# Rumford Aquatics, had a face lift, check out the site



## A Hill

You might have clicked the link in my signature and seen a completely disfunctional website for about a year. Well since school has been out and I've got a new MacBook Pro I've been working on the website a lot more than I have in the past and it looks halfway decent.

I'm uploading pages slowly and there is still a lot of content to fill in but my goal is to have a store set up and running completely by September of this year. It may not have the paypal shopping cart system by that time but I should have it set up so you can at least pull up a "send email" and allow you to email me the order then I would have to give you an invoice or something.

So please keep an eye on it and let me know what you think along the way. A few forum members have been helping me or will be helping me so their help is appreciated. 

So who can guess who made the new logo?

-Andrew


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## pandapr

good luck with that !! 

been very busy but haven't forgot about the shrimps !

is it “Wabi-Kasu” or Wabi-Kusa ?


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Cool! I wish I could visit the store

So by the looks of it you'll be able to ship CRS?


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## Axelrodi202

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> So by the looks of it you'll be able to ship CRS?


Will he give his good freinds at TPT a discount? :hihi:


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## A Hill

pandapr said:


> good luck with that !!
> 
> been very busy but haven't forgot about the shrimps !
> 
> is it “Wabi-Kasu” or Wabi-Kusa ?


It is wabi kasu but I'll double check as well.



ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Cool! I wish I could visit the store
> 
> So by the looks of it you'll be able to ship CRS?


Eventually, the store will be open in september at the latest:thumbsup:



Axelrodi202 said:


> Will he give his good freinds at TPT a discount? :hihi:


Well there will be a free shipping deal for TPT members I think. 

Then again, they have to spell friend correctly for the discount.

-Andrew


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## Superedwin

Woah! Looks great ,what an improvement from last time! Keep it up by September its going to look fantastic, cant wait to see the shop. GOOD JOB!


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## A Hill

Superedwin said:


> Woah! Looks great ,what an improvement from last time! Keep it up by September its going to look fantastic, cant wait to see the shop. GOOD JOB!


Thanks, 

That other WP based site was just dreadful, I never put the time into it it deserved. 

I just need to figure out how to rig the site with the PayPal shopping cart with the software I'm using... 

But it'll come along sooner of later. Lots of boring nights over the summer for me so I have the time to work on it.

-Andrew


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## Axelrodi202

A Hill said:


> Well there will be a free shipping deal for TPT members I think.
> 
> Then again, they have to spell friend correctly for the discount.


 Darn typo.


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## A Hill

I've been working on it slowly a lot won't be released until its all done but until then I published the blog even though its not perfect yet and for the mean time I've set up just a list of stuff for sale on the main store page, none of the nav bar on it will actually work till october or so probably when and if I set up a paypal shopping cart.

Also, I apologize for not responding to emails. I didn't know that I had any and I hadn't realized I never set up that email account on my new computer. That will not happen again.

-Andrew


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## A Hill

I'm starting a FB fan page, so you can get updates a bit of a different way.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rumford-Aquatics/106958233372?ref=nf

Next is to figure out twitter...

-Andrew


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## A Hill

I now also have a twitter account! 

Be a creepy TPTer and follow me why don't ya, there will be plenty of deep passages, updates on stock, special benefits like knowing what I'm thinking, ya know just oodles and oodles of amazing stuff!

I think that works?

Let me know,
Thanks,
-Andrew


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## A Hill

A Hill said:


> I now also have a twitter account!
> 
> Be a creepy TPTer and follow me why don't ya, there will be plenty of deep passages, updates on stock, special benefits like knowing what I'm thinking, ya know just oodles and oodles of amazing stuff!
> 
> I think that works?
> 
> Let me know,
> Thanks,
> -Andrew


Follow me on twitter?

I'll be giving people who follow me first pick at certain new things, same with people on my FB page and whatnot.

Thanks,
-Andrew


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## A Hill

For anyone who has tried to visit my website in the past week and had problems I apologize. It has been taken care of.

-Andrew


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## A Hill

So I'm using bit.ly to get some simple metrics on my sig clicking and amazingly someone clicked on my sig in this thread so I thought it deserved an update!

The website is currently being overhauled and if you have taken a look recently you probably noticed. I'm working on streamlining everything and making it as simple as possible no stupid $19.95 prices, no complicated shipping, simple simple simple. I'm also fixing some problems I've had with the site when viewed from IE especially the top navigation bar, I just redid that completely and it should be all set now for all browsers.

I also implemented a simple paypal shopping cart (getting the simple theme yet?) to make purchasing simpler. 

