ADA Gallery Pictures * My Trip To Japan* Warning 56kers New PICS 2/18/05

[PJAN]

Amazing photo's! Thanks for sharing. It inspired me te get me a new tank, complete with a new design. When ready, I will share the pictures here.

One question : how tall (length, depth, height) are the regular tanks. Like the tanks in the back or your 'favorite'?
Perhaps you can give me an idea?
Thanks in advance.

PJAN

[Marc]

Originally Posted by PJAN

Amazing photo's! Thanks for sharing. It inspired me te get me a new tank, complete with a new design. When ready, I will share the pictures here.

One question : how tall (length, depth, height) are the regular tanks. Like the tanks in the back or your 'favorite'?
Perhaps you can give me an idea?
Thanks in advance.

PJAN

PJAN- i'll get the dimensions of the tanks when i get home from work. I have a catalog with a bit more detail, i'll see if its in there.

[Marc]

Originally Posted by wintermute

does anyone know of any information on the web regarding those little baby biotopes?

Here you go. Prices are in yen so move a decimal to places over to the left for USD.

[PJAN]

Thanks for looking it up. Maybe it canbe estimated by the size of the lamps?
We'll see.

Ordering the new tank next tuesday..
I own already a very big planted tank, so I will introduce myself soon in this forum.

PJAN

[wintermute]

Thanks Marc! now i have alot more to drool over. gotta love those really small lillies! must find a web forum about this stuff!

[Lou T.]

This thread makes me ill. I mean SERIOUSLY physically ill. I've lurked and watched it grow long enough that I can't help but register and state how revolted I am at the utter hypocrisy of you people. Anyone can aquascape a beautiful looking tank and have it look good for several days to a month at least. The fact that they are selling equipment that is a blatant rip off with prices that are at least 10 times the normal costs is reason enough to see it's plainly evident that their "gallery" is there to back it up.

They do a lot of things that are not only wrong but are also downright abusive to their animals. Over a foot of substrate on the tank bottom is going to mean that the slightest disturbance in any one of those tanks is going to release a crapload of hydrogen sulfide and other biological toxins.

Those "container water gardens" are deathtraps. I and many others have gone on a campaign in the states to stop the explosion of "container water garden" articles that have appeared in recent years. These things are toxic fish hellholes. Many of these articles actually tell people to seal a flower pot, paint it with lead based paint, fill it with water, throw in a lilypad, several goldfish, and a pinch of bio zyme, and they will have a beautiful container garden! In reality it turns into an algae-laden cesspool of organic waste within a couple weeks, the lilypad turns to mush, and the fish die a slow toxic death. Seeing that container garden catalog above sickens me because it perpetuates the idea of doing this. It CAN be done, but you need to follow exact steps, and install pumps, bubblers, CO2 injection, filters, and in short, ALL the SAME equipment that goes in an aquarium. The catalog above of course (like all the others) makes no mention of that.

Finally, I can't believe the attitude of people on this forum. Just because this "Marc" guy posts pretty pictures, all anyone can do is OOO and AAAH the pics. When ONE person here points out the fact that this outfit is charging exorbitant prices for equipment and fertilizers, EVERYONE jumps on him telling him it's all about the different culture, and no one should "question" how they do it, their techniques, etc.

Think about this seriously folks... would YOU buy a $1000 aquarium filter with no specs? What are you trying to say Scolley, that I should lay down $1000 and not question the why and how of it? How the hell am I supposed to hook it up based on tank size, scale, etc.? FOR GOD'S SAKE, THEY ARE SELLING THIS EQUIPMENT AS A BUSINESS!!!!

Meanwhile, in other threads, everyone all OOOs and AAAAHs they CHEAPEST equipment. Forget Kent Botanica, forget Seachem, forget Flora... it's all about Greg Watson's cheap bulk "Poor man plant" products, filling your eheim with polyester from a fabric store, etc. Yet here, just because the pictures are pretty, ADA is seen as awesome and their ridiculous prices are justified.

EVERYTHING YOU SEE IN THE ADA PICS CAN BE DONE WITH EQUIPMENT THAT COSTS AT LEAST 10 TIMES LESS THAN WHAT THEY ARE SELLING.

JUST BECAUSE THE ADA PICTURES LOOK PRETTY DOESN'T MEAN THERE AREN'T BIG ISSUES WITH THE SETUPS (HUGE LAYERS OF SUBSTRATE TRAPPING ORGANIC BY PRODUCTS)

SO CALLED "CONTAINER WATER GARDENS" ******WILL NOT WORK****** UNLESS THEY ARE INSTALLED EXACTLY LIKE AQUARIUMS.

Use your brain people. QUESTION things that are obviously way out of place and don't fit. ***REALLY*** QUESTION Marc's insistence that we only "OOH AND AAAH" the pictures rather than pointing out the BLATANTLY obvious issues.

