High Tide Aquatics

Where to get a custom tank?

JustinBolton

JustinBolton

Supporting Member
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Starting to look into upgrading my tank, previously I had a 120 marineland on a custom DIY oak stand- really loved this tank but had to move so gave it away. Been running my Red Sea 300xl for 1.5y, great tank but I want to go bigger and better quality, not sure the 750xxl is the right path. Looking at 72”x24”x24” or 72x30x24, I would build an oak stand myself again so tank only, internal overflow (hate external plumbing). I’ve been looking at planet but they only go through dealers which are in SF or Dublin, glass cages seems to be hit or miss. Looking for something of quality but not looking to go broke or wait 12 months like reef savvy.
I would like rimless or at least eurobraced but this size factor also worries me.

What are people’s recommendations/experience ? Looking to learn from others who went down this path.
 
rygh said:
Note that some LFS will order if for you.
No real markup, and can eliminate a lot of hassle on ordering, shipping, and especially if there is a chip or crack.
Click to expand...
Any LFS/mnfg combo you recommend (outside planet)

Lots of good reviews about CD, never knew about them before today, glad I asked. Next question as I’m considering a larger tank is it worth it to get their stand? I was really looking forward to building and oak one but debating if metal is a better path?
 
JustinBolton said:
Any LFS/mnfg combo you recommend (outside planet)

Lots of good reviews about CD, never knew about them before today, glad I asked. Next question as I’m considering a larger tank is it worth it to get their stand? I was really looking forward to building and oak one but debating if metal is a better path?
Click to expand...
I did a lot of research on CDA, SCA, and other tanks. Eventually I realized I was in analysis paralysis and was debating spending thousands of extra dollars on a custom setup when one of the Reefer's was close enough and effectively half the price. The comparison then being similar reefer with really nice lights and equipment sitting in it when it arrives, or an empty CDA tank that I'd need to buy/design a sump for, plumb, and still spend thousands. Oh and the reefer was at my house in days after order versus multiple months.

I don't want to sway you away from custom, and I don't judge anyone for going custom, but if there's a stock tank that's pretty close to what you want then it's worth stepping back and reassessing.

However the main thing I was going to comment on was the stand comment. That's actually the main reason I wanted to go custom. If you haven't looked into it, there's a bunch of info on Aluminum extruded 8020 framed stands out there. To me that seemed like a pretty great setup. I do wish I had that, because it'd make hanging peripherals and stuff so incredibly easy.

You can buy the frames online, and multiple sites out there will design the AL frame for you, customized to your dimensions and desires. The problem though is you then just have a stand, maybe with a base and top insert. You still need to skin it.

I explored the idea of that, but paying someone to do it was going to be super expensive, and I building it myself would've been a huge time commitment and likely not looked how I wanted anyway.

CDA did extruded AL for a bit. Their steel stands seem nice, and you can see some at Neptune. However the CDA stand once you pay for it to be wrapped and finished is multiple thousands of dollars, which ... is comparable in price to the entire Reefer 500 I bought.

Anyway, that's my $0.02. There's a couple recent build threads in the forum with people going both ways which might be interesting to you.
 
richiev said:
I did a lot of research on CDA, SCA, and other tanks. Eventually I realized I was in analysis paralysis and was debating spending thousands of extra dollars on a custom setup when one of the Reefer's was close enough and effectively half the price. The comparison then being similar reefer with really nice lights and equipment sitting in it when it arrives, or an empty CDA tank that I'd need to buy/design a sump for, plumb, and still spend thousands. Oh and the reefer was at my house in days after order versus multiple months.

I don't want to sway you away from custom, and I don't judge anyone for going custom, but if there's a stock tank that's pretty close to what you want then it's worth stepping back and reassessing.

However the main thing I was going to comment on was the stand comment. That's actually the main reason I wanted to go custom. If you haven't looked into it, there's a bunch of info on Aluminum extruded 8020 framed stands out there. To me that seemed like a pretty great setup. I do wish I had that, because it'd make hanging peripherals and stuff so incredibly easy.

You can buy the frames online, and multiple sites out there will design the AL frame for you, customized to your dimensions and desires. The problem though is you then just have a stand, maybe with a base and top insert. You still need to skin it.

I explored the idea of that, but paying someone to do it was going to be super expensive, and I building it myself would've been a huge time commitment and likely not looked how I wanted anyway.

CDA did extruded AL for a bit. Their steel stands seem nice, and you can see some at Neptune. However the CDA stand once you pay for it to be wrapped and finished is multiple thousands of dollars, which ... is comparable in price to the entire Reefer 500 I bought.

Anyway, that's my $0.02. There's a couple recent build threads in the forum with people going both ways which might be interesting to you.
Click to expand...
Oh also regarding SCA & CDA quality, there seem to be anecdotal reports of both having issues and customer support issues. That's certainly also true of the big brands though, and hard to really meaningfully reason about. Though I do feel like I was seeing worrying SCA reports about the guy being unresponsive. Generally I worry about the stability of super small companies that feel like they're built around one dude. However I don't really know the situation for either company.
 
