Need some insight on custom tank

[Upstartreefer]

Hello fellow reefers. I am getting ready to pull the trigger on a new tank. With my budget and many many quotes I am probably going miracles aquarium.

I have read every tread on this forum. If I could afford reef savvy I would more than likely go with them. I am looking for people how have miracles aquarium it chime in.

 

[sbash]

I bought a Miracles aquarium... Assuming you are referring to the company in Ontario, Canada...

I am not sure I would buy from them again. I bought a custom 220 from them and my experience was not great.

 

[Upstartreefer]

@sbash. That's the one I am speaking of. If you don't mind telling about your experience? Was it the quality of the tank or customer service?

 

[sbash]

Well, a little from column A and a little from column B...

First, the tank is nice. The glass is nice and thick and it is what I wanted in a tank. (i.e. it does the job)...

In the long run, the issues I had/have are pretty minor.

From the start, they offered zero advice to the customizations I wanted. Due to this, I skipped having them do the overflow, I did not want them to screw it up (so I added the overflow after it was delivered). I would have preferred the professionals do it, but I could not really trust them to do it. Note: this is largely due to not knowing the measurements needed for the overflow, so I waited until the tank arrived to figure it out for myself.

Next, the tank itself took a month longer to be delivered than originally promised. After they missed the initial commitment, I called them every week (this was a couple years ago, I do not remember exactly how long it took - I am thinking they promised 5-6 and it took over 10 weeks). Most of the time they (by they I mean he, there was a single point of contact) were not available on the phone and always took days to respond to email.

As a side note, 'he' claimed it only took two of his guys to move this tank around. It took me seven, and he also offered little advice on getting the tank from the pallet on my driveway into its place in the house.

Anyway, one of the reasons he claimed it was late, was due to problems with the euro bracing. Now, this is partially my fault, but from the other eurobraces I have seen, they do not have a plastic rim; instead they have an elegant rimless quality to them. They covered up their awful looking caulking job with a black plastic rim. I can tell it is awful under the rim, because it is oozing out in some places, lol... Like I said, partially my fault for assuming; and it is not a huge deal as my canopy design covers up to the water line anyway...

Lastly, there are two bubbles in the glass. It took me a couple months to notice them. I feel this is a quality control issue. However, given my experience just getting the tank, plus the potential hassle of changing it out, I let the minor glass defects slide. They will not affect the longevity of tank, and honestly, I do not even see them any more (likely due to the awesomeness of the inhabitants)...

That is it off the top of my head, lol...

All in all though, the tank is well built; aside from the minor aesthetic issues I mention above.

 

[Upstartreefer]

Thanks for your response. I don't know how things have changed I the years you received your tank but I have talk to Derek on the phone several times over the last month and has offered his insight on several issues with the tank. Did you have any problems getting it delivered across the border?

 

[sbash]

Thanks for your response. I don't know how things have changed I the years you received your tank but I have talk to Derek on the phone several times over the last month and has offered his insight on several issues with the tank. Did you have any problems getting it delivered across the border?

Honestly, they were probably just busy; and maybe he is just not an email (i.e. digital) type person (and I really dislike having to use the phone to call someone, haha). Not that it is any excuse for poor service (get up with the times, right? lol); but as someone who has run a business, I can understand both sides of the coin.

I am in Ontario Canada, so I had no issues with the shipping portion...

Their reputation is solid and there is no way 100% of their orders go perfectly. The issues I had/have are pretty minor and I had completely forgotten about after two years of having the tank.

I would ask about acceptable tolerance for bubbles/defects in the glass; it is much easier to deal with the warranty before filling a large aquarium. That said, it could be hard to catch the defects while it is on a pallet in your driveway...

 

[Upstartreefer]

Unfortunately I haven't really entered the digital age ether lol. I rather talk on the phone myself.

I really do appreciate you telling about your experience with them. My tank is going to be 84x30x24 and I have 6 different bids on this tank. All other quotes are $2000 to 3500 more. I am just trying to not making a mistake that will cost me thousands down the road.

 

[sbash]

[removes foot from mouth] Well, I meant no offence

Yeah, I went through the same thing; and Miracles was the best value... Probably even better for you given our dollar is worth about as much as apple cores...

As I said (kind of, lol), the build quality on the parts that matter are quite good, I also had them use clean caulking (which I recommend, my other tanks are black and not nearly as slick looking) and you can see the nice consistent bead between the walls.

One thing I will say, since the glass is so thick, it is hard to keep the magnetic powerheads attached. I will also stick with euro-bracing for any new tanks I get...

 

[Upstartreefer]

No offense taken. We are who we are. I really appreciate you telling me about your experience with miracles..

I will venture to say unless someone tells me an absolute horror story. It looking like there going to get my business.

 

[joec]

My goodness, I would be furious if I had ordered and paid a premium for a custom eurobraced tank and it showed up with plastic trim.

I'm sorry that happened to you

 

[Greybeard]

I share your frustration... I ordered a custom tank a few months ago, was delivered a couple of weeks ago. There's a thread on here somewhere about my frustration with the process. Seems every custom tank maker expects you to pay a large price, up front, with very little documentation on what you can expect for your money.

I will say this, I ended up ordering from Planet Aquarium. The only major issue I had with them was that you have to work through a 3rd party, they don't sell to the public, so there's a local fish store involved. I maneuvered around this issue, and was able to speak directly to the tank maker, but it was a hassle. I provided a detailed set of dimensioned drawings, showing placement and size of every hole, where I expected polished edges, etc. directly to the tank builder, and spoke to him over the phone to make sure he understood what I was wanting. Once it was ordered, 4-6 weeks became 7... I am _very_ happy with the results, but yes, I lost quite a bit of sleep over the process.

 

[Russo757]

good read. Not sure ill but Miracle tanks

 

[Upstartreefer]

This whole process with trying to find the right manufacturer (with a quality product) within my budget range is driving me crazy.

What is a lot of money no matter what you spend it on. But I want a Quality Aquarium that I know will hold up for years to come. I'll Trust the reef2reef family to help me out with this decision I have to make. I honestly appreciate everybody's comment.