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-   -   The tale of my aquarium makeover (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2056536)

TJ Dragon 08/12/2011 08:36 PM

The tale of my aquarium makeover
 
What an amazing experience. I've only been in the hobby for about a year, and have made plenty of mistakes along the way, but I can honestly say buying the package from Richard was the best decision I've made yet.

I started out with a 29 gallon fish only tank, and upgraded to a 75 gallon about six months ago. Everything was going fairly well until I lost most of my fish due to an ich outbreak. I decided I wanted to add some live rock to my tank to help keep my tank healthier and stable. Before this, I only had a few inches of live sand, some plastic castle decorations, and fake plants. I also made up my mind that I wasn't going to cut any corners, if I was going to do it I was going to do it right, and if I was going to buy rock I was going to get the best.

I shopped around for about a month, both in aquarium shops and online, and while there were plenty of places selling rock I wasn't happy with what was offered. The store nearby selling lumps of rock covered in ugly brown hair algae for $9 a pound wasn't what I had in mind, that's for sure. Some sites online were a bit more promising but at $15 or more a pound it was way out of my price range.

Finally I found Richard's website and after reading through all the information and testimonials I knew this was the rock I wanted. Rock that was really alive and pretty, not brown lumps with nothing on them! Wanting to do things right I saved up for the 75 gallon package, which included 150 lbs of rock, 75 hermit crabs, 38 snails, 4 cucumbers, 2 serpent stars, and 2 peppermint shrimp. Since I already had all the live sand I needed I emailed Richard and asked him if it was possible to get the package without it, and it was no problem, the cost of the sand deducted from the price.

I ordered the package on Tuesday and Richard emailed me back asking if I was ready for it on Wednesday. You bet I was, and I was so excited I could barely sleep, feeling like a kid on Christmas eve. The whole shipping process was a breeze. Richard got my order on the earliest flight, it reached my airport by 10:30 am. The boxes were in perfect condition, no breaks or leaks at all. I rushed home and unpacked and the rock was just as all the testimonials described. Awesome and alive! The rocks were pretty big and lots of interesting shapes. Covered in algae, feather dusters, barnacles, and sponges. It wasn't long before my eel was out exploring all the new crevices and caves and having a ball making her new home.

The next day I had a slight ammonia reading of .25 however by Friday it was back to 0 and remained 0 with no water changes needed. Even found a couple of cool hitchhikers, snails, hermits, and a cool little red crab. Next week I was ready for part 2 and shipping went just as well as the first time. Again I was like a kid at Christmas unpacking all my goodies with a big silly smile on my face. I think the correct word for the second part of the shipment was breathtaking. The rock even more gorgeous than the first batch, even more covered in algae and sponges, and Richard sent along so many beautiful extras. He said I was going to have a colorful tank and he wasn't kidding. Beautiful red, yellow, and orange sponges, several red grape algae, two cool anemones, an awesome huge orange starfish, and so much more.

It took me all day Thursday to aquascape because there was so much rock I was afraid I wouldn't be able to fit it all into my tank. The result? Absolutely gorgeous. I never thought I'd have such a beautiful reef tank. Thanks so much, Richard, you are awesome. You've got a customer for life. Here are some pics of my tank, taken with my iPhone, and they really don't do it justice.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...h/Img_0001.jpg

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...h/IMG_0002.jpg

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...h/IMG_0005.jpg

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...h/IMG_0006.jpg

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...h/IMG_0007.jpg

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...h/IMG_0008.jpg

__SKINNY__ 08/12/2011 08:50 PM

looking great,as you make friends in the hobby you will see there is a lot of swooping and giving away of things ,there are always people willing to help a fellow reefer out

StephLionfish 08/13/2011 12:44 AM

I hear ya on the live rock prices.... It's $12.99 per lb here...

Your tank is amazing! I tried to make a scape like yours once...actually twice, and failed miserably lol.

AlexS95 08/13/2011 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StephLionfish (Post 19144303)
I hear ya on the live rock prices.... It's $12.99 per lb here...

13$$$$?!? The highest I have seen is 9 and it is incredibly porous and light.

StephLionfish 08/14/2011 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexS95 (Post 19146068)
13$$$$?!? The highest I have seen is 9 and it is incredibly porous and light.

Yup...I won't go into detail about what you get for the money ( cause I don't want to hyjack the thread! :beachbum: )...but it's not anything special... Just your average piece of live rock...and it ain't light either. It's actually rather heavy...

The cheapest live rock 'round here $8.99 and I would never, NEVER put that stuff in my tank...

AlexS95 08/14/2011 01:04 AM

Move here, I got TBS rock. :lol2:
Back on topic now... :debi:

kennya 08/14/2011 10:28 AM

Great looking tank! I am getting real close to being able to purchase the package from Richard as well. I have a few plumbing situations to take care of and then its go time!


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