# Rex's websites gone now too



## yikesjason

It looks like Rex might be done completely with aquarium stuff. Neither of his websites are showing up now.


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## wkndracer

****delete********
two threads up and opps did a post swap. If Rex has resigned from the web thats gonna be a sad day for me as thats where I get my GH booster.


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## OverStocked

wha?


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## jmhart

I knew it was only a matter of time.


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## wkndracer

jmhart said:


> I knew it was only a matter of time.


wha?


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## OverStocked

I am soooo confused... What was your first post wkndracer? idongitit


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## wkndracer

over_stocked said:


> I am soooo confused... What was your first post wkndracer? idongitit


Tim (trallen44) has cancer  and just updated his string. I had his string up on another tab and posted into the wrong string the first round. Posting at work between jobs is hazardous to my aim LOL.


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## jmhart

wkndracer said:


> wha?



I knew it was only a matter of time until Rex dropped his website


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## sewingalot

Archived version. 

http://web.archive.org/web/20080418081553/www.rexgrigg.com/index.html


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## Nate McFin

Anyone know of a good tutorial on how to build a "rex style" reactor? I was headed to his site last night to getthe parts list etc. when I noticed it was gone.
The cached version doesnt have pics anymore. 
Thanks,
Nate
PS- Sorry to see Rex is gone but his "Soup Nazi" approach pro'lly scared people. LOL


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## yikesjason

Nate McFin said:


> PS- Sorry to see Rex is gone but his "Soup Nazi" approach pro'lly scared people. LOL


Probably true. I know I never ordered from him, but a lot of great info came from him.


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## bsmith

I just got a package of ferts from him yesterday. That I ordered on the 20th. I can understand, running two sites and filling fert order after fert order plus all the questions people send him about his fruitcake.

And I wish trallen44 all the best.


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## phangtonpower

Man I was in the middle of ordering a regulator from him this week, but he hasn't replied in a few days. Thought it was normal since he says on his website that he doesn't reply to e-mails quickly:/


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## yikesjason

What did you need from him? I buy parts from the same distributor he does. I can get stuff for you if you need it.


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## IndyRon

Could you tell me where he gets his solenoids from or a good recommendation for a quality solenoid. I contacted GLA regarding purchasing a solenoid and needle valve and they wouldn't respond.


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## OverStocked

GLA does not sell parts individually.


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## yikesjason

Clippard solenoids are the most common, but there are others like Burkert and Parker. 
For needle valves, I like the Fabco NV-55. The Clippard needle valve is not too bad, but not as nice as the Fabco. There are several other needle/metering valves like Ideal and Swagelok that are expensive to buy new, but you can find them on ebay once in a while for a good price.


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## phangtonpower

yikesjason said:


> What did you need from him? I buy parts from the same distributor he does. I can get stuff for you if you need it.


I was trying to order a complete regulator from him, but because I live in Japan, there was some delay. I was ready to drop the cash since I found the adapters for the regulator. Would you be able to sell me one of his regulators with a fabco?


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## yikesjason

I am waiting for some parts to arrive next week for a few regulators I am building. I can sell you one of those or start another one from scratch for you. How much was it going to be for the one you were going to buy from Rex?


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## phangtonpower

He never gave a clear answer to that and was actually waiting for a reply, but he said it would be $35 dollars for shipping :/

If you were to sell me one of the ones you were building, would it come with the fabco?

PM for price and shipping and stuff

Thanks!!


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## yikesjason

I am planning on doing them with the Fabco. The Fabco is the part I am waiting for. They are on back order until Thursday.


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## waterfaller1

wkndracer said:


> If Rex has resigned from the web thats gonna be a sad day for me as thats where I get my GH booster.


I have a brand new bag I just got a few months ago, if you want it you can have it. It looks weird to me though, it has brown spots all over it. Is that normal? I thought it was a KH booster, my GH is fine, so I have no use for it.


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## wkndracer

waterfaller1 said:


> I have a brand new bag I just got a few months ago, if you want it you can have it. It looks weird to me though, it has brown spots all over it. Is that normal? I thought it was a KH booster, my GH is fine, so I have no use for it.


Thanks for thinking of me :smile:. Yes the brown spots are completely normal and get larger when exposed to our humid weather. (I think its the Fe component of the mix) Would love to have it as I use RO for all my tanks because of the well water. I finally have a weekend off from work so we're catching up on the tank trimmings and water changes yesterday and today. (9 glass boxes currently flooded) Keeping life busy we're planning a run out of state to attend a wedding next weekend (UGH WV). Leave after work Thursday, back by Monday for work so nothing but a day there and lots of driving. 
If we ever get caught up my wife's mother lives in Titusville and going over for a visit we'd try to loop by your way to pick up those extra 20L tanks if you still had them.

