# Who makes the best tank?



## KenH (Mar 26, 2013)

I know. Can of worms !!!! I have been out of the hobby for a long time. I want to come back. Looking for something around a 120 high. I am going to setup a cichlid tank. I want glass and I will be drilling it. I have had good luck with Marineland and Oceanic but dont know how they are now. Also looking for wet/dry suggestions. Thanks.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Believe Marineland is still a great brand. I myself am looking into about that size(not tall) so will also be looking for some good feedback on large tanks. I think Aqueon is decent as well, but don't quote me on it. I have used their glass canopies, and believe my ten gallons are that brand. Though I could be mistaken on the tanks.


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

I would buy the one that you like the look of.i went to my local pet store and was looking at the tanks and some of the tops on them to me looks cheap looking.i have 2 ODell tanks a 20 gallon and a 55 gallon tank and I like the look of them the best of there times but thay no longer make tanks.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I only buy aqueon tanks.Their overflows on predrilled tanks are better than marineland or perfecto.Aqueon was ALL GLASS ,but Central Gardens has bought a lot of aquarium related companys(including Oceanic and Kent,to name a few).They have greatly mis managed Oceanic(almost put them out of business{as they still use the Oceanic name}try to find one).
On the drilling yourself note be very careful as most tanks are tempered bottoms and some like Deep Blue are completely tempered(NO DRILLING). Also all Deep Blue tanks have a tag that says all warranties are void if used on a metel stand,and although few besides us breeders use metal stands ,that SCREAMS cheaper,thinner glass or weaker silicone.
I have a 180g dual overflow,120g dual overflow and 75g with single overflow and to many "regular" tanks and if it is less than 5 years old it's an aqueon,and if it is older(have some over 20 they are O'DELL {long lost quality).
AQUEON!


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## Jim Albright (Jan 22, 2013)

I have Aqueon as well----seems like better quality!


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

You might want to ask rather than trust without asking but I'm on a fairly good basis/w a Petsmart person who says Aqueon has a lifetime warranty
when purchased/w their stands. Particle board I know but I have never seen the one for the 120 and if it's lifetime warranty does it actually
matter ? MarineLand has the black seams and I've been looking at their 50...36 x 18 x 18 I think but not really sure. But just because it's black
doesn't necessarily mean it's industrial strength sealer. Like the way they look however.
Don't know about "best" but have you ever looked at this site ? They will make you one/w what they call "Saphire" glass either for just the front
glass or front and sides. It is a low iron glass that's more clear than regular glass. They have many types including rimless.
Glasscages.com - Glass Aquariums


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## KenH (Mar 26, 2013)

Thanks for the help. I have e out of this 20 years lots of changes. I will check into the Aqueon. I looked at Glass Cages. I noticed there price was really low. Then all the checking I did got not very good reviews.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

I'm a bit fixated on the fact that they offer a 45L tank. I had a 30 L but it was a bit low for me at 36"x12"x16High. The 55 seems a bit high as I picture
having issues/w not enough light at the bottom plus my planned deco would result in bare/blank space at mid level. Their 45L is 17"high x 48 x 12 so that
doesn't seem that tank would have the bare mid level. But I don't know how tall exactly my deco would go and though it is flexible in how tall I make it
the 45L seems as though it could end up being not tall enough to accommodate it. Wanted branches reaching up to the surface/w moss/plants
growing on them/it. Mostly a mental issue as either tank you could adapt the deco to but was trying to get a Java fern growing on top of a limb/w
enough room for it to get full size but still have the limb fairly high off the bottom...like I said mostly mental. The 55 would accommodate this nicely
but then there's the bare mid sect...
But glad you found reviews on the Glass Cages as you may have stopped me from a bad mistake.


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## KenH (Mar 26, 2013)

Raymond S, I am going the opposite way. I am looking for a tall tank. Aqueon does not make a 120 in a 4ft tank that is tall. I have fought the trouble of tall before and it will cost me more (better lights, stronger pumps) but I plan on having this one a long time.


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## Rod4Rodger (Jan 2, 2012)

I am partial to Glasscages.com - Home They made my 240 and it is the best made tank I have ever seen.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

How Tall do you want your tank and why?The height of the tank is often useless space except for certain species.My aqueon 4'x2'wide is 25 1/2 inches tall.


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## KenH (Mar 26, 2013)

I found a 150 tall that is 48x24x31. I am setting this one up for African Cichlids.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Glad you found what you want. I measured it and I can barely reach the bottom if there is 2-3" of gravel on the bottom of a 25" tall tank.
That is how tall one of the Glass Cages 67 gal. is...48 x 12 x 25 or 48 x 18 x 25 for the 90 gal. I think your tank is on here. They list a
150 Tall as being 48 x 24 x 31. That's a real whopper there for sure.
Case you might be interested Hortworth will grow in there from the bottom all the way up so you have to trim it eventually.
You have few limits when picking a piece of driftwood if you "find" it yourself by a stream near you.
Looking forward to seeing pix.


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## KenH (Mar 26, 2013)

It is going to be awhile. I have to remodel the kitchen first. Which means I have to scrape the popcorn off the ceiling in both living rooms at the same time. 
I want to go wet/dry filter. Any suggestions on brands. I am sure I will have to buy the first one then when I set up a saltwater later I will build one.


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## WheeledGoat (Jan 29, 2013)

For encouragement, I'll just offer that I found popcorn ceiling removal WAY easier than I was expecting. I'm sure you'll do your homework on methods, but for me it really was as easy as wetting it down and scraping it off. Very little patching needed afterwards before I just primed and painted. Good luck!

