nitrogen cycle testing

wake49

Is there a PetSmart in your area? I know that the PetSmart in Waterbury, CT has the API Reef Kit. Also check online at Dr. Foster & Smith. I usually search for online coupons and order when they have shipping specials, because their shipping rates are a little high IMO.

mullinsd2

Ya there is. that is where I got my testing kit from.

onefish2fish

petsmart will have the test kit but it can be found online for a better price.

im not really a supporter of either petsmart or petco as i feel they sell animals just for profit with no interest in their care or much care of their tanks. dont get me wrong, some of them are better then others but the ones by me arent impressive. id rather support my LFS or an online store. i guess its my opinion and an entire new topic.

mullinsd2

I understand, however, I would like to mention that my local Pet Smart does a great job with the fish that they have, and the employees there are all very knowledgeable on fish (freshwater); although, none of them seem to have any experience with saltwater; this is fine though because they are not asked to work with them. I definitely agree that better prices can be found online, but when shopping on impulse (not recommended), sometimes the extra few bucks seems worth the immediacy of the purchase. Btw, my local lfs tried selling me a hydor koralia 3 for 70 something bucks.... they are sold for about 40 on most online stores; now thats a rip off.

wake49

I would rather support my LFS also, and he is high on prices sometimes. But he also hooks me up. I just got a 135 gallon reef ready tank for $400.00, with all the plumbing and a Mag Drive 12 pump. He'll also float me the LR and is getting me a new 6' light fixture.

I shop at PetSmart when I need something. I needed a heater two days ago, so I ran ten minutes up the street to PetSmart. Sometimes out of necessity I need these stores. My LFS is about 40 min from my house (not all that local), but I won't put a fish in my tank that didn't come from him. And he has always given me a good price on fish.

I bought my protein skimmer online recently, along with a Hydor 2, a new 3' light unit and a check valve. Aquacave has the best shipping prices in my opinion, but Dr Foster's has the biggest inventory.

Online companies ship rather quickly, but if you're in a bind, do what's necassary. For testing Alk, Calcium and Phosphates, I think that you can wait the few days from Dr. Fosters. I hyperlinked it in an earlier post, but here it is again: API Reef Test Kit

mullinsd2

The people at my local lfs seem to be kind of pushy and seriously tried to persuade me a hk 3 could not be found for any cheaper than 70 bucks online..... being the incredulous person that I am, I took that with a grain of salt. I just hate when people try and get the best of others ( like me in this situation) because of their lack of experience. I would hate to see someone else get persuaded to buy something like that for that price. I understand they run a business, but that is not how you get loyal customers!!!!

mullinsd2

:)

wake49

Just click the link, print the page and show them. :)

Dr Foster & Smith Hydor Powerheads

jk, maybe they buy them online and need to make some kind of margin...

mullinsd2

what do you think of two HK 2s for a 45 gallon tall. I only have 36 inches in length because of the height.
im sure if i printed the prices off here the guy there would deny that anyone there said it COULDNT be done; they are pretty sneaky and would probably slip a sentence like "i didnt say it was impossible, just not probable". so then id look completly silly haha

wake49

LOL I know. Just get the personal sastifaction of paying almost half, and put that other money towards a nice fish.

Are you doing a Reef, Fish Only (FO) or Fish Only With Live Rock (FOWLR)? I believe that you want to turn a tank over about twenty to thirty times an hour for a reef tank. THe more flow the better. A 45 gallon tank would need to be moved at a rate of 900-1350 GPH (gallons per hour). For a FOWLR, I believe the flow is much more liberal, and turning over the tank 5-10 times an hour should suffice. For Fish Only, one Hydor 2 should do the job.

Are you incorporating a sump? If so than your return pump will provide a source for flow. Throw in a Hydor 3 and you'll have decent flow rate. If not, and you are doing a Reef, than I suggest a pair of threes at the least.