opinions on custom tank builders

[mhsmith]

I am planning a custom tank 96x36x36 with external overflows and trying to decide between planet aquarium and coast to coast aquarium. The planet aquarium has a PVC bottom with a metal frame on top and bottom. The coast to coast is all glass with bracing in glass. Any thoughts or opinions??? I want to pull the trigger and place the order.

 

[Drae]

Reef savvy with the phantom bottom and the ghost overflow gets my vote. Planet aquarium with the pvc bottom if your certain about those two builders.

 

[Jacob Sellers]

Check out AGE. They make a PVC bottom.

 

[mhsmith]

Thanks for the response. I like Reef Savy, but they were a lot more cost wise. The new overflow is interesting. Coast to coast would do 3 separate overflows instead of one long, but they would do whatever I wanted such as bean animal or herbie in each one. They also include removable covers for the top and each overflow. Any other opinions, or any one have experience with either builder??

 

[jt48]

Reef savy was at macna? Showing off their low profile overflow with external box. Check it out looks awesome.
Coast to coast has excellent quality but costs 2-3x as anyone else.
Miracles in Glass was reasonable, i had personally had problems but would consider them again.

 

[mhsmith]

Thanks for the reply. Actually the coast to coast with their special sale gave me a fairly reasonable price compared to Reef Savy. I wanted to stay away from Canadian products only because of problems with customs and delays because of that. The weight of having an all glass product with coast to coast is concerning. I am not familiar with a PVC bottom. I think they place in on top of wood, but I am not sure about that. I do know that they use a metal frame instead of bracing with glass. Any other comments on the looks of the metal frame?

 

[GooManChew]

Fwiw, I'm happy with my 4 tanks & 2 stands that CTC made for me.
Where are you located mhsmith?

 

[pencil3]

C2C is currently building a new aquarium for me. Pat & Chris have been very quick to answer any questions and have always responded very quickly, unlike some of the other builders.

 

[Alex T.]

I have a Coast to Coast Eurobrace 195 (72x26x24) with Starphire front and love it. They also built my custom sump which is all 1/2" glass...even the baffles. Excellent attention to detail, but yes...you do pay for it. They were still cheaper for what I wanted than some other suppliers, so I guess it varies. I saved a lot on shipping because I just drove an hour or so to pick it up with my truck.

FWIW, I saw a 144x48x36 that was almost ready to ship when I picked up my tank, so I wouldn't worry too much about your tank size in glass. Aside from the weight of something that large, rest assured they know what they're doing.

 

[iamarchitecture]

I have only personally dealt with Reef Savvy and have heavily inspected all of the work they did for me as well as some of the customer tanks they were working on and can undoubtedly say their work is top notch. The ghost overflow and phantom bottom are very sleek amd innovative and not to mention their great jointwork. Of course you pay a premium but good work is not cheap.

 

[mhsmith]

Thanks for all of your replies. I am located in Little Rock so the Texas places are closer. I am concerned about the weight since the tank will have to go down a flight of stairs. I'm also concerned about getting into the tank, because it will need 3 9" braces that go front to back, as well as a 2" Euro brace around the perimeter, but I do like the C2C at least by the pictures. It is a big decision, does any one have experience with the PVC bottom and how it mounts on a metal stand? What about the metal braces, is there any worry about rust?