Advance Acrylics order input

[titoav15]

Hey Guys,
I am planning on buying an aquarium (frag tank) from John at AA. I just wanted some second opinions on things I might modify on the order. First off, is it worth having black acrylic back and bottom, or should I just take it all in clear acrylic? There are a couple of different options that I was looking at in terms of the frag tank, is there one that would have more benefit over another? All have a 1" drain and 3/4" return, should I modify any of that? Here are some pics of the ones that I like:
Option 1:

Option 2:

Option 3:

**All pics came from AA Ebay store**

Also, for the people that have done or know people that have done business with him, how long of a lapse is it from payment to the time the aquarium arrives at the door?
Thanks!!

 

[moatdaddy]

do not waste your money on a black bottom. I have two 34x34x10 frag tanks from bmc acrylic with black bottoms. unless you want to clean the bottom constantly they look dirty all the time like a black car. I suggest a clear bottom with black sand if depth permits. Also yes go pre drilled. BMC will drill for you but i didnt get that option and i have had my overflows fail twice now. Not cool. AA was my first option but once i saw the price comparision with BMC acrylic i was sold. Everyone i have talked to also recommends aa. Hope this helps.

 

[pascal32]

All depends on what fits for you. Like brandon said - get drilled - no question about it. As far as where the overflow goes, see how it fits your application. The only thought i have have is a second hole on the opposite side for a return. Shallow tanks make it harder to have one return line with a lot of flow because the corals will be in near direct hit. That is why all my returns have splitters on them to smooth out the return flow. Do some asking around on the propagation forum on how people are putting good flow in shallow tanks. From experience you can't just throw a power head in there - in my SPS Frag tank at about 8" a 750GPH Koralia was too much. Thats how I ended up with the home made PVC min-closed loop with a maxijet 1200.

 

[titoav15]

Good point on skipping black acrylic on the bottom, thanks!!! That is a waste. hmm... than option 3 is not a such a bad idea! btw all the tanks at AA are pre drilled so that’s a huge + I would prob. build a stand for it at the bottom and hide all my controls and power supply under there. With my current frag tank I had the same issue in regard too much flow, so I put it at the lowest setting, so far so good.
BMC looks nice, but I saw AA tanks in person, even abc has one and I like Johns work looks very good so I am pretty set on that I was just wondering with which design to go with. Pascal brought up a very good point with having intake and return on opposite ends, hence option 3.

 

[Johnny C]

I ordered my custom sump (pictured below) from John @ AA last winter. While some folks on RC complain of long turn-around times for custom orders, I had my tank designed/built/shipped within one week and received it the next. The seams on the acrylic were literally flawless (helluva lot nicer than my E-Shopps) and it was built to withstand an earthquake. With that being said, I highly recommend him; I'd like to get a small swap tank ordered sooner or later (group buy? ).

PS- Option two is my favorite simply for the external overflow... frag tank real estate is key. Be sure to post pics if you get one!

 

[titoav15]

Thanks for the input Johnny C! His stuff is great, and the quality can be seen a mile away. We can most certainly do a group buy! Do you know if John does group buys and what the rules are? Anyone else interested jumping in on this?? I would like to order mine in a week or so (the sooner the better) And of course pics will be taken one the tank arrives!