large tank workmanship vs pricing !!

[Hank]

OK so I'm looking to purchase a 700 gallon tank.. 3 sided Starphire and 1 side 'regular' glass... so I've gotten quotes which range from 6000.00 to 13000.00 (CAD)...

the $6K tank I've seen the workmanship and it looks pretty good... seams are seemlingly tight... built in-shop and delivered... but the $13k is (made by Perfecto) built "in-house".. literally in my house... is there really such a difference between craftmanship that justifies this price?? it's over 2x...!!?! and of course that does NOT include the stand.... (both prices don't)

BUT what about the U.S........ LivingColor.... or Oceanic... the tanks are even greater in price... !!!

Is the price really justified?? Please tell me what you think..... It's a HUGE commitment... because.... it's forever... no regrets.. no turning back.. no holds bar...

Do you see or know the difference? Any and all opinions are welcome.........

BTW I'm settled on glass so NO acrylic.. too big to scratch... thanks

 

[Harleyguy]

I went around and around with the same concerns you have about ordering my tank. I wanted the best bang for the buck. I too looked into Perfecto and they were about 2x as much as most everyone else. I ended up going with a builder from Canada; I had heard good things about their tanks, but bad things about their service. Well I had not counted on the service being soooo bad and after 3 months of waiting I canceled my order (they never even ordered my glass to build my tank). So now I'm looking for a new tank as well, around the same size volume as you are thinking. I have decided that a little more $$$ is good for peace of mind and better build quality.
I will say this about perfecto and the fact they build in your house. That is the ultimate in convenience your tank will weigh thousands of pounds and be incredibly difficult to move, and in my case I would not have to cut a hole in my house to get the tank in. Weigh the pros and cons.
As for the really cheep builders like Glasscages. You get what you pay for, they make strong tanks, their silicone is a little sloppy, they don't polish the edges and you may have a chip or two. When a friend of mine got his from Glasscages it had a half dollar size chip in the glass at a seam, it didn't hurt anything structurally, and it just didn't look good and for an in wall tank you would never notice it.
Remember that the tank is the soul of your system, it's the part that you and everyone who looks at you tank sees first, so with that said buy the best you can afford.

 

[fish cowboy]

I am in the same boat. I am looking to buy or have built a large glass aquarium but the prices from Oceanic and other quality builders are a joke. Perfecto makes a 265 gallon tank for around 1,500 dollars. You might as well butt two of them together and have it look like you a 12 foot tank. You would save 10,000 dollars. It is frustrating. Good luck.

 

[Plato]

Mitch at bow vally is who the crapy builder is in canada, same experience, bad service, very bad. Neil is however is who was his main glass guy but he did not like Mitch either so he now works some where else. Neil has something like 25 or 30 years experience making glass aquriums. He works for a company called Concept Aquriums in canada 877-444-6711. They are bulding a 96"x42"x36" 3 side starphire tank for me now. Excelent price. They have great customer service and best of all I order a 240 last year from them 3 side starphire, they said it would be dilever in six weeks and it was. I highly recomend checking them out. Ask for Lori.

 

[fishdoc11]

[welcome]

 

[reef / aholic]

You get what you pay for. Go ahead and spend the money on the aquarium the first time around. Over the life of you aquarium I bet you will change out a lot things but not aquarium.