Right now I'm expanding my growing capacity for flora and going to be focusing on moss mostly. You may have noticed my thread in the lounge about trading süßwassertang for other mosses, if you're interested let me know:icon_wink

I'm also really focusing hard this coming 4 weeks on upping the stock of dry goods like tools, hardscape materials, ferts, and other fun stuff of that nature. Nothing that I wouldn't use or at a price I wouldn't pay, which at times is difficult but fun none the less.

Future plans website related is to fix the blog. I'm probably going to do a wordpress blog with a very similar custom theme. 

A while ago I wrote a business plan (The night before a contest for DECA came in third) for rumfordaquatics and never went back to revise and improve it. Since I'm going off to college in the fall and am going to apply for seed money and incubator space and whatnot I'm also in the revision process of this.

Lastly, in the future, I'm looking to provide some interesting products that no other aquarium company has really produced. Should be interesting:icon_twis

So feel free to check out the site, provide some feedback, join the facebook page, follow RA on twitter @rumfordaquatics, and if you have a product or know of someone who has a product that I should carry please let me know! (I'm talking about more hobbyist made products, not like Rena or ADA at the moment)

In other news, I was recently profiled for a book on young entrepreneurs that is most likely going to be published soon, which is just a cool thing to be able to say :hihi:

Thanks everyone, soon I hope to be making enough money to become a sponsor here and elsewhere and maybe go to the AGA convention as a sponsor. How awesome would that be?

-Andrew


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## jreich

good luck buddy! keep us posted...


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## A Hill

jreich said:


> good luck buddy! keep us posted...


Thanks, I'll keep you posted for sure.

-Andrew


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## chad320

andrew, id say youre off to a good start. i have a substrate mix you could sell that has kept my tank going w/o ferts or co2 for over a decade.


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## A Hill

chad320 said:


> andrew, id say youre off to a good start. i have a substrate mix you could sell that has kept my tank going w/o ferts or co2 for over a decade.


Sounds interesting, shoot me a PM or email me at [email protected]?

Thanks,
-Andrew


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## A Hill

So I've been doing some more work and starting to fill my tools section. It still has work to do and products to source but it is getting there. Right now they are available for preorder with the tools shipping mid April.Here is the link

Expect updates more frequently now. I also realized some of the products were "out of stock" and it has been fixed.

Thanks for the support guys,
-Andrew


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## A Hill

Just wanted to mention that in the swap and shop there is a special pricing thread on the new tools that are being ordered. 

These prices are uniquely low and will not last long, probably only over easter and till next weekend max.

The water is receding in my basement and I am supposed to get new tanks tomorrow!

Cheers,
-Andrew


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## A Hill

So as of yesterday Rumford Aquatics is a sponsor. Not sure about the name coloration and other stuff but I'm busy enough as it is right now to even care. 

In other news the special tool pricing in the swap n shop forum section ends tonight at 12:00. Tomorrow everyone will have a PM with the information on purchasing and whatnot.

Oh, and I'll be moving to AZ in the fall (August so technically summer) to become a member of ASU's 2014 class so if you're involved with AAPE I hopefully will be as active as I can be in the future! If you go to school or work there I'd love to meet fellow hobbyists! I'm planning on keeping a Mini M or similar size tank and a few WabiKusas (WKs)

Thanks for the continued support, 
-Andrew


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## Gatekeeper

Congratulations. I will contact Kyle to get you a shiny new Red hue to that username.


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## A Hill

Gatekeeper said:


> Congratulations. I will contact Kyle to get you a shiny new Red hue to that username.


Haha thanks, Kyle is a busy guy so I was in no hurry for any of that, but now it is there and looks kinda spiffy so thanks, now I need to make a new banner this weekend and stuff. 

Fun stuff, hopefully my 10gs will come in next week they're like super delayed for some reason... 

PM coming for a select group of you tonight, 
-Andrew


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## A Hill

I'm placing a new order for tools, any special requests?

More double bent scissors are coming along with quick snips and the normal scissors. New tools include 6" 12" and 18" forceps. I'm debating getting some spring scissors, if you want some let me know.

-Andrew


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## A Hill

Should have the new tools in this week, double bent will be here soon.

I've also got some other moss and stuff on the website so that is in the works as well. 

Finally, I'm trying to get my social media stuff going so if you want to follow me on twitter or facebook be my guest, there will be discounts for followers over the summer.

-Andrew


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## A Hill

I just wanted to update, new tools should be here wednesday. These include the past favorites and a new selection of forceps and tweezers to help with maintenance.

Now that I'm out of school I'm working full time on this and some other things so expect magic to be occurring on the website soon if not already! 

-Andrew


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## Da Plant Man

Just wondering, what is wabi kusa?


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## Francis Xavier

This is a wabi kusa


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## Da Plant Man

A bunch of plants stuck together?