I'm kinda in the same boat - not gonna upgrade from my 29gal until I redo the whole 1st floor and convert to hardwoods throughout. Then, lookout! I'm getting something BIG - donno what yet. :evilgrin:


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## KenH (Mar 26, 2013)

Forgot to mention. I have a really good friend that owns his own drywall company. I was going to do a bedroom. Got everything moved out one night. He called me at 3 the next day and said he was coming over. I got there at 5:30 he was done scraping and spraying and gone.


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## Rod4Rodger (Jan 2, 2012)

KenH said:


> I found a 150 tall that is 48x24x31. I am setting this one up for African Cichlids.


I use my old 110 tall for a sump now. It is 48x18x31. I got it back in the mid-80s as a marine tank. Now I have a 240 that is 72x24x31. The only bad thing about a deep tank is you cannot reach the bottom without tools once it is set up unless you have really long arms and don't mind getting wet up to your armpits. I had the 110 set up for African Cichlids for several years with slate built up from the bottom to the top of the tank. It was a delightful set up and the fish bread like crazy even when I was away for extended business trips.

For about eleven of those years I had Bat fish in the 110. Now I have Discus in the 240. Both species love a lot of vertical space. The Bas fish was 14" tall when she died. The largest Discus are six or seven. A love a deep tank but with smaller fish that hang near the bottom you have to make harborage go way up or you do have wasted space. Discus and Bat Fish, probably angels as well, will take the space and could care if there is anything in it other than them.


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## Rod4Rodger (Jan 2, 2012)

Raymond S. said:


> You might want to ask rather than trust without asking but I'm on a fairly good basis/w a Petsmart person who says Aqueon has a lifetime warranty
> when purchased/w their stands. Particle board I know but I have never seen the one for the 120 and if it's lifetime warranty does it actually
> matter ? MarineLand has the black seams and I've been looking at their 50...36 x 18 x 18 I think but not really sure. But just because it's black
> doesn't necessarily mean it's industrial strength sealer. Like the way they look however.
> ...


My 240 from Glasscages.com is sapphire glass front and sides... WARNING... it has a soft surface, clean gently... glass scouring pads my scratch it... that said, it is the best made tank I have ever seen in 28 years of aquariums as an adult, not counting the cheapie 10 gallon ones as a kid. Everything is exactly as described. I have had the 240 for three years now and it was worth every penny. 

They delivered by freight carrier to Houston, my daughter, her boyfriend, and one other friend along with the truck driver got it in my truck. Thank God I worked for a mechanical contractor because it took SIX of our big riggers to carry it into my house! The glass is slightly thicker than the math says is required and the weight shows.

I have seen some very good custom made tanks and some very good "manufactured" tanks, but if I buy another, I will be hard pressed for it not to be glass cage.

As for the stand, I designed and built my own. I am an engineer and I am not sure if that is better than a carpenter or cabinet maker, but again, in three years of that tank on my stand, no problem. I used 4x4 members, only supported the stress joints, left the front open all six feet, put one support in the center back and because of other engineers telling me I had it wrong, have watched like a hawk for a warp, crack, or any indication it is not dead on; it is. Your call, but I would not put my glass cage on a particle board structure for anything! The key is the structure. 4x4 members and beams, 2x4 base members to distribute the weight and I used curtains for the sides, but particle board sides, doors, or drawers would be fine, as long as the structure is built to hold the weight and if you live in a place with seismic problems, double it.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I can only say I appreciate that Rod4Roger said he had good success with africans in his 110,but generally speaking,africans claim a territory that if not like R4R set up(stacked all the way up),is a space of "X" square inches from top to bottom.So not using some of the species like R4R also mentioned(much better canidates for tall tanks),I hope you stock carefully and know ALL about the africans you get.


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## Rod4Rodger (Jan 2, 2012)

coralbandit said:


> I can only say I appreciate that Rod4Roger said he had good success with africans in his 110,but generally speaking,africans claim a territory that if not like R4R set up(stacked all the way up),is a space of "X" square inches from top to bottom.So not using some of the species like R4R also mentioned(much better canidates for tall tanks),I hope you stock carefully and know ALL about the africans you get.


I made the tank look like the side of a bank made of slate, MANY cracks, holes, hiding places at every level. I put a hoss of a pump in to make it run like a river, uptake at one end, outlet at the other. I have never had a tank I gave less attention too because I moved to Houston and it was in my Man Cave in Atlanta, my wife and sons ignored it and when the ground fault tripped, it died until I got back. Typically I would find the water down eight to ten inches because they never even went in the room. She would go check when I called and bitched and moaned she go check the ground fault and add water.

I decided to move the tank to Houston and put Discus in it four years ago and I thought I would find it dead. I was blown away, to spite not being fed, water changes not happening, pumps failing for long periods of time, I had three times as many fish as I did when I started! (Gave them to a friend that owns an aquarium shop.)

I do not recommend doing any fish this way, but that was my experience. The cichlids loved the slate. Parents could breed without trouble, babies could survive, and they used it from the bottom to the top. The years I lived there, they used all of it, but after I left, they were like the Raptors in Jurassic Park; took over.


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## Rod4Rodger (Jan 2, 2012)

Oh, I bought the slate from a landscape supply place, MUCH cheaper. I washed it, bleach only, sunned it, and being paranoid, boiled it a piece at a time before I set up the tank. It is PH neutral as best I can tell. As far as the cichlids, they have to be the heartiest fish God made. I think they could live in a toilet bowl based on the shameful lack of attention they got the last year.


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