customtankJ
New member
Ok guys, yes I am new on here, and maybe only 2, or 3 people on here even knows me!! What I'm about to tell everybody is 100% the truth!!
I've been debating to stir this hornets nest up or not since the worst tank build just so happen to me!! But those far, and specially those near me, possibly building a big dream tank, it's a must read!!
Please bare with me on this story of a newbie getting a huge tank build, with his new dream home!! Even If I could just help prevent 1 person from having this happen to them, it will be worth the time it took my slow typing but to write this! Nobody deserves the nightmares I encountered trying to fulfill a child hood dream!!
Even though my home was going to take 3 years to build, 20,000 sq.ft. is time consuming btw!!
I knew my time was going to be short, because the tank was going upstairs, and knew they had to frame the area of the tank with metal beams to support the weight, and run all the plumbing from the pump/sump room, to the future spot of the aquarium!!!
I still had a few weeks to interview several of houstons best tank builders, and after that time had came, and gone!!
I really thought I had picked Houston's top shop, that was going to build me my dream tank, at the time they were in Houston, which I was 50 miles north of them, and they had already started construction on a new shop 15 minutes away, plus they have shops in other cities!! So I felt confident!!!
The owner, said they would stand by there tanks/systems, and Maintence, and take care of it weekly since I'm a newbie!!
Well after the framing design was completed, every pipe, ran, and plumbed to the locations specs!!
all looked well, and everything seemed to be off running smoothly!!
Fast forward to January of 2015, I called the owner, said its been 2& half years, and the home build was slightly ahead of schedule, would that be a problem?
He said no, not at all, everything is ready for delivery, and install!!
So they installed everything March of 2015, and after that is when it started to go down hill!!
Those random calls, that were being answered, were now being sent to voice mail, and when i did talk to him, he said he would have to find out, and call me back!!
Never got that call back!! Well when we found out in April, that we were moving in sometime in the 2nd-3rd week of May, I just drove there, face to face, and told him, y'all have had over 2 years for this build, and we need to get this tank operating the week the electricity is turned on, in case of any unfortunate bugs that might need to be worked out!!
Well we moved in May of 2015, and they basically came out, filled the tank up with saltwater/water, and lots of live rock,(which I might say was way to much live rock, and had nothing to prevent a rock slide) which I pointed out, because it just didn't look stable!! he said NO WORRIES, That won't happen!!
Then out of nowhere, he says, will you be home tomorrow, I'm like yes sir, why?
He replies, because I'm bringing over the owner of a tank Maintence shop 20 minutes from your house, cause they'll be closer, and easier to contact!!
even though they had a move in date at there new shop coming up really soon!! not long from the day he told me!! Well nobody came the next day, or any time that next week!!
At this point, I went from feeling comfortable, having the same guys take care of my tank, that built it, to having God knows who coming to take care of it!!
I was STRESSING AT THIS POINT, AND THE BAD STUFF HAS NOT EVEN STARTED!!
So a week after they turned on everything, it went from working, to everything stopping like somebody turned the power off!! All breakers/gfi's were fine, it had something to do with there system!!!
I called him up kinda freaking out, but I kept my cool, and never disrespected him, and he tells me he's booked up for a few weeks, that the tank will be ok not running, it'll just look nasty, and when they fix it, they'll clean it up like new!! Well 3 weeks it took, for them to get there, this time he brings over the owner of that tank maintenance company he was wanting me to use, instead of them, saying they were to busy!!
I'm like when I was interviewing shops to build my tank, you didn't act like you were to busy, and that you'd have my back since I was a newbie!!
I'm just at lost for words at this point!!
Well the tank pump/functioning finally starting working on June 1, 2015, almost 3 weeks of stagnant water, and live rock just sat there!!!
Well the pump malfunctioned again, and the tank was even worse!
So I call the owner again, telling him, he didn't fix there shops screw ups!!!
He tells me to contact the Maintence shop, that's taking over!!
I'm like, so I spent over $30,000 to receive a nasty stank tank, sitting in a million dollar home, that's broke, and screwed up because of you, and you team!
So anyways, no disrespect to the new shop, I just didn't know them yet!!
So out of desperation, of not knowing any forums, or anybody that would help!!
I really felt like I had nobody, and no one that gave a damn, so I called the owner of that shop, and leveled with him!! I'm desperate, I don't care what it cost please just fix it!!
Then go through it all, cause I'm sure, by the looks of things there is probably other things not right!!
In about a week a week or less he got the water in the tank clear, and even got to the point so quick, he was working on getting the salinity, and perimeters back in shape!! Well like I said earlier the live rock looked unstable, and sure enough, there was a live rock avalanche!! Ugh!!
So the owner of the Maintence company who is still new to me, told me they butchered this build!
That the actual owner of now several well respected shops, was giggling the last time the 2 cross paths, saying that's why he rather build fresh water tanks!!
I mean this guy used pool pumps, a skimmer that was rated for a 100g tank!!
not for a 800g tank!!