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## A Hill

Caton said:


> A bunch of plants stuck together?


That'd be an aquascape:hihi:

A wabi kusa to put it simply is a clay ball covered in emmersed growth plants. These can be kept by beginners to experts and appreciated at many levels, be it the ease of care, the aesthetics, or the difference from the norm. They are simple and can be placed in an aquarium to create an instant aquascape or housed in a vase or bowl as an interesting piece to display or be the centerpiece at a dinner table. 

The actual art of it is related to wabi sabi to quote wikipedia 


wikipedia said:


> Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, asperity, simplicity, modesty, intimacy, and the suggestion of natural processes.


They're pretty neat and I've been trying to formulate the actual substrate ball for a while now. I am determined to complete it in a few weeks. :icon_smil

-Andrew


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## Da Plant Man

I will have to get some from you them!


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## A Hill

So I'm messing with the website, it needs a simple face lift. I'm wondering what you guys think of the new welcome screen? It isn't made default yet so you need to see it here.



Caton said:


> I will have to get some from you them!


Cool, I hope you like them once they're created and for sale!

Thanks,
-Andrew


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## A Hill

_ I'm on Facebook, are you? _

You may have seen this in my sig. It is a link to my facebook group that has been pretty boring. I have recently been trying to breath life into it and am posting either a link to an interesting article in the news or highlighting a thread on here each day. I also give updates on products and other neat things I find of interest related to the hobby. I invite you to check it out, look around, and I encourage you to "Like" the group so that you can easily see what is going on and what I'm reading related to the forum. 
_
 How about twitter? _

You also may see this, my twitter link, maybe you're not on twitter. I think it is a bit more than a fad. Twitter is an excellent microblogging platform and way to send short messages, spread good things on the internet, and stay on top of your favourite people, products, and businesses. I encourage you to check it out, and maybe follow me or start a group of friends on twitter and see what it can do for you! My tweets are usually aquaria related but at times I will digress to other topics I find interesting, generally entrepreneurial. 

Let me know what you think? I'm working on the facebook page right now.
-Andrew


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## Da Plant Man

Hey, dont you love putting found and CEO at the bottom of it? :hihi:

Caton


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## A Hill

Caton said:


> Hey, dont you love putting found and CEO at the bottom of it? :hihi:
> 
> Caton


To be honest, I don't think about it much, I just think of how much work I still have to do. 

Robert Frost's poem was forced on me in 2nd grade, but I've always liked the poem. Its last lines sum up my mindset pretty well.


Whose woods these are I think I know. 
His house is in the village, though; 
He will not see me stopping here 
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer 
To stop without a farmhouse near 
Between the woods and frozen lake 
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake 
To ask if there's some mistake. 
The only other sound's the sweep 
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep, 
But I have promises to keep, 
And miles to go before I sleep, 
And miles to go before I sleep.

Oh, and I uploaded the wrong future welcome page... It is a bit more like it was originally! 

Tools didn't come today... I'm a bit perturbed, another email has to be sent now!

-Andrew
Founder & CEO, Rumford Aquatics :icon_lol: 
:iamwithst


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## A Hill

Tools arrived,
-Andrew


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## A Hill

Just updated the site again, I think it looks MUCH better now.

Let me know?

Thanks,
-Andrew


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## A Hill

Face lift and using iWeb messed some stuff up with the welcome page url, this caused my sig to be broken and other old home page links depending on how specific they are will be broken as well until I can go in and reset a bunch of fun stuff. 

Sorry for any inconvenience,
-Andrew


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## Centromochlus

Looks good Andrew!

Not sure if you're aware of this, but when i'm on the "fauna" page in the store, i'm unable to click anything else on the left side (navigation menu).


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## A Hill

AzFishKid said:


> Looks good Andrew!
> 
> Not sure if you're aware of this, but when i'm on the "fauna" page in the store, i'm unable to click anything else on the left side (navigation menu).


I'll fix that for you!

Oh, and I pulled the blog offline for now if anyone is wondering about that. I'm going to be working on something new this week.

Thank you for the heads up!
-Andrew


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## A Hill

AzFishKid said:


> Looks good Andrew!
> 
> Not sure if you're aware of this, but when i'm on the "fauna" page in the store, i'm unable to click anything else on the left side (navigation menu).


I fixed it, not sure what exactly happened.

-Andrew


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## Finalplay10

Where in RI are you located ? Pretty cool that you got all this going for your self. Props !


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## A Hill

Finalplay10 said:


> Where in RI are you located ? Pretty cool that you got all this going for your self. Props !


I'm actually in Tempe AZ now for school, but I'm from Rumford. Thanks.

-Andrew


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