Very interesting and thoughtful responses here. I want to clarify a bit what I meant above and answer some of your questions and correct some assumptions.
First, my advice to people when they read or get person-ro-person advice is to strongly consider if that advice is coming from someone who currently keeps a marine aquarium, and then to see that aquarium to help evaluate that advice. This is especially true for me for people who represent products in this hobby. This is not to say that their product was the key reason for their success (assuming they are successful, whatever that means), but rather it shows that they walk the walk. For those in the business as service people or stores, this shows in their clients or their store appearance. Does this guarantee anything in particular, of course not. However, I think someone that can show you a progression of their aquarium either in pictures or a build thread, I would certainly trust more than the person who has not had an aquarium in years and does not currently have a reef tank but gives out advice.
Julian has a number of aquariums, and they are all amazing.
My current 425g aquarium from inception can be followed in the link in the OP. To address some assumptions and assertions above - I have done nearly everything on it myself - with some help along the way with some friends. I DO NOT use a service company. I do it all myself - yes, even with a lot of travel. It has not been loaded up with tons of ready-to-go corals - most everything has been grown out from small frags. In full transparency, I have received a few things from friends in the industry as gifts, in trade, or as a beta tester or to give valuable market feedback to them.
My statement above should not be construed as "own an Apex, have this tank" as that is not what I am saying at all. What I am saying is that my experience and success in owning and keeping aquariums, including this one, DOES make me more qualified to give advice than someone who has not had a marine aquarium for X years and is trying to tell me why their skimmer is better for this reason on that. Quite simply, use the current results and path to success from those you get advice as a weighting mechanism for the advice they give - isn't 100% surefire - but it is a really good guide. Or, as @gcarroll likes to say "Show me the FTS!"
First, my advice to people when they read or get person-ro-person advice is to strongly consider if that advice is coming from someone who currently keeps a marine aquarium, and then to see that aquarium to help evaluate that advice. This is especially true for me for people who represent products in this hobby. This is not to say that their product was the key reason for their success (assuming they are successful, whatever that means), but rather it shows that they walk the walk. For those in the business as service people or stores, this shows in their clients or their store appearance. Does this guarantee anything in particular, of course not. However, I think someone that can show you a progression of their aquarium either in pictures or a build thread, I would certainly trust more than the person who has not had an aquarium in years and does not currently have a reef tank but gives out advice.
Julian has a number of aquariums, and they are all amazing.
My current 425g aquarium from inception can be followed in the link in the OP. To address some assumptions and assertions above - I have done nearly everything on it myself - with some help along the way with some friends. I DO NOT use a service company. I do it all myself - yes, even with a lot of travel. It has not been loaded up with tons of ready-to-go corals - most everything has been grown out from small frags. In full transparency, I have received a few things from friends in the industry as gifts, in trade, or as a beta tester or to give valuable market feedback to them.
My statement above should not be construed as "own an Apex, have this tank" as that is not what I am saying at all. What I am saying is that my experience and success in owning and keeping aquariums, including this one, DOES make me more qualified to give advice than someone who has not had a marine aquarium for X years and is trying to tell me why their skimmer is better for this reason on that. Quite simply, use the current results and path to success from those you get advice as a weighting mechanism for the advice they give - isn't 100% surefire - but it is a really good guide. Or, as @gcarroll likes to say "Show me the FTS!"
