Matts Trilogy

[Gator]

Some stuff mat made for me the clear is neat looking

[Gator]

aslo matts skimmer, kalc reactor and calcium reactor

[RobertG]

Gator I am jealous, you have all the things I wanted.... **** It!!! To Sweet! If you decide you dont want any of it call me.

[Gator]

I think i barely got in on one of his last orders. i am glad to of gotten it but sad to see mat go because i know i will definitly need something else when i think of it

[MIOR6485]

Before I say this, I want to make it clear that from what I have seen, Matt does beautiful work but he is prices are high($365 for kalk reactor) for almost the same products out there on the market. From the pictures I have seen, Matt skimmers, kalk and calcium reactors are very similar to Geosreef and Barr aquatics products.

[wkopplin]

:twisted:

[Tim Marvin]

Mior6485, thanks for the tip. Prices are a little better, especially since we'll have shipping on products from Matt now.

[Gator]

have you ever seen both brands of skimmers in person, matt uses quality acrylic and puts alot of pride it what he makes, i dont think i paid to much for any of matts products i am very happy with them..

[adaminaustin]

almost the same products out there on the market. From the pictures I have seen, Matt skimmers, kalk and calcium reactors are very similar to Geosreef and Barr aquatics products.

The key word is almost. I know that Matt uses cast acrylic and he hand polishes. These similar manufactures might use cast acrylic (the main cost in these projects), but I know that any mass manufacture flame polishes.

This just means that he handsands everything. Quality stuff.

I do not have a Matt Monster, but I know a lot of people are sad to see him go... :(

[Tim Marvin]

No doubt, Matt does excellent work! His stuff will probably last forever. It will cetainly last as long as we are in this hobby, or some better form of filters come along, but for some people the price is a little high, that is why there are so many other cheap products on the market.

[wkopplin]

I compared his prices to other brands and found him to be quite reasonable. Especially when I could order it up to size and get add-ons made like my CA reactor extension. That was where it really paid off for me.

[RobertG]

I have one of Matts skimmers, it is great. For the same money I could of paid a mass producing company I got something alot nicer looking & aswell more tuned. I did'nt mind dropping the cash after I knew what I needed. I looked elsewhere & saw nothing that I liked. All I have heard led me to go with Matt. I know my reef enjoys it. Also I believe in you get what you pay for. I am not glad to see him go, I had other plans for things to be built. Looks like I need to start on my projects. Matt Good Luck with the new job. Wish you the best of success in life.

[Gator]

im pretty sure mat cant stay away from acrylic forever, he will just have to send the stuff on the big brown truck to texas

[matt]

Before I say this, I want to make it clear that from what I have seen, Matt does beautiful work but he is prices are high($365 for kalk reactor) for almost the same products out there on the market. From the pictures I have seen, Matt skimmers, kalk and calcium reactors are very similar to Geosreef and Barr aquatics products.

Thanks for the compliment, but I want to clarify a few things. First, I use spartech polycast, which is the most expensive acrylic, but also the highest quality. All the tube I use is 1/4" wall domestic cast. Second, I use designs which avoid any fittings in the tube; this means I have to make boxes for the kalk reactors and the calcium reactors. That's alot of extra work, but I think it means that the stuff is likely to last longer. Most things break or leak at fittings; using weld-on 40 to attach fittings to boxes is the strongest and most reliable way I know of to put these things together. I've never seen another reactor that uses a box. I also use techniques which assure that the acrylic never gets hot; I was taught that this is important for long term strength. This includes the tedious hand sanding and polishing process. None of the larger companies does this, to my knowledge.

You're wrong about the kalk reactor price, BTW, I charge $300. Given the amount of work and price of materials, I hardly think it's expensive. (Maybe you're considering the price of the pan world pump that I recommend) But, it's never been my intention to compete price wise with anyone or even try to sell to a wider market than MAAST members. I've been doing this as a hobby, with the sole intention of building really high quality stuff, and constantly improving my designs and building abilities. Trying to make money building these devices has not been a high priority; honestly, I don;t know how anyone could make money doing this sort of thing, building individual devices by hand.

