Your thoughts on custom tank manufacturers?
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jake37
Community Member
I joined this forum mostly because of this thread. I'd like to get a pair of 400+ gallon tanks (one is 12x3x2 the other 8x4x21 - l,w,h). I'm a bit concern because it seems all the vendors have issues - I've been leaning towards custom aquarium but my understanding from this thread is they don't polish the end of the glass - which is important because i spend a lot of time looking through the side which faces my desk. On the other hand glasscages doens't build system they build tanks. I wish there was a perfect builder. fyi: i'm a freshwater person and i do realize this is a forum that focus on salt-water and most of the community buying large custom tanks are oriented torwards salt water but not sure that is relevant to actually buying a tank.
ReefEco
Well-Known Member
Yeah, save yourself a headache and use someone other than Custom Aquariums. Lots of better options for glass tanks. I'm pretty sure they polish their edges, except when they don't LOL, and make excuses for not having done so. You might check to see what manufacturers are closest to you, which can cut down on shipping charges and handling risks. I think probably every manufacturer can have issues - anyone can make mistakes - but it is how a company deals with those mistakes that is the real indicator of their integrity. If you like custom aquariums because they build whole "systems" - I assume you mean because they also have sumps? Their seamless sump system is pretty bad and not one I would consider - you can't see into them, which in my opinion means you likely won't clean it as often, and you can't see if something is going wrong at a glance. There are tons of acrylic sump options, or your tank manufacturer I imagine would also make you a glass sump? If you are looking for high-end bespoke filtration systems right out of the box, look at My Reef Creations. Bashsea also does custom filtration I think too. I just got my 5 tanks for my dream system from AGE in Texas, and they are beautiful...
Hi @jake37 you have so many options. Thanks for the consideration. We do build tanks for sure as well as custom and standard sumps. Glass and acrylic sumps. We don't supply the plumbing. not sure if that is what you desire. you have a ton of options. enjoy the process. Thanks again.
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
Has anyone worked with Superior Aquariums out of the Dallas area? The owner used to work for Oceanic (no, I’m not talking about Planet, which also has some former Oceanic peeps).
Ryan Avery
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Anybody here get a tank they were happy/unhappy with?
ReefEco
Well-Known Member
Ian Apple
Acrylic and Glass Exhibits
Operations Manager
972-276-9066 - Office
214-316-2625 - Cell
I also worked with:
Acrylic and Glass Exhibits
Sales Manager
Jessica Garcia
[email protected]
Office (214)373-3474 Ext. 1206
They did some office shuffling during the pandemic I think, so likely email is best to start. Jessica is the main sales contact, then a good idea to have a conversation about the tank, customization, and actual building with Ian. I got a 400g (72x40x31), 100g eel tank, and three 6 foot rimless frag tanks from them. I live in earthquake country so the 400g has powder coated aluminum frames and bracing, all 3/4" glass. 1" PVC bottoms are standard, and I got armored seams as well.
Acrylic and Glass Exhibits
Operations Manager
972-276-9066 - Office
214-316-2625 - Cell
I also worked with:
Acrylic and Glass Exhibits
Sales Manager
Jessica Garcia
[email protected]
Office (214)373-3474 Ext. 1206
They did some office shuffling during the pandemic I think, so likely email is best to start. Jessica is the main sales contact, then a good idea to have a conversation about the tank, customization, and actual building with Ian. I got a 400g (72x40x31), 100g eel tank, and three 6 foot rimless frag tanks from them. I live in earthquake country so the 400g has powder coated aluminum frames and bracing, all 3/4" glass. 1" PVC bottoms are standard, and I got armored seams as well.
Paston1
Active Member
Went with Joe. My buddies explained to me that money can’t solve my issue here…impatience. Doing a 60x60x25
Daniel@R2R
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My Tank Thread
Good thread. Very helpful info here for those looking at getting a custom tank built.