Thanx again, :smile:


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## tacks

I cant say I am sorry about Rex. Just use Sumo they are great. Ed


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## wkndracer

tacks said:


> I cant say I am sorry about Rex. Just use Sumo they are great. Ed


Posts like this give me pause and make me mirror check how I come across dealing with others.
Liking the regulator he sold or not. Buy his line of ferts or not. Rex invested the time, funds and effort to put together a website that was a HUGE help to me starting out. No digging through forums or buying books to find out the fundamentals. Each topic covered including the basic facts needed to start out keeping planted aquariums without drinking the Koolaid sold at the LFS and wasting money. I have no idea how many people I referred to his site for 'newbie' information.
Rex's Guide to Planted Tanks is a loss and *I'm sorry to see it gone.*

AlmostNaturalTropicalFishFood.com was hacked and the site trashed. Ed may or may not bring it back. 
Chuck Gadd's Aquarium page. GONE
PPS and PPS pro original pages deleted.

Stuff that's out there just to help others (right or wrong) I hate to see gone. It was out there in an effort to share and promote the hobby.


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## OverStocked

I said it before, but not in an appropriate way. Rex's tactics and methods might not have appeased everyone, but his contribution to this hobby can not be debated. Without him many of the us selling planted tank stuff would have no one to sell them to. 

Rex was a gruff SOB, but most of us loved him _because_ of that, not _in spite_ of it.


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## macclellan

over_stocked said:


> Rex's tactics and methods might not have appeased everyone, but his contribution to this hobby can not be debated. Without him many of the us selling planted tank stuff would have no one to sell them to.


I think that you mean Rex's _writing style_, not his sales tactics or methods. His writing style was great, but his sales tactics and methods were remarkably conservative and unobtrusive compared to, um, others.


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## OverStocked

macclellan said:


> I think that you mean Rex's _writing style_, not his sales tactics or methods. His writing style was great, but his sales tactics and methods were remarkably conservative and unobtrusive compared to, um, others.


I never said sales tactics or methods. I was speaking in general. His customer service approach did not appease everyone. His absences due to personal matters are just not understood by the need it now world of the internet. As a retailer, you can never appease everyone, let alone please everyone. 

I don't blame him for packing up shop. He had to get a bazillion emails asking him why something hadn't shipped or why there was no answer. That just means he is doing what is good for him. Sad that we lost the resource, but he has been absent from this forum for years.


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## Minsc

tacks said:


> I cant say I am sorry about Rex. Just use Sumo they are great. Ed


Posts like this make me sad. Sumo probably wouldn't even be around if it weren't for Rex, as he was the main force in pushing people away from crap regulators in the first place. He was the first person to offer dry ferts online, and his guide and reactor designs were invaluable resources for years.

He made huge contributions to the hobby in this country and deserves respect for it. He would even go out of his way and hand deliver ferts in Portland to save some poor schmuck a couple bucksroud:

Hopefully he will pop in somewhere and let everyone know what is up.


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## CL

Rex was one of the main people in establishing a thriving online planted aquarium community. I remember back in the day in 8th grade spending hours on his site reading his articles, as well as reading his posts on forums. He was (and still is) one of the top posters on this forum, despite not posting in the past couple of years. He stopped just short of 10K posts before anyone else was even close.

Three cheers for one of the forefathers in the online planted aquarium community.


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## yikesjason

I was at the distributor where Rex bought most of his co2 parts. They know him pretty well there (as well as Robert Hudson of AquaBotanic and Jeremy from OregonAquaDesign). I was telling them about some of the advancements Rex made in the hobby, there is even a co2 reactor that is know by his name. They had no idea. He had just bought parts there for years. I have not meet Rex in person yet, but I have always hoped he would show up at a local plant swap or club meeting so I could. 

I wonder if there is something we can do to get the info from his site up somewhere so it can still be used as a resource. 

I'll give three cheers.


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## OverStocked

I'd be happy to put the archive of Rex's site up on my site, but don't want to step on any toes. In fact, I would be honored.


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## jreich

over_stocked said:


> I'd be happy to put the archive of Rex's site up on my site, but don't want to step on any toes. In fact, I would be honored.


 some one should hurry up and grab it any way before the cache is deleted. dont necessarily post it untill you have permision, but grab it before its to late. roud:


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## Nate McFin

Rex's site is now back up!


