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    Thread: Seems like Aquascape has a bad name here

    1. #1
      Muddywaters is offline Senior Member
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      Seems like Aquascape has a bad name here

      My pond is built by Aquascape. After having it 3 years, there's a few things I'd do differently, but all in all I'm fairly happy with it. #1 change would be to a skimmer box with a vertical filter in front, vs. the Aquascape horizontal on top media. So what is the main reasons for the dislike? (Other than the high cost!!!)

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    2. #2
      Russell Peters's Avatar
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      Your pond probably cost more than this and what did you get for it? Aquascapes dealers are just in it for the money and they over price, do not give you a real Koi pond, and don't know anything about keeping Koi.
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      people like to vehemently defend their purchases and find it incredulous that anything could be better

    3. #3
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      Quote Originally Posted by Muddywaters View Post
      My pond is built by Aquascape. After having it 3 years, there's a few things I'd do differently, but all in all I'm fairly happy with it. #1 change would be to a skimmer box with a vertical filter in front, vs. the Aquascape horizontal on top media. So what is the main reasons for the dislike? (Other than the high cost!!!)
      You shouldn't even have a skimmer with a filter in it. Your filter system should be external and include a bottom drain.
      people like to vehemently defend their purchases and find it incredulous that anything could be better

    4. #4
      Russell Peters's Avatar
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      Aquascapes is the #1 company responsible for more people getting out of Koi than anyone else. There was an attempt to bring a lawsuit against them years ago for what they do. They build garden ponds and not true Koi ponds.
      people like to vehemently defend their purchases and find it incredulous that anything could be better

    5. #5
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      Quote Originally Posted by Russell Peters View Post
      Aquascapes is the #1 company responsible for more people getting out of Koi than anyone else. There was an attempt to bring a lawsuit against them years ago for what they do. They build garden ponds and not true Koi ponds.
      Come on Russell! Don't sugarcoat it. Tell us how you really feel

      .

    6. #6
      Russell Peters's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by stephen View Post
      Come on Russell! Don't sugarcoat it. Tell us how you really feel

      .
      It turns out the guy hired to do the excavation on my Indiana pond build does aquascapes and he was very difficult to work with. He knew nothing about what I wanted done. He had no clue as to what 'vertical sides' meant and when I was finally able to explain it to him he said, 'oh, you want us to fine tune it'.
      Last edited by Russell Peters; 07-23-2016 at 06:36 PM.
      people like to vehemently defend their purchases and find it incredulous that anything could be better

    7. #7
      stephen's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by Muddywaters View Post
      My pond is built by Aquascape. After having it 3 years, there's a few things I'd do differently, but all in all I'm fairly happy with it. #1 change would be to a skimmer box with a vertical filter in front, vs. the Aquascape horizontal on top media. So what is the main reasons for the dislike? (Other than the high cost!!!)
      My wife of 42 years had one too and she really made it work. Her fish never seemed to get sick and always seemed extremely healthy and happy.

      Her secret was mostly goldfish as choice of fish, not overstocking & religious maintenance. She had it working!!!

    8. #8
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      Quote Originally Posted by stephen View Post
      My wife of 42 years had one too and she really made it work. Her fish never seemed to get sick and always seemed extremely healthy and happy.

      Her secret was mostly goldfish as choice of fish, not overstocking & religious maintenance. She had it working!!!
      She did a great job with it as a garden pond, not a Koi pond, I would agree with you on this. If Aquascapes listed them as water garden ponds, that worked well for goldfish, then it would not be the same. They don't and they sell them for way too much money and call them Koi ponds. It is just not an honest company. Our local irrigation supply company started selling Aquascapes products years ago and they put on seminars about how you could sell their crap, for way too much money, so the installer could make more money. The goal is to just make money with no thought to the end user.
      people like to vehemently defend their purchases and find it incredulous that anything could be better

    9. #9
      Russell Peters's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by kevin32 View Post
      you have any pics of the aquascape pond? is it more than 3 feet deep also?

      there are many pond builders that do things very poorly and thus causes people to just give up on the hobby. often times we pull $ out of the house for a pond. I've heard so many times I had a professional do my pond and 4 Years later it leaked. or the pond builder did not install proper filtration and the fish kept getting sick. often times these builders have good reviews also.
      The whole business model of Aquaecapes it set to rip off the customer. They have prepackage kits, that are very cheap, teach installers how to do it and then tell them to charge a small fortune for it. They are organized thieves as opposed to all the other pond builders who sometimes get it right but mostly get it wrong.
      people like to vehemently defend their purchases and find it incredulous that anything could be better

    10. #10
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      Quote Originally Posted by Muddywaters View Post
      My pond is built by Aquascape. After having it 3 years, there's a few things I'd do differently, but all in all I'm fairly happy with it. #1 change would be to a skimmer box with a vertical filter in front, vs. the Aquascape horizontal on top media. So what is the main reasons for the dislike? (Other than the high cost!!!)
      They have plans on screwing people over. First is show them something visually amazing and out of their budget, then build them what they can afford. Within their contractor articles, they note it as giving them a taste. The concept is to get them hooked on a smaller system so they come back and ask to have it made bigger later. Instead of selling them what they want at first, they get customers for two builds. Once they build the pond, step 2 for them screwing people over is with the service costs. Locally a woman was paying $250 per month for filter cleaning and chemicals, along with $500 a year for her annual clean out/up. Getting customers to shell out that much money is mind blowing. A local keeper took on that lady's service for $50 a month mainly for his drive and gas. That being said, step three is up selling your pond when it fails. The system doesn't perform, fish get sick, etc and you call for help. They tell you how you can bandaid it by getting rid of some fish etc or how they can upgrade your filters or build a bigger pond. It was not functional from the start and they know that.

