BornToHula Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 I'm looking to get quotes for a 240 gallon long tank (96" x 24" x 24"). I'm wanting a glass tank with low iron on the three viewing sides. Any recommendations on who to request quotes from? Big plus if any of them are in Texas and I can save on shipping. I have already emailed Reefsavvy and DSA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 DAS makes some as well and they're also out of Texas: http://www.dasaquariums.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 There's also Planet Aquariums, and AGE. Talk to Fish Gallery for AGE. River City Aquatics for Planet. They should both have some on display as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12_egg_omelette Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Planet aquarium makes a beast of a tank. Thick glass, nice silicone job, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 I'm also in the market for a custom tank. Here is what I have experienced so far. I hope this helps. I tried to contact DAS twice and they didn't return my calls or emails. Marineland doesn't do custom tanks anymore. DSA told me they don't do quotes for the public, even though the option is available on their website. Glasscages gave me a good price and they will do custom work. They deliver to Austin every other month, but you'll need to pick it up at the truck. The Plant Aquarium quote that I got was three times higher than I had received from glass cages for the same specifications. On the plus side, RCA will deliver the tank for you at a reasonable price. I emailed Aqua Dome to get a quote but they never got back to me. Niko's said they can't order custom tanks. I may or may not ever go back there again after a separate issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard L Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 +1 for DAS (not to be confused with DSA) out of Waxahachie, TX. They built both my tanks to my custom specs. Both have really nice glass with the black silicone. Really like how they do their silicone - no corner bead so you can clean the all the glass easily. I was also impressed how they engineered my large rimless frag tank with a plexiglass bottom slotted to receive the glass walls, effectively acting as a hidden eurobrace. You can see both tanks on my build threads. They won't talk to consumers directly. Hit up Mark Callahan (Mr. Saltwater Tank) and he can get you quotes and have it drop shipped to you. You can find really cheap quotes out there for other companies but do your homework. I remember it was easy to find lots of negative feedback on those companies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Check with the Austin Aquadome and River City, they can each quote you directly for various companies and can both have the tanks delivered in town saving you $$$. I know the Gary at the Aquadome also has software on his computer in store that let's you do the whole design in 3d and see pricing as you add/remove options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Check with the Austin Aquadome and River City, they can each quote you directly for various companies and can both have the tanks delivered in town saving you $$$. I know the Gary at the Aquadome also has software on his computer in store that let's you do the whole design in 3d and see pricing as you add/remove options. Yeah, they are a DSA dealer if I remember correctly. I'd give them a call or stop in rather than an email as well. They stay so busy I don't think they have a lot of time to answer emails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted September 29, 2015 Author Share Posted September 29, 2015 Thanks for the suggestions everyone. After talking to Deep Sea Aquatics I decided against getting quotes for the low iron glass, I'm just going to go with regular glass. They said it won't make much, if any, difference on a tank with the dimensions I want. Fine with me since it will save $800 to $1000. I've been by River City for a Planet Aquarium quote. The home delivery option is a huge plus. I actually tricked Dan at Deep Sea Aquatics into talking to me directly by using my work email requesting a quote. After he figured out the tank wasn't for a home under construction he referred me to Aquatek to actually pick up the quote (after a mark up I'm sure ). I also talked to the guys at Fish Gallery for an AGE tank, but honestly I don't think I will go with them even if they are the lowest price. Still waiting on ReefSavvy, but I'm sure they are going to be quite high. Any other way to get a DAS quote besides Mark Callahan? Nothing against him, he just doesn't answer emails consistently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12_egg_omelette Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 I highly suggest you don't go with glass cage, I've heard quite a few horror stories from them on tanks that were done half ***, and has yelled at customers. I'll try to find the link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard L Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 For what its worth I've got Starfire glass on my main display tank and because it is so easy to scratch I'd recommend the regular glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Although they will tell you "approximately 6 months" on their quote, Reef Savvy are taking greater than 9 months to deliver right now. If you want responsive and quick then RS is not the way to go ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted October 2, 2015 Author Share Posted October 2, 2015 Got my quote in from Reef Savvy today - 3 times higher than the local places, probably more since the price doesn't include the shipping crate . They make some awesome looking tanks though and must be busy if they have 9 month lead time. For what is worth I placed my order today for a Planet Aquarium through Jake at River City. Jake has been great to work with and answered several questions I had. If you are in the market for a custom tank, I'd at least check in with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Can't wait to see pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12_egg_omelette Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 Who is going to make the custom tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted October 6, 2015 Author Share Posted October 6, 2015 Who is going to make the custom tank? Planet Aquariums is making it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 That's a great sized tank. The calculator I used said it would be 254.55 gallons. Judging by the diagram, you decided on a 36", internal, center overflow that runs top to bottom. Any particular reason you decided to go with that design? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted October 9, 2015 Author Share Posted October 9, 2015 That's a great sized tank. The calculator I used said it would be 254.55 gallons. Judging by the diagram, you decided on a 36", internal, center overflow that runs top to bottom. Any particular reason you decided to go with that design? Thanks! I don't think the calculator you used is taking into account the 1/2 in glass, the actual volume it can hold is around 238 gallons if my memory is correct. The original plan was to have a 36" external overflow: After consulting with Jake @ River City he did not recommend this overflow setup. If a bulkhead ever started to leak I would either need to bust a hole in the wall to access it or drain the tank enough to slide it away from the wall. After deciding to go with an internal overflow I thought about to shortening it to 30" across, but one of my wife's biggest pet peeves is all the junk that can accumulate on the surface of the water. In order to get the most surface skimming as possible we opted to stay with the 36" overflow. The overflow is quite large but I hope it wont be overbearing. That being said, I am in discussions with Planet to see if they can decrease the width of the overflow from 6". Considering the diameter of a 1.5 in bulkhead is just more than 3" I'm not sure why they have it so wide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 That's funny. You and Sascha are literally thinking about adding a similar sized tank and similar setup into a similar spot in your houses... Right down to the niche in your dining areas. To top it off, you're both talking to Jake for advice and he told both of you the same thing about the leaking bulkhead and having to tear down some drywall to fix it with an external overflow. What a coincidence! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted October 9, 2015 Author Share Posted October 9, 2015 What can I say Ty, great minds think alike! Thats a pretty funny coincidence though. Sascha, did you opt for an internal overflow like I did? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 I haven't moved into the new house yet so I'm still in the planning phase. I really loved my 150 at 48 x 24 x 30, but I think I would like to have more length and less height. The perfect tank for me is 72 x 30 x 25 or 96 x 25 x 25. It's long enough to have large fish, wide enough to do great scaping and not so tall that you get your armpits wet. I agree with your wife and one of my biggest issues is surface skimming. I wanted to do a 36" external coast to coast with the Bean Animal style drain. The problem is that I can' t have a fish room in the new house and if something does leak then it will be hard to fix easily. The internal coast to coast is less risky because there are 5 less seals to worry about leaking, but if the bulkhead leaks then I'll have the same issue. I'm very interested in your build because I face many of the same issues. I've never had a center overflow, but I wonder if it will slow the circulation around the tank. My last tank had a corner overflow, which worked well for circulation, but seeing the plumbing was a little annoying. My last tank was 30" tall and had a 29" stand. I plan on getting a tank around 25" tall and getting a 36" stand to keep the same viewing height. I'm not super tall and this height was perfect for me to be able to look into the tank without bending down. Haha Ty you pay more attention than I give you credit for! I did try to talk to Jake, but he hasn't been available. I drew the conclusions about maintenance on my own based on research that I've done over the past month. Having an internal C2C means that I'll have 3 drain lines and two return lines going into the back pane of glass. I've never had a bulkhead leak after the initial water test, but I imagine it happens and that's 5 chances for a leak. You made a good suggestion on overbuilding the stand to allow for room behind the tank. Steel stand are pretty expensive and I'm not great at skinning so it's something that I have to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua-Dome Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Just to let you know approximate pricing for those tanks from Deep Sea Aquatics- including 36" H cabinet stand, glass tops, center overflow, plumbing kit for 3 drains/ 2 returns: 72" L x 30" W x 25" H $ 2660.00 96" L x 25" W x 25" H $ 3350.00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted October 10, 2015 Author Share Posted October 10, 2015 Just to update, they cannot make the internal overflow any thinner than 6 inches front to back due to structural concerns. I am going with 1.5 inch piping for the bean animal drain which requires larger holes and they don't feel comfortable making them any closer to the edge. I made a cardboard cutout of the dimensions of the tank and after looking things over I decided to cut the over length to 30". I do not think the 6" that I will lose will have a significant impact on surface skimming. It's still a large overflow and I think the Vectra L1 will provide enough power to be able to move the surface water where I want it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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