New Member, Excited to be Back in the Hobby!

[cdw79]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm a recent college grad and have moved to the area for work. I kept a reef aquarium from about 5 years old to my junior year of high school, and now that I finally have a reasonable income from something besides my childhood lawn mowing business, I'm incredibly excited to be back in the hobby. So much has changed!

 

My new Reefer XL300 is currently mid-cycle, and I can't wait to explore the LFS in the area. I'm living in Arlington, and it seems like the closest options are all 30+ minutes away, so I'd love to meet any local individual sellers / reefers around here. If anyone has any LFS recommendations, or (in a few weeks) any extra coral lying around that they're looking to get rid of, definitely let me know. 

 

I'm excited to meet you all, and thanks for having me in WAMAS. Have a great weekend!

 

 

-Champ

[howaboutme]

Welcome to the club! Lot's of hobbyist near you, both in NOVA and DC/MD.  The classifieds will give you an idea of what's going on. Yes, most LFS are just a bit a ways from you both worth the trips. The closest I think is Reef Escape in Fairfax, then Supreme Reefs. After that you're talking Prince William County. Good luck w/ the new tank!

[davidm]

welcome!

If you not looking for end end coral I think a lot of people will be willing to give you some stuff for free to get started.

And again - welcome.

[DaJMasta]

From the perspective of someone in MD, NOVA seems to have all the shops and people selling frags on the board!

The classifieds section is usually hopping and there are a number of people who sell packs or inexpensive frags which could be good to help fill things up, but while the availability of colonies and the overall price of livestock is probably up a ways since you last had a tank, the availability of colorful, resilient, affordable frags is quite high, and we're seeing more aquacultured livestock than ever before, so if you're not looking for the latest and greatest named designer limited edition coral, you can probably find something really nice to grow out.

[cdw79]

Hi All,

 

Thanks so much for your replies. I've just realized this may technically be in the wrong subsection, but oh well.

 

Thanks for the recommendations so far too! I just went to Reef Escape yesterday and was incredibly impressed that they actually QT their livestock, something I'd never seen in any LFS up until this point. I'll definitely check out Supreme Reefs next weekend, it doesn't seem too far away. I went to Blue Ribbon Koi on a whim last weekend, but man was it a hike!

 

In terms of coral, I've been keeping up with news in the hobby for the past 6 months or so and have seen the impact of import bans on prices. It's really heartening to see aquaculture so much ahead of where it was back when I had my tank too. Overall though, with my kind of budget, I don't think may designer sticks are in my future anytime soon, and would more than happily take more "basic" pieces to help get a good foundation of pieces going. 

 

Pardon my ignorance, but when you guys say the Classifieds, what / where is that on here? Are there any sellers well known around here who are reliable and honest? Any tips on that would be great, thanks so much for sharing!

[DaJMasta]

If you scroll down a bit in the main section while logged in, there's a set of forums visible only to members, and in there there's a for sale/trade forum that sees a good bit of activity.

Otherwise, even craiglist and such can have a deal every now and then, especially on the equipment side.

[Cris]

Welcome to the group.  This is a great place to learn.