[adam jenkins]

Everyday I read post that sound something like this,"I bought this from my lfs today,does anyone know what it is?".People,if you don't know what it is,how do you know if you can care for it.RESEARCH.If you like it go home and look it up.Lighting,feeding,water flow,compatability.You need to know these things BEFORE you buy it.You owe it to the creatures you are bringing into your care.

[Marco0725]

Agreed! We all seem to have a "I want it now attittude" and its not always the best thing in this hobby.

That is how I ended with a Goniopora and had it die two months later.

[spanko]

I would add don't take the word of the LFS employee. They are in the business to sell livestock and may not always give you all the information on the particular species you wish to buy. Gain as much knowledge about a proposed purchase before hand from as many sources as you can and you will do yourself and the livestock a favor.
Impulse buys are a potential problem. Try to keep from the practice of walking into a store, seeing something and saying oh my goodness I just have to have that!!
And lastly try to develop a plan for your reef ahead of time so you know where you are going and the impulse buys are negated. Do you want a tank with an anemone and a couple of clowns? Will your tank be some type of biotope with specific livestock from specific locations? Look around, see what you would like to emulate and try to stick to the plan.

JMO

[Uvajed]

I can agree with all these posts. I'm really new to this, and I've been researching all my new buys before I buy them. My lfs told me, koralia's are great, so I researched them. Yeah, they are nice, but before I bought them, I looked them up. And bought them off the internet for way less than they were selling them for. My lfs is pretty good about not pressure buying, they are family owned, and have been in the area 9 years. They want you coming back, and have been really helpful. From what I'm reading on this forum, they seem pretty decent, and I'm lucky they are here. Now, a Petco just moved in across the street, are they EXPENSIVE, and they really don't have a clue about salt tanks compared to the other store. I guess they should stick to dogs and cats.

I do have a question for all of you, I bought 80 pounds of Fiji pink sand. Again, researching, I felt it was the best product, for example, don't get crushed coral sand. If I don't seed it with a couple pounds of live sand, how long will it take before it becomes 'live'? Should I get live sand, or, for starting my FOWLR for starting out, is this sufficient?

[jimw369]

Originally Posted by adam jenkins

Everyday I read post that sound something like this,"I bought this from my lfs today,does anyone know what it is?".People,if you don't know what it is,how do you know if you can care for it.RESEARCH.If you like it go home and look it up.Lighting,feeding,water flow,compatability.You need to know these things BEFORE you buy it.You owe it to the creatures you are bringing into your care.

We used to say this all the time here. Some felt it was being hard on people. As time went on and members left we just quit doing it. Most people dont listen anyway. We had a mod here that even put that as his signature. Most people just want "help" after the fact.

Funny thing about this saltwater. There are 2 types of people here. Those that do...and those that dont. Time determines which category we fall in.

Great Advice Adam. I wish we would see that around here more often.

[hosser]

Ive only been on here for a little while but Ive yet see someone buy a fish or other livestock not knowing what it was, if thats the case then shame on the LFS AND the buyer. But I do see alot of people asking "what is this growing on my live rock" or "can you tell me about this thing I found". I dont see a problem with things unintentionally introduced to a tank, I do have a problem with impulse non researched buys.
Me for instance did what I was told after speaking to numerous people. Then I come here and hear something totally differant. Trust 50% of what you hear and 75% what you see, not everyones circumstances or set ups are the same. Not everyones ideas are the same. And just because you are told yeah that works in your tank or no it doesnt doesnt mean both are right or both or wrong, under their research and circumstances it may or may not have worked, but at least do research to a point that if EVERYONE says dont then dont if most say dont then dont, if you get mixed reviews then come to your own EDUCATED decision, isnt that how everyone on here learned? Id say yes ,Ive listened and learned and taken advice and then done so with this site, then Ive come to my own researched end and learned that none of these people are wrong but say what has worked.

[spanko]

UvaJed, your rock will seed your sand with nitrifying bacteria, worms, pods and such. If you want to do more you can certainly add a couple of cupfuls of sand from an established tank. Sometimes you can go to your local fish store and ask for some of the stuff from the bottom of their live rock tanks. Go through anything from another tank though a little to see if there are any bad visible critter before putting it in.

[Uvajed]

Originally Posted by spanko

UvaJed, your rock will seed your sand with nitrifying bacteria, worms, pods and such. If you want to do more you can certainly add a couple of cupfuls of sand from an established tank. Sometimes you can go to your local fish store and ask for some of the stuff from the bottom of their live rock tanks. Go through anything from another tank though a little to see if there are any bad visible critter before putting it in.

Thanks for your input. I think I'll not get LS and create my own. Part of the fun. What about snails and such? Should I get them, will they feed if I don't 'seed' my sand?

PS, I just made cookies, nummy! Here you go......

[spanko]

Cookies YES!!!!!


The snails will have plenty to eat of off the live rock once your tank has cycled. Not to worry here.

[Uvajed]

Originally Posted by spanko

Cookies YES!!!!!


The snails will have plenty to eat of off the live rock once your tank has cycled. Not to worry here.

Thanks, you guys rock! I really appreciate everyone's help. This site has been awesome!