SC Aquariums and other custom tanks??

[Greybeard]

Another vote for Planet Aquarius. I bought a custom 60x30x18 rimless from them last year. Quality is excellent, price was better than the top shelf makers, and I can't imagine that I'm loosing anything by not paying that premium.

Downside: they don't sell to the public. You've got to deal with a local fish store.

 

[Regg]

I had a custom Tank from them no issues

 

[Scotch1957]

 

[Xclusive Reef]

I have a 100 SCA aquarium and I like it BUT I would do it all different next time. SCA aquariums are nice but the center over flow box takes up a lot of room. I would get the tank from SCA but with the holes for the Synergy Overflow box. Another site that makes nice aquariums is aquaticamerica.com

 

[KJoFan]

I have a 100 SCA aquarium and I like it BUT I would do it all different next time. SCA aquariums are nice but the center over flow box takes up a lot of room. I would get the tank from SCA but with the holes for the Synergy Overflow box. Another site that makes nice aquariums is aquaticamerica.com

This. I agree and would likely do this exact same thing were I to do it over again.

 

[dricc]

You can customize where you put the overflow box. I did.My tank will be an inwall viewable from the front and back.I had them place the overflow in the center of the right side panel.It costs 100 more and instead of shipping almost immediately I will have to wait for three months.On the plus side the back panel will now be starfire. I haven't received my sc aquarium yet so I can't speak about the quality but I have heard good things about sc.

 

[madweazl]

Review of my 150g from SCA:

I've had a couple days to look over the tank so I thought I'd provide my initial thoughts in regard to quality. The tank was "crated" decently; it has 1" foam on all sides and the cardboard box it was shipped in was banded together well.

There were a few areas that worried me when the tank arrived but the contents were just fine.

At $40 from SCA, the lid to the overflow is a total joke. The $17 lid from Modular Marine has a machined lip to keep in place (small lid on the bottom). There is nothing to prevent a rogue snail/critter from pushing the lid off the box). Don't waste your money on this piece.

The overflow box is siliconed together which I found odd as the tank is large enough that an assembled unit could be siliconed to the back wall as a single structure. While purely cosmetic, the front panel of the overflow overhangs both side panels by about one millimeter (not illustrated well in the picture).

The silicone was done fairly well; I've certainly seen better but other than this small gap on the front panel (lower right), everything else looks pretty good (haven't thoroughly checked the back yet).

The glass edges have a nice chamfer but the polishing leaves a bit to be desired. The right half of the front panel was done fairly well (cant feel any knurling) but starting about mid way across the front panel and extending all the way to the left side, you can really feel the knurling.

Right side (visible cut but smooth to touch)

Left side (easy to see and feel)

How do I rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best?

Cosmetics - 7
Construction - 8
Value - 10
Customer service & shipping time - 10

At roughly 66% the cost of many other manufacturers, the SCAquariums 150g delivers a pretty nice aquarium for the cost and I'm certainly able to overlook the cosmetic issues for the money saved in this regard.

 

[rob G]

I downgraded my 360 gallon plywood epoxy/glass tank to two 120 gallon tanks. One I purchased locally on Craigslist for $150. It’s an All Glass brand with black plastic trim and two corner overflows. The other tank I purchased from SC Aquariums during a sale they were having for the same size, 4x2x2, I think it was $700 or $800 shipped. I have one in each side of a built in entertainment center so they are about 6 feet apart. One is lps coral and the other is sps. I am still stocking them both and finishing the entertainment center but they have both been up and running for several months. I like SC Aquariums, glass is low iron and no plastic trim so it looks cleaner. I hate the dual overflow on the All Glass tank and for that matter would love the SC tank to have been drilled for a ghost overflow.... my favorite thing about the SC tank is the eurobrace when I’m working on the tank. Bottom line and the reason I responded to this is that even though I really like the SC tank, when I sit down and look at them, the fish, rock and coral are what I see and enjoy looking at, not the tank. I visually don’t have a favorite...I was kinda kicking myself for not just getting two standard 120s, drilling them myself and saving some cash for corals the other night. I know the size you want isn’t standard anyway but just some food for thought.

