Greenhorn from NJ

G

gaberdeen

Registered Member
Mar 15, 2011
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58
Byram, NJ
Hello all my name is Gary and I just joined the forums. I am looking forward to all the great things here as I'm new to aquariums. I have a 26 gallon which I just started with 3 black tetras and 2 platys. I'm waiting for the tank to cycle before adding any more. It's been fun for me and my daughter so far. Again hello to all.:)
 
Welcome to AC!
 
Welcome fellow Jerseyite!
 
Welcome to the forums garberdeen & good luck with your 26g. What are your plans for your tank?

It's cool to know that there are fellow forum members nearby. I'm right "next door" in Union.

Dangerdoll & Vince G. I'm just curious as to what LFS you both frequent? I use to frequent Underwater World a long while back when I had a saltwater set up. Back then UWW carried both FW & SW species, but now that it has changed owners, they only carry SW species (mostly corals) & their hours seem to be somewhat sporadic (just my impression) as they seem to be under transition (it's been a long transition, but I think that's due to the current economy). Doesn't really matter because I only have freshwater set ups now, but I still miss the old UWW, the older gent that use to own it really knew his stuff (now as I understand it he partly owns it but I haven't seen him around).

Now I frequent either Aquatic Obsessions in Avenel or The Pet Shanty in Scotch Plains. Aquatic Obsessions is small & is dedicated mostly to SW set ups but the few FW set ups he does have in the back are immaculate, stocked with "good stock" & he (Will, the owner) is knowledgeable & friendly. The Pet Shanty is a bit bigger & has more of a FW selection but because they carry other pets as well not all of their staff is as well versed regarding fish but I trust their stock & they carry goods that you can't get at the chain stores.

Any other LFS nearby that have managed to slip past my radar (besides Animals & Things)?
 
Hey Sailed, where in Avenel is AO? Is it on route 35?

I usually go to the Pet Shanty if anything, I have been going there for years. Further west on 22 (on the east side), you can find the Ocean Gallery. It's a small shop, I would think their specialty is SW but there are a few FW tanks. If you go East on 22 from the Shanty, you will find The Shark Aquarium (on the west side) in Hillside. It's where the vitamin factory used to be. They have a pretty broad selection of cichlids and stuff there and the people are pretty knowledgeable. It's set up more like a warehouse. AC has had Fish Meets there a couple times. I remember bringing Lab_rat there and she was pretty impressed with the selections. Other than those, there really isn't any that I am aware of. I remember they used to have one on Stuyvesant in Union and the guy there was great. The store was there for a year or two and things seemed fine, then one day they were closed. No explanation.... I could have imagined that as being my one stop shop as far as local places go.
 
Thanks for the welcome! My plans for my tanks right now are just some basic easy to care for fish. I've already learned a ton in just 2 weeks. I've made some mistakes already and am holding off on any more fish until I cycle this tank properly. Right now I've got 2 platys in there who seem to be doing ok. I lost some other fish on bad advice from a local chain pet store who said if I dumped in some conditioner the fish would be fine to put in the next day. Wrong! Well I started educating myself then which I should have done in the first place. I bought a test kit today and my ammonia was at 0.5 ppm so I did a 50% water change and retested. It was then just under 0.25 ppm. I plan on retesting in the morning and seeing where it's at. All new to me but it is so captivating. Hope to advance to saltwater but that is a long way down the road.
 
Dangerdoll said:
Hey Sailed, where in Avenel is AO? Is it on route 35?
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Hey Dangerdoll, yup AO is on route 35. Just take St. Georges Ave (AKA route 27) down until you hit Rahway, stay on St. George Ave. after route 27 splits off & keep following it to Avenel (it turns into route 35 @ that point). AO is located on the North bound side of St. Georges Ave. about 5 minutes away from Animals & Things & the Pet Smart in Woodbridge (that whole mini-mall with the Shoprite, Shannon Rose Irish Pub etc.,). AO is located right before the Burger King on the left (the North bound side). If you passed the Colonia Dairy Maid on your right (on the South bound side) & the Veterinary Hospital on your left (North bound side) you've gone too far & need to turn back around.

Here's a link to AO's website http://www.aquatic-obsessions.com/. Like I said they're small, & you won't necessarily get the best of deals on dry goods, but their live stock is excellent IMHO. They are geared more towards SW, but the FW stock that they do have are in excellent shape (i.e. Discus, Angelfish, etc). The owners name is Will (stocky, red-head, sporting a beard), I'd say he's in his late 20's or early - mid 30's, both knowledgeable & laid back/friendly.

Never ventured past Pet Shanty on 22W for fish related stuff. Thanks for letting me know about Ocean Gallery, I might check them out the next time I go to TPS. As for Shark Aquarium, thanks so much! I use to go there years ago when they were located on the west bound side by Skate22 in Union. I heard that they had moved over to Hillside & I did a drive by once but missed it, I know exactly were the Vitamin Factory use to be (didn't realize they closed down until you mentioned it lol). They were always a good LFS so I'm excited to know they're still around.

How often do you guys do meets there? I might just have to go to one to see what they're all about ;)
 
gaberdeen said:
Thanks for the welcome! My plans for my tanks right now are just some basic easy to care for fish. I've already learned a ton in just 2 weeks. I've made some mistakes already and am holding off on any more fish until I cycle this tank properly. Right now I've got 2 platys in there who seem to be doing ok. I lost some other fish on bad advice from a local chain pet store who said if I dumped in some conditioner the fish would be fine to put in the next day. Wrong! Well I started educating myself then which I should have done in the first place. I bought a test kit today and my ammonia was at 0.5 ppm so I did a 50% water change and retested. It was then just under 0.25 ppm. I plan on retesting in the morning and seeing where it's at. All new to me but it is so captivating. Hope to advance to saltwater but that is a long way down the road.
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That's cool. You've got to learn how to walk before you try running so it's good that you're researching, asking questions etc., A lot of friendly/helpful folks on here, so you'll keep learning as you go (I know that I do). Avoid chain pet store advice whenever possible or at least take it with a grain of salt. Not all of their employees mean harm they simply just don't know & rather than admitting that & looking bad to management, they flub they're way through your questions, resulting in bad advice.

You're better off with advice from knowledgeable forums, your LFS or even books. You don't even have to buy the books, you can just browse through the parts you need help with @ a Barnes & Noble or check them out of your local library. I was surprised to see my local library carrying contemporary publications (2005 - 2010) & not publications circa 1983.
 
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