Upcoming Fargo Visits

[unchaotic]

Hey everybody. I'll be in Fargo the first couple days of November and also December 10-12th. If anyone in the area has some SPS or zoa frags they could part with I would probably be interested. (Yes, if possible, I will be going to Midwest Aquarium Services and Oceans Paradise during this trip.)

Here's the tank I'm currently trying to stock.

I plan on this being an SPS dominant tank except for some "landscaping" ideas. I've currently got a couple frags of GSP going on the bottom. My plan is to cover the bottom glass in GSP to make it look like a field of grass. Then, either using the frag holder on the right or a rock, I want to have a "hill" in the GSP field that will have a zoa garden with an acro or hammer in the middle.

Fish are kind of a low priority at this point but if either store has a springeri damsel when I'm there I'll probably be adding that as well.

 

[SLVRADO]

I love when people use GSP for the bottom. I’m guessing you are using marine pure blocks in the sump then?

This hobby has drawn me closer and closer to coral and not as much the fish. I seem to do better with low fish stock, especially if I want water parameters to be perfect for hard to keep acros.

 

[unchaotic]

Nothing in the sump and never cycled the tank. Just going to keep the bioload light and have the corals and macros eat up nutrients. I've got a protein skimmer I can throw in if I feel the need but it's in a drawer for now.

As far as the fish thing goes I added a red firefish to this tank on Friday and adopted a Naso for my tank at home today and they are freaking awesome! So much personality from both of them.

 

[SLVRADO]

Nothing in the sump and never cycled the tank. Just going to keep the bioload light and have the corals and macros eat up nutrients. I've got a protein skimmer I can throw in if I feel the need but it's in a drawer for now.

As far as the fish thing goes I added a red firefish to this tank on Friday and adopted a Naso for my tank at home today and they are freaking awesome! So much personality from both of them.

I love fire fish! They are so cool. I am personally skeptical about base tangs only because every reefer I know has issues with them at some point. But really you could say that about any tang in the hobby for the most part.

I am interested to see your opinion of the Ocean Revive light. Is that new or have you used it in the past?

 

[jcolliii]

Oceans Paradise has gone downhill lately. Aiptasia literally everywhere, limited stock, and tanks pretty grungy. Hope they get their poop in a pile again soon as they were really awesome last year.

 

[unchaotic]

Oceans Paradise has gone downhill lately. Aiptasia literally everywhere, limited stock, and tanks pretty grungy. Hope they get their poop in a pile again soon as they were really awesome last year.

When I was there last month it definitely looked better than it had in September. But I can always count on them to have springeri damsels in stock and that was what I was after.

 

[unchaotic]

I am interested to see your opinion of the Ocean Revive light. Is that new or have you used it in the past?

Never answered you on this.

I got two Ocean Revives from a buddy along with the frag tank he had them over. I plan to put them both back over that frag tank when I've got it set up.

When I started the Office Tank I had a Kessil A360WE over it. I wasn't a big fan of just one small light source over the tank. The Revive is basically the opposite, with LEDs spread out quite far apart. So light spread is good but I wonder if it causes hot spots for certain wavelengths. The corals seem to like it.

 

[jcolliii]

When I was there last month it definitely looked better than it had in September. But I can always count on them to have springeri damsels in stock and that was what I was after.

True that. They had one there when I stopped in last. Not too much else, but they did have one of those.

 

[SLVRADO]

Oceans Paradise has gone downhill lately. Aiptasia literally everywhere, limited stock, and tanks pretty grungy. Hope they get their poop in a pile again soon as they were really awesome last year.

That sucks to hear Here in Fargo, Midwest has actually stepped up their game a bit more with the addition of two more low boy frag tanks. They do have aiptasia in a couple tanks, but not ones you are typically pulling frags from. I was actually going to reproduce aiptasia if you could believe that just to breed nudibranchs! Lol

 

[SLVRADO]

Never answered you on this.

I got two Ocean Revives from a buddy along with the frag tank he had them over. I plan to put them both back over that frag tank when I've got it set up.

When I started the Office Tank I had a Kessil A360WE over it. I wasn't wasn't a big fan of just one small light source over the tank. The Revive is basically the opposite, with LEDs spread out quite far apart. So light spread is good but I wonder if it causes hot spots for certain wavelengths. The corals seem to like it.

That makes sense! I’m actually working on getting a low boy from Midwest right now, but the arrival date keeps getting pushed back. I really wanna work on growing many of these designers out. I have a ton of high end acros, golden banana torch, some nice zoas. Just need that tank to come in!

 

[unchaotic]

Just need that tank to come in!

Waiting on me...

 

[SLVRADO]

Nice!!! I like that sump. I am just gonna diy mine with a 75 gallon Sauron I picked up 50% off. It’s going in the mechanical room anyways.

 

[unchaotic]

True that. They had one there when I stopped in last. Not too much else, but they did have one of those.

Looks like you're SPS oriented? If so, yeah, they're worthless for that. Mostly mushrooms, clove polyps, and leathers down there. They had an awesome red goni when I was there but I didn't have the money or the experience for that.
Midwest in Fargo definitely beats them in selection and price.

 

[unchaotic]

Nice!!! I like that sump. I am just gonna diy mine with a 75 gallon Sauron I picked up 50% off. It’s going in the mechanical room anyways.

That sump is acrylic and I'm desperately fighting the urge to modify it and put a peacock mantis shrimp in it.

 

[jcolliii]

Nope, I'm mixed, and full up. 1 Acro, 1 Anacro, a plating red monti, and 1 bubblegum digitata. Most of the rest are Paragoniastrea ('platygyras'), palys, and Euphyllias with some oddballs mixed in.

 

[unchaotic]

Nope, I'm mixed, and full up. 1 Acro, 1 Anacro, a plating red monti, and 1 bubblegum digitata. Most of the rest are Paragoniastrea ('platygyras'), palys, and Euphyllias with some oddballs mixed in.

Nice. My 60 at home is mixed but the euphyllia and monti caps seem especially well suited to it. My 40 at work was supposed to be SPS dominant but I've already started a zoa garden and added a hammer frag from my 60g colony.

I've got some maricultured SPS coming in tomorrow. The guy who imported them has had them for a couple months so hopefully they work out.

 

[jcolliii]

Nice. My 60 at home is mixed but the euphyllia and monti caps seem especially well suited to it. My 40 at work was supposed to be SPS dominant but I've already started a zoa garden and added a hammer frag from my 60g colony.

I've got some maricultured SPS coming in tomorrow. The guy who imported them has had them for a couple months so hopefully they work out.

Good luck - hope they work for you. Bought one maricultured colony in San Diego once. Came with a trapezia acro crab - one of the neatest inverts I've ever had!

 

[vinnyvidivici92]

I live near detroit lakes,mn and make occasional trips to the cities to see my fellow hobbyists and hit up the multiple fish shops if anyone is interested in carpooling, im setting up my first saltwater tank and will be getting everything from midwest aquarium in fargo or going down there