Are the "dollar per gallon" tanks lower quality?

[Ds04384]

If you want a more open style id recommend getting a deep blue tank, rimless with a built in overflow, hang a pendant over it and its a really nice open tank

I have a rimless 93 cube that I have been too chicken to set up in my new place. I have literally everything I need to do it but the rimless style makes me (perhaps irrationally) afraid that the panels will blow off.

 

[Swoody]

How in the heck can this even be legal ( if true)? I mean tax on an item is a % of the amount paid... I mean if you went and bought a car for $3k off of sticker, would you let them charge you tax on an amount more than what you paid???

 

[needbiggertanks]

I have gotten two 40B from the sale, each a different brand.

One of which has a tempered glass bottom, the other does not.

One is Display with drilled shadow overflow, the other is the sump.

Paid 50$ each during 1$ gallon sale (=1/2 off of anything over 29g)

A 75 gallon, 2 ten gallons, and a 20 gallon also purchased during the sales over the years with no problems. I have also never abused any of them.

Good luck!

 

[Chef Tommy]

Great question and I was wondering the same thing when I got my tanks. The sump is a 20 long from the $1 sale and the 75 is from my LFS for $120 when I was in FL. The sump is fine after 2 years of use but the 75 had black silicone and awesome glass. The 75 is much nicer quality and both were aqueon tanks. Maybe there is a difference in larger builds on the silicone but I felt the 75 was a "premium" aqueon for my LFS? Also they make many sizes but Petco only sells a few of them as I'm looking for a 30 long now and Petco does not carry.

 

[lotekfish]

No problems with my $20 20 long aquarium. I was about to spend 10x that amount on a IM tank but I'm glad I didn't. People that come over notice the corals and fish, not the tank, stand, or equipment. I think Petco basically gives these away figuring you might also buy a filter, heater, light, gravel, chemicals etc at regular price to set up a new aquarium.

 

[shred5]

I have a rimless 93 cube that I have been too chicken to set up in my new place. I have literally everything I need to do it but the rimless style makes me (perhaps irrationally) afraid that the panels will blow off.

Rimless is fine.. Only issue is the 93 cube had issues and is made by Marineland. Water test it to see f it has bubbles in the seams, allot of us did, I threw my brand new one away. I had drilled it so no warranty. They were replacing some of them but sent tanks even worse to some people. Some people put them up this way and the bubbles disappeared. Still scares me the air pockets could have just filled with water over time. To me those air pockets were there because the glue was stretching.

 

[tom66645]

Marineland are complete garbage. Seriously. Bought 65g with overflow, filled with water, and glass along the edge started to split and flake off. Had to fight with Marineland as they wouldn't honor their warranty. Bought a replacement, and it's not properly sealed along the top. Whenever I clean the glass, water leaks onto the front glass. Great.

 

[bigdan3489]

I will never buy one again as my 40 breeder blew out it’s seam, I will only save my money and buy quality tanks from now on. I’m not saying all will leak, I’m just saying I personally will never go that route again.

 

[lactose]

During the sale last December I bought 2 20 long and 6 10 gallons for QT tanks and spares.

I had bought many in previous sales as well.

I have drilled every one of them and only cracked a couple of the very first ones I bought years ago before I truly knew how to drill glass.

They were all aqueon on the $1 per gallon sale. So I would recommend them and as said before the rims and silicone beads are not the best or prettiest but they have done the job for me.

 

[Daltrey]

I think the 40's are no longer included in the sale, at least locally it was only tanks up to 29g

My petco had the 40 breeders half off during their dollar a gallon sale on tanks up to 29 gallons. So basically the 40 breeder was $50.

I picked up a 40 breeder to use as a quarantine tank. First one was an aqueon but after I got it home I noticed it had a chip in the corner. Took it back and had to wait on them to get more in stock. Next one they got was a tetra. I couldn't tell any difference between them.

Here is my 40 breeder quarantine setup.

 

[jp_75]

what is the best brand for tanks these days?

 

[Daltrey]

what is the best brand for tanks these days?

Depends on budget and what size you are looking for. I personally really like rimless tanks and I think the Red Sea Reefers are nice.

 

[Even Further]

Petco used to carry aqueon brand tanks which had thicker glass then the tetra tanks they carry now. I wouldn't buy any tanks from petco unless I was using the tank for a sump. Tetra tanks seem to be very cheaply made IMO.