 

[Shadowcat]

+1 for https://www.planetaquariums.com/

They are pretty popular down here in the Houston area, and they seem to be of good quality and decent pricing. They aren't Reef Savvy quality, but they aren't
Reef Savvy priced either

I'm on my second SCA tank. I first had the 66g and upgraded to the 150 w/ stand and canopy. I was one that if you look at the SCA owners thread on Reefcentral, raised some questions about the silicone job on my 150. I also emailed Steve with pictures etc. He assured me the perceived issues I was seeing were cosmetic only. As he stated, it would not be in his best interest to pass off a poorly constructed aquarium as being fine only to find failure later. It would put him out of business very quickly. I was reassured by him and the input of some others' in that thread and proceeded with my build. A few months in and no issues.

You have to keep in mind with SCA that while they will do custom tanks, as the OP is inquiring about, the majority of the standard sizes readily available are mass produced. There's bound to be a cosmetic flaw here and there. I don't know if the custom tanks folks buy from SCA are better since they aren't mass produced or not as I've never purchased one.

Long story short, I would not hesitate to purchase from SCA as they are reasonably priced and you can typically work with Steve a bit to get the best price. I got my 150, solid wood stand and canopy for $1550 around Black Friday this past year.

Thanks all, good info and advice.............Yes, if you building ANYTHING, there will be a lemon now and then. I'm not that concerned over cosmetic stuff. I've lived with mass production tanks for 3 decades and the workmanship is seldom pretty. As long as its hold water and KEEPS holding water, color me happy. I am trying to get a look at Planet Aquariums tanks locally, about 40 miles from me, that would save me shipping and I'll go back to SCA and see if they have something "off the shelf" that is close to what I want. I've looked at Glass cages and they seem to do the euro bracing thing..........I'd like to avoid that if possible. I have time before I need to jump. I just don't want to drop a bunch on a "nice" tank and have regrets.

I downgraded my 360 gallon plywood epoxy/glass tank to two 120 gallon tanks. One I purchased locally on Craigslist for $150. It’s an All Glass brand with black plastic trim and two corner overflows. The other tank I purchased from SC Aquariums during a sale they were having for the same size, 4x2x2, I think it was $700 or $800 shipped. I have one in each side of a built in entertainment center so they are about 6 feet apart. One is lps coral and the other is sps. I am still stocking them both and finishing the entertainment center but they have both been up and running for several months. I like SC Aquariums, glass is low iron and no plastic trim so it looks cleaner. I hate the dual overflow on the All Glass tank and for that matter would love the SC tank to have been drilled for a ghost overflow.... my favorite thing about the SC tank is the eurobrace when I’m working on the tank. Bottom line and the reason I responded to this is that even though I really like the SC tank, when I sit down and look at them, the fish, rock and coral are what I see and enjoy looking at, not the tank. I visually don’t have a favorite...I was kinda kicking myself for not just getting two standard 120s, drilling them myself and saving some cash for corals the other night. I know the size you want isn’t standard anyway but just some food for thought.

 

[Shadowcat]

Thanks to ALL for so many helpful responses. In a nutshell, it sounds like most of the custom manufacturers put out a quality tank, some with perhaps better workmanship, but then that may just be the person who built your tank and what kind of day they were having as much as brands. Haven't really heard any serious complaints, just personal preferences and experience, which is GOOD...........Leaks and failures scare me, a bit of slop in the silicone here or there is likely never going to be noticed once the tank is up and running, as Rob G pointed out. It's looking more and more like a bang for your buck thing. After a certain point tanks don't derive much benefit from being thicker and heavier. For me price is a major factor as much as quality. If I could get what I wanted from vendor A for say $1000, why would I pay vendor B twice as much for essentially the same tank?...........Not a big fan of the heavy euro bracing or the style of tank that coast to coast and some others build...........too much heavy glass on the tops and not much room to work in the tank, but that's just a personal opinion. I'm putting out requests for quotes and will see what I get in the next couple weeks. I'll keep you folks updated in case it might help somebody else shopping tanks.............You guys are great, thanks.