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## OverStocked

Nate McFin said:


> Rex's site is now back up!



Thank God!

Glad to see his store and resource are alive!


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## farmhand

I wonder if Rex feels a little like Huck Fin showing up for his own funeral?


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## yikesjason

farmhand said:


> I wonder if Rex feels a little like Huck Fin showing up for his own funeral?


I have been thinking along the same lines. We have been talking about him almost as if he is dead.


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## wkndracer

*Up and running is cool for the mailman*



jmhart said:


> I knew it was only a matter of time until Rex dropped his website


Yahoo! (that you didn't know what you thought you did.)LOL

Checked the forum site and this was the last posted update dated 5/26/10. Rex has had some problems but doesn't appear to be throwing up the white flag as some have assumed.


_Ok. I think I got all the emails answered. I answered some earlier this month and may have answered some of those twice._
_I'm hoping they all got answered._
_My wife is out picking up supplies right now._
_Assuming my hardware supplier had normal levels of everything in stock all orders should go out before Monday._

_I've spent 20 days this month in the hospital. I really really hate hospitals. The food is lousy, the service sucks, the beds are medieval torture devices, they are constantly sticking things into your body in places that things were never meant to have things inserted and above all they are either too hot or too cold._

_Something to remember. When you sign those surgery consent forms. Pay close attention to the part where it talks about possible dangers and side effects. Those things can and do happen. If they didn't they would not be listed._

_It's not anyone's fault. It's just random chance._

_Thanks everyone_


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## Rex Grigg

It was a "I'm a moron and forget to update my billing info with my hosting company" moment.

What makes it worse is that the contact email they had is a dead account I have not had for at least three years.

Everything is up and running again.

Thanks.


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## CL

He's back from the grave :hihi:


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## yikesjason

And even made a post for the first time is almost 2 years.

Welcome back Rex, and hope you start feeling better.


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## Nate McFin

Good to see your still at it! I use your site too much to just have it disappear. 
Hospitals do indeed suck all the way around. I got to spend quite some time there last year as well as my wife was quite ill. Of course she also had a few other things go wrong as a result of being there as well which didnt help matters. Best Wishes in your recovery!


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## Rex Grigg

I was supposed to have "minor surgery" with a stay of 1-2 days.

Due to complications I ended up spending 16 days total in the hospital.

I really really hate hospitals.


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## waterfaller1

Glad to see you are alive and well. I wish you a full recovery & long healthy life. The world needs more people like you.{those who don't take guff and tell it like it is..:hihi:}


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## OverStocked

Glad you're home and kicking. Hope all is well. Thanks for dropping by to keep us posted, too!

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk


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## dantra

Hey Rex, its good to hear from you! Glad you are okay. Hey, nobody said it gets easier with age :biggrin:... Here's hoping for a speedy recovery roud:

Dan


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## Robert H

Since the 8th grade... boy that makes me feel old. I'm a few years behind Rex, but I imagine when you were in the 8th grade I still had a few gray hairs! 

Over the years Rex has always had his critics, to put it mildly at times, as I have. He's had a loud internet persona, which is why it has seemed so strange that he has disappeared for the last couple years.

Rex started out on my internet forum, (which merged with APC in 2006) and originally started writing the articles and his "guide" for my web site, but then decided to put it on his own web page. He was one of my original moderators and one of the core people who started my forum. He was there right from the very begining. He moved to PT, (which was also just getting started) when some forum member on my board got really offended by something he said, and he has been here ever since.

He wasn't the first to sell assembled regulators and dry ferts on the internet. There were a few before him, and a couple are still around, but he is the most well remembered!

Rex, for the last couple years the local crowd here has wanted you to come to our plant swaps, GPAS club meetings, and even the wet spot has wondered where the hell you've been! Are you going to start being sociable again?


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## erie

Has Rex gone again? Havent seen him around much, and news?


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## bsmith

I was just browsing his site the other day.


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## kenchelle

*At least one is still up.*

I found "Rex's Planted Tank Guide" recently and have been there today. I also placed and oder for fertilizer with him back in October. Does anyone know how to reach him? I tried a message on this forum and @ his website.


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## IndyRon

FYI, I placed an order with him in September I believe for CO2 equipment totaling around $170. He was prompt initially in responding to emails, but then after sending payment, stopped responding to all emails. I started a complaint on paypal and had the charges reversed because I didn't receive the parts. Haven't heard from him since...


