dsoz

So the best advice I can offer is just to use the internet resources pro-actively to educate yourself as much as possible and become a careful and savvy consumer of reef life. When you get advice' date=' get it from objective sources, and promote sustainability! Buy farmed. Farm what you buy [/quote']

 

This is why I am asking...

 

These are good ideas for tanks. The tank is not the issue. I also have a 45 gal bare tank and stand sitting arround (only used for goldfish and trout eggs for classrooms in my school). If I wanted to set that up again I would need to invest in lights, sand, rock, test kits, and eventually animals. The actual glass box seems to be the least expensive piece to the setup. My idea was that I could get a "smaller" all in one system that has all of the filters built in, and the top of the line lighting system (less expensive than to buy/build high quality lights for a larger tank). Once I can prove to myself that it is possible I can "move up" to the 45g (after saving a fortune for MH lights) and use the all in one as a quarantine, or a refugium, or as a species type tank.

 

One of my major conditions is that I want to impact the wild as little as possible. I want to have a couple of tank raised fish and I want to start out with coral frags. Then maybe I will be able to also frag out later to keep the system going.

 

Like I said I am starting with knowledge that is 10 years out of date. When I started thinking about budgeting for this project I even put down $20-30 for Damsels to distress in cycling the tank. Once I started reading posts here and in other forums I learned that there are so many better ways to cycle a tank (live rock only, a shrimp from the supermarket, use your own urine... it should work, but not for me...)

 

I also wanted to keep an anemone, but have since changed my mind unless I can find a BTA that is a couple of generations away from the ocean. I do not want to contribute to the removal of any more of these creatures (I am remorseful of the anemones that I had die in my tank 10-15 years ago due to inadiquate lighting, water quality, my ignorance). I want to do this tank the right way, and I will need to save the cash now so I can start right in a couple of months.

 

(backtotopic) I still want to know oppinions of where the "best" LFS is located.

 

thanks

(peace)

I am working towards getting back into salt after 10 years of the "My kids take all the money so I cannot afford a fish tank" disease. I am doing extra jobs at work, and my wife/bookkeeper (wife) told me I get to use the extra money that I make for whatever I want. I estimate that I will get about $1000 in my pocket in the next 4 months. (plotting) What to do with the money.... How about a "small" 20-30 gallon reef with light, camera, action...

I have been doing my research. For the last month I have been lurking around reefcentral.com and nano-reef.com and reading A LOT. Much has changed since I had a "reef" tank in the early 90's (it was the "new" thing to ditch the crushed coral and replace it with sand...) There was a link on NR that lead me to here (imagine a reef society in my home town, and I did not know about it... you need more advertisement). I plan on attending the meeting/lecture on Sunday. I am interested in the discussion on salt tanks in the classroom (did I mention I teach High School science...)

My question is what is the best reef store in the area? If you had $1000 to put into your tank, where would you spend it? I do not think it is fair for store owners/employees to vote for their own store (unless you say that you own it/work there as well). Also explain WHY you think it is the best. I am not necessarily looking for the best prices, but that is a bonus. I want to support the best stores that give the best advice, have the best customer service, have the best selection, eventually will trade frags (this is where I want to end up... slowly!)

My experience in Portland fish stores is limited. I grew up in Gresham, and my parents bought fish from Caye's (on SE Division) before I was born. I bought my first tank as an adult from them (20 gal hex with freshwater). I went back there last weekend for memories and to look how the store has changed (some, there is a lot more in the way of coral).

I have stopped into Upscales (Tualatin) and was impressed with what they had. This was also when I started considering getting a CurrentUSA AquaPod 24g 150HQI. The person in the store assured me that I could "put any coral they had in there, and keep it alive with those lights"

I also went into Saltwater Fanta-seas (Parkrose area). I was not impressed with the price I was quoted for a new tank, but I will probably be back to get some corals. Nice owner/worker (?) whoever it was that I spoke to.

I also followed the links that were in this forum to many of the stores around. I plan on doing some visits in the near future. The store in Salem looks like it may be worth the trip, and the Amazing Aquarium in Albany is a road trip for my near future. Maybe in conjunction with the rock building seminar in Albany in a couple of weeks (sounds interesting)...

(peace)