Wow, I could not be happier

[kingpin9995]

Received my second shipment from TB Saltwater today and it blew me away. Richard was a fabulous help through the entire process and I can't believe how much time he took with me through emails to get me exactly where I needed to be in the process. I have checked out other live rock suppliers and I surely picked the right one. The live rock was fabulous with multitudes of growing organisms and the colors were fabulous. The second shipment was unbelievable. I received some nice extras. Three anenomes, sponges of different colors, and all the critter, ALL ALIVE. In searching for my supplier I was looking for someone that really cared about his customers and reading some of the testimonials I knew this was the guy Was I skeptical? Sure I was, but after dealing with Richard I realized I made the right choice. Finished part two last night and the tank is crystal clear and lots of color. The directions included in the shipment were great and I am very pleased with the whole process. My friends in the hobby will be getting a heads up to deal with the best..... TB Saltwater... Thanks again Richard...

 

[Jaxom]

Congrats Kingpin, when you get a chance post some pictures of what you got and tell us more about your tank. I'm hoping to get mine ordered after Christmas.

 

[kingpin9995]

Thanks, I did saltwater for quite a few years and after kids went to fresh with cichlids and then did some discus. Decided I wanted to get into a reef using my 52 gal corner bow front. I've seen reefs in this style and just loved it. I am running for now a CPR Bakpak and a Marineland canister. Not sure of the model but it's the newest design. Using some bio balls and chemi pure in there. Lighting is a couples daylight and actinics. I have 80 pounds of live rock and 40 pounds of live sand. Things are looking good. No fish for another week at least but have alot of critters. A concern is the many hitchhiker crabs that came along. Gonna try and get rid of most of them. Found a few gorillas and reds so far. Attached are a few pics. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I'm a newbie in the reef world and would like to do it right... Pics to come but I need to resize them first . Maybe tomorrow ...

 

[noahm]

Post your pics, and we will help you sort through the critters (or at least try). Don't stress too much about the crabs. Even the baddies are pretty easy to deal with at a leisurely pace. If in doubt, throw them in an open glass jar, or steep bowl inside the tank until they get ID'd.

 

[kingpin9995]

Thanks Noah... I tried to post a few pics last night but I have to resize them to be accepted here first , if I can figure that out , lol/.

One of my main questions will be the use of the canister and bio balls Been doing some research on using them and the possible high nitrate argument. I would like to build a sump but it's going to have to be small to fit under my corner stand. Not alot of room under there. Thought about a ten gallon tank but that won't fit. I'd have to maybe go to a five and wonder if that is really worth it being that small? Not going to monkey with it right now as I let the tank settle in. Maybe in a few months or so. I'll try and get the pic sizing thingy fixed and then get them in here. This seems to be a great source of info with some great people.... :spin2:

 

[noahm]

I use photobucket to host my pics. Its free and easy to resize. I know there are other places, but it works well and easy to post. I wouldn't stress about the bioballs and canister as long as you keep detritus from building up in/on the media. You have enough live rock though that can ditch them easily. They don't host the diversity of bacteria that live rock do, so they tend to fall short in processing waste thoroughly and can pass on nitrates. The canisters/bioballs become a problem when they are left for too long w/o maintenance.

As far as the sump/fuge goes, I wouldn't do without one. It is a great place to hide equipment and have a proper skimmer. If there is a way to get one in the loop, I would try, though plenty of people do without just fine. The main thing at this point is don't overfeed. It is way too easy to do.

 

[kingpin9995]

Well I got one pic to upload....