Members' tanks and testimonials

We often post photos and testimonials from our highly regarded clientele.

If you would like to have your tank displayed on this page, please contact us.

Drew Ward's tank

"I strongly recommend Ernie and the team at Reeflections.

I first met Ernie at the end of 2009 when I was planning an aquarium and needed some good advice. I had never kept a fish before in my life, knew nothing about it and wanted to jump in the deep end and set up a reef aquarium.

Prior to meeting Ernie I had read some books, surfed the net, and spoken to some so-called experts at other Melbourne aquarium shops. I was getting frustrated by smart-arse shop owners who talked down to people who were new to the pastime, who didn’t provide complete explanations and who were more interested in showing how much they knew rather than imparting knowledge to assist the new customer.

Then I called Ernie - he listened, he explained, he was patient, and he gave me the impression that he really wanted to help with the project and bring it to life. I took my plans down to the shop, explained what I wanted to do and we went from there. I'm sure that explaining things to a new customer is a somewhat painful exercise for the experts but I never got a sense from Ernie or his team that I was a nuisance - on the contrary. Ernie and the team became very interested and supportive of the project and were instrumental in making the new aquarium a great feature of the house.

Drew Ward's tank (Click images for a larger version)

As a newcomer to the hobby I was very concerned about making a design decision which might make operation or maintenance of the system difficult. Ernie made sure that all of these considerations were thought through with the result being that the operation of my system is as simple and maintenance is as straightforward as it can be. A key aspect of this was a carefully thought through design and selecting the right equipment - good advice is invaluable here and I now know that there is plenty of potential for false economy when setting up an aquarium. Ernie offered me very good advice on where to invest in high quality equipment and systems and where a simple or low-cost solution would suffice. In this way, customers can be assured that they are getting the best possible value for their aquarium dollar.

Another consideration is the value of on-going advice and support. Equipment may be available cheaper elsewhere but there is no substitute for having an advisory team who know and understand your system and who can provide advice and assistance with any matter you encounter.

A recent example of the value of this advice was at Easter this year (2011) when I was in the shop getting some water. I made an almost casual comment that I had noticed a salt build up on the outside of one of the seams of the tank. Ernie said to immediately check the source of the salt to check for a leak and to call him back that day to report. Following my return home and my check, I called later that day to say that it looked like there could be no other explanation for the salt build up than a very fine leak. Ernie visited my house that night, confirmed the 'diagnosis', and identified the cause of the leak as a small worm which had 'tunnelled' through the silicon seal.

He then gave up most of his Easter Sunday to help me break down the tank, remove all fish, coral and rock, transport these to the shop, remove the damaged seal, re-silicone the tank, and then test the repair.

Where else would you get service, support and assistance like this? Ernie even looked after my fish and coral for a week while the repair work was completed and the new seal cured.

Suffice to say, Ernie and the team have my strong recommendation. They are directly responsible for taking a complete newcomer to the hobby and helping educate and inform me to the point that I now have a very enjoyable and appealing feature in my house.

I would be happy to elaborate further and provide any further assistance I can to anyone thinking about setting up a similar system. Ernie has my contact details – I encourage you to contact him and get in touch with me."

- Drew Ward

Stephen Jolson's tank

"Reeflections Aquarium designed and built my 1000 litre aquarium in my office nearly 3 years ago.

The tank is incredibly healthy and is thriving due to the advice and service Ernie offers through Reeflections. I value all of Ernie's experience and knowledge about fish, corals, water quality and equipment. It is a pleasure doing business with Reeflections.”

- Stephen Jolson

Stephen Jolson's office tank (Click images for a large version)