If you could only go to your LFS once....

[ABopp]

I live pretty far from a decent shop and quite new to the hobby. Obviously I will be making the trip as necessary but I'm curious what are the items you always have at home for your reef? What is always on your shopping list?

Whether it is fish, coral, gadget, hardware, meds, testing or etc related...what can't you live without and always have on hand? Or what is something you bought for your system that you already have a replacement ready lol?

No right answer...just curious

 

[Crabs McJones]

I live pretty far from a decent shop and quite new to the hobby. Obviously I will be making the trip as necessary but I'm curious what are the items you always have at home for your reef? What is always on your shopping list?

Whether it is fish, coral, gadget, hardware, meds, testing or etc related...what can't you live without and always have on hand? Or what is something you bought for your system that you already have a replacement ready lol?

No right answer...just curious

Extra boxes of salt, frozen fish food are the only two things that I pick up from my "local" fish store. I quote "local" because the one that I like that is closest to me is about 60 miles away one way. My actual local fish store here in the town I live in is horrible. Dirty, fish look horrible, coral are not well kept. Unless its an absolute emergency i'll drive the 60 miles to the good fish store . Any dry goods I order from Bulk Reef Supply and have it shipped to my home or my work.

 

[ABopp]

Extra boxes of salt, frozen fish food are the only two things that I pick up from my "local" fish store. I quote "local" because the one that I like that is closest to me is about 60 miles away one way. My actual local fish store here in the town I live in is horrible. Dirty, fish look horrible, coral are not well kept. Unless its an absolute emergency i'll drive the 60 miles to the good fish store . Any dry goods I order from Bulk Reef Supply and have it shipped to my home or my work.

lol ok or ORDER from your fav online shop haha. Love the online shopping!

 

[andrewkw]

Frozen food - it's the one thing you don't want to run out of. Salt is easy enough to get online.
I used to go to the LFS every week. Maybe not every single week but there were half a dozen or so shops I'd frequent for 10+ years the I moved out to the middle of no where. It's been a year and a half and I'm still finding it hard. When I go back to the reef shops its so overwhelming. Replacement parts and upgrades are easy enough to source online but no online livestock store can compare to being in a real store. Seeing the fish swim, examining the corals from all ends ect.

In fact one of the shops I visited last week does a lot of online sales which isn't as common in Canada in the US. I debated ordering stuff ahead of time, especially because a lot of stuff I had my eye on did sell, but I found in person I brought home stuff I wouldn't have bought online. If you are only visiting livestock stores occasionally be sure to go when they have a new shipment. Just because a store is empty when you go doesn't mean it sucks it just means they didn't just get anything in.

 

[Brett S]

I get almost all of my drygoods online. BRS mostly, but also Marine Depot, Premium Aquatics, Amazon for some stuff and more recently, saltwateraquarium.com.

As far as stuff to keep on hand, I try not to stockpile too much, but I will look for sales and pick up some extra stuff when it’s on sale. I keep test kits and reagents for them. BRS two part mixes. DI resin. Carbon and GFO. Fish food. Salt.

I have a 1000 foot roll of airline tubing and 100 air stones that I got inexpensively on amazon for TTM with new fish.

5 gallon buckets are always good to have on hand and a utility pump to move water around. I have a few nets of different sizes and some tongs to help me reach the bottom of my 30” deep tank.

 

[LovesDogs_CatsRokay]

Its a good idea to keep meds on hand for emergencies, especially since your LFS is so far away. There's a good thread about which ones to have here https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/medications-to-keep-on-hand.213574/

 

[Flatlandreefer]

I am always picking up an extra bottle of Hannah alk reagent since I test alk every day...I almost always walk out with at least a small frag, I am in the same position as you my LFS is three hours away.

 

[ABopp]

All great ideas! Thanks everyone, keep it coming!

 

[tangtime]

I wouldn’t even bother going. Online has anything and everything I’d ever want or need, and most of the time cheaper.

 

[tangtime]

I wouldn’t even bother going. Online has anything and everything I’d ever want or need, and most of the time cheaper.

I say this as I sit in the parking lot of an lfs for the second straight day because to he decided to go to lunch, yesterday opened an hour later than normal hours... ugh

 

[ABopp]

I wouldn’t even bother going. Online has anything and everything I’d ever want or need, and most of the time cheaper.

I didn't phrase my question correctly because I'm not concerned if it from a local shop or online order...I'm just curious from other experiences what products reefers love.

 

[ABopp]

I say this as I sit in the parking lot of an lfs for the second straight day because to he decided to go to lunch, yesterday opened an hour later than normal hours... ugh

Ah hahaha

 

[HB AL]

Salifert tests, fish and coral food, salt, alk and calcium, trace elements, carbon, coral dip, jugs of water.