New Shop Review

Well after lessening to Reef Cast I desired to go check out Frank's Tanks which is located at 6253 Granbury Rd. Fort Worth Texas 76133 (click the link for pop up map); to see for my self what Marc and Evan were raving about. At first I passed by it with out even noticing it. (Frank if you ever read this I mean no offence) When I came back around it the shopping center I saw it. The shop was small but I must say I really like it. I was treated like a person and that means a lot to me as well as I was not being given the sell treatment. I felt like this is a place where I could come and have a look around with out some one trying to sell me some thing. I fully recommend this LFS to any and every one. So if you are out and about go see this place, I am sure you will like it too.

LK

Reef Cast

I have found one of the most interesting, informative, and entertaining things on the net. That is Reef Cast, I will admit when I first saw a link to the site I went to it saw what it was and was like yea okay. Then after a few days of seeing the link I decided to download one of the episodes, still thinking hey maybe I can use this to put me to sleep when C-Span does not work.

Bloody hell was I wrong I down loaded the first episode and enjoyed it a lot. It kind of reminded me of Good Eats with Alton Brown.

What is Reef Cast well it is a Pod Cast, if you do not know what that is well it is almost like a recorded radio show. Reef Cast is hosted by Melev AKA Marc and Quicksilver AKA Evan. The show is set up as a radio morning show, there clime of unofficial sponsors which include what ever they are drinking that night. The show is very entertaining. I love the weekly taste test, where Marc blindfolds Evan and feeds him a spoon full of fish food to see if he can ID it. I do not thank they are faking this one, just check out Evan's reaction. Just how did Marc talk Evan in to being the taste tester is beyond me! (Just notes Evan if you ever read this, if Guinness is ever the “sponsor” just call me I will take the bite. Humm maybe that is how free beer.)

There show is really refreshing to hear I find my self laughing and having to replay parts since I miss out on some thing. Go to the site http://www.reefcast.com/ and check it out.

Well I am off, Good Night

LK

Free Stuff !?!

Well today I am going to pick up my medical/isolation tank; it is being donated to me. I am happy I get a free tank; I mean some thing free is always good. I just hope this person dose not live on a hill as the roads are a wee bit icy and people are driving like baboons.(Well to be honest that is an insult to baboons.) I have been reading a lot of the DIY stuff on DFW Marine Aquarium Society’s message board, some of there ideas are really cool. Then again there are a few I do not think I will be trying on my own. It looks like I am getting in to my old habit of 5AM publication again. I am also thinking about ordering a Chauvet SF-4005 and using it as a wave maker timer, I have been reading that a lot of people have had success with it and it is not badly priced. Then again for about the same price I can get a Natural Wave Timer and unlike the Chauvet it goes as low as 20 seconds and up to two min. The Chauvet goes from two min to fifteen min switching. I guess I am going to have to The Fish Place and ask some questions.  

Just as a note to any one who has been reading this for info on starting up there own tank do not get in a hurry, I am taking it slow due to the fact this is a considerable investment and I want to do as much research as possible, that away I do not lose money. I highly suggest you take your time, if you do not you could miss out on a deal or even worse you could set up your tank too fast and lose all your fishes, and when you flush them down the old porcine pony you will be flushing your hard earned cash with it. I do not know about you but personally I hate to lose money.

I am thinking about making my own sump and refugium, with the help of Marc’s site (you can find him on DFWMAS forum) and his site is Melev's Reef Site which is a nice place and there is tons of info there.

Well I am off to bed, have a good day.

LK

New Stuff

Last night I went to my LFS and bought another 50 Rio Aqua Pump/Powerhead, an expandable shelf (for an air pump) and a turkey baster. It was nice going in I felt like Norm from Cheers every one said Hi and asked how things were going. The best thing is they are not pushing at me to hurry up and buy stuff, which makes me feel good. I mean they are encouraging my slowness, I know it is in part to keep me happy, and the other part I feel it is to keep me from wasting money, by encouraging my reading and asking of questions. I was going to go out and check out a few more fish stores and give my thought today but they are saying we are getting snows some time today, and well people in Texas forget how to drive when the roads are icy, or wet (at least a large part of the population of them do) so I am going to stray too far from home today. Well I have been up for 23 hours and I am sleepy so I am going to get my four hours of sleep. Have fun every body.

LK

Store Review

Well since I am in some what of a down time here I thought I would be nice and review some of the LFS around me in the hopes that it will help some people out who are new to Fort Worth, and or new to aquariums. All of these are based on the Google map I pulled up which can be found by clicking Here. Now I have no been to all of them yet but I will go to them as soon as I can and post my thoughts. Now the one in Arlington I will admit I will not be going to as I do not go to Arlington unless I really have too.

