Which tank manufacturer do you prefer and why?

[jcmelski]

I'm looking into getting a bigger tank once I master SW fish keeping and was wondering which manufacturer to go with. I was told Oceanic is the best one out there. Are there any other companies that are worth looking into? I would like to get it reef ready. I'm still debating on the final size though. It's going to be a slow build i.e stand and canopy, light selection, filtration selection, and etc. I want to build the stand and canopy. I was told at my lfs that this hobby requires patience so I figure buying everything over a period of time(researching what works and what doesn't) and building my own stand and canopy would save me money and almost be zen like.

 

[Innovator]

Do you definitely want glass or considering acrylic too? All-Glass Aquarium (AGA) has been around for quite awhile and your basic all-around performer. Oceanic is nice and in some models use starphyre along with thicker glass (bottom), but very expensive. Deep Sea Aquatics' prices can be cheaper or as expensive as Oceanic, depending on models. I would rate Deep Sea and Oceanic almost even in construction and both superior to AGA.

AGA purchased Oceanic. AGA changed their name to Aqueon. Both are owned by Central Pet. From my understanding, the main tank designers of Oceanic left to form Deep Sea Aquatics because Oceanic's new base was to be in Wisconsin and they didn't feel the incentive to move was worth their while.

 

[ccCapt]

I'm pretty sure Oceanic and AGA merged or were bought out by Aqueon, so either is built by the same company. Marineland makes Perfecto CornerFlo and the upper tier Marine Series with starfire glass. They (Aqueon and Marineland) are the most popular reef-ready tank manufacturers. There are places that will also custom build anything you want.

After a little Googling, Oceanic and Aqueon (formerly AGA) are both owned by Central Garden & Pet.

 

[spilzer]

Does anyone have an opinion of the custom-made tanks at glasscages.com? I'm not really in the market right now, but I'm definitely daydreaming.

 

[CaptainAhab]

I've heard the good and the BAD. Do some googling, there are some stories/threads out there.

 

[GhostKnife]

I ordered my tank from glass cages where you can customize it the way you want. You can order tanks by selecting what you want on them. Whether or not you want a sump. Then a stand and much more. I am please with my tank. Only thing is is that they have certain places they deliver to and you have to be there to pick it up. Kind of weird but there was minimal shipping fees this way. www.glasscages.com

 

[spilzer]

Whoa, Google sure turned up some scary stories. Thanks for the tip.