# Aqua Design Amano



## alabaster (Jun 7, 2005)

Where do you guys get your ADA supplies? Is there anyplace on the internet that sells them? Thanks!


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

Look here:

http://www.aquariumdesigngroup.com/

Mike


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## Jdinh04 (Mar 15, 2004)

Welcome to PlantedTank.net!,

As posted above, www.aquariumdesigngroup.com has the ADA supplies that you are looking for, but pay attention that you'll be spending quite a bit.

By the way, where in mid-michigan do you live?


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

I don't mind the prices by adg, the ada products they sell here are actually cheaper than some Asian countries.


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## AaronT (Apr 11, 2004)

turtlehead said:


> I don't mind the prices by adg, the ada products they sell here are actually cheaper than some Asian countries.


That's true. The Senskes are offering the ADA products at very reasonable prices.


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## travdawg (Mar 16, 2005)

turtlehead said:


> I don't mind the prices by adg, the ada products they sell here are actually cheaper than some Asian countries.



That is so true, but I would rather have an asian country than some dirt or nice lights.


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## GraFFix (Feb 21, 2005)

Honestly, those prices are insane. 

100 bucks for a pair of scissors? Do they cut better then the ones i payed 6 bucks from Drfostersmith.com? lol $280 for a Co2 regulator? Thats more then I payed for my whole Co2 setup with tank. I just dont see how they can stay in business with prices like that. Or why people would pay those prices. but hey, if you got the cash I guess go for it. 

I do like the lilly pipes and the tanks are awesome. but for the price ill just stick to my AGA tanks.


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

Most of their business is actually special order and then they fill in the extra needed to make a shipment worthwhile. I agree, the prices are high, but the quality is untouchable, wholesale cost is high, and shipment from Japan ain't cheap. Given all of the extraneous costs, the prices are actually quite reasonable. Mike and Jeff are doing us all a service by selling the products at the prices they are. 

I've seen this stuff first-hand at the '04 AGA conference and have to say that if I had the extra income, I'd get it all. The workmanship is absolutely amazing.


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## AaronT (Apr 11, 2004)

In Japan hobbiests of any sort go all out at whatever they are into. ADA caters to this demand with great success. I too have seen the ADA products first hand and there's certainly something to be said for a tank setup that looks as nice as the aquascape inside of it.

Oh, and the reason that all the glass ADA stuff is so expensive is because there is no such machine to make anything like that. Each piece is expertly hand blown glass. It's still the only method to manufacture anything like that.


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## Salamastre (Jun 19, 2005)

*Borosilicate*

I once designed glass pipes for a school project, and getting them blown by hand in clear glass was very very expensive. 

Until I found out about borosilicate glass. This is the material used for lab equipment. The raw material, borosilicate pipe, is more expensive than glass, but blowing and shapping it is a lot cheaper. And borosilicat resiste extreme temperatures well, you can just drop it in boling water to clean it.

Going to a lab supplier instead of an 'art' glass shop saved me more than 60%.

The shape of the lilly pipe should be quite easy to make, and the intake pipe is easy to seal in the end with the nice hemispherical cap, the slits could be expensive.


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## alabaster (Jun 7, 2005)

*thanks guys*

thanks for the site guys

obviously you dont pay thousands of dollars for a fish tank if it isn't the very best quality; similarly, the expensive prices of the CO2 products speak only of their quality

I'm eventually going to set up a big planted tank with an ADA tank, but first Im going to get a pico tank thats between 1 and 2 gallons. Will most plants grow without CO2 supplementation? (i.e. with only Flourish and and the other 5 flourish ferts--iron, potassium, phosphates, etc.) I plan to have a 20 Watt Coralife Mini PC bulb that screws into a desk lamp. My substrate will be Seachem Flourite. Will this setup grow most plants in a 1-2 gallon tank? How deep should the Flourite bed be? Any tips for a first nanotank? 

oh, and jdinh04, I live in saginaw, which is near midland and bay city. I've been to your town several times. Ever been to Saginaw?


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## Jdinh04 (Mar 15, 2004)

Saginaw is probably 1-2 hours from me, haven't been to saginaw.