 

[bblumberg]

I have two 150g Crystal Dynamics tanks, both 60 x 24 x 24, 3 side starfire eurobraced with center trapezoid returns plumbed for Bean Animal overflows. I love the tanks, although they are more costly than SC Aquariums. I compared both at reef shows and really like the look of Crystal Dynamics. Having said that, I am less enamored with his stands and canopies. They look good, but the finish quality could be better (uneven staining, drips, very poor sanding quality). I have one wood wrapped steel and one completely wood stand/canopy, both in their "Malibu" style. If I had it to do over again, I'd buy the stand/canopy from him unfinished and do the staining, finishing and sanding myself. Otherwise a happy customer. But don't hold your breath on delivery. Both times, the quote was for ~ 12 weeks and it took closer to 20.

 

[Shadowcat]

Hi again folks..............OK, got a few more quotes in hand, A.G.E., 1 inch PVC bottom, 1/2 inch sides front and back, stainless frames, for about $2300 delivered. The other is from Custom Aquariums for 1/2 inch glass all the way around, plus the bottom, with aluminum frames, for about $1400 delivered. Also got a quote from Reef Savvy for 1/2 inch glass, euro braced, about $1800 for the tank, plus $800 delivered........that was a little off-putting, the delivery+crate fees, but I guess RS is a premium builder and they can charge what they charge for delivery.
OK, so I'm not a big fan of euro bracing. It looks nice, but I'd rather have something less "breakable" holding all that water in the box.........but that's a personal preference, so now I'm down to AGE or CA..........CA is several hundred less expensive for the same tank, but AGE has the 1 inch PVC bottom, which is drill-able, unlikely to ever break and stainless frames.......I'm guessing both are nice tanks, so I'm looking for anybody that has any experience with either or both tanks............I've had store bought tanks for 30 years, so the whole custom thing is new territory for me.............Anxious to pull the trigger and get my build started, so any experience with these guys would be appreciated..................Also looked at Miracles and Planet Aquarium, but the delivery fees were killer.

 

[Picesduh]

I reached out to AGE and still haven’t heard back almost a week (they have a 48 hour policy on their site). I have a quote from CRystal Dynamic which is almost the same as the one I have from CTC. Both are offering a bit of a variety in terms of stand material and options so it’s still up in the air. CD will wrap the stand in wood if that’s what you want. Did you quote with AGE include a stand?

 

[bblumberg]

I have a wood wrapped metal stand from CD on one of my 150Gs and don't like it. Basically, he buys or makes powder coated metal stands, then wraps them with wood. The stand looks good and seems very strong. However, in my case, the bottom of the metal stand was rough at the welds and is brutal on my wood floor. In contrast, I had Willie from Ocean Marine Sales build me a wood wrapped metal stand for my 75g corner tank. He made the metal stand separate with leveling feet and then built a slide in shell from wood. I can open the door to work below the tank, or slide the entire shell away for more access. MUCH better than the CD stand.

 

[Shadowcat]

Hi folks, back again. Finally decided to go with Custom Aquariums in Wisconsin. Best price, hopefully solid tank. $1300 delivered to a shipping terminal not too far from me for 18x18x72, tempered bottom, and what they call Ultra Clear glass for the front panel, same as Starfire I guess, just different brand name, 1/2 inch glass all round. I'll be building the stand and plan to use leveling feet underneath it, 2 sets of 4. 4 at the corners and 4 more at 2 foot intervals beneath the vertical supports. Found a place that sells adjustable, heavy duty commercial feet for machinery. 8 of them could easily hold up a truck, so for a 1200 pound tank and stand they won't even break a sweat.

I plan to start a build thread when I begin work on the stand. Some of you may find the adjustable leveling feet interesting for future builds. I already know that the floor where the tank will be isn't level and I didn't want to resort to shims again. The stand will be designed around the feet and not the more typical flat on the floor setup................let me say up front, do NOT try this on off the shelf production stands. Those are typically made of press board, 1x's or if you're lucky, plywood and held together with glue and staples. They aren't meant to be supported at "points" and I would expect them to fail if modified that way.

 

[Picesduh]

What are you using to build the stand?

 

[Greybeard]

I saw one interesting stand design. Steel stand, 1.5" square stock. Solid foot, fully in contact with the floor. Above that, another full layer, attached via threaded height adjusters.

