My trip to the mad reefer

[fkdenton]

Well yesterday I made the drive to the mad reefer. I have mixed opinions on the place. First they have a very nice setup. Everything was very clean and profesional. They had a great selection and for the most part everything was well labeled. I also saw the nicest and largest niger trigger I have ever seen. However I had two problems. The first was not a real big deal. No one in the place spoke to me or my wife. There were at least three employees and at one time we were the only customers but no one offered to help us. The major proble was all the dead fish. There were dead fish in everywere. I couldnt even count how many there were. Is this normal? Be cause of this we did not buy anything there. We then went to Pekin to Fishin Times. Not as good of a selection but the owner of the place was nice and all the fish looked healthy. I bought a small ocelaris clown for 9.99 and it is doing good this morning. Let me know if this is typical or if I caught both stores on a bad/good day.

[DKKA]

Well, I can't speak to the mad reefer. I've only been there once and there weren't any dead fish. I also noticed the staff didn't seem all that eager to be helpful, although Guy wasn't there the day I was.

You definitely caught Fishin Times on a good day. There are always dead fish in there when I go. Sometimes lots of dead ones. Although, in fairness to them I must say that the couple fish I've purchased there did fine when I got them home.

Dan

[brad23]

I know a couple of weeks back they killed all there fish, they told me they had no idea why. Someone else told me they screwed up there sg really bad.

I also know they don't treat for anything in there tanks, they only use UV and Ozone. I think this is a mistake, almost all LFS keep copper in there fish systems at all time.

[Horace]

I was there on Monday and I didnt see many dead fish?? As for fishin times.. that guy actually is kind of an arse, especially if he thinks your an avg hobbiest who is not up to his knowledge level. However, if he thinks you know a bit about the hobby, he isnt going to BS you and is actually an alright guy to deal with. His prices are pretty darn good too, easily the cheapest I have found. Though with TMR matching all online pricing, that is pretty darn hard to beat as well. For example, I wanted a six-line and he was asking $30 for it (pretty high). I asked him if he would match marine depots price of $20 and he said absolutly. So dropping thier price 33% for an online match is pretty good of them. Granted $30 for that fish is rediculous, but if you do your homework and know what you want ahead of time and prepare prices from reputable online stores, you can come out with a darn good deal!

[saltyseaman]

Hmmmmmm, I was there yesterday around 1 or 2 and I only saw 4 dead fish ... max. Weird that you saw so many. What time were you in?

As for fishin times ...... I haven't been there in a long time but in my experience, you must have caught them on a good day. Every time I go in there I see dead fish everywhere and even more unhealthy fish. I haven't had good luck with the majority of my fish purchases there. I've also seen him leave fish floating in the cubicles in the bags for days after they are delivered. I've seen that guy be a strong advocate of the "Insta Reef" method. You know, When he sells entire systems including fish and corals in one day and tells his customers to just add salt water. When I was just starting out he had a leopard shark in a 20 gallon. As a newbie I was totally stunned seeing it and wanted it. I asked him if it would be OK in a 55 gallon full of live rock and with a crushed coral bed. He was quick to say that I wouldn't have any problems. :rolleyes: I didn't purchase it, but that is ridiculous. I do have to say that he has improved a little since he got married. He is also easy to bargain with and will usually sell everything for less than the sticker price. Even still, I chose to shop elsewhere.

In all of my experiences at all of the local petshops I would have to say that I have had the best experiences at TMR. Followed by Charlies in Pekin.

[zlwags85]

yea, i agree with you guys that the guy at fishin times is not the most honest dealer. He will tell you what you want to hear and anything to make a sale. When i just started he told me a anenome would do fine under a 20w light. All fish i have bought there have got ich and died as well. Now its about a push for me to drive to bloomington to go to TMR or the place on linden or out to charlies aquarium in pekin. either way its about a 40 minute drive but i go thru bloomington every week so not a big deal if i can get the girlfriend to stop. TMR has pretty good service if you wait a while or start asking questions.

[fkdenton]

I was there at 11:00 right after they opened

[zlwags85]

the other thing about TMR is they have salinity swings.....made no sense to me when the owner was telling me this. I would think they would have a auto top off system that would be capable of keeping it in check but he said at night he evaporates so much water the salinity swings quite a bit. He said he had so many dead fish because he took a trade in that wiped out the whole row of fishes, not sure if that was last week or 2 weeks ago.

