Why gerbers sucks

[chiefa da reefa]

They buy from wholesalers that use Cyanide
   
The bulbs in the reef row are 2 years old

Everything is a fire hazerd

The RO unit is so old that it is the same as regular tap water

Formaldehyde is used to cure ick so all the delicate fish die or get their gills burend real bad form this

and then their is the whole they are really expensive and stuff

[Slicktrax]

is it safe to assume that you have first hand knowledge or documentation to backup your statements?

[Reefinmike]

i worked there...

i doubt he buys from someone who uses cyanide as those fish only have a 10% survival rate while non cyanide ones are 90% and not much cheaper.

i worked there for a year... never did i see a new metal halide bulb anywhere. you can stare into a 400w bulb there easily... old

it is a fire hazard...

i tested the ro... 398 tds... same as tap

they use formaldehyde... sometimes daily....

they are 2x expensive as aqua etc for many many things.

[Slicktrax]

thanks illnino

[Reefinmike]

is that sarcastic??

[Slicktrax]

nope, i like answers from people with firsthand info

[Hunter21]

I found a REALLY old reciept of a few purchases I made there, like 85 bucks for a small amount of live rock when we first setup our nanocube! lol 

[scott wilson]

rock is not cheep at most stores

[Reefinmike]

prices on rock there were alright... but its crappy cheap plate rock that sells for $2/lb on ebay. and guess what... when the rock got all nasty. we would have to take it out and spray it off with TAP water basically killing most life that came in contact with it... i would hardly consider it live rock. a couple times it was left out of water for a night and one time left out for 3-4 days(didnt have salt because someone cant seem to get how much salt to order and how often after 17 years...)

[rmstevensiii]

I used to shop there, about once every other wk, before I knew better.  It was hit and miss.  Overall, I didn't like the way the store was kept (dirty tanks, dead or dying fish, etc) or the "help", or lack thereof, that I rec'd from the staff (excluding Mike).  I now take my business to Joel (Aquariums Etc) or Scott & Missy and I and my tanks are much happier for it.

Just my .02

[Reefinmike]

never heard of anyone getting bad help there... maybe the old manager may have persuaded lots of people to buy bs stuff but no one else there

[rmstevensiii]

As I said, I used to shop there frequently but stopped for several reasons.

I walked thru on more than 1 occasion and could not get service.  On other occasions, it seemed as if my request for info or lifestock was an inconvenience.  Had CS been a #1 priority, I'd prob still shop there, but when the CS is that bad, my money and I go elsewhere.

[apelaston]

This thread is from 06' but bad news sticks around alot longer than good, but I was just at Gerbers 3 days ago after a bad experience there with a few lazy workers...I had been emailing John and he after 3 weeks of not hearing from me messaged and wondered what was up. I told him I had stopped in and was less than happy with the snippy, unhelpful, rude answer i recieved being a OMG NEW saltwater aquariumist. So he replied a super sorry message and told me to stop in again and i did. my parents did as well without his knowledge. They are into freshwater and ponds..They were EXSTATIC after they left his shop at the quality and yea it is called a warehouse for a reason, but loved his prices and said his service was top notch.

I went in, got a great trade-in value for a light, got 7 corals for less than 70.00 which included a candy cane, acan, 4 zoas and a ric. He was very helpful and I asked him 101 questions about almost every piece of coral that he had in the tanks from 69.99 to 5.99 he didn't seem to care about the price to get his help.

I did not see but one ill fish in the saltwater area and he had a do not sell sign on him that said new shipment..acclimation issues?? who knows. Either way I was THRILLED to have gone back and I will again. He explained things to me that i would possibly overlook and wasn't just trying to upsell because he KNEW i wasn't buying. i came in with 0 money and actually had to leave to hit the ATM....

Anyways give it another go..new owner from when this post was up i believe i donno, but it is worth another try.

[quicksilver]

I dont know How you got all them corals for so cheap i baught a clam ( proably goes for like $50 at clams direct baught it cause I did  not have to play shipping ) and 1 anemone ($80 somthing dollars got it cause the wife had to have it ) and some calcium & magnisum for my tank and it was well over $190 bucks I think most of the people that work there blow 2 much smoke up you but and tell you its good for you. In my experiences they might have something nice once in a while if it just comes in got to be on your game and jump on it. One of the times I went there I was told they had 3 gigas clams and they were actually crocea clams Big mistake if you know what your doing you cant make that mistake on clams there are many other times I was told one thing and found out it was not true or they just did not know. sorry just my 2Cents.....

[Revaltion131]

First, I'm sorry for bumping an old thread, but I thought I'd add in my input as I drop by Gerber's about once a month just to see how it's doing.  It has gotten significantly better since the first time I went in February.  I do agree that their prices are high, but their selection is good.  The last time I went, there were no dead or bad-looking fish, but if I were them, I'd just tear down the coral tanks and start over.  They're just a sad disaster-looking thing.

[MechanicalEngineer]

I recently went in too...more out of curiousity than anything.  I will admit, everything looks miles better; however, prices were not current to the market in my opinion.  If they were, I'd sell my corals and be a millionaire (ok, not quite, but you get the point.) 

I will say as well, they don't seem to realize they have a horrible problem with flatworms in their coral tanks.  I've seen them in there for the past year or so.  Ugh. 

Overall, for the quality, I'd go elsewhere.  For the prices...well...yeah...you get my drift.

[ohioreef]

Locked thread. Original post is 2 years old. Feel free to start a new thread with current experiences.