JustinBolton said:
Any LFS/mnfg combo you recommend (outside planet)

Lots of good reviews about CD, never knew about them before today, glad I asked. Next question as I’m considering a larger tank is it worth it to get their stand? I was really looking forward to building and oak one but debating if metal is a better path?
Click to expand...
First, a warning:
ALL tank manufacturers have complaints here and there.
Sometimes mistakes happen in the best companies.
But I feel a whole lot of tank failures are because users do not level them properly.
So don't panic on reading a few reviews.

Neptune Aquatics sells CD tanks, and is a great LFS.
They also sell Red Sea Reefer. A good non-custom brand.

Aquatic collection also works with someone on custom aquariums, which I think was CD, but not sure. Also a great LFS.
 
richiev said:
Oh also regarding SCA & CDA quality, there seem to be anecdotal reports of both having issues and customer support issues. That's certainly also true of the big brands though, and hard to really meaningfully reason about. Though I do feel like I was seeing worrying SCA reports about the guy being unresponsive. Generally I worry about the stability of super small companies that feel like they're built around one dude. However I don't really know the situation for either company.
Click to expand...
Support is a good point.
This is another reason I recommend going through an LFS to order.
 
richiev said:
I did a lot of research on CDA, SCA, and other tanks. Eventually I realized I was in analysis paralysis and was debating spending thousands of extra dollars on a custom setup when one of the Reefer's was close enough and effectively half the price. The comparison then being similar reefer with really nice lights and equipment sitting in it when it arrives, or an empty CDA tank that I'd need to buy/design a sump for, plumb, and still spend thousands. Oh and the reefer was at my house in days after order versus multiple months.

I don't want to sway you away from custom, and I don't judge anyone for going custom, but if there's a stock tank that's pretty close to what you want then it's worth stepping back and reassessing.

However the main thing I was going to comment on was the stand comment. That's actually the main reason I wanted to go custom. If you haven't looked into it, there's a bunch of info on Aluminum extruded 8020 framed stands out there. To me that seemed like a pretty great setup. I do wish I had that, because it'd make hanging peripherals and stuff so incredibly easy.

You can buy the frames online, and multiple sites out there will design the AL frame for you, customized to your dimensions and desires. The problem though is you then just have a stand, maybe with a base and top insert. You still need to skin it.

I explored the idea of that, but paying someone to do it was going to be super expensive, and I building it myself would've been a huge time commitment and likely not looked how I wanted anyway.

CDA did extruded AL for a bit. Their steel stands seem nice, and you can see some at Neptune. However the CDA stand once you pay for it to be wrapped and finished is multiple thousands of dollars, which ... is comparable in price to the entire Reefer 500 I bought.

Anyway, that's my $0.02. There's a couple recent build threads in the forum with people going both ways which might be interesting to you.
Click to expand...
Appreciate the point of view, Red Sea are like 5k for a 180, it seems custom is 1500-2k more, not a big stretch for American made and something of better quality (bracing and stand). I am not in a hurry to get it running as this tank will hopefully last a while.
rygh said:
First, a warning:
ALL tank manufacturers have complaints here and there.
Sometimes mistakes happen in the best companies.
But I feel a whole lot of tank failures are because users do not level them properly.
So don't panic on reading a few reviews.

Neptune Aquatics sells CD tanks, and is a great LFS.
They also sell Red Sea Reefer. A good non-custom brand.

Aquatic collection also works with someone on custom aquariums, which I think was CD, but not sure. Also a great LFS.
Click to expand...

Agreed, I was unaware Neptune sells CD, maybe its worth looking into them there, I might reach out to CDA directly also, still on the fence on their metal stand vs me building my own - maybe Neptune has a CD tank on display?
 
I would get a metal stand. I ended up building my own metal stand (which I won't do on my next build out of laziness, but it was a great learning experience). With wood, I would worry about it getting wet and swelling, especially over a larger number of years.
 
H2OPlayar said:
I would get a metal stand. I ended up building my own metal stand (which I won't do on my next build out of laziness, but it was a great learning experience). With wood, I would worry about it getting wet and swelling, especially over a larger number of years.
Click to expand...
Tend to agree.
I am quite good at woodworking, and made a really nice DIY stand. Looks great. But I would probably only do the face or skins next time.
DT was no problem, but there was a leak in the back of the old sump, slow drip over about 4 years.
The wood near the leak was swollen, and black from mold, and disintegrating a fair bit.
 
Planet Aquariums Mega Matrix is an option. Its semi-custom tank with predefined sizes. They have a 72.5"x30.5"x25 one. I think you have to go through one of their partners. There are 2 in the bay area (SF and Dublin)
 
time2cre8 said:
Planet Aquariums Mega Matrix is an option. It’s semi-custom tank with predefined sizes. They have a 72.5"x30.5"x25 one. I think you have to go through one of their partners. There are 2 in the bay area (SF and Dublin)
Click to expand...
How did you like you mega matrix? I was looking at them too but was turned off that I can only get them from 2 LFS that are out of my way. I’ve heard they are Chinese made also, any ideas if this is the case? If so I might just do a redsea or water box.
 
If you order new, it'll take several months. Since you're renting, don't know how long your lease is, perhaps find a used tank.

How about an IM 100 ext available in 2-3 weeks? LOL
 
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