holy cow at finz in tampa

competition ...do you mean as far as how good your tank looks? cuz i think you'll have me beat for a long time with that size tank. the more people into acros the merrier. frag and trade all day long. i think i found a frag of that awesome tentacle looking green and blue stag you got. there's one more hiding at the store if someone can find it.

so how's your color holding up. i think we're running about the same lighting but i've been tempted to overdrive with my ice cap but don't want a 5 month bulb life like you experienced. this guy's tank has great coloration with the 4 - 54 watters but i can't find out if he overdrives them. if he doesn't then it's really really hard to argue against t5's.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/2/aquarium

who else is using t5's ?
 
well i also went to finzs today.
i must say i am liking that store more and mroe every time i go in. chris seems to really know chit. I gave into day and bought a few things includding one of rhte very large colonys. I had a hell of a time getting a good pic but here is what i got anyhow. in person it has a bright greenbase and the polyps and very nice rich blue. i'm sure some of you saw it there. its about 10" long and 7 inches across. i would be VERY hard pressed to find a piece this large again. not only that but chris gave me a VERY VERY fair price. almost broght home the last big one as well but talked myself out of it. theres always tomorrow lol i took one pic with flash so it really washed out the color

IMG_5996.jpg

IMG_5997.jpg

IMG_5994.jpg

IMG_5988.jpg
 
thanks

gotta love 400 radiums.
some guy i met a long time ago introduced me to them. he was kinda dumb but atleast he knew about lights. hahahaha J/K
 
that would be me. ;) the pretty dumb part at least. I still don't care what anyone says to me there is no better bulb than a radium. how long are you running them now? without using ice cap ballasts?
 
well i just changed them about 3 months ago. i plan to put new ones every 7 months. the thing i love about the radium is that i seem to get super fast growth AND the great color of a 20K bulb. i think you get the best of bother worlds. to bad there nearly 90 bucks a pop. i agree. i used a few differnt 14 and 20 k bulbs since using the radiums and nothing seemed to come even close.

this tank has been on radiums for around 3 years
 
I went into FINZ yesterday. There wasn't much in the way of stuff for my tank from the one they tore down, but the SPS collection was still nice. I picked up a clam at a fair price but the prices they wanted for the other things were above market - especially on the Xenia. $45 for a small frag was what I was quoted (normal pulsing Xenia - nothing rare and they weren't pretending it was either).

I heard the same guy quote 2 different prices to 2 different people on the same fish within 10 minutes. That kind of pricing makes me uncomfortable, to be honest. I prefer having a set price and if you want to give discounts to reef club members or some kind of regular discount club that's cool, but be upfront about it. Otherwise it's going to appear like you're pulling prices 'out of your a$$' on the spot. It won't keep me from shopping there but it will keep me from paying anything above what I consider to be a 'deal' because I don't want to be the one they 'make up the difference' on.

Just my opinion.
 
I have the pom-pom (metric ton) but need some pulsing, yeah. I know lots of people have extra they're willing to give away or sell cheap, which is why I wouldn't pay $45 a frag. I told the guy that, too. In most cases I prefer to support local stores, but when they're charging that much for a weed...well, I gotta draw the line.
 
hey angel I know the pricing story but I can't really comment because people will quote my old posts and throw it up in my face. I am lucky enough to not have different people giving me different prices. the good thing is when I don't think something is priced well I can always laugh and say your kidding right then not buy it. I think maybe the new ownership may be a little overwhelmed for now but time and experience should even things out.
pok it's not that I don't like ice cap because they are a very good customer service oriented business. it's more the way the products work electrically. not all bulbs but some of the bulbs will fire and run fine but the way they do things inside cause some of the bulbs to burn out prematurely. radiums are definately one of the bulbs I am talking about. hqi ballasts work but also burn the bulbs too fast. in my opinion you just don't need all the light people claim. a normal pulse start ballast will run most european bulbs and alot of the american bulbs. the sola brand runs cooler than most cap and coil style ballasts normally using a slight bit less electricity. probably not enough to notice on your bill but a little bit. I think 1000bulbs.com has them for the best price I have found. they do not come enclosed is the only problem. the radiums look extremely nice on them. in my opinion better than on ice caps. nice and blue.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7764468#post7764468 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by robthorn
hey angel I know the pricing story but I can't really comment because people will quote my old posts and throw it up in my face.
Click to expand...

I cant wait to hear this story!
What happened to your crusade to protect all the reefers of Tampa bay? Im disappointed in you :rolleyes:
 
i run xm's on my Icecaps.. I have no complaints. the light I get from the 10k 400's are great... the whiter the better and Ive had no problem with the yellow look. I think you may have been talking about a 440 or 660 icecap ballast on your t5 tank anyway.

we need more updated pics of your tank!
 
see what i mean with " them". they just sit and wait and try to twist things. not playing your games wally. go bug someone else please.

in this thread I was talking about halide ballasts. same thing with t5's though

updated pics of my nasty mess?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7764851#post7764851 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by robthorn
see what i mean with " them". they just sit and wait and try to twist things. not playing your games wally. go bug someone else please.
Click to expand...

LOL!
Its funny how what you post can come back to haunt you, Rob!
Remember, no one can argue with consistency.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7764851#post7764851 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by robthorn

in this thread I was talking about halide ballasts. same thing with t5's though
Click to expand...

I thought we were talking about the corals at Finz? :confused:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

ClownBubbaJoe
Skimmer, TALL skimmer vs short under cabinet type ?
Replies
13
Views
1K
BeanAnimal
B
Reefing102
My UPS - Do you have a UPS back up?
Replies
7
Views
1K
Guygettnby
Guygettnby
F
Invasive Algae in my tank
Replies
10
Views
1K
Timfish
Timfish
o2manyfish
o2manyfish - FREE CORALS - Nothing Exciting, But Free (Encino)
Replies
2
Views
922
iceman12
I
Brian60077
Be patient, wait, and do not rush to add things ???
Replies
11
Views
1K
Brian60077
Brian60077
Back
Top