# aquariumplants.com



## Heavy G

*What happened to post*

Hello

What happened to all of the post that were a part of this post before it was moved?

Heavy G


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## Bri

I've placed many with them, without any issues


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## boasist

I'm a little upset right now at the care (or lack thereof) this site has put forth.

I placed an order @ 7am tuesday morning. It was for the "best" regulator and a sms122 ph probe replacement. Both items were noted as "in stock". The regulator had been marked usually ships in 24-48 hours.

Immediately on thier online tracking my order goes in to pending status. THis apparently means that my order is in the final stages of shipping or has already been shipped.

Tuesday passes....wednesday passes, thursday passes. Still not a drop of communication. I called them on Thursday afternoon, the phone just rang, nobody ever picked up. I called them on friday afternoon, I get an answer, and I ask about the status of my order. The attendant who answered the phone had mentioned that the order had just finished packing and was scheduled to be picked up by UPS today.

I made the question...what was the reason for the delay on this order?

I was told that the milwaukee part needed to come in (meaning it wasn't in stock as advertised upon ordering). OK, I said I simply made the mention that it would have been nice to have some more detailed notification on this.

I.E. - Dear - - - -
Thank you for your order, the part requested is not in stock at this time. Please let us know how you would like to proceed.

Something along those lines would have been nice, at best, the regulator could have been shipped first. Then the probe upon arrival.

It is now friday evening, I'm quite sure most employees there are gone for the evening, and still no email like I was told to expect with the tracking info.



I will update further if anything else happens. I just felt it worthwhile to post my experience with them here as they are often talked about. A note of caution to perhaps call first to check on availability if the part is critical for you.

EDIT - Well friday, and the rest of the weekend came and went with no email. I called them up on monday...then I was told yes the order had just went out, expect the email tonight. Sure enough, the email came through that night, the items had just been dropped off. 

6 DAYS to ship this product - 1 of them was thier pride and joy, the other a spare part.

Both marked as in stock, still 6 days to get it out the door.


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## Homer_Simpson

:thumbsdow

I would strongly advise anyone against dealing with aquariumplants. They appear to talk the talk but don't walk the walk. A month after placing my order I did not hear anything and the order status as verified on-line indicated that the order was still pending. There was no responses to any of my E-Mails and they began blocking my E-Mail so that my message would bounce(that's a real good customer service, not!!!) when a courteous response would suffice. After several failed(the phone would ring about 10 times and then a message would play indicating "the party that you are attempting to contact is not available") attempts to contact them by phone, I finally got through. The attendant who answered appeared confused as to what was happeing with my order and put me through to someone else. The guy said that the order was not filled and falsely stated that their web site indicates that orders placed in early June 2007 would be shipped in July 2007. Their Web site indicates nothing of the sort. The following is a direct quote from their website.
"Updated on June 7/2007: Canadian orders delayed ...will ship from Winnepeg on June 7th. ?(This delay is due to transport company delay...thank you for your understanding and patience with the delay)"
"June 5th (delivery delay: all canadian (live plant) orders will reach the customers on friday June 8th"

Hell, I live in Winnipeg and my order was placed on June 6 2007!! 

Well first week of July 2007 online order status still shows pending. Again, no response to my E-Mails and phone rings afer 10 times only to be followed by a message: "the party that you are attempting to call is not available." It seems they don't even have the courteousy or don't even care enough about customer service to put on a decent answering machine message. 

I am now at the point, where I will likely have to go through the Pay Pal on-line dispute resolution process and escalate this to a claim to try and get my money back for goods not received. 

I was planning to do a lot of business with this company, including ordering expensive C02 tanks and C02 regulators, but this experience and especially their lack of a simple couteous "honest" response has soured me to the point, where I will no longer deal with them.


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## snafu

if there's an issue, why not bring it up with the bbb? ranting about it on a forum will do little to change business practices. i've been pretty happy with them, although, like with many other's experiences, there's a delay in shipping with little feedback. i guess it's a price you pay for decent prices.


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## Homer_Simpson

snafu said:


> if there's an issue, why not bring it up with the bbb?


Given that the company is located in the U.S. and I am located in Canada, the BBB in Canada would beable to do little.



snafu said:


> ranting about it on a forum will do little to change business practices...


Perhaps, but bad publicity, especially coming from multiple purchasers does not make a company look good, especially when it's mission statement is: 

"We sincerely do want to hear from you[okay then why dodge E-Mails and phone calls], our valued customers...your purchasing experience is guaranteed to be a pleasant one[but through their lack of responses, they make it a frustrating experience]
If you have a problem with anything or you are not satisfied in any way, we will take care of the problem and do whatever it takes
to ensure that you are pleased enough with our company to do business with us over and over again...that's our promise and our commitment."[okay live up to your promise and give me the courteousy of a simple response]

"We will EARN your business, and we will do anything and everything[all I am asking for is a simple courteous response, nothing more and nothing less] it takes to keep you as a satisfied return customer...Thank You."[by your actions it does not seem, you are really interested in keeping me as a repeat customer]:icon_roll 

It is not so much about business practices as it is about honouring a mission statement and courteously responding to a customer to resolve an issue. I guess this is a situation where actions speak louder than words.


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## briandmiles

I experienced a similar delay. I ordered some lighting parts and 6 days later I called to see why they had not shipped. I did get someone and they, after much conversation in the background, said "it's on the loading dock right now and it will go out today." This was a Wednesday and they claimed I would have it by Friday. Knowing that it was going UPS I figured it wouldn't arrive until Monday and it didn't. When I opened up the package everything looked good until I pulled out the 6500k Geismann T5 54w bulbs and there was a discrepancy. The packaging and the bulb both claimed that it was a 6000K bulb. 
I called the company and informed them of the problem. The first response was that I couldn't possibly have gotten a 6000K bulb because they don't sell them. I assured them that they did send me a 6000k bulb because I was looking at the package and the bulb and they were both clearly marked "6000k" and then I asked if he would like me to send a picture. The next "fix" for the problem was to assure me that I couldn't tell the difference between 6000k and 6500k and I assured him that I could because I can tell the difference between 9325k and 10000k and I seriously doubted that 175k would make the difference unnoticeable. Then he looked at his stock and noticed that all of the bulbs that they were selling were in fact 6000k bulbs and that this was the first time anyone had ever said anything about it. 
Next I was told that the situation would be looked into and that they would get back to me. I asked when and they said as soon as possible. So I asked if that meant today (being Friday and almost 5pm their time) or Saturday or Monday. He said he would contact his supplier and get back as soon as possible. To their credit he did call me back that night after their usual business hours and informed me that Giesemann didn't make a 6500k and that they had been misordering from their supplier. He offered to let me have the weekend to decide whether or not to return the bulbs, and further assured me that they would change their website to reflect what they were actually selling. I decided to keep the bulbs because I'd have to pay for someone else to ship me new bulbs but they still haven't fixed the website and this was nearly 3 weeks ago. Here's the link and at the time of this post it still said 6500K.

http://www.aquariumplants.com/48_F54_T5_6500K_54_watt_HO_Daylight_Bulb_p/sls-53130.htm

Note the very ironic statement on the page.

The "GIESEMANN LICHTTECHINIK" brand "German made" bulbs are the ONLY bulbs that we trust that the Kelvin rating is correct and and as advertised. You can buy cheaper bulbs, but we have found that they are NOT the kelvin rating as advertised by the manufacturer.

