Another Build Thread You Won't Read

[FishLvR]

Musta been fish world, huh? Blue reef is great. I stop in anytime I go to Missoula. Prices are much more realistic. I still have pieces I got from them from years ago, colony sizes now.

Yeah! It's so weird though. I mean the freshwater stuff is EXACTLY what you would expect. Like a little mark up for the overhead but respectful. But those corals, leathers, hammers, some plain zoas, are off the charts, the shrimps and inverts just priced insane. I am going to keep going there for Rod's food though. But that's about all they carry. They use Co-Op which is a joke of a freshwater company and API, some brightwell. Not the stuff I usually look for. But great for frozen foods.

 

[Featherweight]

I didn't read it

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Yeah! It's so weird though. I mean the freshwater stuff is EXACTLY what you would expect. Like a little mark up for the overhead but respectful. But those corals, leathers, hammers, some plain zoas, are off the charts, the shrimps and inverts just priced insane. I am going to keep going there for Rod's food though. But that's about all they carry. They use Co-Op which is a joke of a freshwater company and API, some brightwell. Not the stuff I usually look for. But great for frozen foods.

I go there specifically for the rods food for my Eel! But yeah, the prices of the coral are stupid. I think a saltwater store is airway heights but I haven't stopped there yet.

 

[FishLvR]

I go there specifically for the rods food for my Eel! But yeah, the prices of the coral are stupid. I think a saltwater store is airway heights but I haven't stopped there yet.

The airway heights store is run by a guy who I think worked at Petco, he swears he's not the same guy, but I was like yeah you are unless someone looks just like you. I gave him a bunch of stuff and he was not even listening to me. He wanted to get more freshwater plants. So I gave him some top tier crap. Flamingos and stems that are hard to find. Told him they required high light which he didn't have. Offered to give him one he told me and I quote, "I have over 40 years in the hobby I don't need your advice." I went back a week later and all the plants were dead or melting. So screw that guy. Also, his saltwater was, well. Yeah. Not worth the two hour drive for sure.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Good to know. I never have business in that area so I haven't made it in yet, obviously not a good one.

Funny how salty people get when they feel threatened by knowledge.

 

[FishLvR]

Good to know. I never have business in that area so I haven't made it in yet, obviously not a good one.

Funny how salty people get when they feel threatened by knowledge.

When I saw him on facebook I was super excited to see that he went into business for himself. At petco he was chill and helpful and I always seeked him out. He was less than enthusiastic when I was giving him all those plants, urchins, and coral. He didn't even say thank you or anything. My friend came with me because she wanted to shop at Ralph Lauren, and said after we got back in the car, "Ew, your hobby people suck." I was like yeah...I guess. I did get a great pant suit at Ralph though!

 

[FishLvR]

Just your reminder to calibrate your refractometer to your hydrometer at least every few months. ATO with salt water for a day should raise me back up to 1.026. Yikes.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Just your reminder to calibrate your refractometer to your hydrometer at least every few months. ATO with salt water for a day should raise me back up to 1.026. Yikes.

Refractometers never really work for me, the temperature difference is too much in my house, even with ATC. I use a Hydrometer to mix salt with and the Hanna marine salinity tester for the tanks.

 

[FishLvR]

Refractometers never really work for me, the temperature difference is too much in my house, even with ATC. I use a Hydrometer to mix salt with and the Hanna marine salinity tester for the tanks.

I just got lazy. I thought about one of those nifty hannas.

 

[Freenow54]

Just your reminder to calibrate your refractometer to your hydrometer at least every few months. ATO with salt water for a day should raise me back up to 1.026. Yikes.

Good idea ordered test water getting it today. Thanks

 

[FishLvR]

Testing bubbles.

 

[FishLvR]

So I read two studies in the Science Direct online magazine that states Tetraselmis growns fastest in 40ppt which is pretty high salinity but they got more omega 3 at lower salinity like 30 and 35ppt. This algae likes it cold which is good for me. Of all there samples the 50 degrees samples did the best, but there was no real change up to 70.

The absolute winner with this algae was 5ppt salinity at 50 degrees but on their chart it took so much longer to grow. That sample had the highest omega and lipid count. That's not at all what I would have thought.

 

[FishLvR]

Fingers crossed.

 

[lubeck]

I’m on my second batch. It was pretty painless

 

[FishLvR]

That phytotank was 8 times more than what I spent. I had the light, but five jars, the starter, one air pump, airline hose and rigid tubing, and six john guests were $80. Hang on, $96.32 actually with tax and shipping the culture. I think one Phytotank was 130 bucks or something. Absolute theft. That company should be ashamed. Because I'm old and a Karen I call that crap out nowadays.

 

[lubeck]

That phytotank was 8 times more than what I spent. I had the light, but five jars, the starter, one air pump, airline hose and rigid tubing, and six john guests were $80. Hang on, $96.32 actually with tax and shipping the culture. I think one Phytotank was 130 bucks or something. Absolute theft. That company should be ashamed. Because I'm old and a Karen I call that crap out nowadays.

At least you know who you are .

I thought it was a rip off too but I’m lazy and wanted the convenience of having mostly everything in one package.

I figured it was about two weeks worth of phyto if I bought from algae barn.

 

[FishLvR]

So it crashed. I think that stuff from Montana was a bad culture. There was chunks in it. I didn't pay much attention but I think now they were doomed from the start. The stink was gross. So everything is dumped out and I will disinfect and give it another go.

 

[FishLvR]

Bleaching everything. Smells like a hospital. Thinking bad air exchange too. I will just leave a drilled hole instead of using tubing in a hole.

 

[lubeck]

So it crashed. I think that stuff from Montana was a bad culture. There was chunks in it. I didn't pay much attention but I think now they were doomed from the start. The stink was gross. So everything is dumped out and I will disinfect and give it another go.

Did you smell it before putting it in the jar?

 

[FishLvR]

Yeah. It seemed OK. But I noticed there were clumps in both. It was probably something I did.