The quality of aquarium products

buck50bmg · 05/30/2008, 05:34 AM

Since starting this wonderful hobby, I have always noticed that we pay a premium price for equipment that really isn't justified.

Let me expand on this. Some of you have read other posts Ive been part of about the Solaris LED fixtures from PFO. I had a 72" H series fixture and ended up returning it. I will not get into the details, as Ive done that several times already and dont want or need to go over that again. Anyway the product is not worth the cost.

There are many other products out there as well, that are made in China and sent to us and sold as quality products. China and quality should not be used in the same sentence. Cheap labor is an attractive point for the industry. The profit margin is getting smaller and smaller. But resorting to using China or any other 3rd world labor is not the answer.

Now Im not saying that everything made n the US is better. As a matter of fact, the automobile industry will show that.

But the quality vs the cost of most of the items we use is way too great. Alot of people shun the Oddssea fixtures. I hate to say it, the coralife fixtures are really no better. Yes the ballasts and bulbs are cheap and you would want to replace them, but the fixture is the same.

So the purpose of this rant to to bring this issue to light. Be an informed reefer. Look at the DIY forum, Look at Randy's DIY solutions to commercial additives, look at others alternatives to store bought equipment.

In this period of high oil prices and refusing to build more power plants to lower the generation costs, the cost of our hobby will only continue to rise. So we need to do what we can to keep our addiction strong and not break the pocketbook.

So please share your stories.

Mark426 · 05/30/2008, 06:02 AM

I have the same story with a PFO Solaris fixture, sent back. Sadly, it seems that to get quality you have to be ready to pay a small fortune most of the time. But there are some expections..... Aquaillumination LED (I own one) is one example, about the same price as Solaris but the quaility is greater by a factor of 10. Is PFO overcharging or AI undercharging? I suspect some of both.

And while on the subject of lights, compare the quality or less expensive items, like ATI lamps vs. Coralife lamps. The price is very close but the quailty is not. Keep a sharp eye out and it IS possible to qet good quality at a somewhat affordable price.

I think WE are some of the problem. We continure to accept low quality items and "mumble under our breath" instead of demanding SOME level of quailty. If everyone that bought, for example, the Solaris fixture sent it back and told them it was too cheaply built.... we would see a much a better quality fixture from them. Dont you think? I am not picking on Solaris, its that way with 100's of products.

05/30/2008, 05:34 AM	#1
buck50bmg Moved On Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 792	The quality of aquarium products Since starting this wonderful hobby, I have always noticed that we pay a premium price for equipment that really isn't justified. Let me expand on this. Some of you have read other posts Ive been part of about the Solaris LED fixtures from PFO. I had a 72" H series fixture and ended up returning it. I will not get into the details, as Ive done that several times already and dont want or need to go over that again. Anyway the product is not worth the cost. There are many other products out there as well, that are made in China and sent to us and sold as quality products. China and quality should not be used in the same sentence. Cheap labor is an attractive point for the industry. The profit margin is getting smaller and smaller. But resorting to using China or any other 3rd world labor is not the answer. Now Im not saying that everything made n the US is better. As a matter of fact, the automobile industry will show that. But the quality vs the cost of most of the items we use is way too great. Alot of people shun the Oddssea fixtures. I hate to say it, the coralife fixtures are really no better. Yes the ballasts and bulbs are cheap and you would want to replace them, but the fixture is the same. So the purpose of this rant to to bring this issue to light. Be an informed reefer. Look at the DIY forum, Look at Randy's DIY solutions to commercial additives, look at others alternatives to store bought equipment. In this period of high oil prices and refusing to build more power plants to lower the generation costs, the cost of our hobby will only continue to rise. So we need to do what we can to keep our addiction strong and not break the pocketbook. So please share your stories.

05/30/2008, 06:02 AM	#2
Mark426 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,479	I have the same story with a PFO Solaris fixture, sent back. Sadly, it seems that to get quality you have to be ready to pay a small fortune most of the time. But there are some expections..... Aquaillumination LED (I own one) is one example, about the same price as Solaris but the quaility is greater by a factor of 10. Is PFO overcharging or AI undercharging? I suspect some of both. And while on the subject of lights, compare the quality or less expensive items, like ATI lamps vs. Coralife lamps. The price is very close but the quailty is not. Keep a sharp eye out and it IS possible to qet good quality at a somewhat affordable price. I think WE are some of the problem. We continure to accept low quality items and "mumble under our breath" instead of demanding SOME level of quailty. If everyone that bought, for example, the Solaris fixture sent it back and told them it was too cheaply built.... we would see a much a better quality fixture from them. Dont you think? I am not picking on Solaris, its that way with 100's of products. Last edited by Mark426; 05/30/2008 at 06:17 AM.