Anyway that was my experience. Not the worst customer service I've ever had but by far not the best either.

Brian


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## Naja002

Homer_Simpson said:


> Perhaps, but bad publicity, especially coming from multiple purchasers does not make a company look good, ....


Correct, and I agree. I purchased from them 1x about 16 months ago and everything went fine--except my single request to label the plants by group went unheeded: No big deal at all.

But since then, I have come across quite a few complaints. I have considered buying from them again, but with the complaints and the fact that they no longer offer Priority shipping--I just keep coming back to SNS. Shipping is 2nd Day (not guaranteed) or Overnight. Sorry, but I'm just not going to pay those rates and take the chance of the aggravation that others have dealt with--Unless there's a Really, Really, Good Reason!

The complaints have done a Good job of keeping me away. Combined with the increased shipping costs--its a No-Brainer.....:tongue:


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## Boz

I'm wondering if they changed ownership? I've not dealt with them in almost a year, but prior to that I'd placed several orders and was always completely satisfied. I did have one mishap with an order in which they sent the wrong plant, so I gave them a call, got through on the first try, and they sent the correct plant FOC. 

I've recommended them to so many people. I'd feel awful if those folks were having these same issues as well. Hope you all get things straightened out to your satisfaction.


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## Homer_Simpson

For the record, I am not unreasonable. Case in point, there are many times that I ordered items through EBay, only to find that I did not receive them in a timely manner. A quick message/E-mail to the seller and a prompt response by the seller quickly resolved the issue. 9 out of 10 times the delay was due to the shipper/post office not delivering in a timely manner. I still gave the seller a 100% feedback rating and continued to do business with him/her, simply because s/he was courteous enough to respond.

I know that aquarium plants is a sponsor on this forum and I posted in the hopes that aquarium plants customer service representative who may be frequenting this forum would see this and attempt to address these issues even in a general way.

If someone from Aquariumplants is reading this, I urge you to talk to management about some of the issues being raised. Update your website, so there is not an inconsistency between what you tell your customers and what they read, respond to E-Mails(I know you are quite busy, but it only takes seconds to type a one line response and hit the reply button). I think that you would agree that this only makes good business sense. I am still prepared to reconsider doing business with you in the future, but the ball is really in your court as to how you address/don't address my concerns. Thank you.


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## OverStocked

They are located about 10 miles from me and I've always had great success. They let me pick up locally and didn't even charge the 10 dollar fee when I got there.


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## jake

I've had the same experiences with this company. I ordered several things from them in the past and can narrow down where satisfaction turned into total dissatisfaction. I have to say that Opiesilver was their best asset, in my opinion, and I can't see ever dealing with them again unless he were to resume his previous duties. Happy, happy, happy, happy, Opiesilver gone, order is lost, nobody answers phone, where the heck is my order.


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## D.gilly

I also have had problems contacting them I left messages by phone and email with no reply finally i got through and was able to place my order! Earlier this year I received a full co2 setup as a gift from my parents everything was fine until Friday I noticed the solenoid was off, yet a bubble would come through every 10 - 15 seconds (so much for failsafe). I tried turning it on and off again a few times no luck fixing it though. I called maybe 6 times before I got through (its long distance from here mind you) and the lady I talked to had no idea what to do so she put me onto one of the warehouse guys. He said this problem occurred every once and a while a little bit of rust builds up inside the plunger and it doesn’t fully close. He said its no problem just pull it open and unscrew the 4 tiny screws and clean off the plunger he claimed a 10 year old could take it apart and not to worry then he said just make sure you use the right screw bit ok. Seems straight foreword enough. I open it up get it off and look at the screws there a 6 point star type (torque I think) with a flat head through it. So I look through the toolbox no such luck finding a torque that wold fit. So I called up a friend and they brought their set they had 6 different size torque’s and the smallest one was just off by like 0.3 millimeters or like 1/32 of an inch. Well I doubt I’m going to get one any smaller ones, so I look for a flat head to use I find one and the first screw comes off no problem. The next 3 I have no such luck with and they get stripped I’m like great this is going to be great waiting for a replacement my discus are going to love a pH of 7.8. So I call back and tell him what happened he says oh you've voided your warranty I said how could I you advised me to do it! He replied oh I told you to use the right bit I said I did I got one of the screws off besides it was broken already. He told me I could send in 50 bucks for a replacement! Yeah right I hope they don’t try to weasel their way out of a replacement if my freaking 200-dollar plant order gets messed up i just hope it doesen't ive already had enough problems! I’m never dealing with them again so much for We will EARN your business, and we will do anything and everything it takes to keep you as a satisfied return customer...Thank You. Maybe you should revise your mission statement and talk to your staff about advising people to do something that will void their warranty!


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## Left C

I sent them a PM on one of the forums several years ago that they were listing the two Carib-Sea substrates for African cichlids as Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate for African Cichlids (Coarse Grade and Fine Grade). I told them that these substrates are not for planted tanks. They are for African Ciclids tanks. Carib-Sea is calling them Eco-Complete because they come packaged in water with some bacteria in them similar to what is used in the planted substrate.

Opiesiver replied that they were indeed for planted tanks and that's what Carib-Sea told him when they were getting started carrying the Eco-Complete line.

Well, you can see from the hyperlink above that they are still advertising them for planted tanks. It's their Item #'s Eco 718 and Eco 732. Here's what is advertised on Carib-Sea's site about these African cichlid substrates. They are product #'s 00772 and 00773. There's no mention that they are for planted aquariums.

Stuff like this makes me wonder about them.


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## mahamotorworks

When I was setting up my 29G tank to go planted with it I ordered 2 bags of Eco-Complete from them. I got the 3 day Fed Ex Shipping. Nothing showed up in a week so I called them. They told me that Carib-sea was shipping it for them. I let another week pass and still no substrate. Well long story short it was 5 weeks and close to 20 phone calls before they gave my Carib-seas phone number so I could call them and find out what was going on. When I called Carib-sea they had no idea what I was talking about. It was almost 7 weeks after I ordered my substrate before it arrived. 

MAHA


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## Homer_Simpson

:eek5: :icon_cry:  

Looks like I am really screwed(over a $100 in plants ordered). When I posted this, I was expecting that my experience was an isolated incidence and an exception to the norm. Given the feedback I am seeing, it doesn't look that way. Perhaps, I should have posted about what peoples' experiences were with them before placing such a large order.


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## heavyD

*Experience*

I have been fortunate that all of my transactions over about a 3 year span have gone off without a glitch with the exception of a minor delay once or twice. I have purchased all of my CO2 equipment from them, hundreds of dollars in plant orders, books, ferts, etc. I have followed up every order I have placed with them over the internet with a phone call to confirm receipt of my order, what's available to ship, when to expect delivery, etc. I certainly see the irony in placing an order over the web, then dialing them up to re-confirm........... 

On the other hand, I can remember a period of time where the feedback for these guys over at APC was just like this, no follow up, no confirmation, delayed orders, just poor customer service overall. This went on for months and I'm not sure where it stands today. 