Guitar makers, and I know lots of them, often are put in the position of competing with large guitar companies, whose instruments are often less expensive, and sold as "comparable" or even "better" than hand made instruments. To me, though, I far prefer getting an instrument from the guy who made it, knowing that in some way, part of his personality is in the thing. None of there guys, and I know some that sell guitars for many thousands of dollars, are wealthy individuals or even apparently concerned with profit margins, sales trends, etc. For me building this stuff has just been another way to explore and grow in the reefkeeping hobby.

[MIOR6485]

Matt

There is a lot of pride to your work and for good reason. I did not make the comment to cause any bad feelings. My intention was to inform people of the sights I found on the internet which, if you do a search on MAAST you would not find. The brands mentioned are of good quality for the price and compared to the other . The $360.00 I mentioned, was for the whole package deal. If you look into the georeef kalk reactor, which I purchased, it was the best bang for your buck. 3/8" flanges cast acrylic tube etc. I never insinuated it was better quality than your product, but I did not see the justification in paying an extra $175 for polished ends and other difference that would not matter if it were properly taken care of.

Is this a trend or what. It seems like the big contributors to MAAST are leaving. First Jim Norris now you. Whos next? Dan?

[brewercm]

My intention was to inform people of the sights I found on the internet which, if you do a search on MAAST you would not find.

Nothing personal, but I think that this would have been best posted under the Vendor & Product Experience section if this was the case. Posting it into a thread where somebody was thanking a leaving member for their work and contributions, and has been pleased with it regardless of cost was inconsiderate.

[MIOR6485]

brewercm

Taking a sentence out of context to prove/make a point is also inconsiderate. I only included company names and prices to support my earlier statement.

[wkopplin]

Gator,

That piece you got for your skimmer overflow would make a GREAT carbon chamber.

[RobertG]

Gator,

That piece you got for your skimmer overflow would make a GREAT carbon chamber.

No it wont, Give it to me! :-D

[brewercm]

MIOR6485
All I meant was that there was no need to degrade the thread by comparing his product to other less expensive ones, there is a forum for that.
I didn't intend to offend you, just that I felt it was inapropriate (as apparently other did also) in this forum. Matt has helped many people on this site with DIY projects when they were trying to get more bang for the buck without pressure to purchase his items. As far as people not being able to search for those vendors on this site, they are not a sposor to the site so they are not listed. Nothing personal to them either, just the way it is. Again that is what the Vendor/Product Experience forum is for and I've posted in there myself when I find what I feel to be a great deal.

Hopefully no hard feelings, I just wanted to clarify my point and I'm done posting on this thread. :D

Well other than to thank Matt for his assistance and what he has done for this site and hopefully he'll stay in touch.

[Tim Marvin]

I am thankful, I didn't even know about the other two sites. If someone wants a good skimmer but can't afford the best (Matt's) this is a cheaper alternative. Matt won't take this to heart, he knows his stuff is good.

[matt]

Gator,

That piece you got for your skimmer overflow would make a GREAT carbon chamber.

The clear piece with the eggcrate is a carbon canister. I made 2; Gator got one and Troy got one. I don't know if the waste collector would work that well, because both fittings are in the top. I guess you could attach a PVC pipe to one of them running down towards the bottom inside the tube, then put some filter material around it. The carbon canister is basically a slightly fancier version of what I made at the acrylic workshop meeting at Robert's house. It's easy to make and a good DIY project.

[Ram_Puppy]

Matt,

when you get settled in your new home, if you do decide to start making goodies again, hope you will let us know. I never got to meet you, but i did set up a special savings account with you in mind! :) just a few more months and I would have been knocking on your door with a wad of cash for some superbly made equipment.

Oh, and just like Jim hasn't been a stranger, hopefully you won't be either. One of the best things about the web is it keeps communities together when geography pulls them apart. We all value your knowledge, and again, while we haven't met face to face, your guidance has effected my own reefkeeping, so thanks.

[dan]

i have one thing to say : matt might be leaving but he'll never be gone. thank you matt for all you have done for maast. we'll be calling you for stuff. you can bet on that.