aquaessentials

As far as I am aware, the brand Interpet actually own Dupla and Red Sea. They are apparently putting the breaks on the Dupla planted line as they were not a successful line. I am surprised at this but my wholesalers let me know about the change...

jppurchase

I find that really hard to believe. DUPLA, the company, was sold last year to Dohse Aquaristik, a German firm that sells the HOBBY line of aquarium and terrarium products (just enter Dupla into a Google search to prove this for yourself). HOBBY products aren't well known in North America but it is a very big and very successful company in Europe.

Interpet is an Australian company owned by 2 veterinarians. It caters mainly to the needs of dogs and cats.

There is a line of aquarium goods sold by a European company trading under the name of Interpet. This company is a marketing firm, they don't "make" anything that they sell.

Dupla products have a world wide reputation for quality (and unfortunately, for high prices). But the product line is solid and it would be both foolish and a darn shame if it was dropped as a separate product line.

Red Sea is an independant company which actually develops the products it sells. Red Sea products are marketed in the United Kingdom by a company called Interpet, but they have regional offices operating as "Red Sea" throughout most of the rest of the world.

For what it is worth, I know of one North American (Canadian actually) company with access to both Dupla and HOBBY products. At the request of the owner of the company, I recently reviwed the HOBBY line of products and suggested several that would be of interest to North American hobbyists and are not available from other sources on this side of the Atlantic. That doesn't mean that I know any more than the next fellow - all of the above was gleaned thru judicious use of the Google search engine.

James Purchase
Toronto

Piscesgirl

I'm pretty sure I read that Red Sea purchased Dupla - in fact, Duplarit fish food is now made by Red Sea (or the parent company of Red Sea).

And, I have to say I *thought* it was Tom Barr that said that Florabase was made by the same company that made the ADA soil -- I could be wrong -- and I thought it was in a thread on APC somewhere.

jppurchase

This thread is getting no where fast.

You are "pretty sure" that Red Sea purchased Dupla....and Red Sea now makes Duplarin (the fish food sold by Dupla). Also, you "thought" that Tom Barr said that Florabase and ADA AquaSoil are manufactured by the same company.

Who really cares WHO makes the stuff?

Tomm Barr is NOT a God, he doesn't know everything, nor does he have the "inside dirt" on the entire industry. Quite often, his off the cuff remarks get repeated as Gospel truth, without any further investigation to verify the accuracy of his claims.

You, as a moderator of APC, ought to be a bit more careful about posting unsubstantiated claims that you don't have bang-on proof of. As I noted in my response to the initial message in this thread, we don't need any more rumours and unsubstantiated stories going around in this hobby.

You might want to check with Art G. or with Jeff Senski, as to the actual manufacturer of ADA substrates. They both know far more about ADA than anyone else here, seeing as the sold/sell it.

James Purchase
Toronto

Phil Edwards

Ok folks, let's keep this civil.

The mods here are as human as everyone else and are subject to the same sources of information as everyone else is. If we posted only what we knew for sure very little would get posted.

Fact:
Red Sea, or its parent company, has bought Dupla. I've got a close relationship with the Red Sea rep for my region and he told me that some time ago. Red Sea's "Flora" line is the same formula as the old Dupla stuff, if it was Dupla stuff. The other products that weren't Dupla are forumlations of their own.

Regarding FloraBase, when speaking with the rep I asked about it being the same stuff as some of ADA's substrates. He didn't say "yes" but he didn't deny it either. Reps are notoriously closed-mouthed about the origins of their products and if the notion weren't true all he'd have to do is deny it. I can say for certain that it is volcanic clay baked with peat and it looks, feels, and tastes a lot like ADA's stuff.

AaronT

You tasted it? Wow, props to you man. That's some dedicated research.

Like I stated earlier I have both the ADA and the FB and I like the ADA better, but FB is supposedly close to Malaya and I have Amazonia. Also, the Amazonia I have has some powersand underneath so that could make the difference. Growth in the FB is very good though and if you can find it for say $20-$25 a bag it's a great way to go for smaller tanks that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg to replace every year.

I wonder has anyone tried a homemade version with some regular clay and peat? It'd be quite tedious rolling all those little balls of substrate by hand... I suppose you could always bake one big block of it and crumble it into the consistency you want later.

Praxx42

How true.






I think the term "demi-god" probably fits the bill a little better.

aquaessentials

Well this thread has progressed quite a bit since yesterday so it has obviously been of interest!

Anyway, our Florabase arrived this morning and as promised I said I would check on the back of the bag as to where it is made. It's produced in Japan by a company called Hirose. It would be interesting if anyone knew anything about this company and perhaps what else they produce.

Interestingly enough it also appears to have the same consistency as a substrate made by Azoo, apltly names Plant Grower Bed. I wonder where in Japan that's made...

The plot thickens

jppurchase

Here is a direct cut & paste from AZOO's website:

PLANT GROWER BED
For garden aquarium, aquatic plant aquariums and ponds.
FEATURE:
1. Long-lasting Basic fertilizer: Offer the nutrients for aquatic plants for released 12¡ã18 months,
2. Decoloration: Decolorize the color by driftwood and purify the water for 12¡ã18 months.
3. Water purification: prolong the water exchange period to once every 6 months easy to maintain.
4. Stabilize pH: Keep the pH value at 6.5¡ã6.8, plants still can grow well without offering CO2, is best for discus, tetra and the fish that lives in the weak acid water environment.
5. The best: The porous granular structure is easily penetrated by growing roots of the plants.
6. Natural present: Looks nature and fits for any planting

We live in interesting times...

For what it is worth, AZOO seems to carry a rather complete line of well made goods for aquariums. Several years ago, I bought an AZOO substrate heating system from M3, but it doesn't look like they (AZOO) carry it any longer. I recently ordered an AZOO Glass Palm Aquarium from Drs. Foster & Smith. Its beautifully made, of 1/4" glass. Unfortunately, it seems that the UPS chaps played football with the box during transit, and the aquarium arrived damaged (severe crack). As I had paid over $80.00 US for shipping, more than double the cost of the aquarium, I was peeved. But a quick call to the Service Department at Drs. Foster & Smith calmed me down - they have sent out a replacement unit to me at no charge (and I don't have to send them the damaged unit back).

James Purchase
Toronto

aquaessentials

Azoo are a very good brand in my opinion (infact quite under-rated) but are yet to make a big impact in the UK. We began stocking their goods a few weeks back and I am just about to set up a tank with their Plant Grower Bed substrate. I'll let you know how it progresses.

If you want to see the whole Azoo planted range, have a look at our site.