I placed an order last week, Monday I think, requesting UPS 2-day air delivery. It was a small order, 5-6 potted plants, and I haven't heard or recieved anything as of tonight. It is really too bad to see because they have a very large selection of planted tank products, plants, pond plants, etc. and there are not that many companies out there with this kind of focus primarily for the planted aquarium market. Good luck to the rest of you who are waiting for pending orders........ 

D.


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## frozenbarb

, Great thread, Shows alot of people what they should be Aware of.Like a Little Review
HeavyD i hope you get your potted Plants

And Maha Your Eco

Dgilly, Those are the people, That you just wanna kNock them on the head with a shovel


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## D.gilly

tell me about it it's too bad when someone makes a carless decision that loses a customer and gives them bad rep. I mean he could have at least warned me if i stripped it i pay for it but he advised me to do it he didint even give me the option of sending it in oh well there goes future plant orders equipemt orders and refferals to friends in the hobby.


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## snafu

i'm curious if you received anything about the warranty in your package and what did it say? their website say "unrivaled (bumper to bumper) 3 year FULL warranty!". with something like that, i wouldn't mess with it at all and have them send a new unit out. but, if THEY told you to open it up and it gets honked up in the process, seems like the issue is still unresolved and they should be doing something about it, namely sending you a replacement solenoid for free.

let me quote the words on their webpage... "We will EARN your business, and we will do anything and everything it takes to keep you as a satisfied return customer...Thank You." hehe

-snafu


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## boasist

wow, this thread has really taken off since I posted my experience.

Another rant on my order, the day my order finally arrived I checked thier website again and those same parts are offered with free shipping....arghh!!!


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## D.gilly

yeah im probabily going to call again and try to get this resolved but the guy was pretty dam sure it wasint his fault when i was argueing with him.


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## MysticalMan

I agree they need to have better follow up. I just placed an order for a new light and a bunch of plants. Everything showed in stock but when I drove down to pick everything up I found out that they were out of the light and didn't know it.

I think better inventory management and communications would make all of the issue they have go away.

Other then no communication I have never had a problem with ordering plants, this is the first time I ordered equipment and have had similar issue's as everyone else.


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## D.gilly

ok well they have done the right thing for me they promised a replacement is going to be shipped out with my plant order but never the less i just came home this week ( i was at my cottage and could still be ) for nothing now i have to sit in the big smog (toronto) for 2 weeks so im not in the best of moods also im going to have to pay to ship my broken regulator back to them and i payed like 20 bucks long distance so lets hope all goes well besides nothings done till i have my new regulator and plants. Im hoping for the best also i hope all of you with pending orders and problimatic orders bet of luck solving the problem. I know that unless my order comes through smoothly im not going to continue doing buisness with them.


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## Homer_Simpson

They finally replied, but it took a fax to them for them to finally respond. :icon_roll They told me that as they were unable to ship my plant order with the June 2007 shipment, they would ship my plant order with the July shipment that is supposed to ship this week. 

 Pardon my cynasism, but with everything that has transpired so far, I will believe it when I receive my order, all the plants are accounted for, and healthy. Until then, I will keep my fingers crossed.


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## heavyD

*Pending Orders.................*

I placed my order on July 3rd, paid for 2-day UPS air delivery. I posted earlier in the thread that I had not recieved anything over the weekend, and so I called yesterday (Monday) morning and the voice on the other end looked up my order and let me know that, oh yeah, last week was a mess for them with the holiday hitting in the middle of the week and as such all of their overnight, 2 day order requests were delayed.....? They are now shipping on Wednesday of this week for Friday arrival. That doesn't cut it in the real world, so why would this retailer think I would just say, gee, sorry you guys had such a busy week and all. Too bad it screwed up my order. What is more baffling is the lack of communication. That would have made a world of difference, a simple email of what to expect and why. How hard is that?


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## Homer_Simpson

heavyD said:


> ... a simple email of what to expect and why. How hard is that?


It seems they don't like sending E-Mails let alone receiving E-mail Inquiries. Prior to getting clarification from them after faxing them. This is what happened when I tried to E-Mail them to confirm the status of my order and why it was delayed.

"Delivery Notification: Delivery has timed out and failed" - okay so everyone experiences E-Mail server issues. What's the big deal. The following results of automated E-Mail attempts is the problem. Pay close attention to the term referencing abuse. By the way, I did not repeatedly E-Mail them. This was automatically done. I only sent one E-Mail. Since when does a customer E-Mail inquiry about an order become abuse???

Delivery attempt history for your mail:

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 23:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
[email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
<[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
* Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 15:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
[email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
<[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
* Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 07:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
[email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
<[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
*Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 23:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
[email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
<[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
*Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 15:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
[email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
<[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
* Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 07:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
[email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
<[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
* Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 23:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
[email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
<[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
*Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
[email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
<[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
* Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 07:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
[email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
<[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
* Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 23:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
[email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
<[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
*Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 19:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
[email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
<[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
* Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 15:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
[email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
<[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
*Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 11:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
[email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
<[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
* Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 09:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
[email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
<[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
*Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 07:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
[email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
<[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
*Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 06:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
[email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
<[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
*Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*


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## Homer_Simpson

*Good News*

Regardless of the comments previously posted by me about aquariumplants, I do believe in giving people second chances. I placed another order for plants today and much to my surprise that all the orders that I had previously placed including the one today had shipped. I trust that the plants will be received all healthy and accounted for. I guess I will have to wait and see. But I have to respect the fact that they took the biggest step of all and that is ship my orders and for that I am thankful. This is a major step to regaining my confidence and future business. 

Thanks aquariumplants, I am willing to let bygones be bygones and am willing to forgive and forget and start fresh.


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## jgb77

Homer_Simpson said:


> It seems they don't like sending E-Mails let alone receiving E-mail Inquiries. Prior to getting clarification from them after faxing them. This is what happened when I tried to E-Mail them to confirm the status of my order and why it was delayed.
> 
> "Delivery Notification: Delivery has timed out and failed" - okay so everyone experiences E-Mail server issues. What's the big deal. The following results of automated E-Mail attempts is the problem. Pay close attention to the term referencing abuse. By the way, I did not repeatedly E-Mail them. This was automatically done. I only sent one E-Mail. Since when does a customer E-Mail inquiry about an order become abuse???
> 
> Delivery attempt history for your mail:
> 
> Sun, 08 Jul 2007 23:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
> [email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
> <[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
> * Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*
> 
> Sun, 08 Jul 2007 15:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
> [email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
> <[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
> * Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*
> 
> Sun, 08 Jul 2007 07:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
> [email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
> <[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
> *Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*
> 
> Sat, 07 Jul 2007 23:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
> [email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
> <[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
> *Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*
> 
> Sat, 07 Jul 2007 15:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
> [email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
> <[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
> * Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*
> 
> Sat, 07 Jul 2007 07:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
> [email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
> <[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
> * Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*
> 
> Fri, 06 Jul 2007 23:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
> [email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
> <[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
> *Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*
> 
> Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
> [email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
> <[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
> * Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*
> 
> Fri, 06 Jul 2007 07:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
> [email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
> <[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
> * Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*
> 
> Thu, 05 Jul 2007 23:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
> [email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
> <[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
> *Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*
> 
> Thu, 05 Jul 2007 19:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
> [email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
> <[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
> * Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*
> 
> Thu, 05 Jul 2007 15:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
> [email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
> <[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
> *Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*
> 
> Thu, 05 Jul 2007 11:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
> [email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
> <[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
> * Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*
> 
> Thu, 05 Jul 2007 09:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
> [email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
> <[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
> *Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*
> 
> Thu, 05 Jul 2007 07:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
> [email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
> <[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
> *Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*
> 
> Thu, 05 Jul 2007 06:15:21 -0600 (MDT)
> [email protected]: smtp;450 4.7.1
> <[email protected]>: Recipient address rejected: Policy
> *Rejection- Abuse. Go away.*