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## TeamTeal

alot of people have had problems with him recently. get your money back and spend it elsewhere


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## nh5

I placed a order for ferts with rex, never got a response or anything. I guess he just disappeared. Had to paypal claim.


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## wkndracer

Posted an inquiry in the lounge this AM to see if anybody had made contact with the mailman within the last 30days.


PM was not an option because there's no contact info.


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## mistergreen

Just trying to keep it in one place.
The lounge isn't the place to do that.

Sorry, to be more succinct, I'm trying to move all the rex stuff into one place. There are a few of them and the lounge isn't the place to ask how to contact him and where is my stuff.


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## Momotaro

Gang, here is the deal as the staff of TPT see the issue and these threads about Rex....

First, and most importantly, let me start by saying Rex is on top notch good guy. He has done a heck of a lot for people over the years, myself included, and we'd probably be lost without the help he has meted out over the years. I have grown to know him via the forums over the years and can say with clarity he is an honest, straight shooter who's only intention is to be of help and assistance.

He pioneered a lot of ideas like dry fertilizers, DIY regulators and laid out plans on how to build the Hofzieter CO2 reactor (the object that became known as the Rex reactor), and made those things accessible to everyone. The items he offered up for sale were at almost zero profit for him. He does it to help. 

I believe the only thing he ever asked in return for the service he offered to hobbyists was that people just be patient with him. He seems to have a very busy work schedule and has seemed to have some other issues that have delayed his ability to help folks out.

All that being said, it should come as no surprise when people come into some sort of difficulty contacting him. He isn't active on the forums at all, so general posts to and about him are more than likely going to go unnoticed by him. For whatever valid and honest reason the man has for not being able to respond to posts here about him at TPT (and having the knowledge about the man that I do for conversing with him all these years I DO believe they must be good and honest reasons), those same reasons apply to the little storefront he operates for the benefit of others. I do not believe it is a lack of willingness on his part to move quickly as much as other issues that are preventing him. 

_*I will go to the mat for the guy and say he is not trying to defraud or act in any dishonest way whatsoever.*_ 

Suggestion? As with anyone else we would deal with on the internet, make contact with him before you send him money. Get an idea when something will be sent to you before you finalize your transaction. If you can't contact him it might be a good idea to source out what you need from someplace else. 

Again, Rex is a good man with the absolute best intentions of the hobbyist and the hobby at heart. Please understand all the factors involved. Don't be surprised if and when you face some sort of delay. Think about that before you place an order or make a recommendation. 

This statement being made, this will be the only thread on the topic we will allow. All others from this point forward will be removed.


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## wkndracer

_Anybody been in contact with Rex? (last 30days)

10/11/10 he posted on his forum that email spams were hitting his inbox trashing his computer. A plumber really botched up his house with a leak left during a remodel. That created a mold problem they tried to skip out on when they corrected the leak they left. Life being the mess life can get to be when situations go south and problems multiply.

I've sent PM's, website contact requests and posted a Q on his website w/o response.

Anybody heard from Rex?_

Is what I posted in the lounge thread. Nothing whining about it. I've checked his sites and life's issues had isolated him from the web last month.
What Momotaro posted above I'm in complete agreement with while gruff in his posting style the guy is top shelf. If I lose touch with the guy long term it will be a sad day. (imo)

With online attempts seeming to fail maybe old school is required. Snailmail to the mailman :biggrin:


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## Momotaro

> Nothing whining about it


I don't believe anyone thought that....:icon_wink


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## jerry1

I emailed him 2x about 2 months ago about a decent sized order I wanted to place. No response so I moved on.


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## Momotaro

This thread is not going to be used as a vendor review.....if you even want to call a hobbyist a vendor.

Lets get blunt.

There is a huge lag in Rex's response. It is a pretty clear and well know fact at this point. He may have some overriding issues preventing him from fulfilling his orders, he may have gotten tired of the whole thing and given up on offering items up for sale to other people.

I believe the message here is clear. Until Rex logs on here and lets everyone know that he is selling items again, it is time to *stop* _recommending_ him to each other and time to *stop* _ordering_ from him. It seems fruitless to continue doing so. 

How many complaint threads do we all need to read to get that message?


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## mistergreen

Agreed, and honestly, Rex should have the decency? to post on his website he can't fulfill orders.


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## Dave-H

It is what it is. If you read his website and thought that he was building a business and providing top notch customer service, you didn't read it well. The language on the site is practically scaring away business


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