Aquarium Cleaning Machine

Aquarium Forums Hall of Shame #3

Aquarium Cleaning Machine:
UPDATED 12/06/08
If you have read this article already, please see the update halfway through the article for comments added from "Talking Reef Forums" which sadly demonstrate how dishonest and anecdotal the aquarium hobby is.
This just makes the point of a friend in the wholesale side of the aquarium business that stated "after 30 years managing many different types of businesses, he never met a more dishonest, back stabbing, and anecdotal industry/hobby than the aquarium hobby/business"

For my latest installment of Aquarium Forums Hall of Shame I will return to the more original format of Aquatic forums (rather than the last post which dealt with a SEO forum that had little integrity when it came to my trying to counter all the anecdotal or even harmful aquatic articles that have flooded the internet).

In this case I was performing my usual Google checks (always Google, not as much Yahoo or MSN, that brings this stuff up, which is why my last post), when I found a forum that was talking about the Aquarium Cleaning Machine. A moderator here had purchased one from Dr. F & S based on her view that they were a safer/better place to purchase form (which I will get to that shortly). She later had trouble with suction with her Aquarium Cleaning Machine and then basically decided that they were not good.

Let me give a little background before I go on; When I first heard about the Aquarium Cleaning Machine during one of my business trips to LA, I was skeptical, however after talking to a few Aquarium Maintenance Professional Colleagues that I knew that were very impressed, I decided to try one. After finding out how versatile and easy to use they were (as well as excellent for tanks with high bio loads/DOC), I decided to now sell them.
I also decided to try running this machine by putting it together different ways and trying different configurations so as to see what can and would go wrong so as to best explain this to prospective customers. I found that if not cleaned properly, or not put together properly (which is hard not to do since the few parts are color coded), or finally if the valves are not properly positioned (this is the easier mistake IMO), Suction or other non function issues would arise.
This said I have YET to have a single problem with the machines I have used) nor those used by persons I know. The only problems encountered were by my own intentions to force issues with the machine.
What is sad is that Dr. F & S only decided to sell this machine after others such as myself found a market for it and did the hard work. I know this from the distributor of this product whom has poor view of their company (along with many other “old timers” in the aquatics industry based on what many have been sold/told by them. I believe since they have little working knowledge of this product, it stands to reason that their customer service in helping buyers with the machine would be poor.

Back to this forum, as I noted this forum moderator reason to purchase from Dr. F & S was based on false assumptions by Dr. F & S. If she had purchased the machine from American Aquarium Products or others that have vastly more information/help she may have been able to avoid the problem, however she did not.
Now this is where the hall of shame part comes in, when I noticed the trashing of this product (similar to the anecdotal reviews of so many products, methods I have observed on the internet), I decided to join this forum (Koiphen.com) so as to explain what may have gone wrong and my experiences with this product. I later found out (via a phone call from a customer) that my post was removed. This is a despicable yet all too common display of shutting down good information so as to allow their own misinformation to prevail. I found this all too often in many Google forums where many would make statements or slander me so as to make their own unsubstantiated view prevail.

Update 12/06/08
I had to update this article post as I found two more anecdotal cooments about the Cleaning Machine, one really blew me away with his condescending attitude that had little basis in what this machine can or cannot do.
Both are separate threads from the forum Talking Reef:
(1) "I would not go that route myself.
I found the next best this next to using the siphon tube to sink method is to use a magnum."

This is a fair comment in my view however it unfortunately demonstrates an anecdotal comment based in a lack of knowledge and experience with this product as I HAVE used a Magnum for just this purpose over 10 years ago and the results were not even close to comparable.

This comment on a second thread where this video was posted really was bad (he is speaking of the inventor in the video, Fred from Ancient Mariner):
(2)"So this guy has nothing new on us, in fact he's behind times. Also, there are several of these units available on the market. He didn't invent this technique. He states he's been in the aquarium maintenance business 15 years. I have several problems with his aquarium, one, he has plastic freshwater plants, two, dead dyed coral, three, there are nothing but Damsels in the tank with the possible exception of a Royal Gramma. All easy fish, tolerant of high Nitrates, which I suspect is in the 50 to 60 ppm range in his established aquariums.

I would also venture a bet that he is a LFS owner. Not that that makes him a bad person nor uneducated in the ways of aquariums. But his aquarium, which he's representing to us as one of his best examples, is extremely basic and in fact way behind in technology. Be wary of what this guy is telling you"

This is a classic example of attacking the messenger rather than finding out what this product can and cannot do.
First; of many aquarium maintenance clients (usually businesses) still like the old style look for its simplicity and cost effectiveness (I know this for a FACT being in this business for 30 years).
Second; this has NO bearing on whether or not this machine works as advertised.
Third; the narrator in the video even states he is in the maintenance business, not a LFS owner
Forth; I have used this machine and compared to high bio load tanks with similar filtration and the nitrates were usually half that of those tested that the machine was not used for, NOT 50 -60 ppm as this really condescending person stated!!!

I will state that this machine is certainly not for everyone, but where results such as lower nitrates, more stable KH. alkalinity are observed in high bio load/DOC aquariums. This is often where this machine is at its best, and often this includes maintenance clients that often over feed and have basic "old style" aquariums as seen in this video.

Please see this page for further demonstration videos including the video flamed by this forum:
Aquarium Cleaning Machine Videos



Let me summarize by stating that I am not trying to make a hard sell for this machine, as it is not for everyone, although I can say from the experience of runnin a large aquarium maintenance company for 25 years (over 1000s aquariums maintained over the years) that the Aquarium cleaning Machine would easily be 100% excellent investment for at least 25% of aquarists (SW or FW and honestly more often FW).
However I am tired of all the anecdotal bs that floats around on the internet that is totally unsubstantiated by science, practical application in a controlled environment, or is simply trashing a concept, product, etc. that they do not understand.
For an honest, knowledgeable forum, I would recommend visiting “Everything Aquatic”