I tried send them an email once and had this same problem. I figured out it's because the email address they have under the contact us page is incorrect. The email they have written is [email protected]
The correct one is [email protected]. When I used the first address, I received that same error message/problem. That's why it says recipient address rejected, it's not their correct email address. This may help you in the future if you try to contact them via email and run into the same problem.
John


----------



## Homer_Simpson

jgb77 said:


> I tried send them an email once and had this same problem. I figured out it's because the email address they have under the contact us page is incorrect. The email they have written is [email protected]
> The correct one is [email protected]. When I used the first address, I received that same error message/problem. That's why it says recipient address rejected, it's not their correct email address. This may help you in the future if you try to contact them via email and run into the same problem.
> John


That would explain a lot. Thanks. However, not returning/answering phone messages is still something that they should address, if for no other reason, than it just makes good business sense. They also need to update shipping information on their site and clarify when shipping dates are not met. This would help them in that they would not likely be overwhelmed with customer inquiries re: orders.


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## Opiesilver

You can also contact the owner directly at [email protected]. At least that was the last email address I had for him.

I wouldn't expect a quick response. I was responsible for most of the response the compnay sent out when I was actually there onsite and that wasn't everyday either.


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## Homer_Simpson

Opiesilver said:


> You can also contact the owner directly at [email protected]. At least that was the last email address I had for him.
> 
> I wouldn't expect a quick response. I was responsible for most of the response the compnay sent out when I was actually there onsite and that wasn't everyday either.


Many thanks for that information Opiesilver . It is a shame that you no longer work for them. I had heard lots of good things about them when you were in charge and many people were saying that a lot of that had to do with you. 

I do believe in second chances but not third chances. If things take a turn for the worse again and I run into the same problem(s), I will just stop doing business with them. I just don't have the time and patience to go through this again and again.


----------



## D.gilly

Apparently plants got shipped out yesterday anyone get theirs? My tracking device wasn’t working apparently someone at ups messed up. First they said they where lost, then they said they where on their way and should be here any minute well I believe ups stops making deliveries at 8:00 and its 7:48 so I’m wondering. I got overnight shipping. They said out of the 20 orders at 3:00 already 11 of them had been delivered and 9 where missing mine was one of those 9 I’m just hoping all went well on your packages?


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## Homer_Simpson

D.gilly said:


> Apparently plants got shipped out yesterday anyone get theirs? My tracking device wasn’t working apparently someone at ups messed up. First they said they where lost, then they said they where on their way and should be here any minute well I believe ups stops making deliveries at 8:00 and its 7:48 so I’m wondering. I got overnight shipping. They said out of the 20 orders at 3:00 already 11 of them had been delivered and 9 where missing mine was one of those 9 I’m just hoping all went well on your packages?


I received an E-Mail that my orders had shipped July 16 2007. As I have the option for local nursery pick-up, this is what I opted for. The instructions were to phone me at work or home when the plants were ready to pick up. No phone call yet. After reading about your response, I am beginning to really s*it. I hope that they did not screw up and I get my $100+ order of plants. If not, then hopefully they will refund my money. I neither have the tolerance or continued patience for
this.


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## D.gilly

yeah i know how you feel i lost almost 200 canadian last year, I broke my difuisor and the guy refused to refund it and now this . I learned that they ship out the plants on monday to winnipeg and all the packages left winnipeg yesterday. First i was told that 9 out of the 20 orders had gone missing, Then when i re called theyy said that the ups guy forget to scan the waybill so that was the reason for the "dissaperance" and that the order was on time well it's wasint andi can only hope they arrive early tomorrow and 4 days in a box didin't kill them ... it was a 180 dollar + the price of the refunded regulator so around 300 bucks worth of good's. i hope i get my HC ive been after it for almost 4 years now!


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## hooha

Homer_Simpson said:


> Many thanks for that information Opiesilver . It is a shame that you no longer work for them. I had heard lots of good things about them when you were in charge and many people were saying that a lot of that had to do with you.



I definitely would say that. I haven't ordered from them in a couple of years but back then, I was very satisfied with my purchases.

Nowadays I just check out the Swap N Shop for any plants that I would want/need....I suggest others do the same.


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## jrs

D.gilly

I was in on a group order and they were delivered to Markham. BA's Oakville had some HC over the weekend and I picked up 5 pots and will be getting 3 more from this order. 

The HC from BA's doesn't seem to have been grown emmersed either as strange as it may sound. I laid the gridded sections out on Monday and they are already growing and creeping horizontally; no adjustment period!

If yours doesn't work out maybe we could trade something or other???????

Location Date Local Time Description 
CONCORD,ON,CA 18/07/2007 11:23 DELIVERED 
18/07/2007 7:30 OUT FOR DELIVERY 
18/07/2007 6:28 ARRIVAL SCAN 
MOUNT HOPE,ON,CA 18/07/2007 5:30 DEPARTURE SCAN 
18/07/2007 4:46 ORIGIN SCAN 
WINNIPEG,MB,CA 17/07/2007 19:21 ORIGIN SCAN 
17/07/2007 16:17 PICKUP SCAN 
CA 16/07/2007 15:44 BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED


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## Homer_Simpson

D.gilly said:


> yeah i know how you feel i lost almost 200 canadian last year, I broke my difuisor and the guy refused to refund it and now this . I learned that they ship out the plants on monday to winnipeg and all the packages left winnipeg yesterday. First i was told that 9 out of the 20 orders had gone missing, Then when i re called theyy said that the ups guy forget to scan the waybill so that was the reason for the "dissaperance" and that the order was on time well it's wasint andi can only hope they arrive early tomorrow and 4 days in a box didin't kill them ... it was a 180 dollar + the price of the refunded regulator so around 300 bucks worth of good's. i hope i get my HC ive been after it for almost 4 years now!


After faxing them today, an aquariumplants rep got back to me to tell me that the plants have been sitting at their shipping depot since Tuesday. Nobody phoned me to advise that the plants were ready for pickup and since I did not have the address of the depot, it wasn't like I could even confirm if/when the plants had arrived. Hot weather, stagnant water, 2 day storage of plants in an oxygen derprived environment. God only knows what condition the plants will be in when I pick them up tonight and get them home. Aquariumplants is blaming the trucking company and the trucking company is blaming aquarium plants for not contacting me when the plants arrived. Seems I am caught in the middle with a mess.


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## Naja002

If You paid by Credit Card--Best solution: Do *Not* pick them up. Call Your credit card company and have them credit Your account. Take Your business elsewhere. Step right out of the middle of it.

Or

You can hang out and continue to play Mickey Mouse games....

Your Call......


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## Homer_Simpson

Naja002 said:


> If You paid by Credit Card--Best solution: Do *Not* pick them up. Call Your credit card company and have them credit Your account. Take Your business elsewhere. Step right out of the middle of it.
> 
> Or
> 
> You can hang out and continue to play Mickey Mouse games....
> 
> Your Call......