MONTANTK
Valuable Member
I’ve had a couple Miracles Aquariums. They’re a little slow to build and can be hard to get ahold of but their tanks are always top notch and from what I remember they don’t break the bank either.
I did have an issue with one of their standard tanks leaking (Im not totally convinced it was totally their fault) but they took care of all of the damages and even built me a totally custom tank at no extra charge
I did have an issue with one of their standard tanks leaking (Im not totally convinced it was totally their fault) but they took care of all of the damages and even built me a totally custom tank at no extra charge
izzyishh
Well-Known Member
Karliefish
Well-Known Member
My wife and I retired that past year and it has been our dream to do a large custom reef aquarium. We had a 365G custom tank made by TankMe USA and a 90G custom sump made by Advanced Acrylics. Here is a summary of our impressions and build experience with both these builders along with a report card grade.
TankMe USA:
Overall Grade: A
From the moment I first spoke to Gaston (owner and builder) I knew I was talking with someone that was insanely passionate about building high quality custom tanks. He does not try to “sell you” - just the opposite, try’s to discourage you from going with him if you are not a serious buyer. His honesty is refreshing and he’ll work with you every step and share with you his opinion when their are multiple options to choose from. He built a 355G tank (96”L x 34”D x 26”H) for us. The whole process from order to delivery was approximately 6 months and YES he will delivery the tank right to the room in your home where you want it placed! Check out my build thread and you can see the video I made showing “delivery day” and a good video to check out the quality of his work..
I strongly recommend the following upgrades:
- Hybrid Zero Overflows
- The Floating Bottom
- Corner Seam Structure Reinforcing Braces
He will send you a drawing and an itemized list of everything he is building and will work with you on overflow and hole placement. Finally, he’ll send you pics throughout the build process which was not only fun to receive, but reassuring that everything was being built properly. He not only built our tank, but also built a custom stand with some unique features which I detail in my build thread.
Gaston’s workmanship is top quality. There was not a single flaw in the build and one year later the tankstill has that wow look when friends stop by to visit.
Some might wonder what is the downside of using TankMe USA? Two points to consider: Cost and time. These tanks are going to be on the high-end of the cost spectrum and quality requires time - so don’t go with TankMe USA if you have a tight schedule. This is a small company that only does a handful of tanks
Advanced Acrylics
Overall Grade: D
The number of custom acrylic sump builders is not as as large as the tank building market. I considered some of the standard build designs from GEO and Synergy Reef I ended-up going with a custom build from Advanced Acrylics as Johnathan Hoeng (owner) convinced me that he could build my dream sump at a competitive price. Our 90g sump was going to be a bit unique as it was going to be designed/built to support either a traditional mechanical filtration setup or a Triton configuration.
Johnathan was highly enthusiastic and creative during the sales process and seemed to be responsive and ethical. That all changed once the order was placed. I would have to call multiple times to get a build status update and there was always an interesting excuse as to why it took over a week to rerun phone calls - everything ranging from parent teacher conferences to dropping his phone in the bathtub. What always seemed to motivate a returned phone call was a threat to cancel the order and request a refund - miraculously the phone call would be returned. I was willing to tolerate an incredible amount of frustration as I expected I was going to receive an incredible sump. Sadly this was not the case. The sump arrived with a fundamental design flaw and would not work properly as a traditional sump. The baffle system that Advanced Acrylics built would not raise the water to drain into sock holders, so none of the water was getting any mechanical filtration. Therefore, I was forced to use the sump as a Triton setup only. Obviously this was unacceptable- especially for the price I paid. I immediately called Johnathan and gave him a video that showed the design/build flaw. He acknowledged the problem and knew how to fix the flaw and would get me a fix within a week. That call was back in January 2021 and as December 2021 I am still waiting for the fix. I have placed multiple calls and sent multiple text to Johnathan and he has never responded. Now we are stuck having to use a fully plumbed sump that is flawed. Ripping it all out and starting over is not a realistic option. All we want is what we bought a fully functional hybrid sump.
