Suffolk County Fish & Reef

They’re finally here! Check out the gorgeous Butterfly and Japanese Standard Koi, Shubunkin, and Sarassas we brought in for Pond Season 2011!

JAPANESE STANDARD KOI:

BUTTERFLY KOI:

SARASSA GOLDFISH:

SHUBUNKIN:

“What should I feed my koi?”

That is probably the number one question we get asked during pond season. As beautiful as these creatures are, you have to be very careful regarding what you feed them, as well as when you feed them. You can go into most pet stores and see a whole wall of different varieties of koi food, each one claiming to have a host of benefits. Unfortunately, most pet store employees won’t be able to give you any more information about those foods than you can read for yourself on the package. The more choices you have, the more room there is for error. Koi tend to be expensive, and can also live for years when cared for properly. You probably have too much invested in your fish to take a chance that the food you buy is not going to be right for them.

That’s where we come in.

Suffolk County Fish & Reef offers a four different types of Tetra Pond goldfish and koi foods in a variety of sizes. We want to make things as easy as possible for you when it comes to caring for your pond and pond fish, so we only carry the very best. What’s more, ask anyone in the store which food you should feed your fish, and we’ll be able to give you a run down of which variety of food will be best for your needs (and your fish’s needs, too!). We know that not all pond fish foods are created equally, and we’ll match you to the perfect variety of food for your fish.

To make things even easier,  we have also written up this primer on the four varieties of Tetra Pond foods that we carry at the store.

• SPRING AND FALL DIET: “Transitions Fish In and Out of Winter.” The Tetra Pond Spring and Fall Diet is going to be the first food you feed your fish after you open your pond, and the last food you will feed them before you close your pond. Spring and Fall Diet is specially formulated to be the easiest for you koi and goldfish to digest as their metabolism slows during the colder months. The first ingredient listed is wheat germ, a protein that breaks down quickly in your fish’s gut to allow for easy and efficient digestion. Wheat germ also helps support the fish’s immune system during those transitional months when they are most susceptible to stress and disease. Spring and Fall Diet is a specialty food in that it should only be fed to your pond fish when the temperature is between 39 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit (DO NOT feed your fish below 39 degrees; their metabolism is too slow at this temperature to properly digest the food). Once the temperature climbs above 50 degrees, you can transition to the next variety of Tetra Pond food.
• VARIETY BLEND: Tetra Pond Variety Blend is a mix of three types of Tetra Pond fish foods. It contains a mix of the Spring and Fall Diet, Koi Vibrance, and Pond Sticks. The mix of different foods is an excellent way to transition your fish from one type of food to the next. It is also an excellent way to ensure that your koi and goldfish are getting a varied and balanced diet, which is very important for proper color vibrancy, overall health, and maximum growth over the course of the fish’s life. Variety Blend should only be fed to your fish once the temperature has risen above 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
• KOI VIBRANCE: Tetra Pond Koi Vibrance is specially formulated to bring out the beautiful colors of your koi and goldfish. Koi Vibrance includes several color-enhancing vitamins, such as beta-carotene (the stuff that makes carrots orange), to help make the unique color patterns of your pond fish and bright and vibrant as possible. Of course, Koi Vibrance also includes all the same vitamins that the other Tetra Pond foods include, ensuring that your fish arehealthy as well as beautiful.
• POND STICKS: Pond Sticks are a simple, basic, easy-to-digest food for your pond fish. While Pond Sticks don’t include any specific color enhancers like the Koi Vibrance, they still provide the perfect balance of vitamins, proteins, fat, and fiber to make your fish healthy and happy.

The great thing about the Tetra Pond foods outlined above is that they are all “soft sticks.” Soft sticks are ideal because they immediately soften upon contact with the water, making them easy enough for smaller fish to pick at (larger fish can swallow the sticks whole). In addition to the texture, soft sticks are designed to be easily consumed and digested by fish, which allows for minimum waste and clearer water.

All four varieties are designed for large and small pond koi and goldfish.

When feeding with the Spring and Fall Diet, pond fish should only be fed once a day. This will ensure that their slower metabolisms aren’t bogged down with too much food too soon. Once the temperatures reach 50 degrees Fahrenheit and above, you can reduce feeding to once a day. Feed fish only as much food as they will consume in five minutes. Always remember that it is far better to slightly underfeed your fish than it is to overfeed them; overfeeding will lead to dirty water and sick fish.

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact the store, or use the Contact Us form on the left side of your screen.

It’s been a long winter and spring is finally here! It’s time to welcome back your pond from its long winter dormancy.

