Pat's 340 Reef Build

[1000rrstunna]

I’m located in willowbrook il and starting a 300 plus build in my basement I’m finishing… who are you gonna order the tank from ? I’m thinking custom aquariums I like the display tank at gingerbreads it’s nice quality and they are semi reasonable and the aluminum frame makes a lighter glass tank

 

[pmcmahon]

I’m located in willowbrook il and starting a 300 plus build in my basement I’m finishing… who are you gonna order the tank from ? I’m thinking custom aquariums I like the display tank at gingerbreads it’s nice quality and they are semi reasonable and the aluminum frame makes a lighter glass tank

I talked quite a bit with custom aquariums and they were a top contender for me while ordering the tank. I think their build quality looked great. It came down to two factors for me. I wasn't sure I wanted a framed tank since I hadn't decided at the time if I was going to put a canopy on top of the tank to cover the upper frame. This was a relatively minor consideration because I've had framed tanks in the past and it hasn't bothered me much.

The more important factor for me was their lack of options for overflow styles. I wasn't a fan of their overflow system. They also have an option for a Stealth box overflow but because of the flow I wanted circulating between the display and the sump I would have needed to add two stealth boxes. This pushed up their cost a bit compared to competitors for an overflow that ultimately wasn't really what I wanted.

I also worked with Waterbox. I loved the look of their tanks and got great reviews for build quality, fit and finish. I started moving forward and even paid the drawing fee with them and ended up canceling. The process was annoying because their reps weren't responsive and with every modification they would continue to jack up the cost. They were already the highest quote I was considering and after what seemed like minor changes it increased the price over 30%.

In the end, I went with Glass Cages. They are widely sold as the "middle ground" tank but they were responsive, easy to work with, reasonably priced and still able to make a custom overflow and euro bracing for me. They are at the very least worth getting a quote from. I'll update the thread on how the tank looks once I get it.

 

[1000rrstunna]

I talked quite a bit with custom aquariums and they were a top contender for me while ordering the tank. I think their build quality looked great. It came down to two factors for me. I wasn't sure I wanted a framed tank since I hadn't decided at the time if I was going to put a canopy on top of the tank to cover the upper frame. This was a relatively minor consideration because I've had framed tanks in the past and it hasn't bothered me much.

The more important factor for me was their lack of options for overflow styles. I wasn't a fan of their overflow system. They also have an option for a Stealth box overflow but because of the flow I wanted circulating between the display and the sump I would have needed to add two stealth boxes. This pushed up their cost a bit compared to competitors for an overflow that ultimately wasn't really what I wanted.

I also worked with Waterbox. I loved the look of their tanks and got great reviews for build quality, fit and finish. I started moving forward and even paid the drawing fee with them and ended up canceling. The process was annoying because their reps weren't responsive and with every modification they would continue to jack up the cost. They were already the highest quote I was considering and after what seemed like minor changes it increased the price over 30%.

In the end, I went with Glass Cages. They are widely sold as the "middle ground" tank but they were responsive, easy to work with, reasonably priced and still able to make a custom overflow and euro bracing for me. They are at the very least worth getting a quote from. I'll update the thread on how the tank looks once I get it.

dude 100% the overflow options suck this is why im spec'ing holes and not using that crap they sell.. i'd rather have a custom overflow made based on my drawing. Their prices are reasonable though and the framework is light and strong so I will deal with it... Other places use a billion pounds of glass braces making it way too heavy or they use steel for the frames which I wont use.

some peoples prices are also way out of control and arent good with customer service.

 

[pmcmahon]

dude 100% the overflow options suck this is why im spec'ing holes and not using that crap they sell.. i'd rather have a custom overflow made based on my drawing. Their prices are reasonable though and the framework is light and strong so I will deal with it... Other places use a billion pounds of glass braces making it way too heavy or they use steel for the frames which I wont use.

some peoples prices are also way out of control and arent good with customer service.

Yeah I was close to doing the same actually. I do really like their frame design.

I know what you mean about some people's prices. I got a quote from reefsavvy after watching a bunch of BRS TV youtube videos. I knew they were more on the high end of tanks but I figured it might be worth it since this is already going to be an expensive project and I really liked their ghost overflow system. the cost was out of this world. Multiple times the next most expensive quote.

 

[pmcmahon]

I had some time to sit down and get my stand designed this weekend. 2x6 on the top frame. The rest is 2x4. The outside will be Maple that I just put a clear coat on. I'm not sure what to paint the structure with to keep it from absorbing moisture. I'll have to dig into that a bit. I also want to add in some shelves behind the middle door to store some of the basics and cleaning tools. Hopefully, I'll have a little motivation to do that later today.

 

[pmcmahon]

There is still not a whole lot to report. I changed out the tank for my pods tonight. I like seeing it when the water is clean and before I add the phyto because you can see how many there are and how active the colony is. I took a short video just for fun. My phone doesn't take great macro video so please excuse the quality.

In other news, I had made a note when I started cycling the sump tanks to keep track of when the month or so cycle was done. Turns out that was started in May of 2022. It was a bit of a facepalm moment when I realized it's been almost a year and I still don't have things up and running. Life has been a bit hectic recently so it's been a much slower start than I was hoping for. Oh well.