Tank builders near Sac?

[Inkedsphynx]

Hello everyone! I'm quite new here (to RC and the hobby), but I've recently become fascinated with marine aquariums, and I'm very happy to see that there is a group of like-minded individuals in Sac. I may have to join your ranks here before too long!

Anyway, on to my question! I've been shopping around for a tank. I want to get a rather large tank, and I am going to custom build my own stand for it. Then, I'm going to spend several months setting it up and cycling it and then stocking it. I am doing this because I love large tanks, it'll give me lots of time to learn about each step of the process as I go, and it'll prevent me from rushing out and buying a bunch of stuff only to throw it together and be somewhat clueless!

So, my dillemma is thus: I've been shopping around some tank builders, and haven't been able to find any near Sac. I was going to go with a 240Gallon 72x24x31 from Glasscages, but I found out it'd cost 605$ to ship it here! That's the price of another tank!

So right now I am waiting on a quote from SoCalCreations, as I heard they are quite good as well.

Are there any other good builders around here that I could get a decent price from on a tank of the above dimensions, or possibly a 72x30x31?

If all else fails, I'll likely just downgrade my size quit a bit so I am not paying such a fortune in shipping. A 30x30x30 cube wouldn't be too bad, if I really must :rolleye1:

 

[thereefgeek]

I'd stay away from Glasscages if I were you. I've seen their work and it's a bit sloppy. Secondly, one of our friends in the club had a pannel of glass fail on his Glassgages tank and the warranty was a nightmare.

Unless you absolutely need a custom tank build for a specific application (like built to fit an existing entertainment unit or something) I'd stick with stock sizes from a reputable manufacturer. Some people prefer acrylic tanks and some, like myself prefer glass. Envision Acrylics http://www.envisionacrylics.com/ does fabulous work, but they're a bit on the pricey side and there's a considerable lead time on custom orders. I love my 200 gallon Oceanic glass http://www.oceanicsystems.com/ and it has no center brace supporting the front and back pannels, but that tank was also a pretty penny. All Glass Aquarium (AGA) http://www.all-glass.com/products/aquariums/ also make a nice quality glass tank.

Consider any drilled holes for plumbing you may want to incorperate into the bottom of the tank before ordering. The bottoms of tanks (glass) are usually tempered and if you want overflows, return lines, or closed-loop plumbing ran through the bottom, these holes absolutely MUST be drilled before the glass is tempered (also a custom order option).

Think about how you're going to maintain a tank, and how long your arms are before you order a tank deeper than about 24". If you enjoy wet sleeves and armpits, then nevermind, but anything much deeper than 24" becomes a big hassle to work in. Also consider the lights you will have over your tank. Even if you start out with a fish-only system, I guarantee you will soon be bitten by the coral bug. Corals are photosynthetic and require light to grow and thrive. A 30" or 36" deep tank my look impressive, but it will require much higer wattage lights (and much higher electric bills) to penetrate all that water than in a shorter (24") tank.

When I planned and purchased my 200 gallon, I figured on it being the last tank I'd ever buy. Do it right the first time and your tank will grow and mature over the years into a beautiful little peice of the ocean. If you become dissatisfied with what you set up the first time and have to keep changing things around, it will make the hobby seem to be more complicated than it really is. This is why many people get frustrated and quit before they ever realize success.

However, lately this club forum here at Reef Central has become a virtual garage sale of sorts, and it seems like everyone and his brother are hawking their "complete reef set-ups". If you're patient, you may get lucky and pick up a "next-to-new" system for "next-to-nothing"

 

[funman1]

[welcome]

I have not seen any issues from my glasscages tank 30G
However I have heard nightmares about larger tanks from them.

Small I think would be fine but larger look elsewhere.

 

[loup]

I too was recently looking for local builder but like you couldn't find one so I recently got my 225 from Envision Acrylics. Shipping wasn't too bad, $225 was the cost I think to ship to the warehouse and be pick up by me. The quailty of workmanship is top notched but price wise its going cost 2x more than a glasscage tank. But I'll pay alittle more for better quality.

My sump and stand was built by socal creations and they too did an awesome job. Either company, you'll get top quality work and great customer services. Goodluck on your research and purchase. It took me over a year to finally be able to get my 225 and now I'm days away from starting the cycling process.

 

[MelodyCorals]

I contacted John at YourReef about a similar question - looking for a new larger tank - and he mentioned he was getting together a catalog of what he could offer locally. Perhaps you could give him a call and see what kind of deal you could work out.

http://www.yourreef.com/

-- Josh

 

[Reefugee]

Yeah - but how much does it cost to get someone in to repair all the water damage from 240 gallons of saltwater? I saw the same tank Rich was referring to, and I would never consider Glasscage for a large tank.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=416601&highlight=glasscage
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=644008&highlight=glasscage
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=637066&highlight=glasscage
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=467700&highlight=glasscage

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7333061#post7333061 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by loup
I too was recently looking for local builder but like you couldn't find one so I recently got my 225 from Envision Acrylics. Shipping wasn't too bad, $225 was the cost I think to ship to the warehouse and be pick up by me. The quailty of workmanship is top notched but price wise its going cost 2x more than a glasscage tank. But I'll pay alittle more for better quality.

