# Someone PLEASE Help Us...



## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

I don't have the patience or energy anymore to even go over everything we have been enduring and going through since our 60 gallon tank cracked about a week ago, flooding our house because it was on an upper level, and what has been going on since with contractors, insurance adjusters, flooring people and structural engineers...it has been a _certifiable nighmare._ Further, I just don't have the wherewithal right now to delve into the struggle we have faced just trying to find a new tank to put the four goldfish that have survived in (they're still in a 10 gallon for now as the house gets repaired); suffice to say, we're at our wits' end, and don't know where else to turn...

In a nutshell, we don't have any local fish shops or pet stores that sell anything we are looking for and I don't know who to reach out to -- *what we are looking for is a standard 55 or possibly 60 gallon (or maybe a little smaller) aquarium with a matching stand and a hood or possibly hood/canopy.* That is all -- we don't need a deluxe kit with filters, food, etc. as we have all that, and I cannot seem to find exactly what we need anywhere I look. Our local Petsmart (Petco stocks nothing near us) has a *Marineland 60 gallon with stand and hood* for $300 or $400, which we could do, but the tank is ridiculously narrow in terms of depth from front to back, and I am concerned about that; other than that, they have smaller sizes like an Aqueon and Marineland 55 with stands and hoods, but otherwise they have their house brand "Top Fin" tanks without stands in big sizes...but these tanks don't impress me and we HAVE to have a stand...

I reached out to Aqueon and they won't sell to the public directly. I reached out to *Glasscages.com* and they told me that where we live, *shipping would be way too expensive and that we should look locally for something* which we have already done. We have NO other privately-owned aquarium or pet shops in our area. 

People, please help us -- we need a tank for these fish once the new flooring goes in within this room, and what we are looking for, again, is *a rectangular, standard 55 or 60 gallon tank with stand and hood only.* Preferably, we'd like a tank with some "depth" from front to back, but that is negligible. *Can someone please help us track down an online vendor that would sell us just the tank, stand and hood or lead us in the right direction in terms of who we could reach out to and who we could buy this tank from?*

Thank you.


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

Have your tried your local craigslist/classifieds? I've found some great deals on tanks on there... in fact, all but one of my tanks I got off of CL


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

Manafel said:


> Have your tried your local craigslist/classifieds? I've found some great deals on tanks on there... in fact, all but one of my tanks I got off of CL


Thanks Manafel for getting back to me so quickly...

Are you talking about finding something _second hand_ off Craigslist or the classifieds? There's nothing in our local classifieds, and we would prefer a brand-new setup...

I don't understand why it's so difficult to buy a _fish tank_ in the sizes we're looking at; I mean, I'm not asking for Carmen Elektra naked on top of my piano here...isn't there ANY online retailer who can sell us a NEW tank of this size with a stand and a hood?


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

I have yet to have problems with my second hand tanks, you just have to make sure that you look carefully at it before handing over the money. And also ask the seller to fill the tank with water for you, so you can make sure it doesn't leak. If they won't do that, it should raise a red flag. What city do you live in? If there is nothing on the CL for your city under either "Aquarium" or "Fish Tank", try looking in the CL for the next town over? OR you can post that your looking to buy an aquarium, while also looking. your standard 55 will always be about 4 feet long, and not very wide. as long as your fish are able to turn arund in the tank, the width shouldn't be a problem

You could also ask your local petsmart to special order a tank in for you, and have it delivered to the pet store, they shouldn't charge you shipping. Look on petsmart.com at their aquariums, should get you a good idea.


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

Manafel said:


> I have yet to have problems with my second hand tanks, you just have to make sure that you look carefully at it before handing over the money. And also ask the seller to fill the tank with water for you, so you can make sure it doesn't leak. If they won't do that, it should raise a red flag. What city do you live in? If there is nothing on the CL for your city under either "Aquarium" or "Fish Tank", try looking in the CL for the next town over? OR you can post that your looking to buy an aquarium, while also looking.


I appreciate the sentiment and insight, we just don't want to go used for our own reasons -- please understand this. 



