# November meeting: Whiz-Q Stone



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Our November meeting will be Saturday the 12th, 9 AM, at Whiz-Q Stone in south Fort Worth. Their web site has a map and directions: http://www.whiz-q.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT

Whiz-Q is one of the largest retail stone yards in DFW, and also has a complete line of pond products. They give free how-to seminars for DIY.

Our topic for the meeting will be, naturally, suitable stone for aquarium use. I hope that Whiz-Q will have some different sands and fine gravels that might be used for substrate, but I'll not sure what their inventory will be. If they are not too busy, Shelly Jaymes will give us a tour. For some brief reading on the subject before the meeting, I highly recommend The Skeptical Aquarist at http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/rocks-kinds

Being a stone yard, Whiz-Q may not have indoor meeting space for us, so I suggest snacks and plant trading be done as a tail gate party in their parking lot. The meeting will be held unless there is unsafe weather (thunder and lightning). A little rain will not stop us--stone looks best when it is wet!

--Michael


----------



## Z90a (Oct 25, 2011)

I am so excited. I'm going to be there to check out how the club is. Definitly interested in joining. Hoping to pick up a small bit of java moss. I don't have much plants to trade but I may have something


----------



## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

looks like fun, will have to set my clock because that will be a drive.


----------



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Tropical water lilies free to members!

I've run out of room in my ponds and have several blue and purple flowered varieties to give away. Most are in 1 gallon pots and will be cut back for winter. These over-winter in my ponds, but I can't guarantee that they will do the same for you.

I will bring them to the meeting on Saturday *IF* you tell me you want them.

I also have lots of Sunset hygro in the ponds that will die over the winter, so let me know if you want any of it.

--Michael


----------



## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Hope you guys have fun! I can't make this one... Family leaving my house and new family coming in.


----------



## digital_gods (Apr 23, 2010)

How long will the meeting be at Whiz-Q? I've been double booked with my son having a teeth cleaning scheduled at 9am. I may be able to make it to the outing afterwards if time permits.


----------



## fishyspots (Oct 7, 2011)

Hate that I have to miss it, too, but in San Antonio at a veterinary conference all weekend


----------



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

I expect the meeting to last 1.5-2 hours, including socializing.


----------



## Ricky Cain (Jan 23, 2004)

I was hoping to make this meeting but it is questionable for me at the moment. I want to go it sounds like it will be a great experience and its always fun to be with everyone. Hopefully, there will be tons of pictures and info on what went on.


----------



## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

I'm planing on coming but not sure... if it's at 9, i would have to leave the house around 7:45, I hope I don't over sleep.


----------



## Vildayyan2003 (Jul 16, 2011)

This is the first meeting I will miss  Have to help a friend move from Addison to Plano.


----------



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Not to rub it in, but YOU MISSED A GREAT MEETING!

Matt Reed took us on a tour of Whiz-Q, which is an enormous and very well stocked place. Fortunately for us, Matt is an experienced aquarist, and was able to point out many popular types of stone for both freshwater and saltwater tanks.

Since I love rocks almost as much as I love plants, this was a real treat. There were many beautiful stones that gave me ideas for tanks. Among the major hits of the day was "century boulders", a hard sandstone from central Texas that has wonderful texture and cavities and would be great in an iwagumi or cichlid tank. Whiz-Q has lava rock in the perfect size for biofiltration, zeolite for $0.75/lb, black lava sand and Mexican beach sand that would make great dark-colored substrates.

The last thing you would expect at a stone yard is free fish, right? Wrong! Matt was giving away common plecos that had been living in the koi tanks, but needed new homes before winter.

Whiz-Q is set up for small purchases by retail customers, and most material is available by the pound. If you are used to LFS prices, your jaw will drop at the prices. The beautiful century boulders are only $0.15/lb, and lace rock is $0.90/lb. The color catalog even lists which stones are known to be aquarium safe.