In summary, building your dream tank should be a wonderful experience. It was with TankMe USA and it was not with Advanced Acrylics.
TankMe USA:
Overall Grade: A
From the moment I first spoke to Gaston (owner and builder) I knew I was talking with someone that was insanely passionate about building high quality custom tanks. He does not try to “sell you” - just the opposite, try’s to discourage you from going with him if you are not a serious buyer. His honesty is refreshing and he’ll work with you every step and share with you his opinion when their are multiple options to choose from. He built a 355G tank (96”L x 34”D x 26”H) for us. The whole process from order to delivery was approximately 6 months and YES he will delivery the tank right to the room in your home where you want it placed! Check out my build thread and you can see the video I made showing “delivery day” and a good video to check out the quality of his work..
I strongly recommend the following upgrades:
- Hybrid Zero Overflows
- The Floating Bottom
- Corner Seam Structure Reinforcing Braces
He will send you a drawing and an itemized list of everything he is building and will work with you on overflow and hole placement. Finally, he’ll send you pics throughout the build process which was not only fun to receive, but reassuring that everything was being built properly. He not only built our tank, but also built a custom stand with some unique features which I detail in my build thread.
Gaston’s workmanship is top quality. There was not a single flaw in the build and one year later the tankstill has that wow look when friends stop by to visit.
Some might wonder what is the downside of using TankMe USA? Two points to consider: Cost and time. These tanks are going to be on the high-end of the cost spectrum and quality requires time - so don’t go with TankMe USA if you have a tight schedule. This is a small company that only does a handful of tanks
Advanced Acrylics
Overall Grade: D
The number of custom acrylic sump builders is not as as large as the tank building market. I considered some of the standard build designs from GEO and Synergy Reef I ended-up going with a custom build from Advanced Acrylics as Johnathan Hoeng (owner) convinced me that he could build my dream sump at a competitive price. Our 90g sump was going to be a bit unique as it was going to be designed/built to support either a traditional mechanical filtration setup or a Triton configuration.
Johnathan was highly enthusiastic and creative during the sales process and seemed to be responsive and ethical. That all changed once the order was placed. I would have to call multiple times to get a build status update and there was always an interesting excuse as to why it took over a week to rerun phone calls - everything ranging from parent teacher conferences to dropping his phone in the bathtub. What always seemed to motivate a returned phone call was a threat to cancel the order and request a refund - miraculously the phone call would be returned. I was willing to tolerate an incredible amount of frustration as I expected I was going to receive an incredible sump. Sadly this was not the case. The sump arrived with a fundamental design flaw and would not work properly as a traditional sump. The baffle system that Advanced Acrylics built would not raise the water to drain into sock holders, so none of the water was getting any mechanical filtration. Therefore, I was forced to use the sump as a Triton setup only. Obviously this was unacceptable- especially for the price I paid. I immediately called Johnathan and gave him a video that showed the design/build flaw. He acknowledged the problem and knew how to fix the flaw and would get me a fix within a week. That call was back in January 2021 and as December 2021 I am still waiting for the fix. I have placed multiple calls and sent multiple text to Johnathan and he has never responded. Now we are stuck having to use a fully plumbed sump that is flawed. Ripping it all out and starting over is not a realistic option. All we want is what we bought a fully functional hybrid sump.
In summary, building your dream tank should be a wonderful experience. It was with TankMe USA and it was not with Advanced Acrylics.
Karliefish
Well-Known Member
TankMe USA is on the list and agree that make insanely high quality reef tanks - equal to Reef Savvy.
kaifish
Active Member
Crystal dynamic had several pits in the glass, scratches along the beveled edges and the stand that had paint that peeled off within 3 weeks, doors that didn’t line up an absolute disaster. The only thing good about my experience is that they took it back for a full refund
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