buddythelion Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Running across these little guys in the Diver's Den today makes me both extremely sad and my wallet extremely glad I don't have a large enough tank for them. I would be on these in a second flat if I had anything approaching a suitable setup... Don't worry, you weren't the only one eyeing those beauties... I actually almost got a joculator angelfish yesterday, a little 1" bugger! Been my dream dwarf angel for years. I panicked when I saw it and told myself it was a once in a life time opportunity and put down a half deposit while I clear my credit card. After the deposit I looked around and started to panic more for the fish with my corals and seeing what it might eat and what I should sell to make up for the cost. Needless to say I got my deposit back in about 5 minutes of putting it down. That was a really scary experience... Fish over $300 make me really panicky. Link to comment
aaron1987 Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 Don't worry, you weren't the only one eyeing those beauties... I actually almost got a joculator angelfish yesterday, a little 1" bugger! Been my dream dwarf angel for years. I panicked when I saw it and told myself it was a once in a life time opportunity and put down a half deposit while I clear my credit card. After the deposit I looked around and started to panic more for the fish with my corals and seeing what it might eat and what I should sell to make up for the cost. Needless to say I got my deposit back in about 5 minutes of putting it down. That was a really scary experience... Fish over $300 make me really panicky. I try to keep my individual purchases small enough that they don't induce cardiac arrest as I go through with it . Not to mention, I seem to only have okay luck with fish - I prefer the $<100 variety there. Coral I can troubleshoot, fish just seem to wind up dead one day. Treat yourself to a Bicolor and bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue instead. You'll feel better about it Link to comment
aaron1987 Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 Anyone know anything about placement for JF Purple Forest? I stuck it pretty much dead center and high under the LED and I'm thinking I'm cooking it as it's rapidly browning out, akin to my purple monster when I had it too high. Link to comment
buddythelion Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I try to keep my individual purchases small enough that they don't induce cardiac arrest as I go through with it . Not to mention, I seem to only have okay luck with fish - I prefer the $<100 variety there. Coral I can troubleshoot, fish just seem to wind up dead one day. Treat yourself to a Bicolor and bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue instead. You'll feel better about it Blue Label, good stuff my man. Sorry to hear about the JF Coral man. But I came across this thread on R2R and since I already bit the bullet on something else, I thought I'd share this awesome deal with you on some amazing corals: http://www.reef2reef.com/forums/selling-fo...-o-lantern.html Link to comment
aaron1987 Posted October 13, 2012 Author Share Posted October 13, 2012 Blue Label, good stuff my man. Sorry to hear about the JF Coral man. But I came across this thread on R2R and since I already bit the bullet on something else, I thought I'd share this awesome deal with you on some amazing corals: http://www.reef2reef.com/forums/selling-fo...-o-lantern.html I'm sure it'll color up again once I get it figured out so I'm not too bent out of shape about it yet. No one likes a brown stick, though. That is a crazy deal... I'm a huge fan of the Jack O Lantern's too. I'm sorely, sorely tempted. Link to comment
buddythelion Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 I'm sure it'll color up again once I get it figured out so I'm not too bent out of shape about it yet. No one likes a brown stick, though. That is a crazy deal... I'm a huge fan of the Jack O Lantern's too. I'm sorely, sorely tempted. My wallet has been taking a good enough beating this month. I think I'll have to pass on them as well. If I did... I would have gotten the invaders, jack, and those beautiful palys! What a pack, and what a cost. LOL! Do you know if Cherry Coral's angel eye favia is the same as Ktar's/Coral King's aphrodite favia? Link to comment
aaron1987 Posted October 14, 2012 Author Share Posted October 14, 2012 My wallet has been taking a good enough beating this month. I think I'll have to pass on them as well. If I did... I would have gotten the invaders, jack, and those beautiful palys! What a pack, and what a cost. LOL! Do you know if Cherry Coral's angel eye favia is the same as Ktar's/Coral King's aphrodite favia? I'm not sure of the lineage. CC could probably tell you, though. I just spent awhile staring at pics and regardless of lineage it looks pretty much identical to me. Link to comment
owenj Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 We need new pics! What sort of flow do you have your favia in? I've been reading conflicting requirements of them liking anywhere from low to moderate plus... Link to comment
aaron1987 Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 We need new pics! What sort of flow do you have your favia in? I've been reading conflicting requirements of them liking anywhere from low to moderate plus... Ask and ye shall receive! Favia is in medium flow now, though I think they do fine in low as well from my experience. Maybe even better... Link to comment
