Any fishkeepers here? Saltwater or freshwater

[Silock]

I'm looking at starting up a saltwater tank. Is there a good fish store in the KC area without driving out to Lawrence?

[lurker king]

The best saltwater store that i know of is in the Park Place mall at 117th & Nall.
http://www.picassoexoticaquatics.com Hope this works for you.

[Silock]

Originally Posted by lurker king

The best saltwater store that i know of is in the Park Place mall at 117th & Nall.
http://www.picassoexoticaquatics.com Hope this works for you.

That place looks expensive as ****.

[The Bunk]

Originally Posted by Silock

That place looks expensive as ****.

That's because it is. It's catering to the Johnson County crowd. People who want a pretty tank, but aren't really interested in the hobby.

Aquarium Wholesale in the Great Mall in Olathe has a ton of stuff. They also have a bunch of used tanks for a semi-reasonable price.

Midwest Reefs (north of 152 on N. Oak) is a good place for livestock. Steve will answer most questions you have, and is a nice guy.

Paradise on 119th & Metcalf is where I bought my first tank. I was in there a few weeks ago and he's really let his livestock go to crap. A lot of dead fish and the ones that were still in there were hanging by a thread.

My best piece of advice to you if you're just starting out: use craigslist. There are a ton of tanks out out there that people are just trying to unload because they want out. You can get them for a fraction of what you can in the store. I bought a 120 gal off there a few months ago, it's my latest project.

Good luck, it's an incredibly fun, challenging, and frustrating hobby at times. But I still have a blast with it.

[Bill Lundberg]

Originally Posted by lurker king

The best saltwater store that i know of is in the Park Place mall at 117th & Nall.
http://www.picassoexoticaquatics.com Hope this works for you.

This. They are very knowledgeable about getting you started and setting up your tank. You might want to shop around when it comes time for fish and livestock. They are all over the place with their prices.

I recently started a small saltwater tank to see if it was worth the hassle, so far it's not that much of a hassle and it's pretty cool.

[redsurfer11]

Originally Posted by Silock

I'm looking at starting up a saltwater tank. Is there a good fish store in the KC area without driving out to Lawrence?

Got a 150 gal Salt. It's a lot of work and $. Don't live near KC.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by Silock

I'm looking at starting up a saltwater tank. Is there a good fish store in the KC area without driving out to Lawrence?

What size are you looking at? I have done too many years with salt water... only thing I can recommend is get an EHEIM filter... and be prepared for a lot of dead fish... it takes awhile before you can get a consistent ecosystem. I had Rays and Angels and Clowns and snowflake eels that all lived for about a year before the tank(180 gal.) was actually ready for a sustainable salt water environment.

It's an expensive endeavor.. but worth it if you can last.

[Fritz88]

Get a bucket and steal some water from the sea.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Sofa King]

Originally Posted by Fritz88

Get a bucket and steal some water from the sea.
Posted via Mobile Device

Ewww. With all that oil and polution? No thanks.

[fan4ever]

Had a saltwater tank for about 3 years. Very expensive, and yes, a top notch filter is an absolute must. A lot of work, very expensive, and at times, very stressful. People would stop by and say "Oh, you have a saltwater tank; that must be so relaxing". Yeah, right.

Whenever I see underwater scenes in tropical waters on TV I can almost without exception say "Yep...killed one of those".

The ONLY way I would have another salt water tank is if I could afford someone else to maintain it...which if you can swing, I highly reccommend.

[Fish]

Saltwater is considerably more difficult and much more expensive to maintain than a freshwater tank.

I have a 60gal. freshwater tank. I much prefer freshwater. Some saltwater fish look super cool, but I'm pretty content with my freshwater setup.

[Lumpy]

I'm a freshwater gal, but I purchase all of my supplies online from bigalsonline.com. Their prices are better than the chain stores, plus they have free s&h when you purchase over $75 worth of goods. If you want to order your stock/corals, liveaquaria.com would be the way to go. They have some beautiful, rare fish. Shipping can be a bit much though.

[God of Thunder]

I have a 50 gallon that I plan to use for a saltwater......just waiting till I buy a new house before I set it up.

Check out.

www.reefcentral.com

[cabletech94]

gotta go small first on saltwater. practice. obviously you can see the expense.

of course saltwater fish/critters can have a fantastic "look".
but there's a lot of fresh water that can have an exotic look too.

if you're loaded and can afford trial an error, go for it. good luck. and make sure you post pics and stuff man. good luck!

[Lumpy]

Originally Posted by cabletech94

gotta go small first on saltwater. practice. obviously you can see the expense.

of course saltwater fish/critters can have a fantastic "look".
but there's a lot of fresh water that can have an exotic look too.

if you're loaded and can afford trial an error, go for it. good luck. and make sure you post pics and stuff man. good luck!

That's why I went w/ a freshwater community tank. I lost track of how much I've spent for my 55g, but it must be over $1000 by now.

Plus, w/ a freshwater, you can go w/ a planted tank. Here's a pic of mine...