I will be upgrading my 180 gallon reef tank to a 300 gallon, finally my dream build. I really feel like I will be able to use my 7 years of knowledge and expertise to finally build an incredibly successful reef. I am now gathering pricing for my tank build and have narrowed it down to an all Glass tank from Coast to Coast or a Glass and PVC bottom hybrid tank from A.G.E or MRC. The hybrid tank is about $2500 cheaper. I know Coast to Coast builds a bullet proof tank, one of the nicest in the industry, but I do not need a tank to last 50 years. The 1200lb weight also scares my a little about moving into my house. Anyone have any experience or knowledge about Hybrid tanks?
Need help selecting new 300 gallon upgrade
- Thread starter MichaelsReef
- Start date
IMO Coast to Coast is up to par with Reef Savvy. They will also be the most expensive. That being said dI think AGE tanks are basically just as nice. I have a Coast to Coast and love it! I would have went with AGE but after shipping charges both Coast to Coast was cheaper. Did Age quote you after a freight charge and still come out to more? If so you should CTC know. Maybe they will come down in price. Lead time is also shorter.
Coast to Coast was $6000 picked up, which will probably cost me about $300 for rental van and mileage. A.G.E was $4900 delivered. Coast to coast is 3/4" glass with glass euro bracing. A.G.E is 1/2" glass with PVC bottom and stainless steel bracing. the A.G.E will be much lighter. If both tank build are equal than I would go with A.G.E. if coast to coast was far superior, then I don't mind spending the extra $1000. Moving 1200 lbs is no joke though and frightens the hell out of me.
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Will CTC build it with 1/2" glass? CTC has very nice silicone work. It's flawless where i've seen threads on the other forum with complaints about AGE in that area but no too many. Miracles on the other hand has a lot of complaints. Is the tank going to have a canopy? I know age doesn't have to euro brace they have a metal brace that they use which is much easier to work with and work on the tank with. In my case my tank is rimless and CTC would not build my size tank with anything other 3/4" glass. I also think the 3/4" looks a lot nicer since the tank is rimless. That being said if you aren't a major major stickler for the silicone work. And I mean major, because AGE does do a phenomenal job for the most part, I would go with AGE if CTC won't do 1/2" glass. If the tank has a canopy you don't see the glass thickness anyway and the tank will be a lot lighter with the PVC bottom no euro bracing and the glass being thiner throughout. 3/4" glass is also annoying in the sense that it's the max thickness for most products that use magnets. My MP60's don't stick well at all and they're probable;y rated for thicker then 3/4". I wouldn't worry about transport though. At CTC they have the tank on a lift and will push it right into the truck. When you get home you will need like 8+ strong guys and make sure to buy the glass suction cups. They sell them on Ebay. They will make life much easier. I have 4 that you can borrow I am in NY as well. But I would recommend you buy a bunch more. They aren't too expensive and good to have when you have such a large tank. They make lifting the tank a lot easier for everyone.
Thanks for the reply . I will have a canopy, so any bracing will not be seen. I did not ask if C to C would do 1/2", which seems like more than enough. Since my doorway is 29"..I will have to turn the tank sideways to get in in the door. My basement is ground level, so I was thinking about putting it on 2 dollies because I won't be able to hold the tank from the sides going through the door .
If they won't do 1/2" go of age and ask them for the metal bracing on top instead of glass euro-bracing. Let us know what you decide to do and get a build thread going!
First of all, goodluck on the. Ew upgrade! That's going to be one heck of a tank!!
I've never actually ordered from Coast to Coast, but when I did contact them, the guy was extremely condescending and outright laughed at me when I told him my build proposition and answered his inquiry on what others had quoted me (he wanted to charge me about 5x what I'd been quoted for so far by places such as miracles). Not to say they won't build you a beautiful aquarium because I've heard nothing but good things about their work, but that was an instant turn off to me.
I feel like customer service is key, and maybe it was just a bad day over there, but definitely made me look elsewhere! Lol
I've never actually ordered from Coast to Coast, but when I did contact them, the guy was extremely condescending and outright laughed at me when I told him my build proposition and answered his inquiry on what others had quoted me (he wanted to charge me about 5x what I'd been quoted for so far by places such as miracles). Not to say they won't build you a beautiful aquarium because I've heard nothing but good things about their work, but that was an instant turn off to me.
I feel like customer service is key, and maybe it was just a bad day over there, but definitely made me look elsewhere! Lol
C2C does not polish and bevel the eurobracing, and from pics they have also been with normal glass, not starphire. There were some bad reviews that mysteriously disappeared. You can find info if you look.
I'm looking at custom tanks in the 200+ range and Crystal Dynamics is in the lead for me.
I'm looking at custom tanks in the 200+ range and Crystal Dynamics is in the lead for me.
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