Which vendor for glass 400+ gallon tank (custom)

[jake37]

So I've been researching custom aquariums and finding it a bit difficult to weed out the noise from the fact. It seems all the major vendors have some complaints and I doubt very few people have used multiple vendors in recent years to give an accurate comparison.
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What I have learned so far - a few complaints with custom aquarium (basically not sanding edges and their sump is not everything advertised); glass cages - doesn't do system (this is my first tank over a 120 so i need a bit of guidance on filtration setup) also they are under new management and have revamped their builds but most people in the past year actually seem pretty happy; reef-savvy very difficult to communicate (still waiting 3 weeks on a quote); planetaquarium - requires a store and the local stores are not that great in my area; most of the other dealers are acrylic or very small volume and not a lot of info.
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Price wise custom aquarium is maybe 5% cheaper than glass cages but it is not clear if they honor their warranty - then again glass cages warranty is only 90 days - custom aquarium will 'design' the system i.e, drilling it for their overflow and sell piping for their sump - you still have to assemble - but it is a step up on glass cages where you have to provide an overflow box for them to drill and then go to the hardware store (homedepot/lowes) to buy the pvc (ok ok it would be a lot easier if i had done this before).
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Not sure about reef saavy haven't heard from them. Custom aquarium only has a few complaints and maybe 4x volumn of glass cages but glass cages new tanks are pretty new - they do provide corner guards (important to myself) which custom aquarium does not.
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Are there other (perhaps better vendors) to worth considering? Is there a noticable different in quality between gc, ca and reefsavvy ?
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My concern is more long-term as the two tanks i want will be in location leak unfriendly and will likely run 20+ years (which means most of the plumbing has to be under the tank out of sight). If this was a basement tank my fretting woudl be less since leaks and splashes would be a non-issue.

 

[Potato Patatto]

I’ve looked a lot into options for larger tanks and the companies who make them on a larger than local scale. Glasscages is actually very close to me which makes it a convenient option but I’ve seen a few members on here mention bad experiences with them. You can search the names of these builders on this site and see all the reviews/experiences yourself. All my LFS use glasscages but smaller than 400g. Custom aquariums IMO seems to be the most transparent in their tank building process and I thought they had a lifetime warranty last time I checked? If they honor that or the caveats that come with it I don’t know! Fishtanksdirect probably has the cheapest prices at the larger tank sizes and few members have bought from them and said good things although they had to unload the tanks themselves.

Definitely search this forum from top to bottom and go what you’re comfortable with, that’s a large tank and a lot of money regardless who you go with, I’d want the piece of mind!

 

[Backfromthedead]

What's the shipping situation for each if them these days? That could be big. As far as I know customaquariums and glasscages are among the most prolific custom glass tankbuilders in the continental US today. Depending on where you are you might be able to find comparable or better quality and pricing from a local builder. For instance, socal or florida have an abundance of small companies building custom glass tanks.

 

[jake37]

I'm working on the shipping option - one thing that makes the tank 'difficult' is that it is 120 inches long. Custom aquarium by default ship for free to freight depot and I'm checking with a almost local store on picking up from glass cages and delivering as well as setting up the plumbing (they have a business doing this and are located midway between myself and glass-cages which is approx 50 miles from myself. By default glass cages shipping is extra which actually make them quite a bit more expensive than custom aquarium - maybe 5 to 10% but being local i might be able to arrange something more reasonable. I'm also checking into markup if i order the tank through the store (they use glasscages) - this is a store i've never used before as they are not really 'local' and i got their name/address from glasscages.
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One of the issue with glass-cages is that there were a lot of complaints on finish from the old style tanks so only reviews the past 18 or so month are valid for them since they have a new management and build style.
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I doubt there is a local builder in my area most of the 'local builders' use either glass cages or planet aquarium and since i have a good idea of the type of tank i want it would be a lot of effort and back and forth to have them use planet aquarium (no clue if price competitive). This is why i'm still considering reefsavvy because it sounds like they will deliver and setup esp given my not being too far from them (maybe a day drive) - but i have no clue how expensive they are relative to the alternative - on the good side i have never heard of anyone complaining abou their build quality and since my project is 14 months out I can easily absorb their wait time - but if their cost is 1.5x or 2x that will be too expensive given the total size of the project. I live in part of the country (middle tn) that is pretty sad with regards to a lot of things including fishes and electronics.

 

[FINWIN]