 

[loup]

So true Minh, I rather pay more for topnotch work and some peace of mind. A tank breakage would wipe out all of my work and computer equipement as the tank is in my office. Time to go back up some data ....

 

[Unarce]

Lou - Let me know when that 225g is up and running. I'd like to check it out.

As far as glasscages goes, I wouldn't mind having them make a prop tank, sump, Q-tank, or what not. I've heard that they're not as messy as they were before, but I wouldn't want a display tank from them.

 

[Inkedsphynx]

Well, I just wanted to say thanks first of all to all of you for responding!

I've contacted SoCal and Envision about 72x24x30 tanks, and from SoCal I've found they are a bit out of my price range with the Eurobracing I want to have.

I have contemplated possibly dropping a foot in length, and 6 inches in height, of course that would leave me at a more standard size, where I could buy an AGA or other standard tank.

I've re-contacted SoCal and asked some questions about sizing options, and I also asked Envision about a 30x30x30 Cube. So we'll see.

I really hate to sacrifice the 30inch height though, as I said, I love large viewing surfaces. And I've got fairly long arms (only 6'1" tall though). So if I were to get some armpit soaking, well, that's just extra odor remover!

If worse comes to worse, I'm going to start shopping craigslist and other sites to find something.

Ideally I'm hoping to only spend around 1200$ on the tank (not including any shipping I've got to pay), so I guess I'll have to see what I can make happen!

 

[yoboyjdizz]

its going to be hard to find a 72x24x30 with eurobracing for 1200.. i got my new 280 72x30x30 from socalcreations and i have to say awsome job they are now doing my stand and sump as we speak.

 

[yoboyjdizz]

if i were u it might be cheaper to change it to 72x30x24 and do the eurobracing.

 

[Reefugee]

If you do decide to go with a standard size, you might want to check with Bruce (CaptiveReefSysytems). He can order AGA and Oceanic tanks. He also delivers, but you will need someone to help carry it in. I found that his price was cheaper than LFS, and about the same as some of the bay area fish store. The advantage is that he delivers.

Minh

 

[thereefgeek]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7334028#post7334028 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mn95616
The advantage is that he delivers.

Minh

The real advantage is that he will consult with you and bring things to your attention that you may not have thought of in building a ground-up system. Bruce got me my 200 Oceanic and also consulted me on the design, plumbing layout, and overflow location (all custom).

http://www.captivereefsystems.com/

 

[SLOreefer]

check out any local shop. they should be able to get tru vu tanks which are pretty good acrylic tanks and are out of hayward so it wont take all that long to get it

 

[Reefugee]

Rich - I stand corrected. Excellent points! BTW - Bruce did a presentation to the NVR club a while back. I really enjoyed his talk. It might be worthwhile to have him talk at one of our meeting.

Minh

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7334539#post7334539 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by thereefgeek
The real advantage is that he will consult with you and bring things to your attention that you may not have thought of in building a ground-up system. Bruce got me my 200 Oceanic and also consulted me on the design, plumbing layout, and overflow location (all custom).

http://www.captivereefsystems.com/

 

[CaptiveReefSystems]

Thanks for the kind words you two. I try to do my best and be as fair as I can with pricing.

One thing to remember when it comes to a euro-bracing or brick style tank, the glass walls need to be thicker and the frame will be made from stainless steel when you get one from Oceanic. Also, if you stay with a standard production size, you can safe a lot on the price. When you come up with a 30x30x30, it has to be engineered. It becomes a one of a kind hand made aquarium. Hence the high cost.

I know the cost can be up there, but you will soon forget about the price as you enjoy the beauty of your new aquarium.

 

[Inkedsphynx]

Just wanted to post a bit of an update for anyone that was interested here. I've been talking with SoCal and they've made me a pretty good offer on a 72x24x25.5 made entirely from 3/4" acrylic with Eurobracing and two corner overflows. I've contacted Envision Acrylics as someone suggested, but have heard naught back from them since I sent in an email, so I'm assuming they are on vacation, busy, or just don't care. I also talked with Bruce from Captive Reef and am waiting, as he said he'd get me some information on what he could do in the next few days. I'm hoping to make a decision by the beginning of the week, at which point I'll be ordering the tank at the end of this month.

I'm getting more excited by the day so far! I know it will be a while before I have all the equipment I need purchased, and can get rock and sand into the tank and start it cycling, but I can't wait. Next step is to talk my father into building a stand with me once he gets back from Thailand. Of course, that's pending what size tank I end up with!

 

[Elite]

If you can go with the external overflow. It looks ten times better.

 

[Inkedsphynx]

Yea, I had thought about that, just not sure how much extra It'd cost me for it. Before I put in my final order with whomever I go with, I'll inquire about it, and if it's not too much more, I'll do that, probably a large one spanning 3 feet across the back wall.

 

[Elite]

You will love that. If I get a custom tank, I will get an external overflow for sure. It takes a little bit of room in the back but you have more room inside the tank and you don't have to see the ugly overflow boxes .