Thoughts on larger tank manufactures.

[Meista_Flya]

Hey guys Im new to the forum but not new to the reef world. I currently have a 92 gallon bow front tank that i had since 2011. I have been in and out of reefing since then. Between not having enough cash flow to support the hobby or between getting really really really bad information from (what i thought at the time) a reputable local fish store.

But now im back at it again and this time im going to do things right the first time i have a really good newer LFS and doing a lot more research online as well. what i currently have is as follows.

92 gallon bow front aquarium with corner sump.
Eshopps RS-200 sump
Ecotech marine XR30 gen 5 pro
Reef Octopus OCTO Regal 150 SSS
Neptune Apex
Neptune Trident
Neptune COR20
Neptune ATK
Neptune AFS
Neptune DOS and DDR X3
Neptune WAV X2
Aquatop 400w titanium heater
100lbs of marco rock.

Now with coming back into the reefing world again I am starting to realize after doing some research that one big issue i may be having is my bow front tank. I saw a huge forum about bow front owners but a lot of the complaints i got from reading that forum was water flow blowing up sand having to keep flow down or just not being able to have good flow in general including other issues as well. And it just got me thinking i have always wanted a bigger tank. I originally wanted the marine-land 300 deep dimension tank. But at the time i could not fathom getting such a huge tank.

Well now i am in the market for one. From more and more research and the LFS the marine-land is definitely not the way to go anymore due to a lot of complaints about leakage not only the replacements my lfs had to go threw with his customers but a lot of people online as well. So i was currently looking at the Waterbox REEF PRO 220.6 and the REDSEA REEFER 3XL 900. There are minute differences on each tank and they seem pretty much the same but the waterbox is definitely cheaper, Between Customer service there is a 50/50 review on good and bad on both.

My Original question for this thread besides introducing myself and where i am coming from, is that besides waterbox and redsea, What other larger tank manufactures would you guys suggest. What do you guys personally look for when purchasing a newer larger tank ?

I know i can get one built as well with my own dimensions. But there are tons of places like those as well. and i may just not be digging deep enough cause im sure there are thousands of threads i can look into, but i figure i give this a shot. even if you guys have any good advice for a 92 bow front until i purchase a bigger tank would still be really helpful as well. or maybe i can build a new thread for that too.

Thank you guys for the responses! and happy reefing !

 

[dwair]

The "Top" ones are in my humble opinion -

1. Reef Saavy - Long Wait, bit expensive but the best. Truly the best.
2. Miracle Tanks - Amazing Tanks
3. Planet Aquariums - Tons of options, very well built.

4- Glass Cages - This one I'm not familiar with but they are a vendor here on R2R and from what I've seen lately, they are definitely one of the top contenders and are more affordable than some of the others.

 

[JoshH]

Take a look here and you will see some of the similar trends mentioned above...

Your thoughts on custom tank manufacturers?

So lately I seem to see a lot of threads popping up on advice on custom tank manufacturers and which ones people would recommend. Last fall I went through the same process myself and landed on a manufacturer here in Canada. But it's recently dawned on me that in my search and even combing...

www.reef2reef.com

My top 3 flip flop around on occasion

Spare no expense... Elos or Reef Savvy, both are expensive and have a huge wait time. Elos is actually far more expensive than Reef Savvy....

Miracles Aquariums or Tank Me USA, still up there in price and time but considerably more reasonable on both without sacrificing quality as both are still fantastic.

Planet Aquariums, Glass Cages, more economical options out there but are still both solid options.

It is worth noting that these are all custom tanks and you will be paying a little bit more than your standard off the shelf options. They do not come with sumps or plumbing but with some builders you can work this in. However they are much more flexible in that you can get your tank EXACTLY they way you want it with no compromises.

 

[Meista_Flya]

Any opinions on the waterbox vs the redsea?

 

[dwair]

Any opinions on the waterbox vs the redsea?

I have the Waterbox, debated on this very topic for quite awhile. There are definite pro's and cons to both. One thing I absolutely love about Red Sea is their integrated Power Center. But that is easy enough to recreate and even customize on the Waterbox.

For me it was availability, the fact that you can finance the Waterbox and their customer service is out of this world. 4 days from the time of my order till it was sitting in my carport. And I'm fairly certain that shipping job could have survived a Nuke. was all very professional.

 

[JoshH]

Any opinions on the waterbox vs the redsea?

After my initial dislike of Waterbox, I'd say if you are looking for a larger tank they are the ones I'd personally go with. I used to be a huge fan of Red Sea however after the last year with so many of there larger tanks having issues and Red Seas handling of them has really turned me off to the company overall.

