BRS and Neptune Merger

[Frags 2 Fishes]

To everyone saying they are just going to shop with another online store now, why not give your LFS a shot or shop with a small mom & pop online store?

 

[Ben Pedersen]

Yeah I still use some Neptune products and long term I worry where this is going to take Neptune. If you look at past Bertram investments, they invest and build then sell off to a larger company. Not sure where they are headed with BRS, towards Petco? PetSmart? Etc? But I assume this is the plan. But I don’t see that type of sale being good for Neptune in the long run, esp users who are tied to their Fusion servers. But short term this will give Neptune a bump but the long game I can’t clearly see.

A lot of Ryan’s visions too for Neptune seem out of touch. Unless you strip down their architecture and start from scratch, making any major software improvements on top of their current architecture isn’t easy. You can already see that from the issues Neptune had releasing the last 2 minor updates this year. Both required immediate fixes within the week since a handful of users saw bugs that they missed in alpha/beta testing.

Agreed on all points.. Seems like a CAN type network based on the scripting language and behavior. Very difficult to change to a more robust modern platform. Would require a new controller stack and software rewrite. Don't think they would sync that type of investment into an already successful product.

Also worried about long term support of the back end servers.. I have been using them for a long long long time and don't know what I would do without them.

I don't have time to build my own controller nor controller network. BRS... please don't make me have to!

 

[GillMeister]

To everyone saying they are just going to shop with another online store now, why not give your LFS a shot or shop with a small mom & pop online store?

YES!

 

[Jon Warner]

To everyone saying they are just going to shop with another online store now, why not give your LFS a shot or shop with a small mom & pop online store?

I feel for the LFS.

But there are big wholesalers/e-tailers purchasing items for 30+% LESS than the best price a LFS can buy it for.

I've been a store partner, visited 100's of stores on a professional basis... 95% of them don't have the cash to bring in a pallet of EcoTech, Red Sea or whatever...

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

Yeah I still use some Neptune products and long term I worry where this is going to take Neptune. If you look at past Bertram investments, they invest and build then sell off to a larger company. Not sure where they are headed with BRS, towards Petco? PetSmart? Etc? But I assume this is the plan. But I don’t see that type of sale being good for Neptune in the long run, esp users who are tied to their Fusion servers. But short term this will give Neptune a bump but the long game I can’t clearly see.

A lot of Ryan’s visions too for Neptune seem out of touch. Unless you strip down their architecture and start from scratch, making any major software improvements on top of their current architecture isn’t easy. You can already see that from the issues Neptune had releasing the last 2 minor updates this year. Both required immediate fixes within the week since a handful of users saw bugs that they missed in alpha/beta testing.

I’m now convinced that selling to petco is their long term goal. Petsmart doesn’t care about saltwater, and I doubt they’ll ever be large enough to go public. It’s either that or Ryan and team sold Bertram on a long-term vision on how to keep people in the hobby (and grow the company significantly).

 

[jacalhou]

When is Neptune going to embrace Alexa or Google? That's would make neptune so much better. Or even BRS getting an app not just a webpage.

BRS does have an app now. It launched almost 2 months ago I believe.

 

[Ldc3000]

I have shifted where my money goes:

BRS - glue, gfo, rodi stuff, carbon
Saltwateraquarium - salt, trident reagents, ICP, selcon, nori.
Aquarium specialty- Kz products
LA - frozen foods

For any bigger purchases I'll flip a coin lol.

Exactly! I’m not a loyalist to anyone company. I go to where I can get the best deal, who has the product I need, and who can get it to me fastest. In most cases it’s aquarium speciality and premium aquatic. Like you I shop certain stores for certain items.

 

[Strat1960s]

Just announced!!!
Terence and Ryan said it's a merger.

Trident 2?? Why not get the Trident 1 working 100% consistently before adding to the mess??

 

[DaneGer21]

Trident 2?? Why not get the Trident 1 working 100% consistently before adding to the mess??

More sales!

 

[GillMeister]

Let's look at this as a positive. Ryan has always pushed his suppliers to make better products and he now has a greater say in how Neptune's products should function. I see good things happening.

Fingers are tightly crossed.

 

[Kurtz]

Just announced!!!
Terence and Ryan said it's a merger.

I love BRS. I think it's a great move and I hope it allows them to continue to push innovation in the saltwater hobby. They are critical thinkers and I hope this gives them a vehicle to make the products that will help reefers the most.

 

[JeffB418]

Let's look at this as a positive. Ryan has always pushed his suppliers to make better products and he now has a greater say in how Neptune's products should function. I see good things happening.

Fingers are tightly crossed.

This didn’t work tho with the vertex cerebra tho

 

[Chrisv.]

To everyone saying they are just going to shop with another online store now, why not give your LFS a shot or shop with a small mom & pop online store?

I was stunned to see that my LFS has substantially cheaper prices on some dry goods.

 

[Jpconer]

I'm waiting for BRS lifts ban on Hawaiian fish!!!

 

[Chrisv.]

If you're considerimg a controller there is no disputing Neptune Apex is the dominant player today. But if you've waited this long, it may be worth holding out a little longer. Will be interesting to see how all this shakes out. Others have expressed the same sentiment in this thread. I have to imagine Coralvue Hydros, eKoral and ProfLux have been fielding calls from best of breed manufacturers like AI, Ecotech, Kessil, Red Sea, Reef Octo just to name a few not pleased by this announcent and looking at partnership opportunities of their own. The Coralvue Hydros, eKoral/ProfLux rebuttal could get interesting. Who knows, there could also be mutany among other Neptune retail partners.

Me personally, I have embraced Alkatronic and Dosetronic for testing and dosing Triton method. Just ordered my Mastertronic and second Dosetronic the other day. Both have strong gloud integrations to Hydros. The upcoming introduction of 8-port power bars will have me thinking hard about Hydros. Especially if I have another mysterious head or energy bar failure and poor suppirt experience. The allure of controlling my lighting, roller fleece, skimmer, etc based upon measured nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, ph readings is interesting.

Oh I'm on my third controller (started with the Neptune aqua controller 3) and currently running a first gen apex. I am not in the market in the immediate term, but I will be eventually. My current controller is feeling a bit clunky.

I just ask because I hear very little about non-neptune products. I'm glad they have improved in the last decade.

 

[rtparty]

Well, here we go again. Another thread loaded with misinformation

 

[cprice]

Wow. Hope that interest rate from Bertram is low! Go BRS!

It wasn’t a loan lol, they sold equity to Bertram. No interest at all.

 

[huejahsole]

Just announced!!!
Terence and Ryan said it's a merger.

 

[huejahsole]

It wasn’t a loan lol, they sold equity to Bertram. No interest at all.

Echo tech marine all the way!

 

[King_Acidic]

To everyone saying they are just going to shop with another online store now, why not give your LFS a shot or shop with a small mom & pop online store?

Because if the LFS is anything like the one that's easiest for me to get to(1:45 to Jersey or Upstate NY. Traffic upstate is less mental judo.), BRS is their wholesale distributor.