Alternative Vendors to BRS!

[3429810]

I hate to break it to everyone but before Bertram brs still cared about profits. They are a business lol everyone is acting like they were this holy entity and now they have been tainted by wanting to make profits. Do hedge funds do ****** stuff? Yup. Do all of them? Nope. Also people need to realize this salt water aquariums are a tiny niche in the aquarium hobby and reef tanks are a niche inside that. We might be talking about 1% of all fish tanks are reefs tanks. Then how many of those reed tanks are running the high end products brs is acquiring? They just don’t have a big enough market to make enough money to really push innovation quickly. Any easy way to get around that problem is to bring in outside investment which is a common practice and exactly what is being done here.

another thing is I have seen people complaining about how prices have risen since Bertram came on. You know what else has been rising out of control since Bertram came on? Inflation and shipping costs. Try and find any industry who’s prices haven’t gone up by 5+% in the last year or less especially one that relies on so much stuff being shipped. It really just seems like a lot of the hate comes down to the classic hating on the rich for no reason and a lack off business/economics knowledge. I’m Canadian so this doesn’t affect me directly but I really don’t get the hate and im gonna hold out judgment until I actually see cause for alarm. I may be completely wrong after looking into Bertram after I post this but I haven’t seen a single person mention anything about their previous track record.

 

[3429810]

I use SWA, Premium Aquatics and CoralVue. I only order from BRS when it’s an item no one else has which is mostly plumbing. I don’t think what they did was good for the hobby and I think there videos are designed to push products they want to sell. And unfortunately, now that they have a stake in the products they test, they cannot be trusted. It’s a major conflict of interest. Also, I despise what they did with their Reef Pack. Pushing product through “influencers” that many didn’t use preciously, it is just shady. But that’s just my 2 cents that no one should care about.

It is a possible conflict of interest but in the past they have flat out said not to buy stuff or not to replace as often. I think t5 bulbs were a big one and that would have hurt their sales. Ryan regularly gives negative opinions on products they stock to. If it was anyone else but him I would agree with you but he seems to be a genuinely honest guy. Now if Ryan and randy leave at some point I think that is a really, really bad sign of things to come.

 

[RMS18]

I've been using Saltwateraquarium, since they are located in PA and I'm in NJ shipping is 2 days at most. I also use aquariumspecialty at times. I use BRS also but I think it's important to spread the love... Vote with your dollar.

 

[jerl77]

saltwaterAquarium here until brs buys them out i used brs for years there customer servive went down hill so saltwateraquarium is my place....

 

[Pfleghaar]

Saltwater aquarium is my personal preference. Family ran ,Free shipping Great service

 

[Bj’s Reef]

I know this is an old thread, however I have enjoyed doing business with Aquarium Speciality. The customer service is great. They also carry the same products as BRS. However the big difference is , if you have an issue or question. You will often talk with the owner of Aquarium Speciality. They are the right company if you enjoy good personal service along with great products. I just wanted to mention this as we see how things are changing with BRS. So please give them a chance to earn your business.

 

[Richard baker]

So…with all that is going on with BRS, and for those of us who may be seeking alternative vendors to do business with, I thought this would be a good opportunity to list what company/companies you prefer to conduct business with so that we can all be in the know.

Currently my two go to vendors are saltwateraquariums.com (I LOVE the free shipping on everything) and aquacave (I’ve had really good experience with them). I am trying to limit shopping at BRS only to things that the others don’t carry (certain plumbing parts). I just don’t care for all the “corporate” changes.

I agree completely with this and I also stopped shopping at brs for anything other then supplements, SaltwaterAquarium and aqua cave I have used a lot over the years also and I have extremely good experiences with both ,

 

[Casual_reefkeeping]

Since this thread was revived, I just want to add melevsreef. Marc doesn't have a massive selection but he carries a lot of the big stuff and good variety, so I try to buy from him whenever he has what I need. Otherwise I'm a big fan of Saltwater Aquarium. For those who don't know, they offer a first responder/military/civil service discount on non strict map brands which is also nice.

 

[Richard baker]

Since this thread was revived, I just want to add melevsreef. Marc doesn't have a massive selection but he carries a lot of the big stuff and good variety, so I try to buy from him whenever he has what I need. Otherwise I'm a big fan of Saltwater Aquarium. For those who don't know, they offer a first responder/military/civil service discount on non strict map brands which is also nice.

I have recently started using him also and I truly enjoy his videos . And if he has something I need I try to get it from him I believe he is a honest guy trying to offer a service that his customers truly appreciate and trust

 

[MartinM]

Another suggestion would be premium aquatics. They've been around a while and I've never had any issues with them whatsoever.

I don’t have anything against BRS (they’re the largest for a reason) but BRS doesn’t ship out of the USA either so I use PA now that Marine Depot is no more

 

[jerl77]

I was a die hard brs buyer but there customer service when down the tube 2 years ago.
Bought a 800 light for my tank was told I have to send it to ati to get repaired….
Have not been back since
Saltwater aquarium is my guy now
Plus I get it in 2 days
Where brs was 2 weeks about.

 

[WVNed]

I’ve seen what the corporate suits have done to other industries , including mine (healthcare) and it’s disgusting. So maybe this is a small way of sticking it to the man!

I don't have much interest in people that feel they need to "stick it to someone" for no better reason that their own uninformed opinion. Punish the successful seems a pretty silly way to make choices to me.

If you dont wish to do business with someone then dont.