 

[Meista_Flya]

I have the Waterbox, debated on this very topic for quite awhile. There are definite pro's and cons to both. One thing I absolutely love about Red Sea is their integrated Power Center. But that is easy enough to recreate and even customize on the Waterbox.

For me it was availability, the fact that you can finance the Waterbox and their customer service is out of this world. 4 days from the time of my order till it was sitting in my carport. And I'm fairly certain that shipping job could have survived a Nuke. was all very professional.

Which size did you happen to order ?

 

[Meista_Flya]

After my initial dislike of Waterbox, I'd say if you are looking for a larger tank they are the ones I'd personally go with. I used to be a huge fan of Red Sea however after the last year with so many of there larger tanks having issues and Red Seas handling of them has really turned me off to the company overall.

What tank do u currently have ?

 

[JoshH]

What tank do u currently have ?

I started with a Red Sea Max C130 and currently am setting up a custom 120G Miracles Aquariums tank. I've seen plenty of Red Sea Reefers but no Waterboxs in person.

I will add, depending on what size tank you're looking for maybe give Innovative Marine a look. Aluminum stands and Eurobracing on there larger tanks lends to a strong build overall as well as good aesthetically. They have a 4' x 3' tank that is really slick looking and gives TONS of room for aqua scaping

 

[sharpimage]

I went with a waterbox 220.6 and could not be happier. It is inline with the red sea 750xxl. Do a google search on the failures. I have had red sea S500 in the past and it was beautiful. You can't go wrong with either.

 

[Meista_Flya]

I started with a Red Sea Max C130 and currently am setting up a custom 120G Miracles Aquariums tank

What were ur reasons for going custom? Was there anything special u wanted from a custom manufacturing process like bulkheads in different areas or different overflow box?

 

[Meista_Flya]

I went with a waterbox 220.6 and could not be happier. It is inline with the red sea 750xxl. Do a google search on the failures. I have had red sea S500 in the past and it was beautiful. You can't go wrong with either.

Thats what I'm currently thinking is the waterbox 220.6 its a very beautiful looking set up. How do u have ur sump set up? I saw with the red sea 3xl 900 their "ato" sump can also be used as a quarentine tank.... but its still connected to the main tank

 

[JoshH]

What were ur reasons for going custom? Was there anything special u wanted from a custom manufacturing process like bulkheads in different areas or different overflow box?

What I wanted just wasn't available on the market. Shallow Eurobraced peninsula with closed loop system drilled in the bottom of the tank. So I had to go the custom route.

 

[dwair]

Which size did you happen to order ?

I have a Waterbox 100.3 right now and I love it. I'm also about to order a Waterbox 20 Cube Plus.

 

[sharpimage]

Thats what I'm currently thinking is the waterbox 220.6 its a very beautiful looking set up. How do u have ur sump set up? I saw with the red sea 3xl 900 their "ato" sump can also be used as a quarentine tank.... but its still connected to the main tank

the waterbox has a seperate ATO reservoir that fits under the tank. maybe 12" cube or so. Totally seperate from the system so you could use it as a quarantine tank. I do not need another reservoir so I removed mine and will use it for something in the future. other than that, the sump is straight forward. 7" socks to a chaeto sexction, then a skimmer section, then the pump

 

[dwair]

the waterbox has a seperate ATO reservoir that fits under the tank. maybe 12" cube or so. Totally seperate from the system so you could use it as a quarantine tank. I do not need another reservoir so I removed mine and will use it for something in the future. other than that, the sump is straight forward. 7" socks to a chaeto sexction, then a skimmer section, then the pump

Yes but one key feature that alot of people miss on the waterbox. Its an all glass sump. Which in my humble opinion is super nice. I love my all glass sump on my Waterbox 100.3.

 

[Meista_Flya]

the waterbox has a seperate ATO reservoir that fits under the tank. maybe 12" cube or so. Totally seperate from the system so you could use it as a quarantine tank. I do not need another reservoir so I removed mine and will use it for something in the future. other than that, the sump is straight forward. 7" socks to a chaeto sexction, then a skimmer section, then the pump

How long from purchase till delivery?

 

[dwair]

How long from purchase till delivery?

Mine was 4 days. But you need to call them directly. Thats the only reason mine went as fast.

 

[sharpimage]

i had it in a week, but it was the last one they had. after I got mine the website said 6 weeks. Call them, they are super nice and helpful. Shipped out of Jacksonville

 

[Meista_Flya]

I live in Florida so maybe it wouldn't take that long.... do u guys have any gripes with them yet? What u like what u don't like. I know alot of people were complaining about the piping on redsea and so on.