My new 90 gallon trimless SPS tank
- Thread starter Thunnus
- Start date
ReeferMonkey
Premium Member
Let me preface this by saying I don't own any custom tanks. However, I've been doing some research on custom tanks, which included sending quotes to Glass Cages, Miracles In Glass and Aquarium Obsessed. Far and away GC was the cheapest, by about 30%.
However, there are a couple of things they don't do. Firstly, they don't use PPE Starphire glass. Instead, they use a different low-iron glass that some say is less clear. Also, they don't machine-grind the edges of the tank. This can lead to chipping and a loss of structural integrity. Third, their silicone job, by some accounts, sucks.
Whereas my tank from GC came in at $560 before shipping, my tank from AO came in at $1000 plus shipping, which would be $400 tops to Dallas. MIG was $1350 shipped, so it's pretty much in the same ballpark.
Lots of folks are OK with GC tanks. Hell, Thunnus' looks pretty damn nice in his pics. However, lots of other people, including some locals in my area, have had some issues with various aspects of their work. The primary complaint is that the quality of the workmanship, like the price, is cheap.
That being said, I still almost got a tank from them, and if I hadn't just blown my money on a Maristar, I would still be thinking about it, as they're coming to a show in my area and I could save roughly $300 on shipping.
My recommendation to you is that you try to find reefers in your area who have tanks from various custom manufacturers and check them out yourself. Even still, you might be making a crapshoot receiving a tank from a vendor that's far away. I'll probably end up getting a tank from AO despite the major price difference; the tank itself needs to be a high-quality, aesthetically pleasing piece of furniture that houses the living art within. Having seen the wide variety of work on his website, I know that Will at AO can provide that.
Good luck making a decision!
However, there are a couple of things they don't do. Firstly, they don't use PPE Starphire glass. Instead, they use a different low-iron glass that some say is less clear. Also, they don't machine-grind the edges of the tank. This can lead to chipping and a loss of structural integrity. Third, their silicone job, by some accounts, sucks.
Whereas my tank from GC came in at $560 before shipping, my tank from AO came in at $1000 plus shipping, which would be $400 tops to Dallas. MIG was $1350 shipped, so it's pretty much in the same ballpark.
Lots of folks are OK with GC tanks. Hell, Thunnus' looks pretty damn nice in his pics. However, lots of other people, including some locals in my area, have had some issues with various aspects of their work. The primary complaint is that the quality of the workmanship, like the price, is cheap.
That being said, I still almost got a tank from them, and if I hadn't just blown my money on a Maristar, I would still be thinking about it, as they're coming to a show in my area and I could save roughly $300 on shipping.
My recommendation to you is that you try to find reefers in your area who have tanks from various custom manufacturers and check them out yourself. Even still, you might be making a crapshoot receiving a tank from a vendor that's far away. I'll probably end up getting a tank from AO despite the major price difference; the tank itself needs to be a high-quality, aesthetically pleasing piece of furniture that houses the living art within. Having seen the wide variety of work on his website, I know that Will at AO can provide that.
Good luck making a decision!
Amphiprion
Premium Member
Nice tank and corals, Thunnus. I have two questions for you
1: do you like Tuna fish or is this coincidence?
2: Are those Carcharodon megalodon teeth? If so, very nice collection-oddly enough, freshwater habitats are the best places to find em.
1: do you like Tuna fish or is this coincidence?
2: Are those Carcharodon megalodon teeth? If so, very nice collection-oddly enough, freshwater habitats are the best places to find em.
Thunnus
Premium Member
peehair, it is a Sony F828. I am not very good with it though. I cant find a decent book to tell what the heck to do with it.
Thanks for the compliments y'all. It will look alot better after this weekend when I get it cleaned up again.
One thing that I am happy about is that the large colony directly in front of the overflow box browned up pretty bad while I was waiting for the bulbs that I like to come available. My old bulbs were about a year old before I finally recieved the replacements. A month after putting in the new bulbs and the color is coming back nicely to that colony (that cost me an arm and a leg)!
Thanks for the compliments y'all. It will look alot better after this weekend when I get it cleaned up again.
One thing that I am happy about is that the large colony directly in front of the overflow box browned up pretty bad while I was waiting for the bulbs that I like to come available. My old bulbs were about a year old before I finally recieved the replacements. A month after putting in the new bulbs and the color is coming back nicely to that colony (that cost me an arm and a leg)!
glassbox-design
New member
I heart no trim!
Looks great!
Looks great!
bond007069
New member
Lets see if your plumbing is as sweet as the tank.
Interested in how you plumbed the fuge. Thanks
Interested in how you plumbed the fuge. Thanks
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Thunnus
Premium Member
Fliger, yep I am still super happy with this tank. It is very stable so I just do my normal maint. and it takes care of itself. I am getting excellent growth. I will post an updated photo in the next few days (including the plumbing, bond)
I took down the Giesseman mercury vapor fixture over the fuge. I was getting the fastest macroalgae growth that I have ever had under any lighting, but my girlfriend thought that it was causing too much of a reflection in the TV. Valid complaint, so I replaced it with a Current PC with moonlight fixture. The seahorses seem to love it.
I took down the Giesseman mercury vapor fixture over the fuge. I was getting the fastest macroalgae growth that I have ever had under any lighting, but my girlfriend thought that it was causing too much of a reflection in the TV. Valid complaint, so I replaced it with a Current PC with moonlight fixture. The seahorses seem to love it.
reefarchitect
New member
Very clean, just tagging along
