I get increasingly concerned about the number of people with their own YouTube channel posing as your average amateur reefer reviewing equipment etc. Here is the uK we have at least 2 such fakers. By fakers. I am referring to those who obviously have been given equipment by a manufacturer or other and told what to say as if reviewing an item. Mostly these people only tell you what is already stated on the manufacturers web site.
These people don't do real reviews at all, no "I have had this piece of equipment for x months and this is what I think of it". No, what they do is an unboxing review and tell you how great it is even though they have not even put it in or on their aquarium. One of these fakers I know has hardly been in the hobby a year yet but puts himself up as some kind of expert. This guy only ever shows his tank in the background as his fish and corals all succumb to poor understanding and maintenance of their aquarium and many die at his hands. Another has had a major crash and lost most of the fish in the tank which was clearly overstocked but blamed a 4 hour power outage as the only reason.
Now many of us here know these people are being supported by manufacturers and even some shops to promote their goods and shop, however, newcomers to the hobby are being conned into thinking these despicable people are in some way more than a thin veneer and know what they are talking about. You can also see they are reading from an autocue of some sort with the blurb written out for them.
I am not suggesting this is a new thing after all we see it on TV adverts where people pretend to be Mr or Mrs average telling us how good something is while being paid to do so. However in this case we are talking keeping animals for which we have a responsibility and people being conned into thinking they need this or that item to have a successful aquarium, strange as they always review sorry unbox an expensive piece of equipment.
I am not however, confusing these people with the genuine reefers out there who do a good job of reviewing an item they bought or an advertisement from a manufacturer that is fair enough no pretense there. You may well have similar in the US and it's a growing cancer in the hobby it seems.
These people don't do real reviews at all, no "I have had this piece of equipment for x months and this is what I think of it". No, what they do is an unboxing review and tell you how great it is even though they have not even put it in or on their aquarium. One of these fakers I know has hardly been in the hobby a year yet but puts himself up as some kind of expert. This guy only ever shows his tank in the background as his fish and corals all succumb to poor understanding and maintenance of their aquarium and many die at his hands. Another has had a major crash and lost most of the fish in the tank which was clearly overstocked but blamed a 4 hour power outage as the only reason.
Now many of us here know these people are being supported by manufacturers and even some shops to promote their goods and shop, however, newcomers to the hobby are being conned into thinking these despicable people are in some way more than a thin veneer and know what they are talking about. You can also see they are reading from an autocue of some sort with the blurb written out for them.
I am not suggesting this is a new thing after all we see it on TV adverts where people pretend to be Mr or Mrs average telling us how good something is while being paid to do so. However in this case we are talking keeping animals for which we have a responsibility and people being conned into thinking they need this or that item to have a successful aquarium, strange as they always review sorry unbox an expensive piece of equipment.
I am not however, confusing these people with the genuine reefers out there who do a good job of reviewing an item they bought or an advertisement from a manufacturer that is fair enough no pretense there. You may well have similar in the US and it's a growing cancer in the hobby it seems.
