[tommo]

As title really

Not talking about specifics, just what it is that draws you

Please discuss...

Tom

[tommo]

Three things for me, to get the party started,

Clinical cleanliness of tanks
Healthy varied stock
A brew is preferable...

[ben]

health of stock, attitude of owners, bad coffee

[ANDYG]

knowledgeable friendly staff,
healthy stock, one of my pet hates is dirty tanks/dead fish.
good range of dried goods.
A nice cuppa even if you have to make it yourself .
all the above will keep my loyalty.

[lindsay]

Being prepared to give me advise at a time when ime not buying anything.

[Marcus Watts]

Genuine QT on stock that needs it
Clean glass, well lit tanks
no aips on corals or lr that's for sale
Approachable staff that really have the knowledge and ability to give the correct advice when needed
A varied & healthy stock on show.
competitive prices for similar goods

[lindsay]

Looking at the above the word,clean seems to be used a lot when describing what people want to see when looking at stock tanks,just to clarify,what do you see as being a dirty coral tank in a shop?.

[Marcus Watts]

Clean stock tanks in shops for me is no green algae encrusting the front glass, no cyano ! and no aiptasia on the corals that are for sale. This shows me a level of care both in keeping water quality high and shows the stock is regularly inspected and cared for

[tommo]

Clean for me is no algae at all, I won't be happy till I get there

[dylan]

well presented tanks , fish mixed in tanks that get on ie no nipped fins , all members of staff on duty no on a boat !!!

[jason@jasonsaquatics]

Back to the Drawing board Lindsay

jas

[Joey]

[Joey]

dylan, on Jul 27 2010, 09:36 AM, said:

well presented tanks , fish mixed in tanks that get on ie no nipped fins , all members of staff on duty no on a boat !!!

Where would we find one of those Dylan?
Like said above, a brew would be good

Joey

[lindsay]

It is interesting to see how much of a dislike there is for seeing algae in tanks.If a shop coral tank is based on natural filtration with good lighting then certain algaes are going to be present,ie natural algae like turf algae.To lower nutrients to a point that would make such algae disappear would result in starvation of the corals and a crash of the algae in the sump.What i try to do is allow certain types of algae to thrive in the tank which out competes other less like-able types of algae,but at the same time keep corals as clear as possible from all algae.

[dylan]

Joey, on Jul 27 2010, 10:13 AM, said:

Where would we find one of those Dylan?
Like said above, a brew would be good

Joey

thers loads of good shops about just dont have the time to visit them all

[Joey]

Like it mate, very good

[Marcus Watts]

I totally agree with the fact that there are many algaes and they offer beneffit to the tank and show there are available nutrients within the system to sustain corals etc. Thats why i just like to see the front glass clean, with back and sides as natural as they want to be. It just shows the staff or owners do individual tank observations and maintainance regularly.

I'm not fussed about a cuppa tho, blimey you'll all want a loo next!

[Marcus Watts]

I must admit I'd like to see a few more WOW show tanks - a chance for the shop to show off a bit - hard to keep or just stunning corals, natural, growing and inspiring.

[tommo]

If you have to have algae on your tank walls then your lit areas of your sumps arent big enough if your on a natural system

ONLY JOKING..... LOL


The bane of my life is algae on pipework in particular and obviously glass should be totally totally free i dont mind it on rocks as long as it doesnt impair stock but the back and sides should be as clean as the front glass and the sand should be white, or the same colour as it came out of the packet.



Tom

[lindsay]

I think its a good idea in a home tank to get nutrients at a sensible level and keep algae out of the display tank where possible because it will do well if your tank is well lit,a shop tank is a bit different from a home tank,new delivery's often bring with them a big increase in nutrients that can be hard to control,any algae in the tank will jump on the extra nutrients.This is why when i look into a shop tank and see a bit of algae here or there but is not on corals or racks and looks like the tank is well maintained i would be happy.