I finally pulled the trigger on my 220ish in-wall Display with basement equipment room

[Rappa]

Building the stand. I wanted to build the stand in-place and build it level, rather than trying to level it later on with shims. I had to cut out and change some things as I went along... for example: I forgot that I had to leave room for the overflow plumbing.

 

[Rappa]

Finished building the stand, pulled it out, then insulated and installed the PVC wall board inside the entire interior of the tank area. Caulked all seems and screw holes. Humidity won't bother the walls. I also installed a ceiling vent fan that turns on by the water temp sensor controlled by the Apex. FYI, I moved the power bar down under the stand because I thought humidity may ruin it.

 

[Rappa]

Ceiling vent fan... I had to run the vent pipe into the bathroom ceiling to have enough space to get it vented outside. Had to cut the bathroom ceiling open. That was a huge pain in the butt.

 

[Rappa]

Started playing around with building the cabinetry. I really wasn't sure of the look I was going for, so I was just building stuff and seeing how it looked...

 

[LeleganceCoral]

All is going so fast! You are a very streamlined person, unlike me!

 

[Rappa]

All is going so fast! You are a very streamlined person, unlike me!

Thanks! I became addicted to the build and really enjoying it. I was using up any spare time I had, even making spare time by neglecting other things . Appreciate the feedback!

 

[Rappa]

TANK DAY ARRIVAL!!! EXCITING!!! OR IS IT???

After waiting 3+ months for this Glass Cages tank to arrive, finally the day has come! Trucking company called out of the blue saying "we have your shipment at our terminal". I was pumped! The terminal is the next town over, so I went immediately to pick it up. I didn't want them loading it onto another truck and risk moving it again and possibly breaking it. It seems that big things like this always get damaged on the delivery truck to the house. I was told to inspect the shipment before accepting it. Imagine the look on my face when I saw this package sitting in the warehouse! I cannot believe that this is how little packaging they put around this tank. From all the other pictures I've seen of other people's delivery day, as well as the awesome shipping care from my Synergy sump, this packaging was truly horrendous. I removed the cardboard top, and looked over the tank. I fully expected the thing to be broken in a million pieces. To my shock, it looked ok. I hesitantly accepted the delivery, and they loaded it into my truck. I figured I would look it over in complete detail when I got it home. After all, any damage I may find is not the fault of the shipping company with this awesome packaging... Is it me or does this seem sub-par? I was expecting a 2x4 crate built around this $7k+ glass enclosure.

 

[thedon986]

I was a little shocked as well when my Glasscages showed up like that, but it's been running almost a year now and the only scratches on it are from me, ha. It seems to work well enough for them to do it for all their tanks.

 

[Rappa]

Unloaded the tank from my truck. Removed the cardboard with two fingers, and closely inspected. The tank was dirty, dust all over it, fingerprints, and even some stray silicone and silicone fingerprints. I thoroughly cleaned the entire tank, inside and out, and used a razor blade too scrape the silicone marks. This gave me a chance to really inspect every corner, seam, and bead of silicone on the tank. I have to say, the tank does really look beautiful and it appears well built. It's just too bad that my confidence in the reliability of the tank has taken a hit by the packaging. I am happy that it arrived safe, and also very happy that I chose to pick it up myself and avoid another move by the trucking company.

 

[Rappa]

I was a little shocked as well when my Glasscages showed up like that, but it's been running almost a year now and the only scratches on it are from me, ha. It seems to work well enough for them to do it for all their tanks.

I'm glad you said that... Same thing here. But I have to imagine that there are some that get broken during transit. You ever see the forklift guys working at a shipping terminal? They are moving at full-speed ramming in and out of pallets. I used to work at one back in the day! lol

With that said, The tank is really beautiful, so I don't want to knock them at all on their build. But... I still have thoughts of it failing one day, only because of the images burnt into my memory of the packaging, which I unfortunately, can never forget.

 

[Rappa]

Hung my Radions. 3 Radion XR-30 G-6 Blues. I started with 3, knowing I would need at least one more eventually. Next thing will be getting the tank in-place and plumbing to the basement sump-room.

 

[Rappa]

I want to stress to anyone reading this thread... The tank is beautiful. It's well-built. It was exactly what I ordered. It has been filled with water in my living room for a while now... The only gripe was with the shipping/packaging. Based on my expectations from other threads, and youtube videos that I had watched of "tank delivery day", I had brought a hammer and pry bar with me to the shipping terminal to inspect the tank. Luckily, it has been fine. However, for a person that is big on the fine-details, the kind of details one who purchases a custom built salt water reef tank is looking for, presentation is important. You only get one chance to make a first impression. I know that another person could look at that and think, "Sweet! I don't even need a pry bar to open this!" Everyone is different. I think that the above post is the kind of feedback that I would want to know personally, if someone had an issue about something I could do better with my own small business... This is no knock to the builder on the craftsmanship. I would still order another tank from them based on build quality, but I also would be willing to pay extra for a crate-type, rigid structure shipping enclosure if given the option. That's all...

 

[Dierks]

I am about to embark on somewhat of the same thing in the next year. Following along as this has been a great build so far! Nice work

 

[Rappa]

Got it in the house! By myself I might add..

 

[Rappa]

I am about to embark on somewhat of the same thing in the next year. Following along as this has been a great build so far! Nice work

Thanks I appreciate it! Good luck with your build, and if I can help you with any questions you have about anything that I did, just ask...

 

[revhtree]

This is a great build so far!

 

[Rappa]

Short video on how I got it into the house. I actually did have some help from my ten year son, in between his gaming sessions... Shout out to "Love The Reef" in Wilmington, MA for hooking me up with their move-in equipment! Great LFS if you're ever in the area! @LoveTheReef

 

[Rappa]

This is a great build so far!

Thank you Rev! Much appreciated!!!

 

[Rappa]

I got the tank up and onto the stand with the help of my 10 year old. 500lbs! Kid hates wearing a shirt...

WARNING - DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! ...unless you are crazy and super impulsive like me.
Joking aside, this went pretty darn smooth. Proper planning and the right tools makes a job easier!

 

[Joe Glass Cages]

Unloaded the tank from my truck. Removed the cardboard with two fingers, and closely inspected. The tank was dirty, dust all over it, fingerprints, and even some stray silicone and silicone fingerprints. I thoroughly cleaned the entire tank, inside and out, and used a razor blade too scrape the silicone marks. This gave me a chance to really inspect every corner, seam, and bead of silicone on the tank. I have to say, the tank does really look beautiful and it appears well built. It's just too bad that my confidence in the reliability of the tank has taken a hit by the packaging. I am happy that it arrived safe, and also very happy that I chose to pick it up myself and avoid another move by the trucking company.

@Rappa

Truly appreciate your honest and transparent feedback. Really do. We are humble enough to listen and receive. Thank you.

We truly want a great customer experience. I totally get how you feel and understand your feedback.

We have less than a 0.5% shipping breakage rate with over 4,000 tanks built in about a years time.

We can crate upon request. Tough part is balancing costs and experience. Truth is a crate will not stop forks coming at the package on any side. I have see fully crated packages destroyed. I know that doesn't change how you feel. Typically, the packaging looks better than how yours showed up. I am sorry about that. We also designed the packaging for easy and quick inspection so there would be no need for removing screws, nails, wood or any else just to inspect. Allows for a quick inspection. The terminals just don't allow much time for inspection sometimes.

Yes, we can crate upon request. I believe we could have done a better job communicating this for sure. I am really sorry about your shipping experience.

Love your tank and look forward to seeing how everything comes together. Thanks so much again for sharing. We are always listening and adjusting.