New to hobby. Where to buy hardware etc?

[lastlight]

Hello,

Like I said this is my first try at the marine game. I'm looking for good deals on some hardware and other things and wanted to know where the smart reefer shops in Calgary for various things.

What's a reasonable price for an ASM G1X Skimmer? I plan to get one and I'm currently hunting around. Do you people shop online or is it cheaper in the long run to buy locally?

RO/DI? I've found a couple sites that are highly spoken of...which units are a good buy locally?

Pumps. Anyone use Quiet Ones? Are they quiet and are they dependable? If not, which brands would you recommend?

Tunze Turbelles. Do people here use them and if so, did you have to buy them online? They seem like a valuable addition to a tank.

Finally, what's a good place to buy maintenance things like salt, test kits, meters etc?

Do people here generally shop in one place or all over town?

A lot of questions but hey, I'm curious =)

Cheers!

Brett

[Tarolisol]

I think most people one here shop online for almost everything, lots of the time from jlaquatics.com i get most stuff online and buy at once so i get free shipping, the only thing i buy locally is salt and fish. Also the buysell forum is very good to use.

[scuglass]

i ussually look at bigals products but never buy there. sometimes i buy livestock from there cause sometimes they have a lot more than other stores. but ussually go to golds to buy things locally or look on oceansaquatics or jls for online. i picked up my ro unit on ebay.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

On-line, J&L & Ocean Aquatics are the most popular among Canreefers. Locally, try Gold's (Albert is a member).

The Aqua-Safe RODI unit from North Vancouver is the one that alot of reefers are using. It's very cost effective & I would recommend you purchase extra filters & resins at the same time to save on shipping later.

The Tunze Stream is an awesome PH because the 6060 will give you a gentle 1600 gph stream of current as opposed to a harsher jet. However, it's best for larger tanks (ie. maybe too much for a 33g). Not sure what size tank you have.

Sometimes each local club will organize group buys from OA or J&L so you can see if there's interest in a Calgary one.

Welcome to the board.

Anthony

[lastlight]

Thanks for the feedback thus far.

As for the Tunze, is it worth the extra money to get a controller and variable speed TS? My tank is roughly 60 gallons. Will the wave simulation be that much better than a constant speed flow? The cost is significantly different.

[maverick_8teen]

Thanx for asing that Q Lastlight. Like you i am also trying to get into SW. I have been doing Fresh Water for 3 years now and am looking into SW because to say the least...its appeal is so much more beautiful and natural.

Anyway, in my years of experience of FW Tanks the only store that i have been to that i know sells SW is Big Als. Its kinda a tricky place to find as its in a strip mall. But don't be fooled its got lots to offer...atleast for FW anyway. I also know of a place on 32nd. Its called Franco's. Never been there myself but buddy i work with suggested it. I couldn't even recal if they sell SW. And Lastly Picies...can't buy SW fish there but they sell various items for maintaning your tank both FW and SW. (its just off McKnight).

This brings me to my questions
If you had 2 tanks. a 35 Gal and a 20 Gal. Your 35 Gal was up and running a FW Tropical Tank. You want to Start up a SW Tank. Do you Start it up in a 20Gal or move everything in your 35Gal to your 20Gal and make your 35 Gal your SW Tank??? This maybe an easy Question for you experienced people but i never have done SW yet so what would be best for me.

I understand that a smaller tank requires more attention and that i am willing to give (whats a hobby if your not willing to spend more time with it?) I also understand its cheaper in the start but i also am told that theres a better chance for a larger tank to survive if a small epidemic occurs. Whats the point on saving money to begin with when it could all get flushed down the toilet (litterally)? Would it maybe be worth my While to sell the 35 and all its components and buy a Larger Tank and then buy seperate peices for SW? If you feel this is what i should do...what size of tank do you feel would be a good size? Max I can do is 120 Gal when it comes to space. Do you feel this is too big for someone just starting out?

My Last Question... in your opinion what do i "NEED" for a SW Tank and what is "Optional" If it helps i was thinking about doing a Reef Tank, but not too sure yet.

[digital-audiophile]

Franco's doesn't have much for salt water.. a bit but I haven't been by in a while

Golds and Big Al's have already been mentioned, There is also Ocean Aquariums on Centre, and Wais on 16th. All have their own strengths and weaknesses, its up to you as the consumer to make the best buying decisions. When I started I spent too much on crap that I have upgraded since so avoid that trap.

Recently most of my purchases have been online and from other reefers (in my opinion the BEST source for livestock!)

- Re: moving into other tanks, it is a pain in the ass, im in the process of doing just that so I would recommend going as big as you can from the start as you know you will want to upgrade later.

[blood_hound]

Aside from jlaquatics and ebay for my hardware and golds fror my livestocks, I get most of my stuff off canreef buy/sell.
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=11
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=31

[EmilyB]

Locally, some shops are coming around to the hobby. I spend some bucks at Gold and wish it was closer, Wais has changed a lot and I spend more there now. I won't shop at Big Als.

[Snappy]

I find the Ocean Runner pumps to be pretty quiet. I use 3 of them, a 6500 for my sump return and 2 x 3500's for my skimmer.
What size of tank? I have a used Aqua medic turbo floater 1000 skimmer FS. Let me know if you are interested.