Wyatt

I want to like Pristine Aquariums, they are right next to where I live, but over the last 6 months or so when I go in I notice a few sick/dead fish in some of their tanks. I've also seen some gigantic fish that are still there many months later. I purchased a firefish from them last year and it died randomly about 2 weeks later (everyone else in my tank is fine) so I suspect their quality sometimes. Honestly I'd give them 2-3 stars out of 5. The desire is there to be a great store, but I don't see the effort and I've also seen total newbies walking out of there with way too many fish/coral/etc for a brand new tank. Also their prices are a bit high, $35 for a quarter size frag of GSP is a bit much.

Hi WAMAS, I was curious if any members of the club would be interested in having a shoot done for their tank? I'm considering doing photography part time while going to George Mason and was gauging interest for 'tank shoots'. I can do photo and video, and pricing would essentially be gas money + donations for whatever you think the shots and my time are worth. I trust WAMAS for integrity, and I don't feel right pricing something I've never done before. I live in Alexandria and don't mind driving around when I have the time. I'd like to practice my macro work, full tank shots, and also video. I'm by no means the best out there, but I'd love to practice and provide a service if it's wanted within the club. If members are interested I'll probably order some new equipment and legally legitimize my business. Thanks! -Wyatt (If this should be in the vendor forum, please let me know or feel free to move it)

I appreciate this writeup, although I'm familiar with most of the basic algae types it's always refreshing to learn more about others. Thanks!

Man, no takers? I trust WAMAS more than most of my facebook friends with my tank :P

I'll be headed up to MA on those dates and am seeing if anyone in or near Alexandria would like to tank sit for me? I have a 10 gallon and am setting up an auto-top off this week, so if I could find someone to stop by every few days it'd be great. I would like to offer a 'watch my tank, I'll watch yours' deal, since I am usually just a home body during the school year. If you'd prefer monetary compensation I'm sure we can work something out. In a nutshell, I just want peace of mind for my tank while I'm gone, and if anyone terrible happened someone competent enough to be able to troubleshoot it. I live on Landover St in Alexandria, about a mile off 395 and glebe. Let me know if I have any takers!

I also made a mesh cover from Home Depot, but there is about an inch wide gap at the rear exposed for my HOB filter. We'll see if it can keep clowns in (when I get them). It keeps all my snails in the tank though (I've already had 4 freaking snail suicides).

MBVette, I'm incredibly sorry for that happening. I'd say more but I'm at a loss for words.

I know I can't speak for some of the losses taken by other members of WAMAS recently, but my tank is only 6 months old and has been a total love hate relationship. The last few months algae continued to come back, the first fish I bought died for no reason, and I was feeling like I was pouring money into the tank. But last month I buckled down, did religious water changes, and REALLY paid attention and did work to the tank. Now it looks great and I am trying to remember this feeling for times like this when we feel like quitting. It's a great hobby with a lot of work required, but when everything is doing what it should, it's immensely relaxing. I considered selling my tank two months ago, and I am glad I told myself to wait.

Howdy and welcome, I live right off the intersection of Glebe and Russell, near Del Ray.

So I stopped by Quantum Reefs location today. He is currently operating in the basement of his home, but the setup was very nice and the area well cleaned. I've definitely been to some shady areas on Craigslist and I felt very comfortable here. The owner was very nice and was glad to helped my wife and I pick out some ricordea, GSP, and mushroom corals for our simple 10 gallon tank. He had a large variety of corals (check the website!) and all the fish looked to be in good health. We purchased 4 frags, and he said WAMAS members can buy two, get one free. In a nutshell for us, this knocked the price from $40 down to $30, way cheaper than other vendors in the NoVA area. My frags are doing well in my tank at the moment, and I will definitely be back for more frags in the future as I slowly build my tank. TL;DR I bought some frags today for a great price and enjoyed the process.

A question about drip acclimation, if I do a slow drip acclimation should I worry about a temperature drop in the container? I feel like the drips are not fast enough to maintain 80 degrees.

So my tank has been up since the beginning of February, and the tank has cycled along with all my levels reading zero. I had a firefish that I bought in March, but he died 9 days later for no reason that I could tell. All my levels were good and after that I just focused on getting my tank stable. I bought 3 frags in mid March and they have more than doubled in size since then. I am considering getting a pair of Clownfish due to their hardiness and that they like to be in pairs. I usually go to Pristine Aquariums for my livestock, but all my fish I've gotten from them (freshwater last year and the firefish this year) have not lasted more than 3 months. I don't think I am a poor fish keeper, and my saltwater tank is as stable as I can make it now I think. Would a pair of clowns from Pristine be a good, healthy addition to the tank? Does anyone have experience with fish from their store, or acclimating new fish (I used the drip method on the fire fish). Thanks for any comments! I think I just need to get some encouragement that fish die sometimes and you have to do the best you can. Temp - 80 Ph - 8.2 All levels undetectable AC70 fuge with Chaeto Weekly water changes with RO/DI water and Reef Crystals.

Hey everyone, I promised I'd put up a journal when I started my tank, and it's been going for the past month over at Nano-reef. Feel free to check it out, thanks! http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=295272

My tank has a long way to go. Like this long, at least...

Thanks for the welcomes everyone. Unfortunately I will be in Massachusetts this weekend (believe me, I had looked forward to the meeting for about a month). Roni, I will definitely hit you up for frags sometime in the future, but it will probably be a while. Also Origami, I don't know if that's your hobby but I just made a 20 flower origami bouquet for my wife last week, it was a lot of fun.

My name is Bulboushead on nano-reef. I have a large head...

Hi Everyone! Forgive me if this is long, I figure no one surfs a forum if they don't like reading! My name is Wyatt and I'm a 24 year old student at George Mason majoring in Physics. I'm studying to be a teacher down the road, and last October I finished 5 years in the military (Army). I've lived in Virginia since 2006 and currently reside in Alexandria. Anyways, I'm new to reef keeping, but recently took down a freshwater tank I had up for a year and half. I've been reading about the saltwater side of the hobby ever since I got my freshwater tank, but discounted it due to cost, etc. Over the last year I've been reading everything I can at nano-reef.com and researching possible nano tank setups for my apartment. I am currently putting together everything I need for a 10 gallon nano, and I plan on having very simple reef tank with the KISS motto. I only plan on having a fish or two and some corals, nothing crazy. I have pretty much everything I need, and I was hoping I could maybe purchase some live rock/live sand locally from other WAMAS members and learn about fragging in the future (when my tank can support corals). I will most likely be starting a tank journal on nano-reef, but I could also keep one going here to keep everyone informed in what looks to be like a great community of people in the DC area. I've been reading about WAMAS since last August, but never went to a meeting due to military and school obligations. I would LOVE to be able to go to the meeting this weekend, but I will be in Massachusetts. Regardless, I'm very excited to meet other members in the area and see what tank setups other people have an interest in. As always I still have lots to learn about the hobby, and hands on has always been best for me. I'm very excited to start my own tank, and as a work-free student if anyone needs a tank sitter (which everyone does) I'm more than willing to help out! Thanks for reading, look forward to meeting everyone! Anyone else live in Alexandria?