> your standard 55 will always be about 4 feet long, and not very wide. as long as your fish are able to turn arund in the tank, the width shouldn't be a problem


This is getting into something I wanted to discuss and which concerns me, so thank you for this information...are you saying all 55 gallons will pretty much have that "narrow depth/width" to them? *If that's the case, why does the Marineland 60 gallon Petsmart is selling near me (Marineland® 60 Gallon Heartland Aquarium Ensemble - Black - Fish - Sale - PetSmart) look very narrow and lacking depth/width as well?*

Let me ask you this: If we wanted a deeper/wider tank, will a 60 gallon and up provide this? Should this be the size we're looking for then? As for the fish being able to turn around in the tank, I'm sure they could even in the "narrow" Marineland 60 gallon, but it would be a three-inch difference between the tank we had and this one in terms of depth/width, and it looked substantial from the outside looking in. But if you say they will be okay, I'm sure I can trust it. 



> You could also ask your local petsmart to special order a tank in for you, and have it delivered to the pet store, they shouldn't charge you shipping. Look on petsmart.com at their aquariums, should get you a good idea.


I already went down this route with the store's manager. She told me they will NOT special order tanks, and what they get is what they get and that it's a corporate decision.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Ok for one thing a standard 55 or 60 will be narrow no matter what company you look at. If you are wanting depth from front to back go with a 75 gal. depth is usually 18 inches otherwise look for a breeder tank. I know petco and petsmart carries them in topfin and I have had one for years and worked fine. Your only other option is to find someone who can get the right glass and make one for you but then again you will have to build your own stand and canopy.

My 220 was ordered directly from aqueon but it was through my lfs. So it can be done but in a round about way.

You may just be stuck using tetra tanks, They aren't any worse than any other company.


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

+1 to ^


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

susankat said:


> Ok for one thing a standard 55 or 60 will be narrow no matter what company you look at.


But that's not necessarily true -- our 60 gallon "Fujimoto" brand that cracked on us was pretty wide...it was actually _three to four inches wider_ than the tanks we're looking at in Petsmart. No kidding. We measured them. Our 60 gallon that cracked measured some *15 inches wide*. 



> If you are wanting depth from front to back go with a 75 gal. depth is usually 18 inches otherwise look for a breeder tank.


Wow...75 sounds like a lot more water than we wanted to deal with (incase this crack and flood happens again -- likely with our luck and circumstances) as well as beyond the expense we were comfortable with. 



> I know petco and petsmart carries them in topfin and I have had one for years and worked fine. Your only other option is to find someone who can get the right glass and make one for you but then again you will have to build your own stand and canopy.


I know Top Fin has the 75 gallon tanks and larger sizes like that, but we need to find a package deal with stand and hood (not necessarily a canopy; I think we can actually salvage the canopy from the last setup if it will fit on the new tank) and they're not sold that way. I also question the integrity and ultimate quality of a Top Fin tank based on the sheer price differences of these things, even though you claim to have had no problems with yours. 



> My 220 was ordered directly from aqueon but it was through my lfs. So it can be done but in a round about way.


Susan, I've gone through this with Petsmart already -- the manager there REFUSES to order ANY tank for us, as they say it's not policy, and that whatever they get in is whatever they get in. I do have a call placed in to a store on the complete other side of town from us which is checking on their Aqueon rep to see if they can get us something, but they REFUSE to call me back and I have to keep calling THEM. This is all coming on the heels of an entire day spent fighting and dealing with carpet installers, extra contractors and more because of evolved problems with our remodel. 



> You may just be stuck using tetra tanks, They aren't any worse than any other company.


I can't even FIND a Tetra tank anywhere -- our Petsmart has them in TINY sizes, and no one else carries them by me. Are they available online and in stand packages?


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

Susan:

It seems Tetra does not carry larger size tanks -- only smaller "kits" and such -- unless I am missing something...would you be able to indentify for me, on their site or via the online product catalog, where their selection of larger standard aquariums are (50-60 gallons)? 