Petco carried Aqueon, then changed to Tetra, now they changed back to Aqueon about 1 year ago. The Tretra tanks are low quality. Aqueon is better IMO. I returned a Tetra because it had uneven bottom, it could not even be used to hold water for a sump. I picked up a Aqueon and it was much better.

 

[Mark Waltermire]

Really!?! If that’s the case and I ever saw that on my receipt, they’d have serious complaint an their hands. As far as I know, one cannot collect tax on a pre sale amount. Taxes should only be collected on revenue received.

You need to check the laws for the country/state/county that you reside in. I live in North Carolina and that is how the government states tax laws should be with the tax based on pre-tax price. This is only true if using a discount; I.E. 50% off, however, if something cost $100 and I received a $40 discount then I would only have to pay tax on the $60. It's just the US government trying to make things complicated.

 

[Legal Reefer]

I recently picked up a aqueon 40 breeder and 20 long from petco. You can tell they are lower quality than the expensive thicker glassed bigger tanks made by other companies other than aqueon or tetra. I've also seen them last for year after year with no problems and have seen more expensive higher quality tanks leak. With the budget I'm working with I went for the cheap petco tank instead of waiting for years to get something nice. I recently water tested and drilled it. Have seen a lot of people having nice results with cheap tanks. Knock on wood....lol

 

[Shigshwa]

I haven't had any issues with their tanks thus far. I currently have a 40B setup with a Petco tank, and the only complaint I have is that when filled, the broadside glass panels have a small but noticeable bulge to it. I don't know if the glass is thick enough, but fingers crossed for it not suddenly blowing out on me one day.

 

[Forsaken77]

Was considering grabbing and setting up a 40 breeder whenever the next dollar per gallon sale is at petco. Are these tanks made more cheaply for the sale? Don't want to save a few bucks just to have a seam blow in a month

It's not the sale that makes them lower quality, it's the mass production. You're getting the same exact tank whether it's on sale or not. It's just that big tank manufacturers don't pay enough attention to detail when siliconing the seams, or leveling the panels or stands properly. They're more about quantity over quality.

The tank will most likely be fine. I had to special order three of these mass produced 180 gallon tanks through my local store before I got one I was comfortable with.

Just make sure there aren't large bubbles in the silicone, especially towards the top. Black silicone has made this almost impossible to check though.

 

[Forsaken77]

Same Aqueon tanks sold everywhere. Only issue is the quality has gone down some since it was AGA but way better than Marineland which I would never buy.

Marineland has actually admitted to me that they had new people making their tanks in 2015 & 2016 and had a lot of problems, like the Deep Dimensions tanks leaking. They switched back at the end of 2016 to the previous builder. It was very obvious too, because I got multiple 180's from 2016 and sent them back. Got one from May of 2017 and the silicone is clean.

Also on the larger tanks, Aqueon uses dual off-set overflows that are only 3/4" drains and returns, whereas Marineland has corner flows with both 1" for their reef ready tanks.

I realize some people will drill their own, but on a big tank, that's extremely heavy and bulky, it's easier to go reef ready for a lot of folks.

Too bad Oceanic isn't still around, or DSA. Those were much better made tanks.

 

[VR28man]

the $1/gallon tanks are the exact same tanks that they have when there is no sale. So, if you're getting your tanks from Petco, you face the same quality control, on sale or off.

Since they are AGA/Aqueon tanks, the tanks you get at Petsmart, or many LFS's, are basically the same. The two PetPlaces can offer these prices because, as someone mentioned, they have enormous purchasing power because of the quantity of tanks they buy.

Note also that no well run company sells stuff for below cost; I'd imagine the sales prices are approximately Petco's cost (or maybe cost+like 5%, to get a decent ROI). What they're almost certainly doing at these times is to try to move inventory - partially the actual glass boxes, but more so the other stuff you have to get when you buy these boxes - lids, lights, livestock, filters, etc - because of either seasonal demand cycles or because of internal accounting reasons.

This is also a great deal for them because it gets people buying - I'm told an old adage in the aquarium business is to sell the tank for cheap, and once the customer is thereby committed for a decent period of time. They can then make the money baking in higher returns from the accessories (food, filters, maybe livestock, LED lamps, protein skimmers, tank controllers, media reactors...... )

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I have a 75g, 40B, 20L, 2x 10g and a 5.5g Aqueon tanks and all have held up fine. The 75g, 40B and 20L were purchased in a "dollar per gallon" sale and there is no difference between them and literally the exact same tank that was sitting on the shelf the day before the sale. They are cheap tanks, but not to where I wouldn't trust them.