Spirofucci Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Beautiful tank! Love the scape! Link to comment
aaron1987 Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 Beautiful tank! Love the scape! Thanks for the comments! Normally I'd wait and just take a pic, but I'm feeling pretty excited about this: cruising the local for sale forums continues to be quite successful for me. I'll be picking up a mated pair of Harle's and a 4-5" cali tort frag tomorrow Link to comment
buddythelion Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 That conch is humungo... Can't wait to see the new harlequins and the cali tort! Link to comment
up.left Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Tank looks sweet. I've been thinking about taking a trip up to barrier soon for a possible wrasse. Link to comment
aaron1987 Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share Posted October 18, 2012 The new additions! Tort, Harle's, and dinner The female harlequin actually appears to be carrying eggs which is a pleasant surprise - my coral and fish should enjoy it when they get released! That conch is humungo... Can't wait to see the new harlequins and the cali tort! It is a freaking monster. I needed one, though, and all that was in stock was this monster. I'll trade him out at some point I think. He routinely gets stuck - watching him thrash about to free himself is entertaining though! Tank looks sweet. I've been thinking about taking a trip up to barrier soon for a possible wrasse. I always get tempted by their wrasse selection when I go in there. They had another fat leopard in there the last time I was in but given my sudden failure with the potter's I decided not to risk it, even with a hardier one. I get so nervous buying fish from anywhere that isn't Diver's Den as I have no method of quarantining currently. Playing with fire... Link to comment
owenj Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Gorgeous new tort! I'm holding off on a Barrier Reef run until their sale. In theory, anyway, my will power wavers on the weekends. Link to comment
aaron1987 Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share Posted October 18, 2012 Gorgeous new tort! I'm holding off on a Barrier Reef run until their sale. In theory, anyway, my will power wavers on the weekends. When is the sale supposed to be? I like their selection but their prices are on the higher end at times. Link to comment
Deleted User 4 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Tank looks good with the new fts! Every coral proportional to one another, practically we share the same perspective somehow. Link to comment
owenj Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 When is the sale supposed to be? I like their selection but their prices are on the higher end at times. Yea, their prices are kinda all over the place. Sale is Nov 10th & 11th I think...can't remember if it's Friday/Saturday or Sat/Sun. Supposedly they'll have an online sale/pricing too. Link to comment
eddiecorrea Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Yea, I wasn't too impressed by Saltwater City either, even though they get rave reviews over on Yelp. Denny's Pet World up in Kirkland isn't too bad, decent fish/frozen food (it's great if you're into freshwater) selection & I think they'll special order stuff for you, but their coral display tank isn't anything to write home about. Actually, I think Barrier Reef is the only one with clean, well lit coral tanks, their sale ones too, not just the big display one. The Fish Place in the U District is ok, seemed more fish oriented than coral though. Red C in north Seattle has big plans, but still getting organized imo (got my clowns there). The guy has some pretty big frag tanks. Don't go there if you're allergic to cats. Trying to think of any other non-big box stores I've been to...Sea King Aquariums is also in Renton but I think he's only open by appointment? Apparently the website has only a fraction of what he actually has available. Saltwater City is TERRIBLE. I'll never go in there again. Dim tanks full of nasty algae. Gross. Red C Aquarium is so so. His livestock is better than most but his coral selection is pretty bad. Dimly lit tanks with average corals for above average prices. And the cats running all over are disgusting as well. I probably won't be back in there. Chris at Seaking Aquariums has the best selection in the area IMO. He is open on weekdays after 7pm and pretty much any hours you want on weekends. His prices are wayyyy less than Barrier's for the same thing. But he can't order you stuff as often as Barrier can. I knew I was forgetting another "big" indie fish store- Blue Sierra in Issaquah. I think they have one in Bellevue/Factoria- don't go to that one. Their main store is the Issaquah location. Great freshwater selection, I only paid attention to their saltwater once which was recently & it was ok...but I think they normally have a better variety. Good place to get dry goods with I think fair pricing, can't be 100% on that bc I wasn't looking closely. They have coupons you can print out online for some savings, & I believe they'll try to accommodate special orders... Blue Sierra has a terrible SW selection IMO. Tons of algae and just unhealthy specimens. Their pricing on supplies isn't too bad though. Yea, their prices are kinda all over the place. Sale is Nov 10th & 11th I think...can't remember if it's Friday/Saturday or Sat/Sun. Supposedly they'll have an online sale/pricing too. Their pricing is insane. Way too high for very average corals. They are finally getting into some $10 frags but most are just generic