[blooper74]

The Mad Reefer just got those fish in the night before so maybe they lost some due to shipping stress. I am no shipping expert but that could be a factor. I talked with Guy one time about the service issues and he explained to me that he wanted the customer to have a relaxed atmosphere to shop or brouse in. He said he didn't want people to feel like they were at a car dealership. He told me that if a person is showing interest in an item or is standing in one place looking around that he or the other guys/gal will go right to them and ask if they need help. I myself like that approach, I don't want someone breathing down my neck telling me scientific names and false info while I try to shop or brouse. Maybe I am alone in that aspect.

[brad23]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6960094#post6960094 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zlwags85
the other thing about TMR is they have salinity swings.....made no sense to me when the owner was telling me this. I would think they would have a auto top off system that would be capable of keeping it in check but he said at night he evaporates so much water the salinity swings quite a bit. He said he had so many dead fish because he took a trade in that wiped out the whole row of fishes, not sure if that was last week or 2 weeks ago.

He tried to tell me that a couple of fish he had been holding in another tank for 6 weeks that looked fine when I looked at them killed all his fish in one day or so from some mystery sickness. :rolleyes:

[blooper74]

Everybody has bad days. His setup is fairly virgin. They will learn.

[saltyseaman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6960069#post6960069 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fkdenton
I was there at 11:00 right after they opened

Ahhh, well I must have missed all the death. Perhaps it happened over night. That's unfortunate.

[panaboy95]

i was there on sat. i was in there for about 20 mins. no one bothered me and i really did not want anyone to. i am just starting out and have not even got water in my tank yet. i just went in there and browsed for a bit. the guys in there where nice they said hi and bye. i did not see one dead fish, but they where going around and labeling all of them too. they might have been doing some cleaning. i also went to marine aquatics. it is a nice little store. they did not have a bad selection and the guy in there working was real nice. plus there was a nice guy hanging out in there.

the only thing i was diappointed in at tmr was the lack of dry goods. i am just starting out and am starting to buy alot of stuff. i went up there and sold a 400 dollar poker table and the money was burning a hole in my poket but i came home with all of it. all and all i was happy with the trip to both places

[Benny Z]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6960953#post6960953 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by panaboy95
i went up there and sold a 400 dollar poker table and the money was burning a hole in my poket but i came home with all of it.

well shi.... if i'd have known that i could've help you out a little. ...help you lighten your pocket, that is. :D

[zlwags85]

if you talk to them at TMR they will get you any drygood you want. He will probally be able to get them about the same price as the internet and if you buy enough im sure you can talk him into decent deals. at least you wouldnt be paying shipping :)

[fkdenton]

Well it is good to know that it is not a regular problem for them. I hope the best for them and it is nice having a place that size around. I agree that I dont want someone following me around but it would be nice to be spoken to. As far as fishin times go I liked the owner. He didnt try to tell me a bunch of crap. Its a shame that it sounds like I had a experiance that wasnt normal at either place.

[HUFF_32]

fk have y0ou ever been to the store in vandalia

[panaboy95]

benny i am sure you could have found something for me to drop 400 on. the only thing i was looking for was a return pump it is good to know he can order the stuff i will remmember that. but i do live almost 2 hours away. i was pleased with the store though i would drive there again for fish or inverts. i thought everthing looked pretty healthy. i am a newby though. hey you work there benny? i thought i saw some sand up there i forgot to get the price you know how much it is. and how many pounds are in a bag? just wondering. i know it was a big bag. bigger than i see at other stores.

huff where is the store in vandalia. is it any good.
hey i went to high school with you huff, its nathan morrell

[hounddog01]

I would say TMR has a good sellection now. He had his issues when he first opened. I have been to many stores in many states and he has one of the nicest setups. That being said he does not know how to take care of his things and the corals he has are not very colorful. I have also been to fishn times, he can be unfriendly at times but I have been in there many times and once he gets to know you and your knowledge he is much better. As for his fish I have seen dead ones in there but not too often. I have purchased quite a few from him without any issues but I quarenteen all my fish for 28 days before I add them to the display tank. I think for the money Marine Aquatics is one of the better places in town. Not the biggest sellection but he is nice and prices are good.

[blooper74]

WoW, someone gives up props for Sam, nice.

