Hello DFWMAS!

Hey everyone, I'm Bud Carlson, owner of Turbo's Aquatics. I also make the donuts - it's pretty much just me, plus a few friends who help out on and off.

I've been making Algae Scrubbers and various acrylic products for over 10 years. Started as a side gig but a few things changed back in 2018 when the engineering company I was part owner of basically fell apart and I went off on my own. So I also have my own consulting engineering company (also just me, and a few retired guys).

Around then, I partnered up with Josh Johnson of Clear Water Scrubbers and we started a new company, CWT Aquatics. The purpose was to make sumps that were designed around both of our Algae Scrubbers. Fast forward, I bought out his half (it was amicable) and then merged that into Turbo's Aquatics.

I'm also past {every role} of my local reef club, Greater Iowa Reef Society (GIRS) and currently President and Webmaster.

I'm gearing up to roll out a new sump line and the ever-pending Rev 5 of my Algae Scrubber (now projected for Spring 2023). In preparation for all of that, I've got a stockpile of the CWT sump that I need to clear out. You have probably seen these posted on FB groups all over the dang place!

So that's my short & sweet intro. I have an affinity to actual 501c3 clubs versus your everyday FB group. It's been a tough time for clubs even before COVID. Glad to see DFWMAS doing well. I'll be contributing a gift certificate, and who knows what else.

More info in more threads to come over the next couple months!

Best,
Bud
 
Let me know!

As a side note, I've ran into a lot of people who have misunderstood the whole Turbo's / CWT / Clear Water Scrubbers relationship, so just in case that's happening here I'll expand on what I wrote in my OP above (below is a copy/paste from another forum thread)

In case you missed it: CWT Aquatics was merged into Turbo's Aquatics at the end of last year. CWT Aquatics was originally formed for the purpose of manufacturing acrylic sumps that were compatible with Algae Scrubbers. Just to alleviate any confusion...CWT was always a separate entity from Turbo's Aquatics and Clear Water Scrubbers and was a joint venture between Josh and I until I bought out his half of CWT last year (it made sense to both of us).

I never had a stake in Clear Water Scrubbers, Josh never had a stake in Turbo's Aquatics, neither of us merged either of our companies together or bought the other's company - they've always been separate. It was just CWT that we owned together, but the CWT logo was kind of a blend of his logo and my font so I think that gave the impression that somehow there was an actual blending of the companies.

Once I bought his half of CWT, I decided to ditch the sump line and create another.

Part of this was due to the 50g and 55g sumps being oversized for shipping, which made their retail price ridiculous IMO (because "free shipping" is not free, it's all included in the price, and the 55g sump costs $180-$200 or more to ship).​
Another reason was I wanted a more flexible design - not just built around Algae Scrubbers, but capable of flexing for anything (with, of course, a focus on Algae Scrubber integration).​
Then of course, I wanted to get rid of the logo, which I have already done for the ATO line that is available on SaltwaterAquarium here (now with an Apex LLS port): https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/turbos-aquatics/

A5-8 P Front LSS.pngA10-8 P Front LSS.jpg

...I've been told that my font bears a striking resemblance to Bang Energy drink lol....
 
It's super hard to be original (your last sentence), but thank you for that backstory (it's very interesting), and for joining our forums to share your wares!
 
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