Quote:
Originally Posted by magikof7
Concept Aquatics, Ocean creations are 2 good places. I find the big stores to be expensive for corals and if you really look at the tanks they are not the best kept.
Watch out for those telling you things are rare. Buy it because you like it or you won't have a long love affair with your tank. It will lead to problems and neglect and honestly you wont last long in the Hobby. 
I'd advise going in on days that you have no intention of buying anything in the bigger stores and really Look at the livestock and tanks. When you go shopping with the intent of getting something for your tank I find it is easy to overlook red flags. It is also easy to end up with something you will regret later when you can't find something that really jumps out at you.
When buying Fish and Corals from ANY store or fellow reefer... NO ONE is safe from pests and disease. QT your fish, Dip and inspect your corals. |
+1 to this whole post. There's nothing worse than saying to yourself "today I'm going to buy something for the tank!", going out, not seeing anything that really catches your fancy, but buying the next best thing because you're there and it's what they happened to have, then going in to the store a week later to discover that one fish/coral/invert/etc. that you've always dreamed of having is there and available, but because of your earlier 'ho-hum' purchase you can't get it because of space/compatibility/logistical issues.
If there's something that you know you want, wait for it. Check often, and get to know when the stores are going to be getting in new orders. Sometimes that can take months of waiting for the right shipment from the right part of the world. If you develop a relationship with some of the smaller stores, they might be willing to request something you're after from their supplier the next time they order from that part of the world. If you're in to fancy LPS corals, don't settle for anything less than what takes your breath away. The difference in price between the "oh wow" corals and the "hmm, I guess" corals isn't nearly enough to justify wasting money on something you don't love, but the "oh wow" corals don't last long in the LFS tanks.
And on top of that, quarantine quarantine quarantine. In a controlled environment where you don't have to worry about live rock, corals, and sensitive invertebrates, most fish diseases are relatively easy to deal with. Getting something like a protozoan parasite that lives some part of it's life off of a fish out of a reef tank once it's been introduced is literally a months long herculean effort.