[HUFF_32]

hey nathan do you know who the fkdenton is
as for the store in vandalia it's ok worth a trip since it's close to you he's more in to corals than fish but he can get about anything if you want to go to a big store I would go to St. Louis I know it's a drive and the traffic sucks but there are 3 to 4 good stores that mostly just carry saltwater stuff

[smorrow5773]

I give Sam most of my business, been going there since he was on Kingsley Dr. Sometimes his stuff doesn't look good, but you get that everywhere from time to time. He has very good prices, he is the only one I buy freshwater from.

[blooper74]

Yeah I like Sam too. I just never see anybody giving him props that's why I said something.

[Horace]

I have bought most of my stuff from Sam. All but 2 fish in my system came from him. I have also got a couple fairly nice corals from him as well.

[fkdenton]

Where is Marine Aquatics. What do they have there

[brad23]

I'll never buy another fish from Sam %60-%70 of the fish I bought from him died.

I've had much better luck with TMR fish so far, although I lost one of my big Anthias last night.

[Sloeber]

for the record, the idea that their fish are dieing because of top-off issues is complete BS. it is very well documented that marine fish can handle a drop in salinity from 1.025 to 1.010 in a matter of minutes with zero ill effects. a quick read on osmoregulation will arm you to call their bluff the next time they offer that as rationale for fish mortality.

[fkdenton]

I am also considering going to sailfins in champain. Anyone with any experiance or opinions on them. Basicly I am looking for a place within 3 hours of home that has a great selection good service and everything is healthy. I would also like someplace that has some tank raised fish. That is one thing I didnt like about tmr or fishin times, neither place had any.

[HUFF_32]

Marine Solutions is in St.Louis

[Sloeber]

sailfin runs a strict schedule of chemicals through their tanks (copper, formulin, etc). i don't like this and thus do not buy fish from them if i can avoid it, but i know some hobbyists prefer this so it just depends on what you like. fish there are no better or worse than the majority of LFS. selection can be good if you arrive on delivery day or within a day or two after. otherwise it is damselfish and yellow tangs everywhere. rarely captive raised fish, but occasionally it happens. staff is no more knowledgable than the below-average hobbyist minus the owner john, who is very knowledgable but self-admitted 10 years behind the times plus a saleman with an keen interest in your $.

[hounddog01]

St. louis has a few stores within 45 minutes of each other. That might be your best bet. The problem that I have seen is that if you want something you need to buy it when it arrives or someone else will. This does not give you much time to see if the fish is healthy. I guess that is part of the hobby (luck) you can reduce this requesting to see if the fish will eat at the store. Very rarely will a fish that just arrived eat out of the bag. I have never bought anything from Sailfin because their prices seem high. I guess if I am buying out of the bag then I want the lowest price. Otherwise I want to see them eat and they need to look really good.

[tommy2tone69]

I dont know if you all grew up in Bloomington, but, TMR is by far the best store for fish and corals I have ever been in. The selection in town and all around has been sad to say the least. Unless you are color blind or just like brown. TMR to me is a blessing. I have bought about 15 peices(fish and corals) and have had not one problem yet. so for me I recomend TMR to anyone that wants good selection and healthy fish/corals. Not to mention the color I now have it just is hipnotic. Anyway, what I have read so far on your sight(some) sounds like you have people that are more into smashing others than just enjoying a new people in the hobby and not to mention a great store for all of us to take advantage of. I know i would make tmr my first and only stop. As far aas staff goes, Guy has a little gut but other wise i find him informational, now on to RAY, loves to talk which is great for information, but he is gay!!

[smorrow5773]

As for fish, I may someday buy something from him. But corals I doubt I would buy from tmr again. Last few times I went in with money burning a hole in my pocket and left with nothing. I was looking for sps. They had a few acropora, one was supposedly purple-looked brown to me, the other was a lightr blue-not too bad looking...both about 2". When I asked Guy the price because they weren't labeled he said he didn't know and asked Ray, $125!!! I could get beautiful colonies 3+ inches for half that anywhere. Everytime I have asked to price match something I am told that they are already matched, even though saltwaterfish.com and liveaquaria are half as much for the same thing. I have had it with them, I am sticking with Sam locally and making the 2 hour drive to Chicago if I want something. I suppose if you want mushrooms, cany cane, colts, and drab looking brains and don't mind spending the extra money for convenience, then TMR might not be bad...but not for me.

[Benny Z]

whoa... i asked ray about those same acros and he told me $75.

they've price matched online sites on all the fish i've bought from them, too.

wierd.

