Debate: Will the Coronavirus outbreak affect the reefing community

[StinkyBunny]

9 minutes ago, Melfy77 said:

Here prices have gone up too. Very little choice beside zoas. 

I've been working on my freshwater tank. Put the red seachem Florite...what a mess!!! Didn't realize it was clay. Even after rinsing that stuff everything was red. 2 days later in the tank water was still red. I was not impressed. And I wasn't sold on real plants (can't keep one alive to save myself lol)...well anyway one thing led to another...and there you go, a planted tank!!! I like it, and my kids like it haha. Easy to maintain and the puffers should be fine with it. It's gonna be entertaining for them lol.

 

Flourite isn't supposed to be rinsed. I usually cap mine with sand to keep the silt at bay.

[Melfy77]

8 minutes ago, StinkyBunny said:

Flourite isn't supposed to be rinsed. I usually cap mine with sand to keep the silt at bay.

On the bag it mentionned it should be rinsed...oh well at least this way I also don't need to get a better light. I Will probably get some Anubia or some easy low light plant. Those little moss balls are also pretty cool and easy to care for

[StinkyBunny]

11 minutes ago, Melfy77 said:

On the bag it mentionned it should be rinsed...oh well at least this way I also don't need to get a better light. I Will probably get some Anubia or some easy low light plant. Those little moss balls are also pretty cool and easy to care for

We don't use high end lights, all we use are el cheapo 6500k lights. They grow plants just as well as the high end lights. You can add the little ramp timers to do a 30 minute sunrise and sunset for $15.

[Tamberav]

6 hours ago, StinkyBunny said:

It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. The problem now is all of the back up stock is gone or will be gone so the supply chain is empty. I'm down to 21 XL Purple tangs, 2 XL Emporer angels, 3 Leopard wrasses a few shrimp gobies and their shrimp. I've been contemplating shutting down 2 of the saltwater fish systems. There has been some rumors of Sri Lanka shipping next week, but I wouldn't hold my breath. My shipper says they're shut down for the next 2 weeks. If you're looking for Florida stuff, now is the time to get it. Reeftopia had some good deals a week back, great folks with great stock.

Luckily not much I need. When covid hit, I immediately bought my fish for my pico. Would just like a pink streak for the 80 but not holding my breath.

 

 

[Tamberav]

My mom found my old Flourite I had used in a fish tank and ended up using it for some potted plants that need fast draining soil (she mixed it with some potting mix or something). She loves that crap now and was asking where I got it... lol She thought it was just decorative. 

[505nano]

So has anyone actually ordered livestock through all this? I have been ordering random stuff from Amazon and ebay and misc sites, new holsters, ammo, house supplies etc and nothing has been late. So I just placed an order with liveaquaria and I'm expecting a few pieces of coral and a couple fish from ORA. Also has signed up for the WWC monthly box for this month which should include some frags as well.. Ive been overly paranoid and wiping down all the shipments that come to my house with disinfectant wipes and Lysol as I am high risk through all this. But I haven't left my house since March 9th so thankfully staying healthy.  

[kimberbee]

4 minutes ago, 505nano said:

So has anyone actually ordered livestock through all this?

I know some people have, but I have not. 

 

I am due for a refresh of my cuc, but am not sure when I'll be placing that order. We've decided to be cautious, and have not spent money on anything that's not a true necessity for about 3 weeks now. 

[505nano]

2 minutes ago, kimberbee said:

I know some people have, but I have not. 

 

I am due for a refresh of my cuc, but am not sure when I'll be placing that order. We've decided to be cautious, and have not spent money on anything that's not a true necessity for about 3 weeks now. 

Yeah... I have not been so controlled lol but I make sure we have what we need before spending money on the hobby. I also placed an order with John from reef cleaners for my nano. I'm just more worried about getting packages. I'm planning on disinfecting everything, boxes, bags etc and just drip acclimating 

[StinkyBunny]

I've heard that some countries might start shipping next week, but at this point it's a rumor. I am completely shutting down another marine system and adding 4 more freshwater systems. The marine world has become WAY to volatile for my liking. This pandemic was the nail in saltwater's coffin for me. My BIL who is out of work is busy building my site so we can do retail sales, most of which will be fresh with Aussie coral colonies as well as some marine fish. I'll QT in the remaining systems and ship from there. So yes, it's changed my business model completely. 13 years ago we were 90% marine with transshipped African cichlids, now it's almost the opposite, 17% marine and 83% freshwater.

[Wingy]

My Petco hasn't  had new saltwater stock in weeks.  They are down to a single puffer and a chocolate chip star fish.  I bought the last two snails they had.  I would have ordered online if I could have found any corals to go with but most online retailers only have sps or expensive pieces left.  I could not  justify $30 shipping for 2 snails.  

[505nano]

3 minutes ago, Wingy said:

My Petco hasn't  had new saltwater stock in weeks.  They are down to a single puffer and a chocolate chip star fish.  I bought the last two snails they had.  I would have ordered online if I could have found any corals to go with but most online retailers only have sps or expensive pieces left.  I could not  justify $30 shipping for 2 snails.  