brown zoas or the like. There is a store in the process of a build out called Oceans by Design in Tukwila. I firmly believe that once completed they have a great chance of putting Barrier Reef out of business.Their livestock selection is going to be much bigger and a wider scale. They have a full glass and acrylic shop and they have inhouse reactors and skimmers. They also promise to be more community oriented and not all about money. While Barrier does have a decent selection I feel like it is all about making a dollar to them. They are about to get knocked down a few notches. Barrier's sale should be pretty good though as their prices during sales are where they should be to begin with IMO. How are you liking the Kessil? Is it meeting or exceeding your expectiations? I have 2 A150Ws over my 25lx12wx10h tank. I really enjoy them but have thought about getting a 350 for the channels. Link to comment
aaron1987 Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 Tank looks good with the new fts! Every coral proportional to one another, practically we share the same perspective somehow. Thanks! I try to keep it balanced. I've gotta say, I do think I would have 'scaped your tank very similarly to what you've done with it as well! I just moved some coral around today... not sure I'm entirely pleased, but I'm going to sit on it for a couple days before moving anything again. Yea, their prices are kinda all over the place. Sale is Nov 10th & 11th I think...can't remember if it's Friday/Saturday or Sat/Sun. Supposedly they'll have an online sale/pricing too. Thanks for the heads up! If I'm around I'll have to swing by. Chris at Seaking Aquariums has the best selection in the area IMO. He is open on weekdays after 7pm and pretty much any hours you want on weekends. His prices are wayyyy less than Barrier's for the same thing. But he can't order you stuff as often as Barrier can. There is a store in the process of a build out called Oceans by Design in Tukwila. I firmly believe that once completed they have a great chance of putting Barrier Reef out of business.Their livestock selection is going to be much bigger and a wider scale. They have a full glass and acrylic shop and they have inhouse reactors and skimmers. They also promise to be more community oriented and not all about money. While Barrier does have a decent selection I feel like it is all about making a dollar to them. They are about to get knocked down a few notches. How are you liking the Kessil? Is it meeting or exceeding your expectiations? I have 2 A150Ws over my 25lx12wx10h tank. I really enjoy them but have thought about getting a 350 for the channels. Thanks for the thoughts on some of the other LFS's around here. I'll have to check them out. As for the Kessil, it's a little early to say how it's performing as I haven't had any coral long enough to develop an opinion about growth rate. That said, they certainly seem pretty happy, thus far. I really like the LPS under it. I've got some higher nutrient levels than desired yet, so I'm watching my SPS coloration like a hawk as I've heard others complain of drab stonies under LED's. Though many of those complaints stemmed from earlier generation LED solutions, though. Jury's out on this one till I have a longer frame of reference. Aesthetically, I love it. Link to comment
eddiecorrea Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 As for the Kessil, it's a little early to say how it's performing as I haven't had any coral long enough to develop an opinion about growth rate. That said, they certainly seem pretty happy, thus far. I really like the LPS under it. I've got some higher nutrient levels than desired yet, so I'm watching my SPS coloration like a hawk as I've heard others complain of drab stonies under LED's. Though many of those complaints stemmed from earlier generation LED solutions, though. Jury's out on this one till I have a longer frame of reference. Aesthetically, I love it. I've had one of mine for 6 months on an 8gal CAD AIO. I love the look of it. My growth with zoas and SPS has been amazing. Adding about 1-2 polyps a week with my zoa colonies. Some are even more than that. I just added another A150W today over my new tank. I really love the look. I'm excited to see how 2 perform over 12 gallons. Link to comment
aaron1987 Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Update: I got 3 chocolate chip starfish for my sump/harlequin bait. Riveting. Things are generally going well with the tank, though my JF Purple Forest continues to look rather sad - first it was browning, now it's bleaching... not really sure what to think as none of the other SPS seem to be in the least bit perturbed. I am monitoring the diver's den for something to trip my trigger - my girlfriend reports that my aquarium is boring since the jawfish relocated to the back and otherwise the only movement is provided by the hogfish. She has a point. I just wish it didn't require that I drop $225 for free shipping. Link to comment
owenj Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I just wish it didn't require that I drop $225 for free shipping. I'm glad I'm not the only one who is drawn by the free shipping lure Link to comment
aaron1987 Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 So I nearly pulled the trigger on fish... for now that's on hold - coral > fish, right? Becaaaause I have been in touch with TDF and have just placed an order. Big things! Mum's the word for now but I will say I do believe I contacted him at the right time! Link to comment
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