I hear you and really don't want to play or enjoy playing Mickey Mouse games.

I paid by Pay Pal and the only recourse I have is to open up a on line resolution claim with Pay Pal acting as mediator to resolve the issue. Pay Pal just won't credit my account. If nothing is resolved, then it "could" escalate to a claim with Pay Pal making the final decision as to whether they will reverse the charges. That whole process could really drag on.

I am hoping that aquariumplants makes good on what they told me. I spoke to a rep today and asked her point blank: "If I accept the plants, get them home and they are a mess, where does that leave me considering that I have spent $100+ in plants?" She told me that if that is the case to advise her and they will reship.


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## Naja002

Seems like You are in a Bind. Filing a Dispute with Paypal can wreak havoc on a seller, but I doubt it will do much towards AP.com. 

Re-Ship When? :tongue: You've had enough trouble just trying to get them to *Ship!* Personally, I'd shoot for getting my money back, but that may be a lost cause too.....

To Quote Myself:



> The complaints have done a Good job of keeping me away. Combined with the increased shipping costs--its a No-Brainer.....:tongue:


Best of Luck....:thumbsup:


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## jrs

Homer_Simpson said:


> I am hoping that aquariumplants makes good on what they told me. I spoke to a rep today and asked her point blank: "If I accept the plants, get them home and they are a mess, where does that leave me considering that I have spent $100+ in plants?" She told me that if that is the case to advise her and they will reship.



GET IT IN WRITING!!!!!!!!!!!


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## D.gilly

jrs said:


> GET IT IN WRITING!!!!!!!!!!!


hahahaha good luck with that! I sent an email like 4 weeks ago I still have no reply. Not to mention I paid like 40 bucks long distance call to them! Honestly you can’t respect the prices pet stores put on their plants until you deal with this stuff! My plant orders always go wrong I spent like 250 bucks Canadian at a place in Singapore (I’m not going to mention the name) and the shipping company lost the photo sanitary certificate then they forgot to enter it and finally after 2 weeks they said I needed another 40 buck certificate :icon_roll needless to say it didn’t end well. Hey I got refunded 60 bucks :icon_roll then when I withdrew it from pay-pal it was like 50. Now my regulator breaks, the plants get delayed, the plants get found, I called ups they have no clue what I’m talking about, I’ve spent 40 bucks long distance and not to mention 2 weeks in the city when I could have been happily enjoying time at my cottage actually I pleaded with my parents I told them this plant order will be different, they have a Canadian distributor nothing could go wrong well I’m guessing this isn’t going to end well. I mean hey if my package was the last one last night or something after all I paid 50 bucks for shipping so it would be over night! Maybe UPS would drop it off early this morning its 1 o clock and still nothing lets just say I’m not in the greatest of moods! Anyways I’m thinking about giving them another call I’m really disappointed I was supposed to be redoing my tank I’ve been getting it together for like 6 months.:icon_cry: 

PS thanks for the offer JRS but im looking for about 20 different plant species not just HC if i never end up getting these plants i will shoot you a pm though.


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## Homer_Simpson

Okay, as difficult as this is, I am trying to stay positive. I am at work right now and will not be able to pick up my plants from the depot until late this evening. That means that the total time in storage will be 3 days, not considering the days the plants were in shipment while being transported. Has anyone ever received plants that made it through such a wait. Anyone? Please, some plant gurus assure me that it may just be possible.
:icon_sad:


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## Naja002

Yep. 6 days on some frogbit. Depending on what You ordered things might be Ok. I've received plants plenty of times that had 4 days shipping and thing were good.

But this is why I'm not paying Overnight or 2nd day. A month to ship, No shipping notice. Blah. They can keep their plants....


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## Homer_Simpson

Naja002 said:


> Yep. 6 days on some frogbit. Depending on what You ordered things might be Ok. I've received plants plenty of times that had 4 days shipping and thing were good.
> 
> But this is why I'm not paying Overnight or 2nd day. A month to ship, No shipping notice. Blah. They can keep their plants....



Thank you, makes me feel a little better.

BTW, this is what I ordered: Dwarf hairgrass,Sagittaria subulata,Ludwiga repens, Brazilian Pennywort, anacharis(egera densa), anubias(afzelli,congensis,and gigantea, and pygmy nana), Riccia Fluitans,Rotala Indica,Myrio Red,Moss Balls,Marsilea quadrifolia,Cryptocoryne ciliata,Bolbitus heudelotii,Cabomba pulcherrima,Echinodorus Barthii v. "red melon",Rotalla wallichii, Alternanthera reineckii, and Nymphaea zenkeri


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## Naja002

If they were shipped out on the 16th and have been waiting for You since the 17th--everything should be fine--except for the heat possibility. If they were kept in an air conditioned area or somewhere not really, really, hot--everything should be Ok.

Don't sweat it....:thumbsup:


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## D.gilly

hey i got my plants!!!!!! most where ok but a few stem plants where badly rotted they told me to put them in the tank see what makes it and they will credit my dead plants......PS the quality on the stem plants could be much better but everything else was great sword's and cryptocorynes had lots of root growth and healthy leaves.... well i have to go redo my entire tank in a day and a half so i best be getting to that.... Good luck with your plants also i hoped you ordered normal sagitaria stubula because despite the common name ( dwarf sag) the narrow leaf sag is about 14 inches tal :iconroll i will put down which plants where ok and which werent later and give a final review once all my plants are planted. Again good luck i hope you have as much as me! plants werent packaged very well either.


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## Homer_Simpson

D.gilly said:


> hey i got my plants!!!!!! most where ok but a few stem plants where badly rotted they told me to put them in the tank see what makes it and they will credit my dead plants......PS the quality on the stem plants could be much better but everything else was great sword's and cryptocorynes had lots of root growth and healthy leaves.... well i have to go redo my entire tank in a day and a half so i best be getting to that.... Good luck with your plants also i hoped you ordered normal sagitaria stubula because despite the common name ( dwarf sag) the narrow leaf sag is about 14 inches tal :iconroll i will put down which plants where ok and which werent later and give a final review once all my plants are planted. Again good luck i hope you have as much as me! plants werent packaged very well either.



That is great!!! I am glad things worked out for you and they agreed to credit you for any dead plants. That makes me feel much...much better. Yeah, I knew dwarf Subulata wasn't really dwarf. This and some of the other plants were for my 40 gallon very high tank. So, even if they grow really tall, they should be okay. The other plants are for a 10 gallon(Lol, they were originally for a 20 gallon but the stupid 20 gallon sprung a leak over the weekend, luckily I was home when it happened, and I had to scurry to quickly drain the tank and get the fish into a spare 10 gallon tank. Ever notice when bad things happen, it is almost like a chain reaction of bad events). The others, which are the ones that I am most worried about( Ludwigia repens, Myriophyllum heterophyllum,Rotalla wallichii,Alternanthera reineckii,Rotala roundifolia,Riccia Fluitans, and Hydrocotyle Leucocephala are for my 5 gallon "Buddha Project" nano hex tank(my baby) that I will be rescaping in preparation for a photo shoot.


