ADG Install at Picasso Exotics!

[Shango]

We just posted a great new video from ADG/ADA-US of a series of installs at Picasso Exotic Aquatics in Leawood, Kansas. They installed some freshwater and marine show tanks for them. The video, as usual from ADG, is incredibly well produced. We invite you to check it out. There are some surprises...like plastic plants!

http://www.tankgeek.com/2010/12/30/a...casso-exotics/

[chad320]

Whats up with the plastic in both tanks? This is borderline clown puke gravel with a castle if you asked me.

[EKLiu]

That fake coral looks nasty. They probably use fake stuff so they don't have to maintain as much stuff.

[tuffgong]

Wow, those scapes are awful with all that plastic. It's not a good thing when the best part of the scape is the equipment.

[Cottagewitch]

This company is opening a "high end aquarium shop" and they had to hire someone else to set things up and give them lessons?

[antbug]

Originally Posted by chad320

Whats up with the plastic in both tanks? This is borderline clown puke gravel with a castle if you asked me.

Originally Posted by EKLiu

That fake coral looks nasty. They probably use fake stuff so they don't have to maintain as much stuff.

Ouch!

[fishykid1]

Nothing live? No live corals or plants? Well, that wouldn't be the case if I had something to do with it :P
I would at least have one tank with live plants. Fake, plastic doesn't move like a living organism. Or feel

[Lance Uppercut]

Lots of nice gear in there, must've cost a pretty penny to set that place up. Hopefully the economy in their area can support a higher end store of that nature.

[EKLiu]

I would imagine that many of their customers would want minimal maintenance, so the need to set up tanks with fake plants and coral. Hopefully they will have some beautiful planted tanks as well.

[BradH]

That store looks like it's going to be super nice! Looks like they spent a LOT of money on it. As for the fake plants and corals.... I think real would have been better, but maybe they can replace the fake with the real stuff later on when they get things rolling.

[Francis Xavier]

It takes a lot of expertise, as all of you know, to properly do an inspiring planted aquarium and a lot of long-term maintenance. For example - it takes more maintenance to keep the 60-P display perfect at ADG than it does to keep a 300 gallon hardscape only discus aquarium perfect in the same space - I'm talking like 30 minutes every two weeks to keep the 300 gallon tank perfect and at the very minimum spending one to two hours a week keeping the 17.7 planted aquarium perfect. The same goes for coral.

Since we aren't local to Kansas City (and thus aren't the people who will be maintaining the aquarium layouts), we provided something that was functional, easy to maintain and inspirational that could be kept up pristinely by the owners.

We could have set up one of the best planted or reef aquarium layouts in the world for them - but it would have amounted to nothing but wasted revenue within a month. The alternative provides instant impact and longevity. It's not like these are petsmart plastic plants, and it's a pretty far cry from anything clown-puke gravel related. In this case it was a simple act of fulfilling the clients needs and requests.

[Cuchulainn]

As for the fake plants and corals.... I think real would have been better, but maybe they can replace the fake with the real stuff later on when they get things rolling. Quote~

I really hope this is the plan, because otherwise Eww. I would rather see an air driven scuba diver in a show tank then that....stuff
Not a great way to promote the tanks or the new lfs imho

I suppose it makes good business sense to offer the low maintenance approach as well, but why would you want that in your front display windows turning a beautiful high end lfs into a dollar store front.

I do of course LOVE the driftwood pieces that were chosen

[RipariumGuy]

Question for you Mr. Wazeter. Where do you get the fake plants? Yet again, some great tank builds from you guys. I especially like the half moon paludarium setup. Very cool.

[Francis Xavier]

Hey Jake, we have them custom crafted - if you are interested in some particular size and shapes then we can get a custom invoice for you for them.

[TLE041]

I couldn't get the fake plants out of my head after seeing that video. For a premium shop like this, using exclusively fake plants and corals is inexcusable. Shops like these are supposed to serve as inspiration and a launch pad for new hobbyists, but when all the display tanks are filled with nothing but fakes, the customer might as well go to Petsmart. If the shop owner specifically requested fakes because they're low maintenance, clearly dedicating adequate time for upkeep isn't a priority for them. I can picture all those fake plants being covered in algae in a few months. Might as well get plastic fishes while they're at it.

I laughed when I saw the guy set up all that expensive equipment for the saltwater tank filled with a ton of "high-end" fake corals.

-1 for ADG. That's just embarrassing.