[brad23]

Smorrow print out something and take it in, they should price match it.

I got the best looking green brain I've ever seen from there for $22 price matched.

My only problem with them here of late is poor customer service, they never return any emails I send them asking about prices or LS they can get in.

I'll go to Sam if I want some fish that will be dead in a week and look like crap.

[Horace]

For the record, Sam is finished guys......He got his last shipment of livestock almost 2 weeks ago and wont be getting any more. His lease doesnt run out until june or july but he said hes taking a vacation. The only thing we can look forward to from Sam is a good going out of business sale now :(.

[tommy2tone69]

[flamealert]

[brad23]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7108340#post7108340 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tommy2tone69
Brad

Is this Tom that works at TMR?

[Sloeber]

i believe it is brad. good catch, though not difficult. ;)

i don't like shills.

[lglamb]

Hmmm. If so, I'm definatly turned off on TMR.

Inland forever!

:)

[Horace]

Tom, Please tell me your not the one that works at TMR....Seroiusly, the last thing any business needs is you speaking for them. Though for some reason I doubt it is him...Reason being is he calls Ray "Gay" only a few posts up.

[Sloeber]

Either way, lets move along. The account has been placed on hold until I hear from them. Hopefully it is only temporary.

[blooper74]

I just have one question, putting their account on hold is that because they are a possible LFS employee? Does that mean we will not let LFS employees be part of this website. I am just asking, it didn't look like he was trying to do any advertising or anything. Maybe I am wrong, I just thought I would ask.

[98riv]

Does the mad reefer have a website? Also where in Bloomington is it located? Thanks for the help.

[Sloeber]

No, I had to edit his reply to Brad. It was less than friendly.

Seperately, LFS are welcome to participate, but we ask that they be legit. Pretending you are a satisfied customer when in fact you are an employee is highly frowned upon and is known as a shill post.

HTH

[Benny Z]

www.themadreefer.net

site has the physical street address and phone number...but it's in the outlet mall that is next to the merged portion of i-55/i-74.

[blooper74]

Cool I was just asking. I was thinking I would get reemed for asking that question :) I was just curious. I agree that they should be open about it and not try to be sneeky with their posts. I don't like the acting like a satisfied customer either. Like I said I was just curious that's all. :)

[brad23]

Henry I’d appreciate it if you left this up I think Guy needs to read it.

I don’t appreciate being called a dumba&% for no reason when I was pointing out a floor in the way the business was being run.

If TMR never gets any constructive criticism then how would they ever learn what is being done wrong?

I have spent $400 or so on LS at TMR and I get treated like this by your employees, look through the vendor forums and you will see nothing like the comments made above because it will hurt there business a lot or even put them out of business and I’m sure any employee would probably lose his job over it.

Its stuff like this that makes people want to stay away from your store.

And if this wasn't Tom then forget most of what i said.

[smorrow5773]

Wow I make a comment, leave for work, get home and find all kinds of stuff I missed!! I didn't get to see what was said by the employee, but it sounds like I may be boycotting that place for good now. I prefer aquacultured coral and tank raised fish anyhow. PS. What did I miss anyways (pm)

[lglamb]

Valid and understandable attitudes, but let's wait until we
find a bit more what's what before any final judgements.
TMR itself is definately not involved (I would hope).
Whether or not someone associated with TMR is involved
remains to be determined. And even then, I'm sure it was
not with TMR's knowledge or consent.

(and I don't know none of these people)

Henry's acted appropiatly. Shucks, that's hard to say.
:)

[Sloeber]

for the record nobody knows for sure if it was an employee. let's not convict TMR employees before we even have the trial ;)

[blooper74]

Court is now in order.

[brad23]

Like I said if it wasn't someone who worked there then forget everything I said. I'm almost sure it was, I don't want to go into details.

I believe Guy the owner had nothing to do with these comments and I emailed him my concerns over this.

[gshriver]

This is Guy, I own The Mad Reefer. The only reason I am on here right now is because Brad sent me an email and I wanted to see what's up. I still don't know but I do know that it wasn't my employee Tom that said whatever, sorry. One thing for sure is the fact that these threads are funny, reading what you all have to say, some right some waaaayy off base. Anyway it wasn't us and hopefully you all can see that.

[Horace]

I would also have a hard time believing that Guy would back his statements........I wouldnt go so far as to boycot TMR for this dude's idiotic statments.