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## D.gilly

ok 2 of my HC pots where slightly melted around the edges, the Alternanthera reineckii lost a lot of leaves and looks nothing like they describe on their site http://www.aquariumplants.com//Articles.asp?ID=108 almost no roots are on it. The Ludwigia palustris was loosing leaves. The anacharis was half melted, the sag i got was defiantly not dwarf, Mayaca fluviatilis, Myrio pinnatum, and Myrio simulan where all rotted partially and one I cant tell which one I cannot tell (I recommend for future orders you ask them to label all plants apparently they will do this) The ricca stones that where in stock are not in stock and I didn’t get them so they credited me and the ambulia I got was almost completely rotted. I would defiantly recommend not buying stems and pay the extra buck for the pot. Over all I am dissatisfied the stem plants where horrible quality the packing was minimal, but they are refunding me for any lost plants so I guess I would give them 3 out of 5 stars. In conclusion I would order from them again mainly because it’s the only place Canadians really have to get a large selection. If I lived in America and had say 15 different aquatic plant retailers I would probably be very reluctant to purchase from them again. How ever I am aware that they had some problems this month so hopefully they have better service than they showed this order. Here are some tips for ordering your next order from them.


1. Buy pots
2. Overnight shipping
3. Ask them to label the plants
4. Spend the money to call and check up on your order
5. If anything is wrong tell them you are dissatisfied and ask for a refund
6. OVERNIGHT SHIPPING
7. CALL AND CHECK UP ON YOUR ORDER (don’t email you’ll get a response from mars quicker)


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## jrs

I too received my plants today from a seperate group order than what has been talked about. The giant hairgrass was pretty good but the rockwool was covered in mold. The HC was in good shape; no problems. The star grass was in really poor shape! I don't know if I will be able to save it; maybe. The marsilea (potted) was absolutely brutal. Maybe 6 or 7 tiny stems can be saved.

Overall, I would say that future purchases of mine would be coming from hobbyists in the states or from overseas.


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## D.gilly

i Would agree with you but after duties and pyhotiosanitary certificates (sp), and brokerage fees it's not worth it. That is unless you bring them in illegally. If you are interested in star grass or something else I might have JRS shoot me a pm id be happy to trade a plant or 2 with you.


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## Homer_Simpson

Okay, I picked up my plants and that is a funny story in itself. The address they gave me is shared by three different trucking companies. Of course, they did not tell me the name of the company that had my order, so when I went there the manager of the first company looked at me like I was on acid and had no clue about what I was babbling about. Fortunately, he was polite enough to advise me that the address was shared by two different trucking companies and directed me to them. When I went to one of the other companies, they too did not seem to know what I was talking about and led me to the dispatcher. The stupid dispatcher said, "Oh you are looking for plants are you?" Then, the idiot led me to a window and said, "I know exactly what you are looking for, see that ditch there, it is full of plants, help yourself." Luckily, another worker who was aware that the package of plants had in fact been dropped off overheard and intervened to advise the dispatcher, so I got my package. That other worker was also very polite and profusely apologized for the mix-up.

Like everyone else I found that the stem plants were in horrible shape and beyond revival. The rotala indica, rotala wallichi,Cabomba pulcherrima, were a mush of stinky, smelly, rotting plant matter. I wouldn't dare even attempt to place these in my aquarium for fear of killing my fish.

Moss Balls/Marimo Balls/Tribbles (Cladophora aegagropila) - 3 out of 4 survived. One was nothing more than a bare brown ball.

Riccia Fluitans (grown on Lava Rocks). I saw no sign of this, let alone any lava rocks.

Petite Nana (Anubias Pygmy Nana). All that I saw was a bunch of leaves and no root structure whatsoever. 

Like D.Gilly, I will ask for a refund for these unless they can guarantee that a repeat shipment of these won't result in the same outcome. I also would order from them again, especially if they agree to refund my money. I too would recommend that people stay away from the stem plants and try and order potted plants. You cannot go wrong with the anubias plants. With the exception of the pygmy nana, all the other anubias made it through in excellent condition.

If they refund my money, I would give them 3.5 out of 5 stars. Otherwise 1.25 out of 5 stars.

D.Gilly is right, Canadian Aquarium stores don't seem to have the best selection. From time to time, some new stem plants may appear, but I find them to be in such horrible condition, usually covered with Blue Green Algae, with 75% of the stem rotting, little or no roots, and pathetic looking leaves. They are the type of plants that I wouldn't even accept if they were free. I once got one of these and threw it in my 10 gallon hoping to revive it. In a matter of a few days, I noticed a outbreak of Blue Green Algae that seemed to have spread from this to all my healthy plants.


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## Naja002

I find it hard to believe that all these plants showed up in this condition if they were packed *and* shipped on the 16th.

I'm wondering if they were packed last week, or if their shipment just arrived and was repackaged and sent out--or both.

Something's not right here.....


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## jrs

To the fellow Canucks reading this the moral of the story is THE CANADIAN SWAP SECTION!!!!!!

I post stuff as frequently as I can. If more of us started posting there then we could circumvent this type of nonsense and share the hobby.


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## CamTurner

jrs said:


> To the fellow Canucks reading this the moral of the story is THE CANADIAN SWAP SECTION!!!!!!
> 
> I post stuff as frequently as I can. If more of us started posting there then we could circumvent this type of nonsense and share the hobby.


Hi JRS. I can start posting too. Where is the section you refer to? I'm a newb.

I got plants in the same group order as JRS and they were also pretty scary looking. 

Lastly, Hello. I'm new here. Nice to meet you.


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## D.gilly

I think you should ask them to reship your order absoloutly also tell them they should file a claim with their trucking company for the shipping because you shouldint have to pay it again its not your fault the company forgot to call that is completly aquariumplants fault


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## jrs

Here is what I think happened in addition to any trucking problems, I see that the stuff originated from Florida Aquatics. It was probably in transit from them to Aquariumplants for a few days and then from there US centre to the Canadian centre and then from their warehouse to our homes. 

Way too much time in transit!!!!!!!!!

I didn't organize this group order, a younger fellow from a local aquarium society board was good enough to do it. For the sake of $10 or so in plants I don't want to take the chance of turning this fellow off of the hobby.

For myself I will just chalk this one up to lesson learned.


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## Homer_Simpson

D.gilly said:


> I think you should ask them to reship your order absoloutly also tell them they should file a claim with their trucking company for the shipping because you shouldint have to pay it again its not your fault the company forgot to call that is completly aquariumplants fault


They were really good about it. The ones that did not make it, they stated they will reship and assured me that the same thing would not happen. Let's see what happens. I am fairly happy with the plants that made it and they seem to be doing well in my aquarium. In addition, they are in better condition than what is available locally. For instance, I have never seen Sag, Dwarf Subulata (Sagittaria subulata) at any of the local fish stores that looked as good as what I received. The sag that I have seen in the LFS looks pathetic. The leaves are often a sick faded green color with many tips being transparent and melting. I am confident that with the proper lighting, c02 treatment and fertilization, the growth of the plants I received will continue to improve. The anubias look great, and again looks better than anything I have seen being sold at my LFS. I am only after them to replace or refund me for what was lost and they are prepared to re-ship. At this point, I am going to hold off ordering anything else pending receipt of the reshipped plants and the condition that they are received in. To be honest with you, overall I am happy with the way things turned out as I assumed it would be much worse than it was. The thing that pi$$ed me off the most was the Trucking Company dispatcher's attitude. I reported this to Aquarium plants and told them while they may not be able to have any control over how Trucking Company employees treat their customers, such treatment of customers could hurt their business if they were not even at least prepared to address the issue with the Trucking Company management.


