You’re really quoting three different animals there.
For off the shelf nothing beats IM
Especially with the huge sale going on. The quality is way better than a Fiji Cube.
Cade is the next level off the shelf. Their setups are really slick. I have heard their glass isn’t actually as super clear as they are claiming. I’m also not a fan of AlgaeBarn- their us distributer. I have nothing against them, it’s just that they’re understaffed, so if I’m spending that much money on a tank it’s not going to be with a company that it takes 3 days to get on the phone.
Glasscages is another option. They’ve upped their game tremendously in the past few years. Imho opinion, and absolutely nothing against Joe, I don’t think they’re the best value in the custom game. With their increase in quality has come an increase in price(we all know prices have gone up), but relative to quotes I received on market I felt that I’d save a little more and go with Felix @ Reef Savvy. The other thing that always bothered me about the glasscages business model is the option to buy an extended warranty on the tank. Do some research though, there are tons of people who love Joe’s tanks.
Miracles is a bit of a roller coaster company. I remember when I first got into the hobby they were some of the top tier tanks. Then I ran into a local reef store- very high end- after speaking with the owner he admitted that he wouldn’t have chosen Miracles a second time for some of his tanks. Interestingly enough, I still see tanks popping up from them that are innovative. That being said I’m not sure they’re the force they were and I don’t see as many people recommending them.
SCA- I’d rather buy an Innovative Marine
Coast to Coast Customs in NJ- ludicrously priced and from what I understand spotty on quality.
Exotic Aquariums out of Miami- they’ve built tanks for 40yr if I remember correctly. This is who Tidal Gardens used for their latest 500g frag systems. They look really nice. Another short warranty though. Reasonable quotes. Generally good communication.
Custom Aquariums out of Wisconsin is another sleeper company that we hardly talk about here because they’re not the hip kid on the block. We have a local reefer that owns one and swears by them. Their overflow designs are fairly unique. They also don’t have many of the reef oriented niceties, and they will only do rimless or aluminum braced- no euro. The nice thing is their tanks are lifetime warranty. The only requirement is that you use their stand. The rub is that their stands are overpriced. So pick your poison with the business model.
Red Sea- I’d rather attempt my hand at building a tank myself
Eshopps new line- not impressed at all. Overpriced imho
Elos- beautiful tanks. Horrendous relationship with the US market. There have been reports of silicone delaminating on certain models. Their Diamond glass or whatever they call it is supposedly the same crystal glass on Rolexes. Interestingly enough I saw a post by a guy who was comparing the glass on the different tanks he had owned and noted that CDA’s was as clear(I know a bit of here say but still interesting info).
Waterbox- pass. With an *they can do some amazing custom work, but this only seems to be with big you tubers
Advanced Acrylic and Acrylic Habitats are both great choices if you go Acrylic. John @ Advanced is very communicative. Like all other companies, they’ve had a few misses, but people seem to be happy with their work.
James @ Envisions moved away from the reefing hobby over the years. IE having the time or patience to build for the end user.
Tenecor- I haven’t seen one of their tanks in years. I don’t like their extrusion stand design.
New Wave- if you want to go ham on acrylic this German company is sick. They will ship to the us but it will cost you.
I’ve owned many tanks in my time- both acrylic and glass. I highly recommend glass at this point. Feel free to message me if you’d like a break down of the advantages.
Planet Aquarium- these are the guys from Oceanic. Their tanks are I’d say decent to really nice. My biggest problem is they only deal directly with the stores. This makes communication challenging- well actually impossible. If I’m spending this much money I want yo be able to speak with someone at the company. They can be ok with their prices on custom frag tanks in relatively typical dimensions, but if you do anything custom their price soar. They’re extremely slow with quotes.
CDA(Crystal Dynamics Aquarium)-
They’re out of Cali, and they’re going to be building my tank. Zoya is great to deal with. My decision to go with them really came down to the fact that they’re a known quantity- they built my last tank and they’ve been fairly popular with Connecticut reef keepers, so I’ve had the opportunity to see and move their tanks. Their quality is really nice, a good value, and a 5yr warranty with their stand. They’re just nice tanks. Are they perfect? No. One of the areas they do fall short is in how heavy their tanks are. They use a ton of glass. While I appreciate a beefy tank, some would argue their engineering is lacking.
I really don’t think you can go wrong with Miracles as long as you’re comfortable with the communication.
I also don’t think you can go wrong with
-
Joe @Glasscages
Zoya
@CDA Fish Tanks
John @Advanced Acrylics
Felix
@Reef Savvy
All have a high level of communication- and besides quality, price, and standing behind their product- communication is everything. All of these companies fit a space.
Reef Savvy is the only S Tier work of art company out there. I also believe Felix has a great care for what he does. That being said most of the time having that level of quality I would save for the special of special builds, because at the end of the day we all want to see what’s IN your tank.
I hope this helps, and I hope I was able to provide you with an honest assessment of what I see as currently going on with the industry.
And at the end of the day, always remember, what do I know?
