Good stores in the Burlington area

[andygold]

I want to get back into the hobby, and I'm considering an AIO setup for a small reef.
I'm over in NY near Plattsburgh. I don't get to VT very often, so I want to make my next day-trip as fruitful as possible. I don't have a Burlington area phonebook (they won't send me one), so I don't know where or how many LFSs there are. I'd like to visit the best of the bunch in regards to nano reefing supplies, livestock, and knowledge. I don't want to visit stores where the employees are summertime help, if you know what I mean. I'm looking for stores with knowledgable employees who know what they're talking about and who are willing to discuss items without solely thinking about what will generate the most profit for the store.

Any thoughts as to where I should visit first. I would travel anywhere within the Burlington area and maybe 30 or 40 miles out from there. If there happens to be a "must see" store further out, I'd like to hear about that one as well.

[joel1234567]

Hmm... where to visit "first" in VT...

There's really only one place to go, the Pet Advantage (http://www.thepetadvantage.com/). It's worth the drive.

If you can get over to NH, I've heard Plymouth Pet & Aquarium is a great shop, and they are a site sponsor, but that'd be several hours from where you're at. If you're up for a full day of driving I've heard it's worth the drive, but haven't made it there (yet) myself.

[The Saltwater Kid]

Definitely check out The Pet Advantage!!! It's just down the street from the University Mall in South Burlington. Plymouth Pet & Aquarium is also a fine store but like Joel said, unless you're up for a long trip it might be a little far for you.

[christmasclowns]

Stores ? Stores ? what do you need those for? hang out on the forum for a little while and you can find almost any thing you might want for much better prices. But if you insist on a store PA is BA and prices are fair.

[Erik]

I agree on the resources here within this very forum.

Between our site sponsors and our local shops like the Pet Advantage and Plymouth Pet, I don't see how you would need or want anything else. Jason at the Pet Advantage and Jay over at Plymouth Pet are about as knowledgeable as they get for reef stores. True assets for sure.

[andygold]

Thanks for the insight as to the stores!!

I'm broker than broke right now!!! So, although I'd love to buy The Saltwater Kid' s Biocube (saw it on Craigslist, which is also how I found this forum), the funds are just not there right now. My intention is to learn as much as I can before I get my feet wet again in the hobby. I want to get into an AIO as that's probably the only way "The Queen" will let a bigger tank into the house. Right now all I have is a Marineland 3 gallon plastic tank with a few guppies and a corydora. I've been informed that she does not appreciate the look of standard fish tanks, so I'm gonna take a wild guess that a sump system is probably out of the question . So, an AIO is the way I have to go (with a light built into the hood...no pendants).

For a little history (if anyone cares ) When I was getting out of the hobby back in the early '80s, a marine tank was considered nice if it had an anemone, a clown fish and a nice piece of bleached coral inside. Wet/dry systems were first coming out and there were heated debates as to whether a rotating spray bar or a drip plate was better. There was also huge debate as to whether bioballs, or squares,twists, triangles, etc... or ceramic rings were the way to go. The term "live rock" probably didn't exist yet. The best protein skimmers used wooden air stones, and were powered by either a piston style air pump (picture the side of a coal fired locomotive) or a Silent Giant. An undergravel filter was a necessity (I still have my Nektonics 70 gallon UGF floating around here someplace ) if you didn't want disaster, and if you had a drilled tank, you might have had more than your LFS had.

So, i figure I'd see whatever I can see in the LFSs and learn as much as possible so i know exactly what I need and how to use it to the fullest extent. I seem to be the "shell answer man" (another dated reference) on a number of topics according to my associates, but I'm embarrassed at this point that when asked about marine aquariums, my knowledge is extremely dated and very possibly just plain wrong as so much has evolved over the last 25 to 30 years. I've been gleaning info from a vast array of forums, but it's nice to have one located right in my back yard (although on the other side of the pond with an expensive ferry ride attached).

With all the above monologue said .....can anyone suggest some good reading on setting up a reef tank (probably not going for SPS at first, or maybe ever). I have a copy of The Reef Aquarium from 1994, but that seems to be entirely outdated. I'm looking for pretty much a step by step guide with explanations as to why certain things are used. For example; one site recommends bioballs in the filter, and yet others say they increase nitrates (I was under the impression nitrobacter and nitrosomonas lived on them, and they could only help...with water changes being the preferred way to remove nitrates). Other sites say to only put in floss and smaller live rock pieces. Then I read about macro-algae such as Chaeto for nitrate removal. So, there's still debate as to what's best for filtration and nitrate removal. So, basically I'm looking for the definitive, modern guide on what to use in the tank and filter, how to set it up, how to frag coral, what supplements are necessary and/or recommended, and such. Right now, i don't even know how to stack or feed the coral (they do need to be fed yes?, although I think some just need light, right?). This is the kind of info I'm looking for, and I don't know if I can find it all in a single book or maybe a few, but that's what I'm looking for right now. I even just read that you can glue your rock together...that's a mystery to me. I also just learned that anemones and corals might not be the best for each other. Back in the stone age, my anemones would sometimes roam the tank, I guess looking for better currents and lighting, but with corals, I need to learn how you place them, light and current wise, as AFAIK they don't move (correct me if I'm wrong). I don't want to place a coral that need a lot of light too deep in the tank and vice versa. Info, info, info, I crave it.....

So, yes, I know little to nothing about reef setup and maintenance, and I'd prefer not to learn from my mistakes...so a great book on the subject would be immensely helpful!!!

Basically, I want to be an educated consumer.....

Ok, I'll stop writing now as I don't want to use up too much internet ink

[joel1234567]

I've got a couple books you can borrow if you're interested. "(The Simple Guide to) Marine Aquariums", and "The New Marine Aquarium". If you'll be in VT this weekend you could pick them up. Or I get across the pond regularly to visit friends in P-burg.

[joanstone]

http://wetwebmedia.com/ is a great resource online as well.

[rev138]

Since you're broke, I assume you'll be starting with a small (20 gal or less) tank. If that's the case, check out nano-reef.com. The site was immensely helpful to me when I was starting out.

[andygold]

Finally got my internet back up and running. AT&T Microcell screwed everything up, but finally got it going...

joel1234567...Thanks for the very kind offer, but I've learned hard lessons about borrowing other people's stuff. I'd worry about accidentally damaging it, and if it's not in the same condition as I borrowed it, I'd need to replace it. From looking at the table of contents of both books online, I think the Paletta book might be just what I'm looking for. I'm going to check with the library and see if they can get it in for me. Otherwise I'll check with Borders. But, thanks again, truly!!!! It's commendable that you would trust a total stranger with your property!!!

joanstone...great website! Hadn't found that one yet. Thanks for the link>

rev138...I'm a member over at nano-reef.com. Don't know exactly what size tank I'm going to eventually get. If I'm going to spend the dough on a new 8 or 12 or 14 gallon AIO tank, I might as well get a used 24-30 gallon model. Not too much bigger footprint, and a lot more forgiving of water chemistry issues. I truly like the 29 gallon BioCube, and would love the LED version, but I'd have to wait a while until LED tanks become more mainstream, prices move lower, and used ones start to show up.

[joel1234567]

Yep, the Paletta book is the better of the two, and a great resource. It was the first saltwater book I bought to get me started.

AND it's published by Microcosm, right here in VT!