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## JfromHouston (Oct 12, 2004)

If you guys are ever in Houston you must stop by ADG. I live about 8 minutes from their office and anytime I want to see just how pitiful my tank/aquascaping is, I just swing by and check out there tanks. It is unlike any aquarium related place I have ever been to. I've been to the shops of just about every aquarium maint. group in Houston and none of them are as well done and classy as ADG. The Houston Zoo doesn't even come close. It's more like an art gallery where the aquariums are the art.

And as you guys have noticed; bring your checkbook....


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## alabaster (Jun 7, 2005)

*Are you kidding me!*

I went to Houston in April for my cousin's wedding! I didnt know they had an office there! Guess I missed out.
:icon_sad: Oh and by the way, Houston is the neatest city I've ever been to. I really enjoyed the Galleria, and we were able to do some shopping since the mall was only a block or two from our hotel. Still, I wish to God I'd known that ADG had an office there! damn


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## Marc (Oct 13, 2004)

grandmasterofpool said:


> In Japan hobbiests of any sort go all out at whatever they are into.


So very true! I saw this first hand


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## eeng168 (Apr 22, 2005)

*I'm with Graffix*

I'm with Graffix...

$100 or more for a pair of scissors is crazy! I bought a set from Foster myself too...scissor, tweezer, and a "rake" for $35!

My cousin has the scissors from Amano....I don't see anything different.


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## gnatster (Mar 12, 2004)

Different strokes for different folks. Some people desire the quality that ADA offers and others don't. I can tell you that those $100 tools will be used with pride by your aging grandchildren as they are made of German Steel, the same quality that professional grade chefs knives are made from. They hold the edge seemingly forever where the lesser expensive one from the good Dr's do wear out. I know, I've dulled mine on a bit over 2 years. 

Just because it is out of the range you desire to spend its not fair to knock them with out all the facts.


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

By a lot of people...more or less! said:


> $100 or more for a pair of scissors is crazy!


I deal with stainless steel instruments _everyday_. Scissors, tweezers, hemostats, I use them all. Let me tell you guys something, $100 for a pair of manageable, sharp, quality stainless steel scissors is an _absolute bargain_! I have paid over $100 for a pair of simple 5 1/2" sharp/sharp dissecting scissors. A pair of the long scissors like ADA offers of the same quality would be well over $100. In fact, I can't even imagine what a pair of scissors like that might cost. 

You might want to get on ADA prices on some items, but don't get on them over their prices on quality stainless steel. If you have any experience with these things outside of the hobby, you just wouldn't do it.

Mike


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## alabaster (Jun 7, 2005)

Perfectly stated, both of you! 

My motto is this: _you get what you pay for_. Plain and simple. That goes for anything from computers to Italian leather shoes to automobiles to aquatic plant pruning scissors to furniture to clothing to cuisine to a hotel room. The more money you spend, the better ___ you get. Saying that a $100 pair of scissors is no better than a cheap pair is like saying that a Cadillac is no better than a Hyundai or a Toyota.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2005)

Hum I hope ADA equipment lives up to the standard you guys are raising them to. Maybe one day if I won the lottari I give it a try. As for the cheaper ones, I have to say that I was rather disappointed in them. Mine dull after 6 months of use.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

I'm not sure, I can dull any pair scissors, does not matter the cost.

I cut meat for 12 years, 8 hours a day, does not matter what type of metal, who makes etc, they need sharpened or they go dull with use.

I think what ADA really offers a place like ADG is the set up ease. 
Who wants to get 12 things from 12 different makers? And have them intrgrate well together and get the set up done fast and well with fewer hitches?

If you have the clients that will pay for it, and you have an example to show for the sale, you'll get the sale. 

The on going maintenance is another story.........one two years down the road.........

But the products are very good and you get what you pay for. I've been extremely happy with my 3$ scissors, they last about 1-2 years if you wipe them clean, longer if you sharpen them, my tweezers are nice also, they are about 9 years old now.