I see people ripped off and fed misleading and misunderstood information in this hobby constantly. I encourage everyone to be skeptical, use their brains, and question methods and techniques. When someone says, "Don't question the user/company/culture because they posted pretty pictures," REALLY be skeptical and use your brain.

[wintermute]

Lou, I agree w/ you whole-heartedly, so let me caveat my oooohhhhing and aaaaahhhhing.

1) I would never spend money on ADA equipment. The mark-up for buying the brand name if just g-d ridiculous.

2) No matter what, you have to admit it's pretty

3) With those biotopes, I would NEVER put any type of animal into that type of situation. I just like the idea of having a potted plant set-up for emersed plants instead of terrestrial plants. for example, tell me a potted anubias nana planted in good soil in it's emersed form, maybe on a window sill, would not be cool. plus it wouldn't be abusive to the plant, as long as you re-pot as it gets bigger.

[Urkevitz]

Who says you have to keep goldfish or any fish in those container gardens?

Who cares about how much ADA charges? Don't buy from them.

I think everyone here is smart enough to know that you don't need ADA products for a successful tank.

[wintermute]

Originally Posted by Urkevitz

Who says you have to keep goldfish or any fish in those container gardens?

Who cares about how much ADA charges? Don't buy from them.

I think everyone here is smart enough to know that you don't need ADA products for a successful tank.

What he said!

[Jackfrost]

I think that everyone in this hobby agrees that Amano has brought much to the world of planted aquaria.

He is very talented and creative.

I own all his books, and they have provided me with lots of insight into aquascaping and the use of backgrounds and plants.

However, we must also agree that he is a very successful business man.

His clientèle is for the most part large corporations and very rich individuals that seek to have a "piece" of Amano in their environment. These are companies and people that for the most part don't care how much it costs, as long as it looks good and they can say at their next party that they own an Amano aquarium.

Most of his income is derived from that market. That is the market he caters too. Price and quality is adjusted and dictated by that market. Selling a handcrafted Amano return tube, (one that could be copied in China for pennies), for $10 would just appear "cheap" in that market. Put a price of $50 for it and all of a sudden "we got game" !

Presentation and Marketing is everything.

There is also a number of people, as in any hobby, that believe that owning an ADA product is a "must have". These are the folks that are on the outside of the mainstream business market. They are still a good income source for ADA but not their primary market.

These are the people that want to own an ADA product, for whatever reason.

Thats fine too... but question the fact that even though you are buying a quality product, you are paying a very high premium price.

Once again, that is because you are paying the price structure that was not designed for your/our end of the market.

Amano is a business man and a hobbyist. He has to be. His facilities in Japan and his product line requires him to do so.

So... if you MUST have that ADA product by all means go out and get it, we don't want your Karma upset. But please, don't try to rationalize your purchase. Impulse is impulse, and "must have" products at any cost are the dreams of Marketing departments worldwide.

And please, no more attacks on Amano and his product line. Accept him for what he is. A successfully Artist and a successful business man.

I would just settle for a trip to Japan to see his wonderful tanks up close. I think I would learn more from looking than buying.

Nick

[GDominy]

Okay lets steer the thread back on track, this thread is not here to discuss costs or the evils of water gardening, we are here to dicuss Marc's trip to ADA, so lets re-focus on that.

The arguing stops here or I will start editing non-relivent posts.

Marc, please continue to share your experience with us, this thread contains a lot of interesting stuff.

[Hypancistrus]

That's quite a rant Lou. Jeeeeez.

Sorry I opened the worm can.

Jackfrost, that's what I suspected... they are a service who does big companies and people who want a service-managed aquarium rather than a self-managed one. My take on them is they are the "rolex" of aquarium equipment.

Getting back to the pics, I wonder how long those tanks have been established?

[Steve Hampton]

Excellent pictures Marc. Thank you so much from all of us that only dream of being able to view the ADA Headquarters in person.

For those wishing to know more details of how Amano does it, you need to join the AGA and order the DVD from the 2004 AGA convention (he visited the US and was the key speaker). Amano details how he gets the inspiration, how he plans, plants, and maintains his aquariums. He also describes his use of metal halide lighting.

Thanks again Marc and please don't consider the lone loud voice of a complainer...we sincerely appreciate your efforts and time it took for you to unselfishly share.

[Marc]

Enjoy the pictures!
Someone asked for dimensions of his tanks. Im still looking...

[PJAN]

Originally Posted by Marc

Enjoy the pictures!
Someone asked for dimensions of his tanks. Im still looking...

Yep. I did.
I am going to replace my big tank (it's too big for my living room, see photo-gallery) for a smaller one. I like the dimensions of those ada-tanks. So that's why.

Gr. PJAN