You should check out reefcleaners.org they have awesome packages that include shipping. 

[StinkyBunny]

10 minutes ago, Wingy said:

My Petco hasn't  had new saltwater stock in weeks.  They are down to a single puffer and a chocolate chip star fish.  I bought the last two snails they had.  I would have ordered online if I could have found any corals to go with but most online retailers only have sps or expensive pieces left.  I could not  justify $30 shipping for 2 snails.  

 

5 minutes ago, 505nano said:

You should check out reefcleaners.org they have awesome packages that include shipping. 

Reeftopia also has excellent stock.

[squamptonbc]

The main and only dedicated saltwater store to me is very low on stock, they only thing they have managed to get in were some captive bred clown fish from a US supplier, beyond that they are out of most livestock now with a few other fish still in stock, inverts are pretty much a handful of snail and a couple crabs not much left.

 

My main freshwater store hasn't had any arrivals since early March so not much there either, and the wholesalers are mostly out.

 

But there are few if any flight options which is the biggest hurdle, can't get living creatures to Canada when there are so few flights available these days.

 

Between the exchange rate and limited demand I have seen a couple store owners in Canada say what they might be able to get will be 2-4 times higher vs usual prices.

[Tamberav]

4 hours ago, 505nano said:

So has anyone actually ordered livestock through all this? I have been ordering random stuff from Amazon and ebay and misc sites, new holsters, ammo, house supplies etc and nothing has been late. So I just placed an order with liveaquaria and I'm expecting a few pieces of coral and a couple fish from ORA. Also has signed up for the WWC monthly box for this month which should include some frags as well.. Ive been overly paranoid and wiping down all the shipments that come to my house with disinfectant wipes and Lysol as I am high risk through all this. But I haven't left my house since March 9th so thankfully staying healthy.  

Yah I been ordering online and going to my LFS in a mask. Supporting who I can safely. Both my favorite resteraunts are closed unfortunately.

 

I did a live sale and 600+ other people were apart of it so people are still trying to buy.

 

I think my LFS will start hurting because they won't be able to get enough stock in. If I need any dry goods I will purchase it through them instead of my online stores to try and keep them going.

 

They do have a large freshwater side so maybe that is not as affected?

 

 

[ECLS Reefer]

12 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

Yah I been ordering online and going to my LFS in a mask. Supporting who I can safely. Both my favorite resteraunts are closed unfortunately.

 

I did a live sale and 600+ other people were apart of it so people are still trying to buy.

 

I think my LFS will start hurting because they won't be able to get enough stock in. If I need any dry goods I will purchase it through them instead of my online stores to try and keep them going.

 

They do have a large freshwater side so maybe that is not as affected?

 

 

To my wallets never ending shame I keep

ordering online AND making occasional appearances at the LFS. Had to get frozen food. Haven’t had any issues with the online orders save for one company not shipping stuff very timely. 

[505nano]

21 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

Yah I been ordering online and going to my LFS in a mask. Supporting who I can safely. Both my favorite resteraunts are closed unfortunately.

 

I did a live sale and 600+ other people were apart of it so people are still trying to buy.

 

I think my LFS will start hurting because they won't be able to get enough stock in. If I need any dry goods I will purchase it through them instead of my online stores to try and keep them going.

 

They do have a large freshwater side so maybe that is not as affected?

 

 

Ahh yeah I don't have an lfs aside from Petco ha. We have a small lfs but it's freshwater so yeah. But I'm not going out at all. I actually do need frozen food. I'll probably order those next from live aquaria. Just $30 shipping is alot 

[debbeach13]

3 minutes ago, 505nano said:

Ahh yeah I don't have an lfs aside from Petco ha. We have a small lfs but it's freshwater so yeah. But I'm not going out at all. I actually do need frozen food. I'll probably order those next from live aquaria. Just $30 shipping is alot 

I got some raw shrimp form the grocery store. Cut it into tiny pieces and Mashed it flat, froze it and just break off a piece. Thaw it in some tank water and feed. 

[debbeach13]

Also this works

[debbeach13]

Not really reefing related but earth day is celebrating 50 years! Yeah I will probably plant some flowers or some thing but I will be doing with a blunt. So sad:(               Edit: With OUT a blunt!  That's what makes sad.   

[Spencer7]

On 3/9/2020 at 11:08 PM, Nauticus said:

COVID-19 sounds like a bad case of ich and we’re all in the tank

Lmao 🤣

On 3/9/2020 at 11:15 PM, RedCrow said:

It’s hardly any worse than the flu. Treat it the same way you treat flu season. 

This was my stance in early March as well...I've since changed my mind. Based on cases of people in my network, it seems a bit worse than the flu. When it hits, it hits harder (like pneumonia on top of flu). Estimated incubation period, serial interval, reproduction number also don't work in favor of COVID=flu (data will get better with time). 

 

THAT SAID, I think by 2021 the two will be similar in threat. Not like I've been panicking/stockpiling/screaming that humanity's over. I can understand how adding a new* and scary cousin of the flu to people's lives results in anxiety. And the financial impact the pandemic has had in the US is unquestionable. Protestors with rifles and signs that proclaim 'social distancing = communism' is absurd to me. 