Welcome to Tetra


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Well it has been a while since I have gotten a tetra tank, Top fin isn't bad. The main reason the other tanks are higher is because of the name. Don't be fooled by that. By lfs I don't mean petsmart or petco. LFS is locally owned like mom and pop store.

A 75 gal isn't that much bigger than a 60 gal. and most tanks aren't prone to breaking like yours did. Good luck in finding what your wanting, but got a feeling it isn't going to be an easy chore. You may end up going back to the same brand you had as most other brands are standard sizes.


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## dtn23 (Jul 9, 2012)

I can't provide any options you don't already know about, but I can vouch for the MarineLand 55 and stand to match it. I have both and they are very impressive. The 55 is 48x21x13 if I recall correctly, which is short from front to back but it's plenty for me and your goldies shouldn't mind either (I hope). The stand was $199 by itself but that's because I purchased the 55 LED kit that doesn't come with a stand. The stand and tank are both very good quality. The LED hood is great and the stand has a large bottom shelf with plenty of room and the 3 shelves are also great. If you're interested I could snap some pics and upload to the forum for you to get a look at  GL with everything!


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## Nereus7 (Jun 13, 2012)

Mmmmm carmen........... .......... ..... yea tanks, hey, if you go to MFK people have tanks blowing through that forum ALL day long, and every one that I have interest in is on the west coast. Check it out. -N


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

56g column by aqueon...DONE!

Marineland® 56 Gallon Column Style Aquarium and Stand - Black - Specialty Pet Month - Featured Products - PetSmart

$250 aint a bad price for new


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## SueD (Aug 4, 2012)

Or try this one - Aqueon 65 gallon with stand

Aqueon 65 Gallon Aquarium Ensemble with Stand - Specialty Pet Month - Featured Products - PetSmart

If you want depth, you'll often sacrifice length; if you want length, you'll sacrifice depth or height. Frankly, since you have goldfish - which get very large - I would go for the 75 gallon as suggested above to get both the length and depth. 

A stand I have used which is not particularly pretty, but is very sturdy is one from Petco which you can have delivered and has to be put together, but is so simply done, I've done it myself. 

Aquatic Fundamentals 75/90 Gallon Upright Aquarium Stand - Aquarium Stands and Fish Tank Stands from petco.com


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

WhiteGloveAquatics said:


> 56g column by aqueon...DONE!
> 
> Marineland® 56 Gallon Column Style Aquarium and Stand - Black - Specialty Pet Month - Featured Products - PetSmart
> 
> $250 aint a bad price for new


Thanks Glove.

I actually saw that tank at Petsmart and on their site, but was turned off because it's a "Column Style" -- meaning it's HIGH and not LONG, right? That's not good for goldfish, because they need the left to right long surface area for respiration and swimming, and I don't think I could deal with needing to get on a stepstool every time the tank needs maintenance...


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

SueD said:


> Or try this one - Aqueon 65 gallon with stand
> 
> Aqueon 65 Gallon Aquarium Ensemble with Stand - Specialty Pet Month - Featured Products - PetSmart


Thanks Sue...

I saw this Aqueon you posted here above on their site too -- but what concerns me is the SHAPE of this tank (like the 56 gallon White Glove suggested as well). It looks like both these Aqueons are upright tall tanks, and we're looking for LONG ones WITH depth...



> If you want depth, you'll often sacrifice length; if you want length, you'll sacrifice depth or height. Frankly, since you have goldfish - which get very large - I would go for the 75 gallon as suggested above to get both the length and depth.


A couple of things here -- our last 60 gallon "Fujimoto" brand was long AND pretty deep, so I think it's possible to get both with some searching around. Also, while I would love a big tank like a 75 gallon, me and my wife are just not comfortable going quite that big INCASE something like this leak and crack happens again and pours even MORE water onto our floors and ceilings. 



> A stand I have used which is not particularly pretty, but is very sturdy is one from Petco which you can have delivered and has to be put together, but is so simply done, I've done it myself.
> 
> Aquatic Fundamentals 75/90 Gallon Upright Aquarium Stand - Aquarium Stands and Fish Tank Stands from petco.com


Thank you; I will consider this, as we would have our handyman put it together anyway...


