Scammed by LFS?????

[Mmoreno1368]

So today I went to my LFS and bought a bottle of CaribSea purple up...tonight I went to use the product after my lights turned off..I was shaking the bottle like the directions asked me to and I noticed that it sounded like there was something hard rattling around inside the bottle. When I opened the bottle the seal on it appeared to be not very secure (another red flag)..I emptied the bottle into a clear empty water bottle and sure enough, there was a blue and clear marble inside the bottle (another HUGE red flag)...I also noticed that the contents of the bottle were not nearly as milky as it was supposed to be....Now I am new to PurpleUp...is this normal for there product? Or did I just get completely scammed by my LFS???????
Thanks for your help

 

[pfan151]

Where they scammed you was when they told you to buy purple up.

 

[top shelf]

Agree with pfan, I've never used it so not sure what is supposed to be in it or what it's supposed to look like. Purple up is just a calcium supplement with I think a few other trace elements. They have a great marketing ploy though buy calling it purple up and claiming it will boost your coralline growth. Any of the calcium supplements can help boost coralline growth as it is a calcareous algae and needs it to grow. Unless your testing for it I wouldn't add anything.

 

[mal7887]

I always avoid gimmick products like purple up. Just keep your alk and cal in line and you will have plenty of purple.

 

[scooter31707]

I always avoid gimmick products like purple up. Just keep your alk and cal in line and you will have plenty of purple.

I agree and when you do get it you are going to be finding ways to get rid of it. It gets on my nerves.

 

[ktownhero]

It's entirely possible that is in there legitimately to help mixing. I don't know, I don't use the product though.

 

[Tripod1404]

It's entirely possible that is in there legitimately to help mixing. I don't know, I don't use the product though.

I agree, since the products is nothing more than a highly concentrated Ca and Mg, they most likely need something inside the bottle to stir up the precipitated minerals.

The biggest scam here is people being tricked into buying stuff like this purple up. It is a ~$20 product that probably contains $1 worth of Ca and Mg plus water.

I have never seen a reef tank that doesnt have coraline algae. There is no need to rush it with snake oil products. Being impatience is a very bad trait for this hobby and it will likely cause expensive mistakes.

 

[lapin]

Snake oil and a lot of water. hahahaha. Most liquid consumer products are a lot of water with little else. The biggest cost is the bottle.

 

[ktownhero]

Snake oil and a lot of water. hahahaha. Most liquid consumer products are a lot of water with little else. The biggest cost is the bottle.

To be fair, it is not "snake oil" -- it does exactly as advertised. It will, in fact, speed up the growth of coralline algae.

What you mean is that it is unnecessary and over-priced. That's different than "snake oil".

 

[Sk8r]

Well, to the original problem, keep your magnesium above 1300 and you will eventually be asking us if there's anything that eats coralline. If you have an acrylic tank, it's a particular pain.

 

[DMX512]

No real insight regarding the product, however I will say good job trusting your gut/common sense. If something seems wrong it just might be.
You could try going to another LFS that carries the product and start shaking it up.
There used to be actual marbles in a can of spray paint. That was 25 years or so ago.

 

[christopherjudd]

As far the the op’s question the rattle part is normal and it is milky.

 

[heathlindner25]

I don't use it, but I know a reefer that has been doing it a lot longer than me that does...

 

[ca1ore]

I'm tempted to say that sellers have been taking advantage of 'stupid' customers since the dawn of the human race ...... but I won't because it might be viewed as not constructive.

 

[heathlindner25]

Or that people see a positive reaction with a product and continue to use it?

 

[sde1500]

It's a calcium and iodine supplement. Anyone have proof it's a scam or "snake oil"?

 

[Pslreefer]

Scammed by LFS?????

People actually use that stuff??? Nothing but a gimmick that one can achieve on their own.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HBtank]

Or that people see a positive reaction with a product and continue to use it?

I would say every successful reefer has seen positives using it, even relied on it; except they buy it for 100x cheaper without a bottle or fancy name.

 

[HBtank]

It's a calcium and iodine supplement. Anyone have proof it's a scam or "snake oil"?

I don't know, is repacking/marketing supplements with a fancy name and expensive price tag a "scam"?

I guess that is relative to the user.

 

[ca1ore]

Or that people see a positive reaction with a product and continue to use it?

Or they 'think' they do = placebo. Just sayin'