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## jrs

I dont mean to turn this thread in another direction but for the Canadians reading this here is the species of plants that I keep. I am not a retailer and I dont want to be one either and just because I have it listed doesn't mean that I would have enough to sell or swap. I am simply posting this to show that there are lots of us out here and if we used the CANADIAN SWAP SECTION we could benefit from each other.

Limnophila sessiliflora 
Limnophila aromatica
Alternanthera reineckii ''lilacina'' ('Purple') 
Sagittaria subulata 
Hygrophila corymbosa ‘siamensis’
Hygrophila polysperma v. sunset 
Hygrophila polysperma 'ceylon' 
Cryptocoryne walkeri (lutea) 
Rotala rotundifolia 
Cabomba furcata - Red cabomba 
crypt wendtii ‘brown’
ceratopteris pteroides 
ludwiga repens
ludwiga repens ‘rubin’
POTOMAGETON GAYI 
Elatine triandra 
BACOPA CAROLINIANA 
BACOPA MONERII
HYGROPHILA DIFFORMIS 
AMMANIA SP BONSAI
LUDWIGIA INCLINATA VAR. VERTICILLATA 'CUBA' 
ELEOCHARIS ACICULARIS 
EGERIA NAJAS 
HYGROPHILA SP. 'RED' 
NYMPHAEA MICRANTHA 
ANUBIAS BARTERI VAR. NANA 
GLOSSOSTIGMA ELATINOIDES 
Echinodorus 'Red Special'
MONOSOLENIUM TENERUM 
VESICULARIA MONTAGNE 
ROTALA SP. 'NANJENSHAN'
Fissidens Fontanus
Taxiplyllum sp. ‘Peacock moss’
crypt parva
Rotola macrandra
ECHINODORUS URUGUAYENSIS
Lobelia cardinalis
Utricularia graminiflora
Taxiplyllum sp. ‘java moss’
Hemianthus micranthemoides
Echinodorus tenellus
Cabomba coralinia
Bylxa japonica
LILAEOPSIS BRASILIENSIS
Vallisneria torta
Vallisneria America
Hemianthus Callitrichoides ‘cuba’
Eleocharis montevidensis
Eustralis stellata
Marsilea quadrifolia
Fissidens nobilis
Flame moss
Spikey moss
PLAGIOMNIUM sp.?
stargrass


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## Homer_Simpson

jrs, I hear what you are saying. The problem is that many of us who are just starting off in this hobby may not have a lot to trade or share, but in due time I am sure that would change and I would welcome being part of such a network. Right now I have a 10 gallon planted tank over run with Hygrophila corymbosa(compact), apongentons, and ambulia. The problem is that these are currently over-run with Blue Green Algae(that I am trying to eradicate) and snails. The snails are not plant eaters and while some appear to be MTS, I am unable to identify the others. I couldn't in good conscious trade or sell such plants with another hobbyist. They may not take kindly to having a BGA or snail problem spread to their tank because I sold or traded something with them that they trusted would be clean. 

However, I would be willing to pay any hobbyist money for clean, healthy plants, if they have extras that they want to sell.


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## jrs

Alright when I get back from my vacation I will setup a paypal account and try to post plants like they do in the US section and see how it goes.


----------



## lasutaku

*Co2*

Hey guys, I see there are a lot of bad feedback for this site, but I was wondering how their CO2 regulator is. They say it's really good and all, but I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with it. 
Also, does it come with everything (tubing, etc.)? Is it a complete setup where I can just open the box, connect it to my CO2 cannister (the same that the restaurants uses for beers and sodas)?

Thanks in advance!


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## D.gilly

yeah its pretty good. My selunoid had a bit of a problem but they replaced it i bought the complete kit but if i where you i wouldint the diffusior they give you isint really good and the timer is pointless but thats just my opinion.


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## ZLewis

I have had their regulator for about nine months. The only problem that I had with it is when the solenoid stuck open once or twice after the timer went off. I built my own reactor and I already had a timer. I would probably buy it again if I had to do it again. I also had a difficult time trying to contact them. That is the only issue that would keep me from ordering from them again.


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## lasutaku

Thanks guys. Yea, after reading the many, many, many feedback about delayed shipping and what not (not only from here, but other forums as well), I decided not to order from them afterall... I just ordered a regulator from Dr. Fosters and Smith. Hope it works out well.

Thanks


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## HiroPro

The only experience I've had with them has been positive. I ordered a bag of Eco and a bucket if their "own" substrate. Got free shipping on the Eco. Both were delivered promptly. However, I've never ordered any plants from them.


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## Homer_Simpson

HiroPro said:


> ..However, I've never ordered any plants from them...


I honestly believe that they are doing their very best to resolve issues around delays in delivery of plant shipments to Canada, and I give them a lot of credit for that. How successful they will be, only time will tell. 

In the mean time(especially if you live in Canada), until they sort out these issues, as has been suggested already, I would stick to ordering potted plants and anubias(all varieties) vs stem plants. They have an excellent selection of anubias and these seem to survive delays in shipment no problem (at least mine did). 
http://www.aquariumplants.com/Anubias_s/26.htm

Also, I have to say, that their grow your own bulbs are incredible and much better than the Wal-mart aquarium bulbs. The selection is better and the Aquariumplants bulbs seem to have a 100% sproutal rate vs 50% for the Wal-Mart bulbs. Again, this is what I personally experienceed and observed. If you order these bulbs, it is also a given that they won't be effected negatively by shipment delays. 
http://www.aquariumplants.com/Grow_Your_Own_Bulbs_s/29.htm


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## kwonger81

*Another bad experience with aquariumplants.com*

I'm glad I found this thread! 

Unfortunately I may be screwed as well. Here's my story: I bought "The Best" regulator from them last Sept (order was only for equipment, shipped promptly, no problems at all), but life got in the way and I didn't actually go pressurized until July. 

My system includes an SMS122 pH controller and an inline (Rex Grigg-style) reactor. I unfortunately was not aware of the importance of the check valve when I set my system up, so I have no check valve between the bubble counter and the inline reactor. 

Things seemed to be working fine at first, except for 2 things. First, the bubble counter filled completely with water after a couple of days. I could still count the bubbles so I thought it was no big deal. Second, I noticed that the pressure reading of the first stage seemed to fluctuate. Sometimes it would be more than 15 psi and other times it was less than 0 psi. The pressure reading of the second stage didn't change. 

Then one day I noticed that bubbles were coming out even though my pH controller (SMS122) alarm wasn't on and the pH reading (6.1) was already lower than the setting (6.2). Fortunately there was no loss of life (although I don't want to venture what would have happened if I didn't happen to pass by and see bubbles coming out). Unfortunately I don't recall whether or not the solenoid was "on" (I don't remember hearing the usual buzz heard when the solenoid is on).

At this point I went to the AP website and realized that the regulator has a built-in check valve (I believe it's right under the bubble counter), so hopefully my solenoid and regulator haven't been damaged - the only harm from not having a check valve between the bubble counter and the inline reactor is that water filled up the bubble counter. So what is the problem? Is my solenoid broken? Why did the pressure on the first step of my regulator fluctuate?

