High Tide Aquatics

Reef Retail and Supporting LFS

Vhuang168 said:
Sure. Ultimately it is your choice as a consumer. You choose where you want to spend your money.

I enjoy going to LFS. I’ve driven as far as Roseville, (before my current job) just to see the stores there. And if I find a good store, I will make the extra effort to go there as often as I can. My personal limit is 2hrs. Anything more than that would require the store to be phenomenal!

So if I was in SF, both AC and Neptune would be within my range. And would include all the other stores in between them of course.

I’ve driven as far as Watsonville, because there were no decent quadcopter stores here at that time. They had an online presence but I drove there anyway.

Just the other day, I was contemplating driving to Chico to pick up parts for my RC Heli. Could have ordered it online from their webstore (which I ultimately did because the store didn’t have it in stock but the warehouse did), but by going to the store, I would get to talk to the owners and workers there, meet other enthusiasts and have a good afternoon enjoying a big part of most hobbies. The other people who share the same interest.

It is the same with most things I choose to buy. I see if it is available locally 1st. Online is almost always 2nd choice.


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Man, 2 hours? You’re really pushing the limit of the term local in lfs.
 
I'm working on a tank journal I hope to share soon. I spent a couple months planning and gluing out-of-box bone dry STAX rock into two main pieces; the column and the top. Beneath the column, under the sand, is a sheet of acrylic 1/2" thick, 2 ft x 1 ft. The column is glued and tied to it with zip ties. It's quite solid.

I thought about quakes too. So I take your point seriously. But the biggest design aspect of reef keeping that got me interested in getting back into the hobby was all the cool asian minimalist aquascape I saw. So I accept the risk for its potential.

Part of the tank's earthquake (small quake) risk mitigation feature is the floor it sits on. Turns out the stand has plastic feet that when resting on a waxed floor move incredibly easily. I can actually push the tank away from the wall with relative ease to get behind it. If there were a relatively safe magnitude quake, the whole thing might gently slip and slide around. Yes, a dose of wishful thinking. But what the hell... we're in California after all. ; )
 
ashburn2k said:
What are those tubes on the right side?
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The tubes... they're connected to an Eheim canister holding MarinePure cubes; 40 or so cubes in there, layered on trays. I used them for the initial cycle prior to the tank purchase. You also see the heater and acrylic rod holding the intake tube in place. The canister filter and heater are going away once I move the remaining rock out of the sump and into the tank and the MarinePure cubes move to the sump. I'm planning on low-profile rock arrangement on the right side.

I'm starting to creep into tank journal territory when the intent of the thread was about LFS.

Suspending tank comments for now and will update with a link to the journal in coming months.
 
I love going to Ultimate Aquarium in SM. Joe has refused, multiple times, to sell me fish and other items that would be detrimental to my setup, regardless to how much I beg. Any store owner who would refuse a sale and send me down the road to my own destruction tells me I’m with a reputable and responsible owner. I don’t mind paying a bit more to view the livestock as well as make sure the additions won’t disrupt what I’m trying to accomplish in my system. As a financial advisor in a past life, I was often asked to compare my services to Vanguard which is free. Pretty simple conversation--if you value professional and responsible advice, the fees (or extra costs) are worth it. If you feel you can do it on your own without hurting yourself and your system in the process, drive on. My preference is have Joe continue to lead me in my journey keeping my system “afloat."
 
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