      For a bit of a side by side comparison, here is what they quoted me. For a 10 by 12 they wanted $14k-$16k with a skimmer and waterfall filter. I have since built my first pond that I did wrong and my rebuild. Combine those two builds, add in all of my over filtration, and I may have spent a third of their original bid. Aquascape sells an idea that looks great installed and turns into a nightmare.



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    11. #11
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      Quote Originally Posted by jimfish98 View Post
      They have plans on screwing people over. First is show them something visually amazing and out of their budget, then build them what they can afford. Within their contractor articles, they note it as giving them a taste. The concept is to get them hooked on a smaller system so they come back and ask to have it made bigger later. Instead of selling them what they want at first, they get customers for two builds. Once they build the pond, step 2 for them screwing people over is with the service costs. Locally a woman was paying $250 per month for filter cleaning and chemicals, along with $500 a year for her annual clean out/up. Getting customers to shell out that much money is mind blowing. A local keeper took on that lady's service for $50 a month mainly for his drive and gas. That being said, step three is up selling your pond when it fails. The system doesn't perform, fish get sick, etc and you call for help. They tell you how you can bandaid it by getting rid of some fish etc or how they can upgrade your filters or build a bigger pond. It was not functional from the start and they know that.

      For a bit of a side by side comparison, here is what they quoted me. For a 10 by 12 they wanted $14k-$16k with a skimmer and waterfall filter. I have since built my first pond that I did wrong and my rebuild. Combine those two builds, add in all of my over filtration, and I may have spent a third of their original bid. Aquascape sells an idea that looks great installed and turns into a nightmare.
      Yup, that is it. It is like organized crime.
      people like to vehemently defend their purchases and find it incredulous that anything could be better

    12. #12
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      Pretty water features. The rock bottom is a huge problem. All the poop and bad stuff gets trapped. Has to be cleaned yearly and its a big job, expensive if they do it. I prefer a smooth liner bottom that I can clean myself.

    13. #13
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      Not the best picture, it's around 10x10x3 ~1500 gallons.
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      While i totally agree with everything that's been said about Aquascape style ponds, but you DIYers out there are trying to compare YOUR costs with a company that has to pay for it's labor, and all the requirements that go with it, like unemployment and disability insurance. You can't compare apples to oranges so keep the cost part of it realistic.

      When we went to a seminar about building pondless waterfalls, put on by Aquascapes, we lost track of how many times the speaker used the term "get in, get out and GET PAID" Tell you anything about their customer base philosophy - THERE ISN'T ANY and these landscapers are just looking for another way to make money by offering a "complete" landscape package. Of course, it's buyer beware, so do your homework first. And, if you are truly satisfied with their product after 2-3 years, well then, maybe KOI keeping just isn't for you as those individuals really have no clue about what is required to PROPERLY keep koi and allow them to THRIVE rather than just survive!

      I guess, by now, you find I have the same passionate feelings about that company as Russ does. Funny how contractors that actually build TRUE koi ponds think alike in this regard!
      Mike

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      @kevin32 the rocks are there to create a shallow area for bog plants.

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      Quote Originally Posted by Muddywaters View Post
      Not the best picture, it's around 10x10x3 ~1500 gallons.
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      Looks very good at this particular time IMHB!!

    17. #17
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      Quote Originally Posted by Muddywaters View Post
      @kevin32 the rocks are there to create a shallow area for bog plants.
      Is that what THEY told you? LMAO
      Mike

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      "Our goal is to assist with emergency and Koi health issues, as well as educate on best practices. Please help us gain a clear picture by giving the original poster time to answer our questions before offering opinions and suggested treatments."

    18. #18
      Muddywaters is offline Senior Member
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      We're all keeping fish for different reasons, I guess. I wouldn't want the sterility of a sea meant pond (to quote Ellie Mae Clampett). I'm not raising koi for show or breeding. I just want a small niche where I can sit with my wife, enjoy a beer or two, and watch the fish. I think sometimes people forget these are carp. Hell, we used to bowhunt carp in the warm water discharge pit @ Commonwealth Edison on Lake Michigan. A lot of the points made here against Aquascape are true. This spring, due to shoulder surgery, I was unable to do the spring maintenance, and yes they cleaned me for $500. The initial pond was 7K, and they were the lowest of the three I had bid it. We were both working 65+ hours a week, burnt out, and just wanted it done. I guess I got what I deserved!

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      Quote Originally Posted by Muddywaters View Post
      My pond is built by Aquascape. After having it 3 years, there's a few things I'd do differently, but all in all I'm fairly happy with it. #1 change would be to a skimmer box with a vertical filter in front, vs. the Aquascape horizontal on top media. So what is the main reasons for the dislike? (Other than the high cost!!!)
      Hey Muddy! Would you like to focus on suggestions to improve you're nice current pond or would you like to continue to hear the bashing of Aquascape? Hopefully this will help move the direction of You're thread to where you want it to go!

    20. #20
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      Quote Originally Posted by Muddywaters View Post
      We're all keeping fish for different reasons, I guess. I wouldn't want the sterility of a sea meant pond (to quote Ellie Mae Clampett). I'm not raising koi for show or breeding. I just want a small niche where I can sit with my wife, enjoy a beer or two, and watch the fish. I think sometimes people forget these are carp. Hell, we used to bowhunt carp in the warm water discharge pit @ Commonwealth Edison on Lake Michigan. A lot of the points made here against Aquascape are true. This spring, due to shoulder surgery, I was unable to do the spring maintenance, and yes they cleaned me for $500. The initial pond was 7K, and they were the lowest of the three I had bid it. We were both working 65+ hours a week, burnt out, and just wanted it done. I guess I got what I deserved!
      Yep! Stay Tuned My Friend!

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