Taking advice from manufacturers and reps ONLY if they have nice tanks?

[revhtree]

This guy @Terence knows a little bit about what he's doing as you can see here.

I saw that he made a statement that I really can agree with and so I thought we should discuss it today. When taking advice from people it's nice to know they actually know what they are talking about and have the proof to prove it that often times show in how they can grow their own reef. But what about companies, businesses, manufacturers etc?

So the question is this: Do you only take advice from manufacturers and reps who have nice tanks?

 

[Wolf89]

Well it's not only limited to reps, but also random people on the internet! Like me

 

[revhtree]

Well it's not only limited to reps, but also random people on the internet! Like me

True but we're more specifically asking about companies.

 

[The Aquatic Arsenal]

This is sound advice, and one reason why I love BRStv. The only reason I choose "no" is because accidents do happen. ATO get stuck open, dosing pumps screw up, lighting sometimes screws up, etc. Just because a tank doesn't look good currently, doesn't mean it usually doesn't lol

 

[Niteowl]

I like to take advice but even if it sounds good I’ll follow up with doing more research. Get other opinions as well. That’s kinda why we are all here right?

 

[Pickwun]

Well sort of, but any sizeable shop could throw together a gorgeous tank for pix in a couple of hours. You'd still need to know what's going on outside the tank.

 

[Foothill Corals]

Personally I do not take advice from manufactures or vendors or anyone that is trying to sell me something or if I do it's with a grain of salt. That also goes for all the influencers on youtube that get their products given to them.

 

[Victor_C3]

I never look at the tanks manufacturers have, you never know if they really setup that tank using product X from day 1, or they had a nice tank and just stuck their product in it for the picture.

I prefer to hear the testimonials of other reefers and reviews by non-partial reviewers and I make my judgement based on that information.

 

[Lowell Lemon]

I used to sell the full range of reef aquarium equipment to stores in the Northwest and beyond. To be honest I was so busy helping customers on the road three weeks out of a month that my own personal tanks became very neglected. My customers success was more important than mine! So I guess each person has to decide for themselves. I once had a customer that owned four stores stop me in the middle of a pitch for new product and said "I am buying you not the product". We already had a trusting relationship so his experience allowed him to trust my experience and recommendations.

 

[fish farmer]

How do you know it is actually their tank? I remember years ago seeing a website pitching a product with a familar looking tank of a forum reefer. I told him I saw his tank and he had no idea they were using his picture.

 

[revhtree]

Interesting comments and some good points!

 

[Amado]

A lot of these online perfect tanks are maintained by a service company. So it’s really not fair to compare or expect the same results from a hobbiest.
BRS tanks have access to the best equipment and a staff that can maintain those tanks all the time.

Terrence travels a lot for Neptune I am sure he has a company “service” the tank while is at these shows.

 

[gwnm]

i think it depends, i don't blindly go by what anyone person says, i like to see things from all sides good and bad, if they was trying to promote thier product and only showing good reviews then i would ask where the bad reviews are because nothing is perfect no matter how we wish it was so

 

[ShawnSaucier]

This is usually what makes my decision on wether to give a shop my business or not. And not just if they have a show tank, but what the store looks like. If tanks stands are covered in salt creep, parts of tanks are cloudy from mineral deposits ect...
But with reps/online businesses I have a bit of a harder time putting my trust in. As said above, it's easy to slap a tank together for a few shots. And if you are pushing a certain product, never mind. Don't want to get too negative..

 

[NeverlosT]

eh, as far as equipment companies go, their engineering or scientific ability is most important to me. BUT when it comes to husbandry, I absolutely only listen to those who have success to show.

The top trend of 2019: Buy a fishtank, put a bunch of frags in, take a million pictures or steal pictures from friends/others, post it all on your social media, answer peoples questions as if you know everything, and bask in your unwitting ignorance.

I tell you what I see a lot of amazing euro tanks using the balling method. I haven't tried it yet, but I definitely listen to what they have to say because of their success.

I'd ask the question, if you aren't using vendor tank success as a ranking criteria, what ARE your criteria? How well they dress? Whether they can sound convincing while they make up answers to your questions?...

 

[BPF42]

This guy @Terence knows a little bit about what he's doing as you can see here.

I saw that he made a statement that I really can agree with and so I thought we should discuss it today. When taking advice from people it's nice to know they actually know what they are talking about and have the proof to prove it that often times show in how they can grow their own reef. But what about companies, businesses, manufacturers etc?

So the question is this: Do you only take advice from manufacturers and reps who have nice tanks?

Terrence, your tank looks great! Can you reply back with generally what your nitrate and phosphate levels are in your tank? I am having some issues with hair algae and I am interested in the levels in successful tanks.

 

[Braves Fan]

I take my advice from local friends ,, online friends ,, the reefers I buy corals from , I only buy from reputable reefers ,, I watch BRS videos, they have earned my trust ,, other than that ,, I don't trust anyone that is trying to sell me something ,, I buy proven equipment that's been on the market ,,

 

[Javamahn]

I do not believe it is possible to completely replicate results on any 2 systems even if everything is matched. Advice is useful no matter what the state of a vendors fish tank but in the end I will make a product decision based on what I believe will benefit my system and my wallet.

 

[Silverfish]

Definitely not reps. They hv unlimited funds for equipment and are gearing it toward grow out tanks for LPS or SPS.
my display tank is a mixed reef so it is difficult to get the proper lighting and flow. Also dealing with fish and critters!
my advice come fm successful fellow reefers in which there r many here on R2R.

 

[Kevan Sharp]

I do seek input but every piece of equipment I have bought since initial purchase has been done after much research.
I went to a new LFS a while back They had only been open for a few months. They had some corals that were either Duncan’s or Elegance corals. I asked. They had no idea. I didn’t buy anything from them. If the LFS doesn’t know what’s in their tank I won’t buy from them