Since it was a new home build, I had the tank builder, and my home builder, get together to design the perfect pump/sump room, it would be a simple 1 day labor job to have everything done the right way, but the owner was asked twice!! And my builder even said, bud are you sure it doesn't need to be insulated, and he said NO repeatedly! It Had no water chillers, no heaters, everything was just a huge mess!! Even the nice guy that took over this mess asked him, doesn't it get in the mid to upper 90's here? He said yes!! My guy, what made you not put a water chiller on it? I mean this company is very very big in the state of Texas!!
Guys n Gals, like I said, at the time, I was completely illiterate to how to build a saltwater tank, and a proper pump room, for all the tanks needs!!
So I'm sure I sound, and look stupid, but I really thought he had my back, and wanted to do a great job, since this home is going to be in about 5 or 6 custom home magazines, and on 2 tv shows!!
Wouldn't y'all think that man would want the top notch advertisement he was going to get?
I even told him, during 2 of the magazine interviews, and 1 of the tv shows, he should be there, and give a page article, and how ever long segment the tv show would allow!!
Instead, after 3 months of hell, postponing 3 magazines, and both tand another $15,000, we started adding very small numbers of fish, and coral!!
So I'm at $45k, I finally got the best of the best stuff!!
Last thing being installed this weekend is my apex, and a 8 way doser, and hopefully, I can start enjoying it!!!
I do have a question y'all might be able to give me some answers, or even maybe something to check!!
So after 2 months of the tanks cycling, getting everything close to perfect, we added a few fish, they all looked great, healthy stress free!!
I know this is a very long post, but I just wanted to get that off my chest!!
Crooks like this man, shouldn't be alowed to be in this business!!
So all my fellow members far, and away, and anybody in Texas looking to get a big reef mainly tank, think twice before you pick out some shop, having this forum would have helped me, and friends that are in this hobby are mostly good people, that enjoy the hobby so much, they enjoy helping!!!
Brandon the owner of zoanthids.com, has talked to me for hours on the phone helping me get through this, and a hour before we started talking, he didn't even know I existed!!!!!
Very soon Brandon is going to have my crazy zoo garden growing out of control with tons of rare zoanthids, and when that happens, it'll make this like 6 months!!! Feel a lot better
He's a ideal genuine good guy, in the business of the love of the hobby, and that's what us, in this hobby need more of, and a lot less of jackasses that almost destroyed my tank before I put a single fish in it!!
Thanks for reading, and I promise my future post will be of pics, and one liners!!
Thanks again
Jason
I've been debating to stir this hornets nest up or not since the worst tank build just so happen to me!! But those far, and specially those near me, possibly building a big dream tank, it's a must read!!
Please bare with me on this story of a newbie getting a huge tank build, with his new dream home!! Even If I could just help prevent 1 person from having this happen to them, it will be worth the time it took my slow typing but to write this! Nobody deserves the nightmares I encountered trying to fulfill a child hood dream!!
Even though my home was going to take 3 years to build, 20,000 sq.ft. is time consuming btw!!
I knew my time was going to be short, because the tank was going upstairs, and knew they had to frame the area of the tank with metal beams to support the weight, and run all the plumbing from the pump/sump room, to the future spot of the aquarium!!!
I still had a few weeks to interview several of houstons best tank builders, and after that time had came, and gone!!
I really thought I had picked Houston's top shop, that was going to build me my dream tank, at the time they were in Houston, which I was 50 miles north of them, and they had already started construction on a new shop 15 minutes away, plus they have shops in other cities!! So I felt confident!!!
The owner, said they would stand by there tanks/systems, and Maintence, and take care of it weekly since I'm a newbie!!
Well after the framing design was completed, every pipe, ran, and plumbed to the locations specs!!
all looked well, and everything seemed to be off running smoothly!!
Fast forward to January of 2015, I called the owner, said its been 2& half years, and the home build was slightly ahead of schedule, would that be a problem?
He said no, not at all, everything is ready for delivery, and install!!
So they installed everything March of 2015, and after that is when it started to go down hill!!
Those random calls, that were being answered, were now being sent to voice mail, and when i did talk to him, he said he would have to find out, and call me back!!
Never got that call back!! Well when we found out in April, that we were moving in sometime in the 2nd-3rd week of May, I just drove there, face to face, and told him, y'all have had over 2 years for this build, and we need to get this tank operating the week the electricity is turned on, in case of any unfortunate bugs that might need to be worked out!!
Well we moved in May of 2015, and they basically came out, filled the tank up with saltwater/water, and lots of live rock,(which I might say was way to much live rock, and had nothing to prevent a rock slide) which I pointed out, because it just didn't look stable!! he said NO WORRIES, That won't happen!!
Then out of nowhere, he says, will you be home tomorrow, I'm like yes sir, why?