 

Reefers will lose some disposable income. Significant LFS' will go out of business. Online sales have declined noticeably. 

 

*I'm aware coronavirus' are not a new virus type. I'm specifically referring to COVID-19 and its mass transmission to humans to visible/detrimental effect. 

 

P.S. I'm sure these points have probably been discussed/debated, I just couldn't be bothered to go through all 29 thread pages. 

[A.m.P]

3 hours ago, Spencer7 said:

Lmao 🤣

This was my stance in early March as well...I've since changed my mind. Based on cases of people in my network, it seems a bit worse than the flu. When it hits, it hits harder (like pneumonia on top of flu). Estimated incubation period, serial interval, reproduction number also don't work in favor of COVID=flu (data will get better with time). 

 

THAT SAID, I think by 2021 the two will be similar in threat. Not like I've been panicking/stockpiling/screaming that humanity's over. I can understand how adding a new* and scary cousin of the flu to people's lives results in anxiety. And the financial impact the pandemic has had in the US is unquestionable. Protestors with rifles and signs that proclaim 'social distancing = communism' is absurd to me. 

 

Reefers will lose some disposable income. Significant LFS' will go out of business. Online sales have declined noticeably. 

 

*I'm aware coronavirus' are not a new virus type. I'm specifically referring to COVID-19 and its mass transmission to humans to visible/detrimental effect. 

 

P.S. I'm sure these points have probably been discussed/debated, I just couldn't be bothered to go through all 29 thread pages. 

Aye, I and a few others got ya' covered, nice to see you changed your mind when presented with new information. Rare quality these days. There's allot to add, and a bit to correct, but I'm not going to as the thread's no longer quite the place for that. 

[squamptonbc]

My local stores are running very low in livestock now, my main store for freshwater is trying to get in some freshwater shipments but having difficulty doing do due to lack of flights, but they did say they are being quoted cargo charges 60%-90% higher than normal, so even if they get a shipment in, the price of the fish will be higher.

 

I suspect higher prices might be in the future, at least until air cargo demand drops and cargo prices return to more normal levels.

 

 

[squamptonbc]

My local store is basically down to just clownfish now, captive bred options they can get shipped from the US, but at this point pretty much out of luck if you want anything else. No idea when they will be able to get a shipment from oversea's, flights are pretty scarce still, my primary freshwater store has not had much luck getting freshwater shipments either.

 

A local facebook group is interesting, people trading this or that for snails or crabs which are pretty much impossible to find in stores currently.

[Tamberav]

My area is blessed with a truly amazing and caring LFS. Prices are still good and selection pretty decent as well.

 

So it's not quite business as usual as fish availability is terrible. Limited flights, closed suppliers, restrictions by our government as well as governments from around the world....all are making this challenging. We are working hard to keep our tanks full by ordering from 6 - 8 different suppliers weekly. Over the years we have developed good relationships with these vendors and we appreciate how they are now trying their best to give us a decent variety. Freshwater pricing has been the same for the most part, but saltwater has seen a substantial increase on some items.We have reduced our markup on many items just to try and keep the price increases lower to you. We intend to continue to offer you the best variety possible at the best pricing you have grown to expect! Fulfilling requests has been the biggest challenge, thank you for your understanding!

 

 

Finally on a serious note, we once again wish to express our gratitude to the “true essential business’s” and their employees for all you do! Doctors, nurses, caregivers, police officers, truck drivers, pharmacists, military, grocery workers, paramedics and so many more! Hope all the Moms and Dads are managing during these crazy times. You are greatly needed and extremely appreciated! We pray you all remain healthy and safe!

 

Mark and Amy, Brian and Judy, Kevin, Ella, Matt, Mason and Jake …aka “The Best Fish Crew”

[StinkyBunny]

43 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

My area is blessed with a truly amazing and caring LFS. Prices are still good and selection pretty decent as well.

 

So it's not quite business as usual as fish availability is terrible. Limited flights, closed suppliers, restrictions by our government as well as governments from around the world....all are making this challenging. We are working hard to keep our tanks full by ordering from 6 - 8 different suppliers weekly. Over the years we have developed good relationships with these vendors and we appreciate how they are now trying their best to give us a decent variety. Freshwater pricing has been the same for the most part, but saltwater has seen a substantial increase on some items.We have reduced our markup on many items just to try and keep the price increases lower to you. We intend to continue to offer you the best variety possible at the best pricing you have grown to expect! Fulfilling requests has been the biggest challenge, thank you for your understanding!

 

 

Finally on a serious note, we once again wish to express our gratitude to the “true essential business’s” and their employees for all you do! Doctors, nurses, caregivers, police officers, truck drivers, pharmacists, military, grocery workers, paramedics and so many more! Hope all the Moms and Dads are managing during these crazy times. You are greatly needed and extremely appreciated! We pray you all remain healthy and safe!

 

Mark and Amy, Brian and Judy, Kevin, Ella, Matt, Mason and Jake …aka “The Best Fish Crew”

If I could get flights I'd have it made, but I'm not paying for charter flights to the tune of an extra $100/box.