StoneyReef
No Longer a Member
I know we were talking a lot about commercial posts in the Calcium reactor thread, and I did not want to throw it off any further. So I decided to start this thread. with that:
Travis's last post really hit home, and here I am quoting it:
What really hit home was the part about us being afraid of posting. Yes, I will tell you from the conversations I have had with others in the business, this is exactly how we feel. Especially in some DIY threads. We make continual upgrades to our products and it is soo easy to tell them about something simple that will make their project so much simpler. However, since we referenced our product or showed a picture, then it is automatically commercial.
I actually had that happen recently as I was trying to explain dosing pumps, and showed a picture and described why it was the best way to dose kalk. BAM! it was suddenly commercial.
Anyhow, I would love to be able to help people out with some DIY projects. But I fear what the repercussions are. Most people who do DIY either want the challenge, or have it in thier mind that they are not going to buy from a vendor this time around anyhow, so why not help them. There are two possible outcomes:
A. the project turns out well, and they give you kudos that you helped them, and maybe sometime in the future when they are 'too busy' they buy their next item from you.
b. The project turns out bad, and they realize there is some skill and a learning curve involved with working with some of these products and end up getting a unit from the person they got help from initially.
I have no problem sending people to Reefmania or Myreefcreations at the current time for skimmers and such, as I find skimmers tedious and very time consuming. I also talk to each of these vendors quite often. I have no reservation about it. We all have our niche in the community, and we all know it, there is no reason we cannot be friends. Andy at myreefcreations emailed a bit about the combo reactor and some of the chemistry involved in making them an integral unit. We both agree we should try it when we have time. Alas, that is the problem, we do not have time! We do not have time because it is all your your guys' fault! Your keeping us busy! THANK YOU!
Anyhow, the Reef Aquarium hobby is growing exponentially right now with the information age of the internet and every one of the vendors can see that.
So no, I am not going to sit here and tell you about the specials I run, or why you should buy my product over someone elses. We pay to have a website, and use that area to go over the many points and so forth of why ours should be optimal for your system compared to someone elses. We have a heck of a lot more room there to do it, and would not have to type it out ad infinitum in threads.
You want a primer on how a kalk reactor works? Heck yeah, I will give you one, the concept is basic no matter which reactor you have. You want a primer on working a calcium reactor, I would probably give you the link to reef keeping magazine. If you want to know why I put a valve on the bottom of a reactor, I would tell you to rinse out the sludge. However if you want to tell me you have a 10,000 gallon tank and want an appropriate reactor for it and how much would it cost, well then email me. I am going to need a lot more info than what we are going to put in a post.
So yeah, general info about stuff, that could be applied uniformly, to almost anything, or even if you ask me something specific about my product, and it is something that could be used to enhance another, I would tell you.
I am not going to tell you trade secrets, or similar items. Tell me what you think!!! What role do you think vendors should play in posting? Do you want thier help in DIY? How about their opinions on other areas, obviously we designed some of our stuff to make it easier to care for the critters we keep.
Like my rose BTA and Lionfish tank, or a very simple successful SPS tank using clams to handle the fish bio load. We have a lot to share!!!
Travis's last post really hit home, and here I am quoting it:
No worries is right, this place is all about the sharing of information, what better place to get informatuion about a product than from the person who makes it?
I know a few people now in "the business" and it's sad that they all begin feeling uncomfortable posting at all because there's always that watchful eye since "they're commerical." Rock on Patrick, please share information and participate, we can count on you not to post solely for the purpose of advertising your product. Thanks for sharing your expertise in the field.
Travis
What really hit home was the part about us being afraid of posting. Yes, I will tell you from the conversations I have had with others in the business, this is exactly how we feel. Especially in some DIY threads. We make continual upgrades to our products and it is soo easy to tell them about something simple that will make their project so much simpler. However, since we referenced our product or showed a picture, then it is automatically commercial.
I actually had that happen recently as I was trying to explain dosing pumps, and showed a picture and described why it was the best way to dose kalk. BAM! it was suddenly commercial.
Anyhow, I would love to be able to help people out with some DIY projects. But I fear what the repercussions are. Most people who do DIY either want the challenge, or have it in thier mind that they are not going to buy from a vendor this time around anyhow, so why not help them. There are two possible outcomes:
A. the project turns out well, and they give you kudos that you helped them, and maybe sometime in the future when they are 'too busy' they buy their next item from you.
b. The project turns out bad, and they realize there is some skill and a learning curve involved with working with some of these products and end up getting a unit from the person they got help from initially.
I have no problem sending people to Reefmania or Myreefcreations at the current time for skimmers and such, as I find skimmers tedious and very time consuming. I also talk to each of these vendors quite often. I have no reservation about it. We all have our niche in the community, and we all know it, there is no reason we cannot be friends. Andy at myreefcreations emailed a bit about the combo reactor and some of the chemistry involved in making them an integral unit. We both agree we should try it when we have time. Alas, that is the problem, we do not have time! We do not have time because it is all your your guys' fault! Your keeping us busy! THANK YOU!
Anyhow, the Reef Aquarium hobby is growing exponentially right now with the information age of the internet and every one of the vendors can see that.
So no, I am not going to sit here and tell you about the specials I run, or why you should buy my product over someone elses. We pay to have a website, and use that area to go over the many points and so forth of why ours should be optimal for your system compared to someone elses. We have a heck of a lot more room there to do it, and would not have to type it out ad infinitum in threads.
You want a primer on how a kalk reactor works? Heck yeah, I will give you one, the concept is basic no matter which reactor you have. You want a primer on working a calcium reactor, I would probably give you the link to reef keeping magazine. If you want to know why I put a valve on the bottom of a reactor, I would tell you to rinse out the sludge. However if you want to tell me you have a 10,000 gallon tank and want an appropriate reactor for it and how much would it cost, well then email me. I am going to need a lot more info than what we are going to put in a post.
So yeah, general info about stuff, that could be applied uniformly, to almost anything, or even if you ask me something specific about my product, and it is something that could be used to enhance another, I would tell you.
I am not going to tell you trade secrets, or similar items. Tell me what you think!!! What role do you think vendors should play in posting? Do you want thier help in DIY? How about their opinions on other areas, obviously we designed some of our stuff to make it easier to care for the critters we keep.
Like my rose BTA and Lionfish tank, or a very simple successful SPS tank using clams to handle the fish bio load. We have a lot to share!!!