He replies, because I'm bringing over the owner of a tank Maintence shop 20 minutes from your house, cause they'll be closer, and easier to contact!!
even though they had a move in date at there new shop coming up really soon!! not long from the day he told me!! Well nobody came the next day, or any time that next week!!
At this point, I went from feeling comfortable, having the same guys take care of my tank, that built it, to having God knows who coming to take care of it!!
I was STRESSING AT THIS POINT, AND THE BAD STUFF HAS NOT EVEN STARTED!!
So a week after they turned on everything, it went from working, to everything stopping like somebody turned the power off!! All breakers/gfi's were fine, it had something to do with there system!!!
I called him up kinda freaking out, but I kept my cool, and never disrespected him, and he tells me he's booked up for a few weeks, that the tank will be ok not running, it'll just look nasty, and when they fix it, they'll clean it up like new!! Well 3 weeks it took, for them to get there, this time he brings over the owner of that tank maintenance company he was wanting me to use, instead of them, saying they were to busy!!
I'm like when I was interviewing shops to build my tank, you didn't act like you were to busy, and that you'd have my back since I was a newbie!!
I'm just at lost for words at this point!!
Well the tank pump/functioning finally starting working on June 1, 2015, almost 3 weeks of stagnant water, and live rock just sat there!!!
Well the pump malfunctioned again, and the tank was even worse!
So I call the owner again, telling him, he didn't fix there shops screw ups!!!
He tells me to contact the Maintence shop, that's taking over!!
I'm like, so I spent over $30,000 to receive a nasty stank tank, sitting in a million dollar home, that's broke, and screwed up because of you, and you team!
So anyways, no disrespect to the new shop, I just didn't know them yet!!
So out of desperation, of not knowing any forums, or anybody that would help!!
I really felt like I had nobody, and no one that gave a damn, so I called the owner of that shop, and leveled with him!! I'm desperate, I don't care what it cost please just fix it!!
Then go through it all, cause I'm sure, by the looks of things there is probably other things not right!!
In about a week a week or less he got the water in the tank clear, and even got to the point so quick, he was working on getting the salinity, and perimeters back in shape!! Well like I said earlier the live rock looked unstable, and sure enough, there was a live rock avalanche!! Ugh!!
So the owner of the Maintence company who is still new to me, told me they butchered this build!
That the actual owner of now several well respected shops, was giggling the last time the 2 cross paths, saying that's why he rather build fresh water tanks!!
I mean this guy used pool pumps, a skimmer that was rated for a 100g tank!!
not for a 800g tank!!
Since it was a new home build, I had the tank builder, and my home builder, get together to design the perfect pump/sump room, it would be a simple 1 day labor job to have everything done the right way, but the owner was asked twice!! And my builder even said, bud are you sure it doesn't need to be insulated, and he said NO repeatedly! It Had no water chillers, no heaters, everything was just a huge mess!! Even the nice guy that took over this mess asked him, doesn't it get in the mid to upper 90's here? He said yes!! My guy, what made you not put a water chiller on it? I mean this company is very very big in the state of Texas!!
Guys n Gals, like I said, at the time, I was completely illiterate to how to build a saltwater tank, and a proper pump room, for all the tanks needs!!
So I'm sure I sound, and look stupid, but I really thought he had my back, and wanted to do a great job, since this home is going to be in about 5 or 6 custom home magazines, and on 2 tv shows!!
Wouldn't y'all think that man would want the top notch advertisement he was going to get?
I even told him, during 2 of the magazine interviews, and 1 of the tv shows, he should be there, and give a page article, and how ever long segment the tv show would allow!!
Instead, after 3 months of hell, postponing 3 magazines, and both tand another $15,000, we started adding very small numbers of fish, and coral!!
So I'm at $45k, I finally got the best of the best stuff!!
Last thing being installed this weekend is my apex, and a 8 way doser, and hopefully, I can start enjoying it!!!
I do have a question y'all might be able to give me some answers, or even maybe something to check!!
So after 2 months of the tanks cycling, getting everything close to perfect, we added a few fish, they all looked great, healthy stress free!!
I know this is a very long post, but I just wanted to get that off my chest!!
Crooks like this man, shouldn't be alowed to be in this business!!
So all my fellow members far, and away, and anybody in Texas looking to get a big reef mainly tank, think twice before you pick out some shop, having this forum would have helped me, and friends that are in this hobby are mostly good people, that enjoy the hobby so much, they enjoy helping!!!
Brandon the owner of zoanthids.com, has talked to me for hours on the phone helping me get through this, and a hour before we started talking, he didn't even know I existed!!!!!
Very soon Brandon is going to have my crazy zoo garden growing out of control with tons of rare zoanthids, and when that happens, it'll make this like 6 months!!! Feel a lot better
He's a ideal genuine good guy, in the business of the love of the hobby, and that's what us, in this hobby need more of, and a lot less of jackasses that almost destroyed my tank before I put a single fish in it!!
Thanks for reading, and I promise my future post will be of pics, and one liners!!
Thanks again
Jason
