Good brand for 90+ gallon tank

BikerMatt · May 24, 2018

Hello everyone.
I was going to start a reef aquarium a few years ago and did a ton of research then, but a trip to college and a career speed bump put that on hold until now.
Can you recommend a good aquarium manufacturer that I won't have to work about seams or leaks (at least not have to worry as much)?
I plan to have a canopy and don't want a rimless. I also prefer black silicone. I will eventually work into corals after I get the tank established, but starting with live rock and fish for the first 6 - 12 months minimum.
Ideally, I'd like 180-210 gallon or so, but that will take some hardcore effort on my part to get my wife on board. So, I'm likely in the 90-150 gallon range.

Oh, and this is my first post here. I'm looking forward to getting into this hobby and getting to know folks. =)

Matt

Jesterrace · May 25, 2018

Honestly there are good and bad reports about virtually all tanks (even the super high end custom jobs) so it's all a matter of what works with your personal budget. Aqueon and Marineland are both fairly common choices. I have a 90 gallon Marineland pre-drilled with a corner overflow. You could also look into used, just make sure it holds water and isn't scratched up. You don't want a tank that looks like this:

Montiman · May 25, 2018

Some things that would help.

Where are you located?

Are you looking at stock sizes or custom or semi custom?

Water Dog · May 25, 2018

Deep Blue Professional offers a standard rimmed 90 gallon with black silicone. I have their rimless 57 and the silicone work is clean. I ordered mine through my LFS. I would get the non reef ready version so you could drill it for a low profile ghost style overflow. It should cost a little less than $300 ordered from an LFS.

http://www.deepblueprofessional.com/standard.html

PatW · May 26, 2018

I have a marineland aquarium, an innovative marine aquarium and a brand x that I use for a quarantine tank. They all do their jobs.

There are certain features that are nice. Low iron glass has far less green pigment than low iron glass. I really like that look and will pay more for it. My display tank has corner over flows. A guy I know has a custom tank with ghost over flows. This allows him to place power heads almost flush in the rear corners of his tank. Having seen it, I sort of wish that I had done the same. So what you want will be influenced by those features you find particularly valuable.

Some tanks are works of art and a getting a custom builder like Reef Savvy to make one has merit if you desire a particular result. Glass Cages, another builder, sells tanks at low prices and modest fit and finish. Many people are happy with them.