Am I Getting Swindled?

[zyrzyxen]

I have two local LFS that are wildly different in approach to reef keeping. Both have great looking corals so they must be doing something right.

To make things a bit easier I’ll label the LFS “A” and “B”. Shop A got me up and running with a tank, live rock from their sump, live sand and also all the water I needed for setup; for free I might add. Everything I got from them seems to be pest free and without any complications. Any time I have a question they are always willing to help. They run a clean shop and all their saltwater tanks are run under one system sump and all.

Shop B on the other hand loves the analogies and can’t help but get side tracked when asking questions. His biggest suggestions have always been to get the best water and you should never have to dose, especially for nano tanks under 30 gallon. He is always quick to state how everyone else is out to sell products whereas he’s there to get you moving towards a stable system. He runs multiple frag tanks with great looking corals off a…HOB! As a new reefer he kept praising a simple approach to reefing which I bought in to right away. That being said he states much of any problem I’ll have will be because I’m not using Coral Pro which is the saltwater they use as opposed to Instant Ocean or Aquaforest.

I know consistency is KEY and from what I’ve read differences between brands are negligible when compared to having your system stable using the same brand over and over. Can I get your guys’ opinion? Should I be buying this coral pro water at almost double what other LFS are selling?

 

[boacvh]

I don't think swindled. You can be successful with IO salt no doubt. I guess it's just his sales pitch, can't fault him for that. I wouldn't pitch them against each other, they are probably both good, just different approaches

 

[Yang’s Blue Paradise]

I personally run Red Sea Coral Pro Blue bucket because those values are very similar to what I run my tank at. I also don’t dose or test on my frag tank at 15G. Frag tank is doing amazing right now.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I would take it all with a grain of salt, there are many proven ways to have a successful reef.

If someone has success with their reef, they naturally think their way is the best. And the older someone is, the more they think they are right lol

I don't think anyone is trying to swindle anyone.

 

[lil sumpin]

Doesn’t sound like you’re being swindled, just sounds like different approaches. I’ve been using IO reef crystals and my nano seems to be doing just fine with HOB filtration. There are occasional alk dips I see 1-2times a week and I dose 2 part accordingly. Stability and patience are very key in keeping nice reef tanks.

 

[fish farmer]

There are a lot of ways to run a reef tank.

I have a sumped 29 gallon. I use regular IO and I dose mag in the ATO and also run kalk through a doser.

If I don't keep up with the kalk my numbers will drop....I have about 80 to 100 polyps of one type of hammer, plus other hammers and LPS.

Could I use a top shelf salt and just do water changes every week....maybe. But I don't do water changes every week. Some times once a week, sometimes every other week, or third.

Let's say you run your tank fine with every week WC...then you miss a week...then you get sick and miss a week, too tired from work/school, go home to see friends/relatives. This is why automation exists, ATO, dosers, etc.

Run your tank how you want it to fit in your life.

 

[PotatoPig]

One thing I’ve learned from this forum is that a lot of folks have their own, often strong, preferences for salt brands. Sounds like LFS B dude is the same.

Another thing I’ve learned is that there are a TON of ways to successfully run tanks, but for some reason or another not all of them work for everyone, possibly because the systems in these tanks are really very complex so if something is different from one tank to the next another apparently unrelated factor might cause issues if changed.

A another thing I’ve learned - regular water changes are rarely a bad thing and form a part of many people’s recipe for success.

I don’t necessarily think he’s trying to swindle you, my guess is it’s a real belief and what works for him.

 

[Reefer Matt]

While LFS owners can be a great source of helpful info and supplies, remember that their primary goal is to sell you products.

 

[slingfox]

Most people here will recommend you get your own RODI system and make your own salt water. This will pay for itself provided you are in the hobby for long enough and depending on tank size and how often you plan to do water changes. Research on reef aquarium keeping and develop your own view of how you want to run your tank. Plenty of people are successful using the various widely available salts from cheap such as Instance Ocean to expensive such as Tropic Marin and everything in between including Red Sea blue or red bucket.

 

[robanister]

It's really about the best ro water
..zero ppm.... Salt perimeters can be adjusted.