There is a large display of ponds, with plants. _Bacopa caroliniana_ was growing both submerged and emersed as a ground cover between the stone edges of the ponds. The over-all plant selection was low because of the season, but in spring they have a good variety of pond plants.


----------



## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

yep, I'm glad i got there even if i was late and most people left... the tufa for $0.50 a pound can be used as base rock in a saltwater tank, and can be seed to turn live... fish stores charge 5-6 on avg for live rock, I've seen seen 8-12 dollars a pound for tonga lve rock... I was surprized to see the prices of the rock, that was like texas holey rock, the zeolite for o.75 a pound. just a 6-8 oz box is 8-15 dollars at the fish stores. even if i'm out here on the other side of the retroplex i'm going to return to that place..


----------



## TanyaQ2000 (Jan 31, 2010)

shoot fire...I missed another meeting...note to self, cannot miss Christmas g2g!!!!


----------



## DaTrueDave (Dec 28, 2003)

This was my first meeting and I must say that you guys (and WhizQ) made a great first impression on me!

I too was amazed at the types of rocks and the prices of the rocks. I don't know how LFS' get away with marking up their stuff so much. Market ignorance, I guess. Thanks for bringing me into the realm of the informed.

Now, I walked out of there with 5 of those big, very light, volcanic/rock stuff. Gorgeous rocks. Incredibly light. Cost me $1.89 for all of them. Got home, tossed 'em in a bucket of water and three of them do indeed float. I'm bummed. I put one in my aquarium with some moss that I picked up at True Percula after the meeting, and piled a couple of heavier stones on top of it. It's held down, but the bubbles stopped coming out of the rock quite quickly. I don't think it's going to lose anymore buoyancy and I'm afraid to leave it in there for fear of it popping up and shattering the glass covers on the tank. I really like the way the look, though, so I'm going to be going back to WhizQ and keep an eye out for a bigger, heavier specimen of this type of rock.

If I can't find some of that volcanic stuff that is suitable, then I *know* that I can find some basalt, slate, or century stone that will be perfect.

Thanks again for a great first meeting!


----------



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Dave, just wait until you come to a big meeting and load up on plants!


----------



## digital_gods (Apr 23, 2010)

I showed up after the meeting but Jason, Joey and Michael hadn't left. They brought me up to speed and gave me a quick tour. I wasn't expecting to buy anything but that quickly changed when I was shown Tufa rock. I got 20# that I will seed up for a saltwater tank. This saved me more money than Gieco.


----------



## TanyaQ2000 (Jan 31, 2010)

Dave, i'm sure you can drill a piece of slate and secure it with a screw to the rock just like you can driftwood....may need a diamond drill bit or masonry bit to drill thru the pieces but i know it can be done


----------



## DaTrueDave (Dec 28, 2003)

I'm considering exactly that, Tanya.


----------



## Vildayyan2003 (Jul 16, 2011)

You can also use super glue if you do not want to bust the drill out. I had to super glue a piece of driftwood that would never sink to a piece slate and it worked great!


----------



## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

digital_gods said:


> I showed up after the meeting but Jason, Joey and Michael hadn't left. They brought me up to speed and gave me a quick tour. I wasn't expecting to buy anything but that quickly changed when I was shown Tufa rock. I got 20# that I will seed up for a saltwater tank. This saved me more money than Gieco.


21 pounds for 11 dollars. compared to 105 - 210 dollars.. jason and me saved you big time, I even showed my sister the prices and she all most :tape2: when she saw the prices, after she put a garden by her pool, and paid so much for this and that rock from the contractors..


----------



## Ricky Cain (Jan 23, 2004)

Maybe we could have a "rock" meeting in the coming year with a show and tell component.


----------



## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Ricky Cain said:


> Maybe we could have a "rock" meeting in the coming year with a show and tell component.


That sounds fun! Do we have any geologists in our midst?


----------