[Horace]

Guy, if you can tell us what is way off base...please do so. Seriously, if you can do so without breaking RC rules anyway. I think many here would like to hear it from the horses mouth so to speak.

[brad23]

Guy I apologize then, please disregard my comments. Even if he did do this (I doubt he would tell you) like I said I don’t think you have anything to do with it.

[brad23]

Could some delete my post, I think it was taken a little far I was just mad about the comments made.

[blooper74]

This group is always good for getting people all worked up. I hope no blood will be drawn and that everyone can cool down.

[lglamb]

Burn him! Burn him!
He turned me into a newt, he did.

Well, I got better.

:)

[gshriver]

Horace I tried, hell I wrote a book, but it didn't post. sorry

[Benny Z]

guy, i still think you've got a top notch facility. you seem to be getting better shipments, so i'll keep coming in.

the fish i've gotten from you are doing well. the zoo frag opened up immediately in my system, too.

you've got a couple of emails from me...just fyi.

[Horace]

Bleh...I was looking forward to reading it...SERIOUSLY! :P I agree, and others who I have talked to but dont post much if ever, also agree you have been doing much better lately. My guess is your bottom line is doing better too....Am I right about that? I know Sam said he was doing very well for a while (when you first opened). I think because your store spiked interest in reefing, but when your store fell short of people's expectations, they went to his place and bought a few things instead. However, his business has all but dried up completely. Hes done :(. Its a shame to see anyone that provides us a service in this business going under :((

[brad23]

23 years and now he's gone, although I never liked him much. He'd tell you anything to get a sale.

[smorrow5773]

This thread has over 600 views!! I guess he is getting some exposure from all of this.

As for Sam, he actually talked me out of the skimmers he carries as well as a few other items way back when, he has never seemed that way to me, but you never know. I will miss his store, anyone know when the doors close?

[Horace]

He said his lease is up in June or July..dont remember which. So it wont be very long :(. Like I said though he isnt getting any more live stock in and last I checked his LS was pretty limited :(. I may try and see if I can talk him down a few things, but I doubt he will take much off right now. Perhaps in another month or so when he really wants to liquidate all his stuff. This may be a GREAT time for some of you to pick up a tank as well. He has several bran new tanks sitting in the back. Granted most are smaller than a 75g but Im sure many of you may want one that small....

[brad23]

No matter what I asked about in his invert section he'd always say it was reef safe,

Arrow crab
Sally fish eating foots
Camel shrimp
Big hermit crabs

He also told me I could keep anything under PC

But that's all here say now, I did buy a lot of fish from him. Half of which died but they were cheaper than anywhere else at the time so it didn't feel so bad when they died. I never had a problem with his inverts.

[LegoZ81]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6968543#post6968543 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hcs3
for the record, the idea that their fish are dieing because of top-off issues is complete BS. it is very well documented that marine fish can handle a drop in salinity from 1.025 to 1.010 in a matter of minutes with zero ill effects. a quick read on osmoregulation will arm you to call their bluff the next time they offer that as rationale for fish mortality.

I'll have to agree with this, somthing happened with my air intake for my !!!POS!!! Bakpak skimmer and it started back siphoning water on to the floor (and i get grilled about why I have my tanks in the basement... lol) and dropped my salinity (from the auto top off kicking on) to 1.018 from 1.024 between 1p and 4p and I did not loose 1 thing INCLUDING the coral I just got shipped and in the tank yesterday.
so yeah... not so sure about that explaination...

Here is what I currently have and everything was looking good @ lights off last night.

Candy Cane
Frogspawn (new piece)
That stuff from tcottle that looks kind of like Xenia that for the life of me I CAN'T remember the name today
'shrooms from tcottle
GSP from tcottle
Zoo's of some sore VERY small clump
3 Stripe damsel
Firefish
Lawnmower Blenny
Cleaner shrimp

[brad23]

I went to TMR last night and got a $39 coral that should have been priced at $80+

[blooper74]

Can't complain there.

[Sloeber]

i'm curious as to why you say "should have been...."

was $80 the regular price?

[llewoh05]

Alright folks who the heck is Sam? I don't get to BN much anymore and Im a little slow.
Someone better let me know when the prices start to drop @ TMR. i have 2 display tanks now. 1 is pretty empty. So I will be in the market for all kinds of stuff.
PS. if anyone wants to get rid of some things. Let me know.