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

Nereus7 said:


> Mmmmm carmen........... .......... ..... yea tanks, hey, if you go to MFK people have tanks blowing through that forum ALL day long, and every one that I have interest in is on the west coast. Check it out. -N


You mean NEW tanks on Monster Fish Keepers?


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

susankat said:


> Well it has been a while since I have gotten a tetra tank, Top fin isn't bad. *The main reason the other tanks are higher is because of the name.* Don't be fooled by that.


Are you *sure* about that?

Does anyone else agree with that -- regarding the Top Fin (Petsmart house brand) name? 



> By lfs I don't mean petsmart or petco. LFS is locally owned like mom and pop store.


Oh, okay -- well, I did get in touch with a store on the complete other side of town from us called Atlantis Tropical Fish, and it took them three days to get back to me regarding a call they put in to their Aqueon rep; they quoted me some prices but by the time we were done with putting together a stand, tank and canopy (they didn't want to sell me a plastic hood and light, which I prefer over glass lids, instead insisting the glass top comes with the Aqueons) the prices were a bit high. The other alternative with this LFS is to go with the cheaper brand they stock, which is the "Fujimoto" (a company making tanks out of California), but THIS is the brand tank that cracked on us, and I am very hesitant to go back down that route. The prices for the Fujimoto 55 gallon he gave me were pretty reasonable -- $80 for the tank and like almost 200 bucks for the stand, if I'm not mistaken. We don't know what to do. 



> A 75 gal isn't that much bigger than a 60 gal. and most tanks aren't prone to breaking like yours did. Good luck in finding what your wanting, but got a feeling it isn't going to be an easy chore. You may end up going back to the same brand you had as most other brands are standard sizes.


This is the catch 22 -- if we go back to the brand we had, it seems to me it IS prone to breaking, and I just don't know why. With regard to the 75 gallon thing, it seems to me 15 more gallons would make a difference in terms of a blowout or leak/crack occuring, as even MORE water would have the chance to flood our house (distinct possibility since the tank is remaining in the same spot on the same upper level with the same vibrations sure to rock it from the home theater system downstairs)...

I will piece together a current option checklist and post it as soon as I can, so I can continue receiving input and suggestions from you folks; thanks alot thus far for that...


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

dtn23 said:


> I can't provide any options you don't already know about, but I can vouch for the MarineLand 55 and stand to match it. I have both and they are very impressive. The 55 is 48x21x13 if I recall correctly, which is short from front to back but it's plenty for me and your goldies shouldn't mind either (I hope). The stand was $199 by itself but that's because I purchased the 55 LED kit that doesn't come with a stand. The stand and tank are both very good quality. The LED hood is great and the stand has a large bottom shelf with plenty of room and the 3 shelves are also great. If you're interested I could snap some pics and upload to the forum for you to get a look at  GL with everything!


Hey dtn,

Thanks a lot for your input -- indeed, I'd love to see pics of your setups. Are those them in the images you attached? The Marineland hoods come with that day/night LED setup you're showing there? How does that work...the blue colored lighting is supposed to be for night viewing? 

We're considering the Marineland 60 gallon "tall" at Petsmart at this point because it's just so much easier to deal with than doing all these "custom orders" everywhere else trying to track down an Aqueon; the only thing I don't like is the front to back width, as I don't know if we can get our decorations in there or if our fish will like the shallow depth.


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## whitetiger61 (Aug 2, 2011)

I would go with a 50-60 breeder tank and have your handyman build you a stand for it..i would rather have him build me a stand than have him try to build me a tank..you seem pretty paranoid about this happing again which is pretty doubtful..but it does happen..if you stay in this hobby very long its bound to happen.if it be a cracked tank or a overflow system getting plugged up and overflowing.. or a canister filter developing a leak it just happens, but very doubtful a tank will crack without help that is..(IE kids or animals)..making a tank is not a easy thing to do so if you want the depth go for the breeder type tanks..you wont go wrong although if you want discus in the future you will need a bigger tank

good luck

Rick


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