Gives you the ability to level the stand, while still having full contact all the way around the perimeter on the floor.

My problem with leveling feet isn't the feet, or even the stand, if it was designed to rest on feet. It's the floor. Got a pored concrete floor? Great! I don't.

Many of us are putting tanks on floors that are made of plywood or engineered particle board subfloor over joists, and carpeted over that. Put that leveling foot on the subfloor between two joists, and it WILL bow eventually. Get it wet, and it's likely to happen in a big hurry. If the stand is in full contact with the floor, it's resting directly on the joist.

 

[Shadowcat]

hello again Greybeard............tank is on order, should see it around the end of July or sometime in August........I'm planning something a little different for the stand. I found a place that sells industrial level, adjustable feet, loading ratings in the thousands of pounds, designed for machinery, not furniture. Should easily hold a tank without breaking a sweat. Stand will be designed specifically around the feet. I'm thinking that because I'll be using feet, versus a flat base, that flexing, or lack of, will be the primary concern. Sub frame will be 2x4, screwed and glued, with 1/2 inch plywood routed into a channel in the 2x, effectively creating an I beam. I'll be skinning it with 3/4 TG hardwood flooring, also recessed into the 2x sub frame, for a thick, rigid stand. I like the idea of using something different for a skin and 3/4 flooring, vertically, plus the 2x sub frame should be able to support a ton of weight, far more than I'll be asking of it. As for the floor, I already know it isn't flat where the tank will be, so a typical flat base would be a problem without shims, which I prefer not to use again. I'll be using 8 independently adjustable feet. One at each corner, and 4 more at two foot intervals, thereby spreading the load, approximately 1200 pounds across 8 individual feet, for about 150 pounds per foot. Bottom of stand will have 1/4 inch x 3 inch wide steel flat bar to spread the weight of the feet across the base of the stand. 3/8 inch threaded studs for the feet will be installed through the steel plate and up into the 2x sub frame. Sub floor is 1 inch OSB with 3/4 mahogany on top........I can't see that moving or failing. Load will be spread over 4 joists, for about 300 pounds per joist, so again I can't see that being a problem. I'm not an engineer, so maybe I'm missing something, but it seems to be a structurally safe setup. Stand will be leveled prior to tank installation, again with tank half full and finally when completely full just to make certain that nothing changes. Likely going to make floor pads under the individual feet, possibly 3x5 from 1x oak, to prevent the feet from imprinting or damaging the mahogany floors..............If you think about it, having to shim for an uneven floor also creates pressure points not very dissimilar from individual feet. Yes, ideally the floor is flat and level and the stand sits flush in full contact, but that is often not the case. I'm pretty comfortable that my plan is valid. However, I'm always open to constructive criticism and as already stated, I am NOT an engineer.

 

[Picesduh]

What overflow design / holes did you ask Custom Aquariums to install? I was a bit intimidated by their order page where you tell them exactly where each hole should go . Was hoping they would recommend some of the more common ones

 

[Shadowcat]

No holes PD, going over the top. It's not as clean that way, but the tank will be in my family room on hard wood floors. Bulkheads are just more potential leak points on an expensive floor. CA has been very nice to deal with so far and there was no beating the price for what looks to be a good tank if you don't mind the aluminum frames, which are fine with me. In fact I like the added strength. I'd suggest contacting Bob Pontow, one of their sales reps. He was very responsive and helpful with my order, even when I waffled on the exact size and configuration a couple times..........I won't see the tank until this Summer, so I can't speak to fit and finish. Bob did say that the tank is shipped in a wooden crate, not a cardboard box, so that was reassuring. Also their shipping rates were much better than any of the other builders I talked to, which is odd if you think about it. If you ship a large crate X number of miles I would think that the rates would be very similar between shipping companies. This tank is coming from Wisconsin, I'm guessing 1000+ miles, but I haven't map quested it. The shipped price is $325. As a comparison, Reef Savvy wanted $800+ to ship from Florida, about the same distance, plus or minus a couple hundred miles I guess. I know RS is one of the premium builders, but shipping is shipping and miles are miles, so I don't know how they can charge so much...........One of the reasons I didn't go with them.......When I get the tank I'll give a review for anybody considering a new fish box this year. Good luck.