Alibaba tanks?

bvanfish · Sep 2, 2023

Anyone get a tank from alibaba? I see some awesome AIOs on there for decent pricing with a stand. Any input on these?

3ft 50 Gallon Low Iron Ultra Clear Glass All-in-one Freshwater Marine Aquarium With Built-in Filter - Buy Aquarium With Built In Filter,50 Gallon All In One Aquarium,All In One Marine Aquarium Product on Alibaba.com

3ft 50 Gallon Low Iron Ultra Clear Glass All-in-one Freshwater Marine Aquarium With Built-in Filter - Buy Aquarium With Built In Filter,50 Gallon All In One Aquarium,All In One Marine Aquarium Product on Alibaba.com

m.alibaba.com

Gumbies R Us · Sep 5, 2023

I have not heard of them before but would be curious as well how good they are!

bvanfish · Sep 5, 2023

Seems like for 2 AIO 50 gallon tank and stand for $600 bucks it may be worth it...

Aaron75 · Sep 5, 2023

bvanfish said:
Seems like for 2 AIO 50 gallon tank and stand for $600 bucks it may be worth it...

That would be each. So you have to order a minimum of 2 for $659 each. The price drops to $540 each if you order 5. Shipping is A LOT. I recently ordered 2 WB 25 and 2 WB 15 equivalent as a cheaper test order. You might be able to order just 1, just have to ask.

bvanfish · Sep 5, 2023

Aaron75 said:
That would be each. So you have to order a minimum of 2 for $659 each. The price drops to $540 each if you order 5. Shipping is A LOT. I recently ordered 2 WB 25 and 2 WB 15 equivalent as a cheaper test order. You might be able to order just 1, just have to ask.

Got it seemed like an unreal price. But that still would not be bad. Have you gotten them in yet? Does the price pretty much cancel out with the high shipping costs?

Aaron75 · Sep 5, 2023

bvanfish said:
Got it seemed like an unreal price. But that still would not be bad. Have you gotten them in yet? Does the price pretty much cancel out with the high shipping costs?

It seems like the bigger you order the better the deal you'll get. With the 4 tanks I ordered my total was $840. If I ordered those same 4 tanks from waterbox the total with tax would be about $1190. So an ok savings. If you order the Waterbox LX 330 equivalent that is $8500+tax it would cost $6000+tax.
And no, haven't received them yet. Shipped at the end of August and usually delivery time is 1 month.

bvanfish · Sep 5, 2023

Aaron75 said:
It seems like the bigger you order the better the deal you'll get. With the 4 tanks I ordered my total was $840. If I ordered those same 4 tanks from waterbox the total with tax would be about $1190. So an ok savings. If you order the Waterbox LX 330 equivalent that is $8500+tax it would cost $6000+tax.
And no, haven't received them yet. Shipped at the end of August and usually delivery time is 1 month.

I might give them a shout and see if I can order just 1. At 649 for the same exact thing on waterbox for 1400 I would say that is some good savings...

Aaron75 · Sep 5, 2023

bvanfish said:
I might give them a shout and see if I can order just 1. At 649 for the same exact thing on waterbox for 1400 I would say that is some good savings...

I'm going to guess shipping is around $450. I truly have no idea, just a guess. Still a savings though.

bvanfish · Sep 5, 2023

Aaron75 said:
I'm going to guess shipping is around $450. I truly have no idea, just a guess. Still a savings though.

This one can do singles but it takes about 100 days to receive it.. seems a bit long. I wonder if other mfgs could be faster

Marine Iguana · Sep 5, 2023

Following- I've been interested in these tanks and have been keeping my eyes on them.

bushdoc · Sep 5, 2023

I understand desire to save money, but what about warranty? Do manufacturer have warranty program and how is customer service?
Another issue is compatibility of protein skimmers and other stuff you usually place in AIO compartments.

Aaron75 · Sep 5, 2023

bushdoc said:
I understand desire to save money, but what about warranty? Do manufacturer have warranty program and how is customer service?
Another issue is compatibility of protein skimmers and other stuff you usually place in AIO compartments.

Tanks are exactly the same as waterbox so compatibility isn't an issue. But yes, I'd imagine you lose any chance at a warranty. Customer service as far as ordering was fine, I don't know if there will be any beyond that though.

Aaron75 · Sep 5, 2023

bvanfish said:
This one can do singles but it takes about 100 days to receive it.. seems a bit long. I wonder if other mfgs could be faster

With the small tanks I ordered they had them on hand. With bigger tanks I'm assuming they manufacture them then ship out. I ordered from a different company but I'd imagine it's probably the same.

bvanfish · Sep 5, 2023

I would have thought a 50 gallon wouldnt be too bad. I would have expected the larger 90+ to be built when ordered.

MrWellington · Sep 5, 2023

If you want to save money - Just check out Craigslist. Aquariums of all shapes and sizes are listed almost weekly.

Alibaba is more of a wholesaler, with minimum order requirements and shipping costs. AliExpress has much of the same items listed as single purchases, and often shipping from Mainland China is free.

Personally, I would have no concerns regarding the tank quality as long as the seller has a good reputation.

bvanfish · Sep 5, 2023

I am looking for a specific size / AIO and havent seen one in my area for a while. I keep looking but will see if something coms up from this. It seems most will sell single qty and if they come with the stand that is a big bonus as my current is not big enough for 25 gal

ReefologyRN · Jan 24, 2024

any updates on this? the savings are amazing, just wondering if the tanks arrived intact

Aaron75 · Jan 24, 2024

ReefologyRN said:
any updates on this? the savings are amazing, just wondering if the tanks arrived intact

I ordered 2 15g and 2 25g aio just for a trial. Cost with shipping wasn't worth it. All tanks arrived in tact and look good. The saving on the biggest tank is like $4k though. I actually recently set up a 25g.

Peair · Jan 25, 2024

bvanfish said:
Anyone get a tank from alibaba? I see some awesome AIOs on there for decent pricing with a stand. Any input on these?

3ft 50 Gallon Low Iron Ultra Clear Glass All-in-one Freshwater Marine Aquarium With Built-in Filter - Buy Aquarium With Built In Filter,50 Gallon All In One Aquarium,All In One Marine Aquarium Product on Alibaba.com

3ft 50 Gallon Low Iron Ultra Clear Glass All-in-one Freshwater Marine Aquarium With Built-in Filter - Buy Aquarium With Built In Filter,50 Gallon All In One Aquarium,All In One Marine Aquarium Product on Alibaba.com

m.alibaba.com

I have been looking at those over the years, but I was always worried with the shipping coming from China, would it arrive cracked or damaged from that Long shipping, and of course no warranty, you can't send it back to China, did you have any damage on your shipping? One day I might take a chance.

~MD~Reefs~ · Jan 25, 2024

Peair said:
I have been looking at those over the years, but I was always worried with the shipping coming from China, would it arrive cracked or damaged from that Long shipping, and of course no warranty, you can't send it back to China, did you have any damage on your shipping? One day I might take a chance.

I personally had a bad experience. I placed a $2700 order for a Waterbox Infinia Reef 190.5 mock and they sent me files and everything but when the date was getting closer for production to be done they got unresponsive and I kept pressing until they told me they never started the order after over 2 months of giving me false updates. When I asked for a refund they were ghost for days until they finally agreed to give it back. They might be ok for small tanks but I wouldn’t trust them with any substantial amount of money.