I was really pleased when I realized that the regulator has a "Full 3 year warranty". But of course my email to them was ignored (although I sent it to [email protected] and not aquariumplant.com - but I didn't get any bounce back messages). And noone ever answers the phone or returns messages (left 3 already). I thought maybe they were on vacation or something (I know that sounds ridiculous, but the other week I tried going to 2 restaurants and they had signs on their door stating that the restaurant was closed that week due to summer vacation), but after reading about your experiences it seems to be the norm for them. So what would people suggest I do at this point?

Right now I'm not running my pressurized CO2. Should I try my unit again (with an additional check valve installed) and hope it doesn't fail? Or should I try to get them to replace it since it seems like more than one thing is wrong? Based on the experiences of others on this thread, I'm worried that they will not honour the warranty and/or it will take an excessively long time. One thing for sure - I sure as hell will not be opening things up to try to fix it myself (not after D. gilly's experience!)

I think I will post this on the equipment section section as well, but I'd like to hear what you guys think I should do in terms of dealing with AP.com. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

I was about to order some plants from them - NO WAY NOW!!! I will go check out the Canadian Swap N Shop section for sure.


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## Momotaro

I am at work and unable to address the technical problem at this time, Jeff.

Have a look at this, it might help you stop CO2 flow when the controller kicks off:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equipment/50688-broken-needle-valve.html 

Jeff, what has happened to you was more of a "user" issue than a "supplier" issue. Aside from an inability to answer emails promptly, AP has done little to garner mistrust on your end in my view. Aside from the needle valve leaking, nothing inordinately unusual is occurring. To say "Another Bad Experience" isn't really fair, in my opinion. Unless you are reffering to the emails. Then I'd say "Poor Communication" would be more than fair.

As far as purchasing plants is concerned, if I lived in Canada there is no way I'd buy from a supplier in the US. Seems there are too many issues and too many possible delays to make it a "win" situation. Just my opinion. Take it for what it is worth.


Mike


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## kwonger81

Momotaro said:


> I am at work and unable to address the technical problem at this time, Jeff.
> 
> Have a look at this, it might help you stop CO2 flow when the controller kicks off:
> 
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equipment/50688-broken-needle-valve.html
> 
> Jeff, what has happened to you was more of a "user" issue than a "supplier" issue. Aside from an inability to answer emails promptly, AP has done little to garner mistrust on your end in my view. Aside from the needle valve leaking, nothing inordinately unusual is occurring. To say "Another Bad Experience" isn't really fair, in my opinion. Unless you are reffering to the emails. Then I'd say "Poor Communication" would be more than fair.
> 
> As far as purchasing plants is concerned, if I lived in Canada there is no way I'd buy from a supplier in the US. Seems there are too many issues and too many possible delays to make it a "win" situation. Just my opinion. Take it for what it is worth.
> 
> 
> Mike



Thanks Mike. I am basing my comments somewhat on the posts of others, but I believe I did mention that I left 3 voice messages on 3 different days (starting this past Sunday) that were never returned. Why have a customer support number on a web site if nobody ever picks up the phone and nobody ever returns the messages left?? I guess you could say that is in the gray zone whether that is just "Poor Communication" vs "A Bad Experience"

The leaky needle valve is one issue, and I think I resolved that by reading the thread you directed me to (thanks!). But does that explain why the pressure reading on the top gauge would fluctuate wildly from day to day (from 0-15 psi)? I thought that would only be controlled by the large screw not the needle valve, and should stay fairly constant. Is this still a "user" issue, or is this a problem with the unit that should be covered by the warranty? 

I will be the first to confess that I'm the antithesis of a handy guy, and this could all be me (so please be patient with me). But it just bugs me that a company which supposedly places an emphasis on customer service and says "3 Years Full Warranty" on the product and yet you can't make any contact with them for 5 days to even find out what's wrong. And if it weren't for forums like this I'd be really screwed!

Anyway, I agree with you that it is probably a bad idea to buy plants from the US if you live in Canada. I just thought that since AP has a distribution centre in Canada things might have been different.


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## tazcrash69

kwonger81 said:


> The leaky needle valve is one issue, and I think I resolved that by reading the thread you directed me to (thanks!). But does that explain why the pressure reading on the top gauge would fluctuate wildly from day to day (from 0-15 psi)? I thought that would only be controlled by the large screw not the needle valve, and should stay fairly constant.


OK, quick guess here. You state you have an SMS controller. If the needle valve is opened up too much, and the large screw is not open enough you will build up pressure (giving you the 15 psi on the low side. When the controller does not inject CO2. Then when the pH rises above the setting on your SMS it will open the solenoid, and a the CO2 will be released into the tank faster than high pressure setting allows it to flow out giving you the 0 on the low side. 

What I would do is:
1) unplug the solenoid from the controller & plug into an outlet to get a steady flow. 
2) set the high pressure regulator to have about 20 psi.
3) set the needle valve to give you a desired bubble count
4) watch that the bubble counter, see that your counts are steady, and that the low pressure side doesn't drop. 
5) after everything is nice and steady, plug the solenoid back into the controller. 

Just remember that sometimes you can still get a few bubbles out even after the solenoid shuts off. Mine trickles for about 5 seconds or so after. If yours is stuck open you can try plugging and unplugging a few times to see if you can get it unstuck.


HTH


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## kwonger81

Thanks Walter! Will try that tonight!


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## kwonger81

An update: I did almost exactly as Taz suggested: 

1) I opened the CO2 tank to max
2) I set first stage (large screw) to read 15 psi (my gauge only goes up to 15 psi)
3) I plugged the solenoid into an outlet
4) I adjusted the needle valve to get a bubble rate of about 1 bps
5) I watched the pressure on the first stage - it dropped to 14 psi but didn't fall any further
6) I let things run for about 30 min
7) I unplugged the solenoid
8) I noticed about 15 more bubbles after unplugging the solenoid - this may have been what I saw the other day that freaked me out
9) Since then, the pressure on the first stage is way past 15 psi. (Is this a problem? Now that I'm not running anything should I be shutting off my CO2 tank?)

I wonder if this has to do with changes in atmospheric pressure. Note that the bubble counter is uncovered at the moment - it is not hooked into my system yet because I'm waiting for an additional check valve from Rex to put between my inline reactor and my bubble counter. Previously, the fluctuations in the first stage may have been arising from changes in pressure in the system and it may have been exacerbated by the filling up of my bubble counter with water due to not have a check valve there. Hopefully this was all no big deal and there actually is nothing wrong with the AP regulator and that I was just freaking out over nothing (but I still think they should have at least returned my voice messages with a phone call). 

Thanks to all who provided advice. I'll let you all know how it goes...

Jeff.


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## Rudy

*Any Updates??*

Any updates on customer service and C02 regulator? I'm currently looking for a set up and wanted to get the "Ultimate Co2 System" for aquariumplants.com but now I'm not sure. I live in Canada. They apparently had a lot of Shipping issues. Then there is the cost to re shipping if something goes wrong, and what about reliability of the regulator its self? Can anyone update me ? Thanks


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## OverStocked

There are several threads about their regulators here.


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## hydrophyte

Store reviews are generally not permitted here on TPT.


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## sewingalot

Sorry, we no longer allow vendor reviews.


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