Icky Dilemma

ShrimpBandit · Mar 8, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:
A friend or local club can be an option

I might just have to order new test kits. Or bring a sample with me next time I head for the big city!

ShrimpBandit · Mar 8, 2022

So, do you think that it could be a different stressor - like a new tank addition or a change in system flow?

Jedi1199 · Mar 8, 2022

ShrimpBandit said:
Lol, if only I had a trusted LFS. Closest option is four hours away in the Twin Cities.

I've also used the fluval set or some expired salifert kits when something seems off. Right now, I'm guessing the cyano is sucking up nitrates so the tests read <5 ppm. I've been focused on reducing nitrates for a month or so. The test kit still reads <5 ppm, but the red slime is a fraction of what it was.

I've only been feeding the phyto daily because I also just added pods and kind of hope all that stuff will help in the red slime fight.

I feel your pain. The nearest LFS to me that deals in SW at all, is either 40 miles north in Modesto, or 50 miles south in Fresno. It appears, unfortunately, that I have settled into a SW black hole. lol...

Any other reputable LFS are a couple hours minimum.

Even those stores, which I know are reputable, I would take their advice as a starting point, and not concrete. A couple times, I have seen customers in the store I go to most, with a cart full of garbage I know they don't need. It makes me cringe.. I simply advise them to come here and do some reading before they spend their money vs trusting the elderly lady or teenage girl who front that store. Even the guys who run the fish room are very limited as to their knowledge of SW.

It really is a sad fact of our hobby that the people who run the stores that supply us with what we need, usually have less experience in the hobby than we do.

newreef1 · Aug 9, 2022

Jedi1199 said:
I feel your pain. The nearest LFS to me that deals in SW at all, is either 40 miles north in Modesto, or 50 miles south in Fresno. It appears, unfortunately, that I have settled into a SW black hole. lol...

Any other reputable LFS are a couple hours minimum.

Even those stores, which I know are reputable, I would take their advice as a starting point, and not concrete. A couple times, I have seen customers in the store I go to most, with a cart full of garbage I know they don't need. It makes me cringe.. I simply advise them to come here and do some reading before they spend their money vs trusting the elderly lady or teenage girl who front that store. Even the guys who run the fish room are very limited as to their knowledge of SW.

It really is a sad fact of our hobby that the people who run the stores that supply us with what we need, usually have less experience in the hobby than we do.

I agree, most of my knowledge on this hobby has come from here. I still have bottles of stuff I was advised to get in the beginning of my hobby. I know learned that if I had just spent the money on a few staple medicines and after reading today I just ordered some food supplements for fish along with some better filtration additions I would’ve been much better prepared and confident. I’m a newbie but being on here I know more than many fish store employees. Some might find it silly but I like to consult everyone here before any new purchase I make or read through old posts.