The pond and aquarium experts here at Suffolk County Fish & Reef are ready and able to bring your pond or water feature out of “hibernation” and get it up and running for the spring and summer. However, if you’re the do-it-yourself type, follow the steps below to safely and effectively open your pond for the beautiful weather ahead (but keep us on speed dial, just in case):

• Remove the pond netting
• Clean the surrounding perimeter of the water feature of leaves, branches, and any other type of debris that has accumulated in and around your pond over the winter.
• Clip any over-grown aquatic plant foliage or dead foliage remaining from the previous season. This allows room for new growth and prevents the accumulation of additional organic material in the pond.
• If your pond has fish, carefully transfer the fish into aerated holding tubs and visually inspect your pond fish for disease, parasites, and overall general health.
• Pump out the pond water and pressure wash the sides and bottom of the pond to remove decaying leaves and other organic material that has settled to the bottom of the pond during the fall and winter. If necessary, add sludge digesting beneficial bacteria.
• Clean and prepare the existing filtration for the new season. Inspect all equipment, checking for any damage, leaks and/or unsafe parts cause by winter weather. Clean tubing and change tubes that need replacing. Run all waterfalls to makes ure the water is flowing freely. Examine your biological filter and replace the filter media, if necessary. Add beneficial bacteria to biological filters. Add a barley product to prevent string algae. Replace the light bulb on the UV lights.
• Install new bulbs in all aquatic lighting.
• Adjust back into place any rock or gravel that may have shifted.
• Test the chemical balance of your pond water. Check pH level, nitrites, nitrates, and ammonia levels to ensure parameters are within healthy levels for your fish. Test salinity and add pond salt, if necessary.
• Acclimate your pond fish back into your pond.
• Begin fertilizing your pond plants with aquatic plant fertilizer. Check your plants to see if any of the varieties need to be divided or transplanted.

Keep in mind that you should only open your pond when the water temperature is above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This the optimal time, when fish are coming out of hibernation, and will help to minimize shock and fish loss.

Does opening your pond yourself seem like a lot of work? Then let us do it for you! You can contact us to schedule an appointment for a Spring Start Up service. Our schedule is based on a first-come, first-served basis, but we will do our best to work around your busy schedule. If you are interested, please call the store to schedule your appointment.

At Suffolk County Fish & Reef, we pride ourselves on our reputation for excellent customer service. We want our customers and clients to know that we are here when you need us to answer any questions or alleviate any concerns you may have regarding your aquarium or pond.

In order to serve you better, Suffolk County Fish & Reef is instating a “quick response” policy in effect on both our website and our Facebook page. What does this mean? Easy!

• On our website: To the left of your screen, you will see a blue tab along the side of the page that says “Contact Us.” Click on the tab, and a window will pop up on your screen that asks for your name, e-mail address, and phone number (the phone number is optional, but it will allow us another way to contact you). Simply type in your message,  input the verification code, and click “Send Message.”
• On our Facebook page: Beneath the picture on our profile, click on the link that reads “Contact.”  A form will appear on your screen asking for your name, e-mail address, and phone number (again, the phone number is optional). Type in your message and the verification code and hit “Send Message.”

You may be asking why you should use the Contact Us forms as opposed to leaving comments on our page or Facebook profile. Although we check our Facebook and our website regularly, comments can occasionally slip through the cracks and not be noticed for several days. Depending on the message you left, a few days may just be too long to wait for a response.

By using the Contact Us forms on our website and Facebook page, Suffolk County Fish & Reef is notified immediately that you have left us a question or comment. As a result of that instant notification, we can guarantee a response within 24 hours (in most cases, even sooner!). Please be sure to include any important information regarding your question or comment (i.e. what size tank you have, what species of fish, what type of light fixtures, etc., etc.) so that we can respond to the best of our ability.

A WORD OF CAUTION: While the Contact Us forms will allow us to respond to your questions or comments in a timely fashion, there are some instances where that just won’t be enough. For instance, if you notice your fish to be behaving oddly (being overly aggressive or sluggish, not eating properly, etc.), please call the store and ask to speak to one of our aquatic technicians immediately. Or if you notice that something is wrong with your tank or filtration system (bowing, leaking, unusual noises, etc.) please call the store immediately. We want to be able to help you avoid any sort of catastrophe, and in order to do that we need to be notified as soon as possible if you notice something amiss with your aquarium or pond.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: As a result of our usage of the Contact Us forms, visitors to our website will no longer be able to post comments or questions directly to the website. However, comments and questions are allowed (and encouraged!) on our Facebook page. We want our Facebook page to be a place where our customers and clients can interact with and learn from one another.

We want to thank everyone who has helped to make our website and Facebook page a success. We appreciate your support, and hope that using the Contact Us forms will allow us to serve you even better!

Bring the beauty of a coral reef into your home or office with our beautiful 14 BioCube set up! This set up includes:

• Over 20 Green Bubble-Tip Anemones
• Mated pair of Percula Clownfish
• Approximately 15 pounds of Ultra-Grade Liverock
• 1 1/2 inches of Live Sand
• One Purple Pimple Mushroom
• 14 BioCube Tank & Stand
• Small Mag*Float Magnet Cleaner
• Hydor 50W Heater

The approximate retail cost for this all-inclusive set up is estimated at $1500. However, it can be yours for the low, low cost of $800. THAT’S $700 IN SAVINGS!