Blue Marlin Aquatic Creations

I have a saltwater tank (125 gallons). I've been through just about every company in town. In my opinion, this guy is a fake, a phony, and a fraud. #1: I initially tried to hire Blue Marlin Aquatic Creations when I was looking to purchase a new tank and get into the hobby about 13 years ago. This guy was kind of rude, condescending and tried to up-sell me. So, I went with someone else and got a great deal. Unfortunately, that guy retired, so I decided to give this "company" another try. My mistake. #2: On his website, he refers to "we". He is barely a one-man show. #3: On my first appointment, he was a no-show for a water change and to assess a new home for my Porcupine Puffer. No call, no text. When I texted him to determine if he forgot about me, he said "no". And that he was too busy to talk to me because he was doing homework with his daughter. This was just the first in a series of missed appointments and broken commitments. #4: Every fish he brought me ended up dying. That is because he said he would go down to his supplier in the morning. The livestock would not only be submerged in their excrement in a bag all day, but would not be properly acclimated. Or quarantined, like most professionals do. #5: He seemed to not be able to afford the saltwater or necessary chemicals to remedy issues (despite my offer to pay up front). Also, he could not properly clean or revolve corals that I purchased due to not having an environment in which to do so. (See #10 below.) #6: He has a self-admitted (on Facebook) unreliable truck (no heat, no air, bad tires, engine troubles, etc.). If you need emergency service, steer clear. #7: I witnessed him create a scratch (with gravel) across the entire bottom and up the side of my 125-gallon acrylic tank while doing a cleaning. Direct quote, "I can't believe I just did that. That is so amateur." #8: He will tend to "up-sell" crap you don't need. In my case, after ten years without a protein skimmer, he insisted that I needed one. He brought me a used one. After two weeks, when I was changing out my filter pads (yeah, I had to do that myself), I discovered that he did not even have it plugged in. After figuring out how to plug it in (duh), a day later, it was making a very loud buzzing noise. I left it out on my door step. I'm kind of surprised he even showed up to retrieve it. #9: He will request that you make checks payable to him personally. I thought it was unconventional that he wanted gas money up front too. #10: Another direct quote: "I was working out of my f**king truck. What the f**k did you want from me?" This was in response to a purple slime issue and the demise of my livestock (even though, again, I offered to pay up front for the remedy). See purple slime picture below. That was my tank for months, which lead me to the final straw. And the realization that this guy doesn't know what he is doing. #11: My outdated fluorescent lights have since been replaced (by my current aquarium maintenance company) with an awesome LED lighting system, which I absolutely love. It would have been nice to know that I had that option for the time this guy was half-heartedly trying to maintain my tank. Perhaps it was beyond his ability. #12: The salinity, nitrate and temperature issues in my tank were resolved over the course of a few visits with my new aquarium maintenance company. And the water quality was restored to where it should be. I now have a healthy and well-maintained environment in which my fish are thriving. Ponds seem to be his specialty. Aquariums? Not so much. I get the sense that this guy doesn't really seem to care about his clientele. I could be wrong. But, there are other reputable aquarium maintenance companies and fish dudes in town that could run circles around this guy/company. I'd go with any other one of them. Not this one.

I have a saltwater tank (125 gallons). I've been through just about every company in town. In my opinion, this guy is a fake, a phony, and a fraud. #1: I initially tried to hire Blue Marlin Aquatic Creations when I was looking to purchase a new tank and get into the hobby about 13 years ago. This guy was kind of rude, condescending and tried to up-sell me. So, I went with someone else and got a great deal. Unfortunately, that guy retired, so I decided to give this "company" another try. My mistake. #2: On his website, he refers to "we". He is barely a one-man show. #3: On my first appointment, he was a no-show for a water change and to assess a new home for my Porcupine Puffer. No call, no text. When I texted him to determine if he forgot about me, he said "no". And that he was too busy to talk to me because he was doing homework with his daughter. This was just the first in a series of missed appointments and broken commitments. #4: Every fish he brought me ended up dying. That is because he said he would go down to his supplier in the morning. The livestock would not only be submerged in their excrement in a bag all day, but would not be properly acclimated. Or quarantined, like most professionals do. #5: He seemed to not be able to afford the saltwater or necessary chemicals to remedy issues (despite my offer to pay up front). Also, he could not properly clean or revolve corals that I purchased due to not having an environment in which to do so. (See #10 below.) #6: He has a self-admitted (on Facebook) unreliable truck (no heat, no air, bad tires, engine troubles, etc.). If you need emergency service, steer clear. #7: I witnessed him create a scratch (with gravel) across the entire bottom and up the side of my 125-gallon acrylic tank while doing a cleaning. Direct quote, "I can't believe I just did that. That is so amateur." #8: He will tend to "up-sell" crap you don't need. In my case, after ten years without a protein skimmer, he insisted that I needed one. He brought me a used one. After two weeks, when I was changing out my filter pads (yeah, I had to do that myself), I discovered that he did not even have it plugged in. After figuring out how to plug it in (duh), a day later, it was making a very loud buzzing noise. I left it out on my door step. I'm kind of surprised he even showed up to retrieve it. #9: He will request that you make checks payable to him personally. I thought it was unconventional that he wanted gas money up front too. #10: Another direct quote: "I was working out of my f**king truck. What the f**k did you want from me?" This was in response to a purple slime issue and the demise of my livestock (even though, again, I offered to pay up front for the remedy). See purple slime picture below. That was my tank for months, which lead me to the final straw. And the realization that this guy doesn't know what he is doing. #11: My outdated fluorescent lights have since been replaced (by my current aquarium maintenance company) with an awesome LED lighting system, which I absolutely love. It would have been nice to know that I had that option for the time this guy was half-heartedly trying to maintain my tank. Perhaps it was beyond his ability. #12: The salinity, nitrate and temperature issues in my tank were resolved over the course of a few visits with my new aquarium maintenance company. And the water quality was restored to where it should be. I now have a healthy and well-maintained environment in which my fish are thriving. Ponds seem to be his specialty. Aquariums? Not so much. I get the sense that this guy doesn't really seem to care about his clientele. I could be wrong. But, there are other reputable aquarium maintenance companies and fish dudes in town that could run circles around this guy/company. I'd go with any other one of them. Not this one.