So I've been researching custom aquariums and finding it a bit difficult to weed out the noise from the fact. It seems all the major vendors have some complaints and I doubt very few people have used multiple vendors in recent years to give an accurate comparison.
-
What I have learned so far - a few complaints with custom aquarium (basically not sanding edges and their sump is not everything advertised); glass cages - doesn't do system (this is my first tank over a 120 so i need a bit of guidance on filtration setup) also they are under new management and have revamped their builds but most people in the past year actually seem pretty happy; reef-savvy very difficult to communicate (still waiting 3 weeks on a quote); planetaquarium - requires a store and the local stores are not that great in my area; most of the other dealers are acrylic or very small volume and not a lot of info.
-
Price wise custom aquarium is maybe 5% cheaper than glass cages but it is not clear if they honor their warranty - then again glass cages warranty is only 90 days - custom aquarium will 'design' the system i.e, drilling it for their overflow and sell piping for their sump - you still have to assemble - but it is a step up on glass cages where you have to provide an overflow box for them to drill and then go to the hardware store (homedepot/lowes) to buy the pvc (ok ok it would be a lot easier if i had done this before).
-
Not sure about reef saavy haven't heard from them. Custom aquarium only has a few complaints and maybe 4x volumn of glass cages but glass cages new tanks are pretty new - they do provide corner guards (important to myself) which custom aquarium does not.
-
Are there other (perhaps better vendors) to worth considering? Is there a noticable different in quality between gc, ca and reefsavvy ?
-
My concern is more long-term as the two tanks i want will be in location leak unfriendly and will likely run 20+ years (which means most of the plumbing has to be under the tank out of sight). If this was a basement tank my fretting woudl be less since leaks and splashes would be a non-issue.

I ordered my 225 through custom aquariums...they brought the tank inside my garage. My brother and I cracked the crate open to inspect. The local distributor in my area sent a crew over the next week to move it inside to set it on the stand.

I can give you a referral of the guy in California who hooked me up. Top notch customer service, and lifetime warranty on their products. I don't know about any 'unsanded edges'.

Maybe the size you want is the issue? I don't know. I purchased in 2019.

 

[jake37]

The local distributor are people who work for custom aquarium or a moving company you hired? I'm on the opposite coast so unless they are nation wide they won't help. The tank is more than 78 inches or whatever the limit is for home delivery so it would be shipped to the freight depot. I'm checking with a local store that has a service to see how much it would cost to deliver and setup. My concern is that I've not dealt with bulkheads before so i prefer someone who has experience to assemble if not too expensive. It might be easy as pie but i fear the first time i do it i will make at least one mistake and i rather wait to make such a mistake in the basement than main floor.
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Were your corners well sanded or rough as someone else has complained (not on this forum) and what did you think of their sump (if you purchased one) ? I know there will always be a few people who are unhappy and trying to get a more balance view of things.

I ordered my 225 through custom aquariums...they brought the tank inside my garage. My brother and I cracked the crate open to inspect. The local distributor in my area sent a crew over the next week to move it inside to set it on the stand.

I can give you a referral of the guy in California who hooked me up. Top notch customer service, and lifetime warranty on their products. I don't know about any 'unsanded edges'.

Maybe the size you want is the issue? I don't know. I purchased in 2019.

 

[FINWIN]

The local distributor are people who work for custom aquarium or a moving company you hired? I'm on the opposite coast so unless they are nation wide they won't help. The tank is more than 78 inches or whatever the limit is for home delivery so it would be shipped to the freight depot. I'm checking with a local store that has a service to see how much it would cost to deliver and setup. My concern is that I've not dealt with bulkheads before so i prefer someone who has experience to assemble if not too expensive. It might be easy as pie but i fear the first time i do it i will make at least one mistake and i rather wait to make such a mistake in the basement than main floor.
-
Were your corners well sanded or rough as someone else has complained (not on this forum) and what did you think of their sump (if you purchased one) ? I know there will always be a few people who are unhappy and trying to get a more balance view of things.

I didn't order a sump, so I can't say...The local distributor worked with CA. I set up a separate appointment for them to move the tank out of the garage and into the fishroom. CA is national, so you would contact the main website and then search out local distributors affiliated. In my area there are three, I just picked the closest one to my address. Once your order is in everyone is on the same page. You have the option of moving the tank to its final location yourself or have the distributor do it. So say if you order a sump but never set up one before, the distributors will set it up for you and go over all the details. I'm not aware of a limit for home delivery but maybe something has changed. My 72" was home delivered. The corners on my tank are smooth, no sanding issues and the black silicone is precision perfect.

You can do a google search on distributors in your area, or check with CA directly on their website. The guy that handled my account is out in California, and I live in D.C.

 

[jake37]

Is local distributor the same as local retailer (looking on their website)? I presumed you ordered the tank directly from CA.

I didn't order a sump, so I can't say...The local distributor worked with CA. I set up a separate appointment for them to move the tank out of the garage and into the fishroom. CA is national, so you would contact the main website and then search out local distributors affiliated. In my area there are three, I just picked the closest one to my address. Once your order is in everyone is on the same page. You have the option of moving the tank to its final location yourself or have the distributor do it. So say if you order a sump but never set up one before, the distributors will set it up for you and go over all the details. I'm not aware of a limit for home delivery but maybe something has changed. My 72" was home delivered. The corners on my tank are smooth, no sanding issues and the black silicone is precision perfect.

You can do a google search on distributors in your area, or check with CA directly on their website. The guy that handled my account is out in California, and I live in D.C.

 

[eon aquatics]

idk for sure but wouldn't a local vendor be ideal? you could carry it home on a truck, can that even be shipped?

 

[jake37]

idk for sure but wouldn't a local vendor be ideal? you could carry it home on a truck, can that even be shipped?

No. It will weigh around 800lbs.... not something i can handle myself I would need at least 8 people but there is also some equipment needed since you have to carry it by the sides to set it down without squishing the fingers