- Joined
- May 13, 2009
- Messages
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Well since I'm a newbie, My wife and I were excited to see that our new favorite garden center was having a free seminar for new pond owners this past friday. I had out of town guests (my mother and her cousin) so we dragged them along. I already had it in the back of my head that it was going to be a lot of "use this product and use that product stuff." I also assumed that i'd be laughed at for building a skippy filter. (because it's not something sold by the major manufacturers)
Anyhow, here's how it went. . .
Turns out that the guy giving the seminar (name escapes me) is one of the largest distributors of pond products. Looked like his biggest brands were Laguna and Pondmaster. He DID push pressurized biofilters and UV lights, but I was very surprised at how little he was pushing specific products. His main message throughout the whole thing was "buy the right product FIRST," "Try not to use chemicals," and "keep your receipts!"
He also talked a LOT about how at least 80% of his business deals with chemicals and additives. He said that people have this obsession with buying fixes in a bottle, but refuse to pay for the right filter to begin with to avoid all of that. His bottom line was that the most important additives are bacteria and salt.
I came out of there a happy guy. He stood there for over an hour and a half and confirmed pretty much everything i've been reading on this site and others. I also answered one of his trivia questions right and got a free laguna pond net. my mother answered one and got $200 laguna LED pond lights! Not to mention 15% all pond stuff in the store for anyone who went to the seminar. So it was a good night!
-James
Anyhow, here's how it went. . .
Turns out that the guy giving the seminar (name escapes me) is one of the largest distributors of pond products. Looked like his biggest brands were Laguna and Pondmaster. He DID push pressurized biofilters and UV lights, but I was very surprised at how little he was pushing specific products. His main message throughout the whole thing was "buy the right product FIRST," "Try not to use chemicals," and "keep your receipts!"
He also talked a LOT about how at least 80% of his business deals with chemicals and additives. He said that people have this obsession with buying fixes in a bottle, but refuse to pay for the right filter to begin with to avoid all of that. His bottom line was that the most important additives are bacteria and salt.
I came out of there a happy guy. He stood there for over an hour and a half and confirmed pretty much everything i've been reading on this site and others. I also answered one of his trivia questions right and got a free laguna pond net. my mother answered one and got $200 laguna LED pond lights! Not to mention 15% all pond stuff in the store for anyone who went to the seminar. So it was a good night!
-James