Paid 6$ for the 12" pair and 35$ for 24" pair. I use a plain old plastic paint scaper quite well vs a metal version of ADA's. I cannot rationaize a need for 100$ pairs of tweezers etc, my hands are the best tools anyway.

But I could rationalize other products from ADA.
If a well heeled customer wanted something like this, then it would make sense.

I know enough to side step some of the products handily and get the same results, but that is not to say you do not get what you pay for, they charge a fair price for the products they sell.

You may or may not wish to pay that much for something, a nice pair of tweezers will not make your scape look better. No tool will do that for you.

My fingers and motivation can do anything I need for scaping.
Throwing $ at something is not always the solution for success.

But nice things are fun and look good. If you have the $, the items are worth the $, I'm not really interested after having done the Dupla stuff full blown, they had a similar reaction to their $$$ when they came to the USA.

Like ADA, they had a very tough time establishing here back in the 1980's.
I do not think any of you were keeping fully planted tanks back then?

I did 2 full blown set ups.
4000$ a piece(no labor), custom glass tanks etc.
An aDa tank would run a bit more for a similar size, so that's not bad.

So the cost is likely close if you add everything up.
But the ADA line is very nice compared to the Dupla(which is nothing to snuff at).

If you were top pick a line, ADA would be the one to go with.
Some items might not be useful, some may.
You can spend a lot of $$$$ figuring out which you will find worth while and which are not..........

I'd be careful there.


Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

> I cut meat for 12 years, 8 hours a day, does not matter what type of metal, who makes etc, they need sharpened or they go dull with use.


Cheap stainless...my pet peeve!

All metal instruments will go dull, but you know as well as I that better quality metals will hold an edge longer and need to be sharpened less frequently. No one knows a knife like a meat cutter.

Which will hold an edge longer, those $3 stainless steel scissors (the ones that rust) you buy at the hardware store check out, or a pair of Tungsten Carbon scissors? There is no comparison between the two in my experiences. There has to be a reason surgeons and barbers and other people who use scissors for a reason use these high quality instruments.

When I use the hardware store quality stainless steel scissors it is like cutting a piece of paper with a stone.

Most people are not experienced in sharpening scissors. I wouldn't bother sharpening the $3 scissors. I have tossed more pairs of those scissors than I care to remember.

As I said earlier, I use the same style instruments we use for aquascaping _everyday_. I can tell a quality instrument the second it hits my hand. I could probably tell good form bad with my eyes closed, just by manipulating the instrument.

Now, I feel the way I do because I use these things by trade. I am referring to my own experiences with various grades of steel instruments.

For our aquascaping applications, any pair of scissors or tweezers, or hemostats will do. You can buy a $3 pair of scissors, or you can buy a $300 pair of scissors. _They will accomplish the same thing._ I do believe the more expensive, higher quality steel instruments will last longer and perform better as I have that practical experience. But does it really matter for an aquascaping application?

I own and use both kinds of instruments for aquascaping.

However, it is up to the individual. Buy what you want....it is your money after all!


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## figgy (Feb 27, 2005)

I get some exquisite tools out of my dissection kits at the morgue where I work. Most of the interns don't know what to do with them and they leave them with me.... :wink: 

Figs


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## Kyle (Jul 19, 2005)

Man I wish they sold the super cool lava rocks they have on adaeurope.com over here, they are awesome!


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

For a completely different reason, I've got to agree with Momotaro here...

I pursued bonsai for a good many years, and was initially angry at the doh-ray-mee I had to lay out to get decent tools. They were all from Japan, and obscenely expensive for what they were. Or so I thought.

But 10 years later all those tools were still slicing though tough bark like butter. And were still as tight and precise as the day I bought them.

I can't speak for ADA products. I've never touched one. But if they are indicative of the quality the Japanese demand for their hobby tools, they are probably worth every penny they cost IMO.


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## Curare (Sep 15, 2004)

I have to admit, that coming from a modelling background, having sharp, tight scissors, are a dead set must.

Any prescision tool should, if it's good quality keep it's prescision for as long as you choose to use it.

A fair proportion of my gear is father's, and my grandfather's. Quality tools never go out of style.


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