Well now where to start????? Oh just to let you know I have the hours of some of the places which I will post on here for you. If it is listed on there cards that I take I will make sure you have it that away you do not have to call just to ask, sorry how ever not every place has there hours on there cards.

PetCo on McCart AVE. which according to the above map is listing B, keeping in with most PetCo there prices are the same, how ever there fish, and aquarium supplies are limited the store is very small, to be honest I did not see good tank care there and the staff that were the so called fish experts were only experts when it came to freshwater fish. When asked about Marine would make things up or a few times they would admit they did not know. Personally I can deal with I do not know much better than wrong information.

Fish Paradise 6750 McCart AVE. there hours are Monday-Friday 11:30 AM- 8:00PM Saturday 9:30AM-8:00PM which is listed as C on the above map. There prices are competitive, there staff well some of there staff has little knowledge of fish but they will go ask some one else for you. There selections of fishes are quite nice along with coral and other such things I do whish how ever there tanks had the names and prices written clearly. I have enjoyed going to this store, and I have been more than once. The owner is friendly and helpful; he is also willing to cut a deal. I just wish they were not so far away from my house, I really want to keep driving time down when it comes to bringing livestock. Then 15 min. is not too bad.

The Aquarium & Much More 6726 Camp Bowie Boulevard which is listed as D on the above map, well this store is located in the shopping center with the big 99 cents store on Camp Bowie, the sign dose not match the name give on the map but you will see it, it is only called The Aquarium. This place I advise every one stay as far away from as possible. I me rather never go here to buy any thing. The fishes they have I would not trust to out live Wal-Mart fishes. When I went in I saw several over crowded aquariums I mean some were the fish could hardly move and these were not being sold a feeder fish. I noticed quite a few aquariums smelled of ammonia. There prices are outrageous. Now to be fair this place also sell reptiles which and it may be good for some one who knows about reptiles but I am not that type of person. I am in it for the fishes so I say this is the worst place I have ever seen, and if it was between this place and Wal-Mart for me to buy my fish well you will find me at Wal-Mart. (and that is saying some thing trust me)

Aquatic Paradise 2700 Carson Street listed as F on the map. Now what can I say about this place now this place is smaller than the above PetCo they are over priced on most of there equipment, there staff knows very little there tanks are all dirty and I feel like they will gladly sell you sick/dieing fish in a hart beat. I only went in once and when trying to find out prices for some of there new aquariums I got a lot of I don’t knows they just came in yesterday and the owner has not priced them yet. Now to me you should not put stuff on the selling floor until you are ready to sell it. Now one redeeming quality I did notice on there door it said 24 hour emergency pet help, which I guess is provided by the owner who I have not met and to be honest they are in an area I hate driving in so it may be some time before I have a chance to go meet him.

The Fish Place 6960 Green Oaks Rd. listed as G on the above map. Monday-Saturday 10:30AM-6:30PM Sunday 12:00PM-5:30PM http://fishplacetx.com/ Now this is my personal favorite place. The staff is fully helpful and if they do not know the answer to a question you have the find the correct one for you rather than make some thing up. I my self have gone to them and put my self in there hands meaning this is the place I am spending most of my money. The owners are there well to be honest I can say Judy one of the owners is there almost every day, and she is willing to help you out. The staff makes you feel good like they are talking with a friend. Now Judy will tell you how long she has had a fish in her store and I am sure she would prove it by showing an invoice as well. This store will not sell a sick fish and I have never seen a sick fish in there tanks, If they get one they take it to the back to there med tanks and will not put it back out on the selling floor unless it is in good health. They do not mind having people come in and look around a lot before buying some thing. I myself before ever buying any thing had been there many times and each time the staff talked to me and helped me narrow down what I wanted to get when I was ready. Personally this is the store I recommend above all others which can be seen by past posts.

Well that is all I have been too for now. I will go to the others and post my thought as soon as I can. Remember above all else this is a hobby and should be fun so have fun with it.

LK

Mini-set up

It’s has started and wow the money is going out but it is not as bad as I thought it would be. Today I bought some of the things I needed which are as follows

• 46 gallon Oceanic bow front aquarium with stand.


• Skilter 250 Aerating power filter & Protein Skimmer All-In-On


• 150W Rena Cal Top Light Excel Fully Submersible Aquarium Heater


• 2 50 Rio Aqua Pump/Powerhead


• Tropic Marin Pro Reef Sea Salt

Now all I need is a new light strip, which I can wait on until my tank has cycled but before that I will need Live Rock and Live Sand. I can not wait to get some fish in this thing but I know I must if I do not want them to die with-in the first few minutes/days of being in my tank. I do also need to get my Quarantine tank set up and for that well I am just going to Wal-Mart to buy a cheap 10 gallon then pick up a sponge filter from some where and some PVC joints and such from Home Depot. So that will not cost as much, as what I have set up so far. Well that is all for now.