keep a reef tank (corals, softies, etc.) with only 2 to 4 fish in it (when I get there).

So far, I have the following:

22G Cadlights tank with T5 HO (96W) plus cabinet
Refugium Light and Fan
Stock pump
2 Koralia 1 powerheads
2 Ebo Jaeger 75W Heaters
Filter floss
Purigen
Chemi-pure Elite
RKL Level 3
Magfloat
Digital Thermometer
Reef master test kit
GFCI outlets/cords

A Tunze skimmer is also in the future.

Going to set it up over the weekend and run an initial test to make sure everything is working. Can I just use tap water to test the system for leaks and equipment verification or have to go with RO water?

In a couple of weeks, I will start cycling the tank and get the following:

RO or Saltwater - I read Tropiquarium is a good place to get these?

Can anyone recommend a good LFS for:

Cured Live Rock
Cured Live Sand
Chaeto

Anything else I'm missing?

Also, when I complete the cycling in the next few weeks, I plan to slowly introduce fish and inverts. Not at the same time but probably spaced out a couple of weeks at a time or when I get stable readings. Can I go without a quarantine tank? Will LFS do a quarantine if I ask so that I can just do acclimation in my main tank?

Thanks!

Warren
 
mikem

mikem

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Hi Warren. Welcome to NJRC.

You don't need RO water to test the tank. You should use it to start the tank.
Trop is a good place for RO or salt water.So are any other LFS's in the area.
Phyl and JohnS still have live rock for sale which is cheaper then your LFS.
You can by sand from the store and seed it with a cup from anyones established tank. Start a post looking for some sand and cheato and you'll be amazed on how many reefers that will be glad to help.
Most LFS's will hold fish for you. We do have some Sponsors that only sell quarantined fish.
Good luck and keep up the slow pace.
 
mikem

mikem

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Don't be shy to ask questions here. Theres always someone around that can answer them, If not, we can point you in the right direction.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

Dr Jim sells all fish that have been through his QT plan. I like AO for fish. While closer to Trop you might find better prices at AO or OGII IMHO. Welcome and if you need help I am not far over in Little Silver.
James
 
J

jettie1767

Does AO sell LR, LS and RO or saltwater? They aren't too far. Maybe 30 mins from where I live.

Thanks again! I surely will need a lot more advice as soon as I start the cycling process in a couple of weeks.
 
Sunny

Sunny

NJRC Member
Article Contributor
Welcome to forums.

As eveyone else said, Trop is a good store and the staff is very knowledgeable and helpful.
I got live rock from Phyl and John and it worked great. They still have some left so ping them.

Ask questions to get answers. I started on this site 2 months ago and must say, the folks here are very helpful and it makes the hobby more interesting than frustating.

Good luck !!
Sunny
 
M

mnat

Officer Emeritus
Staff member
Moderator
Welcome to the site and the addiction. We buy all our RO and saltwater from trop for the time being. The RO is 50 cents a gallon and the saltwater is 1$ a gallon. They also sell the 5 gallon jugs which is nice. We have also bought our liverock and live sand from Trop as well. I am sure you can get a better price from Phyl and John and they will have quality stuff. Chaeto we got for free from a fellow reefer at a meeting and you can probably do the same. I am glad to see you are starting off slow as that is always the hardest part.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

AO has LR,LS etc. So do OGII and Red Sand. I know there is a store that has some pretty inexpensive LR but is closer to Philly I think. At MACNA one of our sponsors Marco Rocks will have dry rock for sale.

AO sells RO water not sure about salt...water is one thing that TROP sells at a reasonable price.

I think TROP has created a pretty polar opinion among memebers here. Either you like them or you really don't.
 
J

jettie1767

I actually went to Trop last weekend as well as OG II. On either visits, I didn't talk to anyone. I just wanted to look around and observe. I thought Trop had well-kept tanks? I seem to have seen more dirty tanks and dead fish over at OG II. But, somehow, a lot of people here recommend OG II. Both places had a lot of inverts and corals to choose from. Price-wise, they seemed about the same.

I plan to visit AO this Sunday. I've heard a lot of good things about that place.
 
Sunny

Sunny

NJRC Member
Article Contributor
I go to both Trop and OG II. I find them both good really. The display tanks at trop are huge, but they keep the fish in good shape and have good collection. OG has decent fish as well and they know their stuff.
 
J

jettie1767

I'm driving around NJ like crazy visiting these LFS..LOL! But, it's a lot of fun especially now that it's summer. As I've said AO is this Sunday. Not planning to get anything yet coz my tank is not completely setup. I still have a few LFS on my list to visit. I just want to make sure that the LFS I buy the LR and LS for cycling will be one that can provide me the best possible kind to minimize the die-offs as well as can give me good advice. As always, the folks in this forum are simply the best in providing guidance and their expertise. I signed up for membership this morning so I'm hoping to meet you guys sometime as well as participate in group buys.
 
M

mnat

Officer Emeritus
Staff member
Moderator
If you don't mind paying for it Trop has great live rock. I have never had a problem with their live rock and have never had any bad hitch hiker. The first time I bought live rock form another source, it has mojamo and apstia on it. I was lucky as they were rubble pieces which I promptly threw away.

Advice wise Trop is also amazing. Brent and Austin know their stuff and will dissuade you from buying things. They can be pricey with fish, which is why a lot of people don't like the store, but their fish are generally very healthy. They have also held fish for us (if you pay in full) for a week or so if the fish just arrived there.
 
Hawkeye

Hawkeye

hey warren welcome!

I love the display tanks at trop - if I lived closer I'd pay them more of a visit. I've never dealt with trent but austin is on this board and is a great guy to deal with. If you're really bored you could pay a visit to the Red Bank Vet hospital - there's a 2,000 gallon circular tank in the middle of the reception that Austin maintains. Neat stuff!

As for an LFS with cheato - i am sure you could probably get cheato from a fellow member anytime. Mine is courtesy of JRWohler's and I am more than happy to "pay-it-forward" and pass along some.

If you do not go the QT route - just be warned that pulling a sick fish out of a reef tank can be problematic. Also that display will be "infected" so new fish added may also get that same illness. Therefore it may be penny-wise pound foolish to skip the QT. That stated, I can see how setting up a QT would seem counter-productive. Also fish that are ideal for nanos (gobies and such) tend not to be the disease magnets that some other fish are.
 
J

jettie1767

How much should I expect to pay for LR? I haven't really asked any LFS but know the pricing online from DFS, Oceanreef, etc. I estimate I will need somewhere around 25 to 30 lbs for a Cad 22. And about 40 lbs of LS.
 
V

vangvace

LR prices can vary greatly from where you get it and the quality of the rock. Getting it from a fellow reefer is normally a more cost effective way to go at <$4 a pound.

Give be a week or so and I should have some cheato for you and a kenya tree frag.
 
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