[blooper74]

Sam is the owner of Marine Aquatics in Normal. His store is on College Ave.

[brad23]

This,

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/bigwrxguy/IMG_0674.jpg


http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/bigwrxguy/IMG_0672.jpg

The size is 7x6x4 and is now the nicest looking coral in my tank. Dr mac sells a 3 inch peace of this for $60 and extremecorals has a similar peace (shape) but smaller for $109.

[blooper74]

Nice coral brad. I bet it looks nice under your lights.

[brad23]

You have to see it in person, my camera sucks. The blues on this are unreal, I've never seen another coral in person with those colors.

[blooper74]

That is a very nice piece of coral. Is it a Favia?

[llewoh05]

ssssswwwwweeeeettttt!!!!!!!!

[brad23]

[QUOTE]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7131558#post7131558 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by blooper74
That is a very nice piece of coral. Is it a Favia? [/QUOTE

Yes]

[blooper74]

Cool

[Sloeber]

nice looking piece. i had one like 8 years ago. it dropped about a dozen babies of itself over the course of a couple months. my sandbed was littered with 1"x1" babies. i lost the piece during my honeymoon when my tank crashed. been looking for one similar since and have not found one.

the prices of online retailers are a joke, IMHO. many of them ask absurd prices and get those prices. for those living in NY, LA, etc $80 or $100 may represent a good price, i don't know. i know your coral is wonderful, but i wouldn't pay $100 for it. $40-50 is what i would expect it to sell for locally. personally i have never bought a coral online because of this. i believe our LFS's still represent the best pricing for good corals. maybe it is because local places stick with a standard mark-up, whereas an online place has a much larger market and can artificially inflate the price and know they can get it when a coral like yours arrives at their store.

FWIW, that coral was probably sold as a generic moon to the LFS, ie it wasn't upcharged from the transhipper because it was a nice piece. most favias are about $8-10 wholesale, which seems about right given the retail price you paid.

[brad23]

I'm sure it was sold as generic to the LFS, he had the same price on all the different ones he had.

Online prices on corals are for the most part are cheaper than any LFS I've ever seen. I'd like to know where you shop at.

[Sloeber]

after 20 years i've got a few contacts ;)

[blooper74]

I wouldn't mind meating some of those contacts when I start setting up my larger tanks. :)

[llewoh05]

hell i wouldn't mind meeting those contacts right now. you'd be suprised how many corals i can stick in a couple 10s

[llewoh05]

well i guess im heading to Peoria tonight to pickup my niece for dress fittings tomorrow with the bride. Was wondering if the mad reefer had anything good to look at or buy right now. figured i would stop in and say hi.

[blooper74]

Yeah they got some cool stuff in yesterday.

[brad23]

I would respond but I just had my 4 wisdom teeth pulled and it sucks big time.

[brad23]

Oh and one more thing, I'd like to see a LFS anywhere around here that carries a peace like that. I've never seen anything like it in this area.

From what you've said sailfin and inland are about the only places you go to and they are both way over priced.

If it starts dropping off babies you can have one, although I think I need to find a shaded area for it.

[hounddog01]

That is very nice. Great price also.

[Sloeber]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7134322#post7134322 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by brad23
Oh and one more thing, I'd like to see a LFS anywhere around here that carries a peace like that. I've never seen anything like it in this area.

From what you've said sailfin and inland are about the only places you go to and they are both way over priced.

If it starts dropping off babies you can have one, although I think I need to find a shaded area for it.

i bought my moon from sailfin. back in those days i did not pay more than $50 per coral because both myself and my lady were students. IIRC i paid $29.95 for my moon. most of sailfin's LPS were 29 or 39 back then.

i bought most my LPS coral from harbor aquatics or sailfin. clams were entirely harbor. fish are crossed between sailfin and inland. sps are frags from hobbyist or clayton pets. i haven not bought anything in over 2 years.

i don't think you need to find a shaded area for it.

[brad23]

Everything was cheaper back then This hobby goes up in price every year.

[Gluestick]

Where is this mad reefer located?
Thanks

[Horace]

Bloomington IL, out by the outlet malls just off the interstate.

[brad23]

I thought it was in Normal.

[rjhall]

http://www.themadreefer.net/997911.html

[Gluestick]

I'll have to go next time I visit my sister Celeste at ISU! :-) Should be going in the next couple weeks!