Starting back up...

[thebrainbot]

Hey guys,

 

I recently moved up to Annandale from Blacksburg and I've been looking to get back into reef keeping. Previously I had a JBJ NC 24g setup for about a year before I had to break it down for a year due to various reasons. I'm probably going to attempt to sell the JBJ and buy a 29g tank (already have a good stand from my old FW 29g) as I prefer the dimensions greatly vs. the JBJ.

 

So all the sand and LR in my tank has been sitting, dried out for about a year now. So I'm looking for a LFS that will give me a good deal on trading in some old LR as well as being able to buy new LR and RO/DI water. I've called around various places and haven't found any that sell RO/DI. I know super pets has some reef supplies, but last time I was in there, I didn't see any available LR. I plan on checking out the site sponsors over the coming week, but wondering if anyone has suggestions on the best places in NOVA (I'm willing to travel for rock/tank supplies) in the NOVA area.

 

Thanks!

[onux20]

I am a HUGE fan of Blue Ribbon Koi. Its a bit of a drive but well worth it. (And they are hosting a social soon)

 

Not sure about trading the rock but I know they sell water. Have you thought about using the rock you have and just adding a few more pieces of live rock to seed the rest?

 

Welcome to the area and back to the hobby.

Ron

[Der ABT]

Did you just graduate from VT or? i moved up from blacksburg 9 months ago after living down there for about 10 years, miss the burg alot.

 

Glad to see your getting back into the hobby, where you on RC down there. we had a pretty good showing on the boards in bburg.

 

 

I know Blue Ribbon Koi and Fins and Feather should have just about anything your looking for. Both great stores and always fun to visit. They are well worth the drive. Also look on the for sale sections and you can usually find someone selling some or breaking down a tank.

 

 

You should be able to use your old rock no problem, may need to give it some more time to cycle or just put a few pieces of live rock in to seed the old rock but i dont see why you cant reuse what you have. unless of course you dont like the rock.

 

Welcome back, tis a good club here.

[Coral Hind]

Welcome to the club!

 

Here is nice map L82Rise created. Wally's went out of business a few months ago but the rest of the map seems up to date.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=105169236785428905901.0004795bd437b9d5249fe

[cabrego]

Recommend Petland in fairfax for live rock, they have a good selection at a reasonable price and their location is good for you too. Good general reef products like salts, solutions, etc.

[luceneck]

Do you not like your dry rock? You could easily seed it with some live rock and save money. Additionally, if you are only looking for RO/DI water, why not purchase some distilled water from Walmart or your local grocery store. The price will be the same as what a LFS sells it for and you can buy several gallons at a time vs being limited to the type of container you can bring or purchase. Then again if you wanted to skip a step and buy salt water, a LFS in the area would work out well.

[BowieReefer84]

Do you not like your dry rock? You could easily seed it with some live rock and save money. Additionally, if you are only looking for RO/DI water, why not purchase some distilled water from Walmart or your local grocery store. The price will be the same as what a LFS sells it for and you can buy several gallons at a time vs being limited to the type of container you can bring or purchase. Then again if you wanted to skip a step and buy salt water, a LFS in the area would work out well.

 

 

You say distilled water? I read a couple things that distilled water can contain copper or something? I don't really want to say this, but sometimes I buy spring water like deerpark because there is zero chance of copper . . .ahhh I know. Whats the benefit of distilled? RO/DI is not an option for me. My choices are Tap/Distilled/Spring? Thanks.

 

Also, I saw this post on what seems to be some really nice LR. http://www.wamas.org/forums/topic/36665-fresh-live-rock-shipment/

Edited April 20, 2010 by BowieReefer84

[bambam]

Super Petz in Annandale sales RIO water for .49 per gallon and they also sale live rock.

 

 

[Coral Hind]

Pristine has a new 8 stag unit and I know they change their filters regularly. Plus they give a 10% discount to WAMAS members that SuperPets doesn't give out.

[thebrainbot]

Wow, lots of replies!

 

I see I have many, many stores to shop around at, thats great.

 

Der ABT, I'm an RU alumn, but I worked at VT's CRC for a few years. Got laid off and found work back up here. Originally from around Manassas though

 

I think I'm going to go ahead and buy a new 29g tank instead of reusing my JBJ NC. Just gotta figure out if my Sunpod 150w will work well for a longer tank. I'm not very happy with the cube shapes vs. longer tanks. If I do that, I'll try to sell that JBJ with stand for pretty cheap.

 

If I do make the move to the 29, I will probably sell back some of the LR that I don't like and get some new stuff.

 

Now I guess I have to start collecting my money and prep to get this going again!

 

 

Thanks everyone!