[noobie reefer]

hello all

is there any one in the U.K. who has managed to find a substrate other than the tropical marine center brand. they only have three sizes in mlf 's and i have used the finest but its not as fine as sand and its cc. i cant find anything else. im looking for somthing simillar to th USA 's yardright stuff or something like that. any ideas?

i am going to thailand early next year could i use sand from a beach over there if i could get it back?

[NoSump]

Noobie:

I just got back from Thailand last week. I was tempted to buy the very cheap live rock that is for sale at the Chatuchak weekend market and in Rayong.

I made the determination that hauling rock through airports and running the risk of confiscation/fine, if I was subjected to an agricultural search upon re-entry into the U.S., was not worth the savings.

The beaches in Koh Samui or Phuket would probably afford some very good sand - but you'll probably face the same contraints that I did in regard to rock. The good news is that you can find just about every other acquarium supply at the weekend market at substantial savings vs. the U.S. (Which would mean even greater UK savings - especially with the strenth of the quid).

[noobie reefer]

hey no sump

thanks for the advice ill look out for the market. did you do any snorkeling see any reefs or similar?

[NoSump]

Noobie:

I have snorkled and scuba dove many times in Thailand. My favorite place for snorkeling is the Similian Islands - a full day trip from Phuket. (The water is crystal clear and the corals are as beautiful as you'll find anywhere. Based on the mini-muslim uprising in the south, I chose to book a dive trip out of Pattaya this trip. There is a dive charter, run by your fellow countrymen, that is located right on Beach Road in front of the Nova Lodge. They do a great job - very safety conscious (and they serve hot meals on board the dive ship). We dove a wreck (an old US Navy LST about 80 ft down) and a coral reef off an island called Koh Lan. The reef was covered in very large anenomes with purple bases, and there were lots of clown fish and other marine life. I would highly recommend booking a scuba or snorkel trip with that operator.

In terms of other dive venues, If you havn't had a chance to try Belize or Fiji, in my opinion they are the best spots in the world for either Scuba or Snorkel.

Hope that is of some help, enjoy your trip, and good luck setting up your own personal reef at home (good luck finding the "cheap" sand in the UK).

[NoSump]

Noobie:

As a quick follow-up to my earlier post - based on the tragic events of this week, I hope that you did not get an early start on your Thai vacation.

The tidal wave effected the Western side of the Thai peninsula. If you are still planning on visiting Thailand, you should be okay if your stick to resorts in the Gulf of Thailand (Pattaya, or Koh Samui). Another option would be to book a flight from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur (cheap) and head to an island called Pilau Tioman (it is also on the "west coast"). Tioman has some awesome dives, and is famous in the region for it's abundance of giant sea turtles

Have a safe trip.