# Best Aquarium in Market & Care



## Guppy_Madness (Sep 2, 2010)

HI folks,

I want to buy a new tank 45 to 55 gallon and I have a very important question to ask.

Which Fish tank Company is best in terms of after sale service & quality?
I have researched a lot but I think the price are not that variant. 

When it comes to starter kit some of my friends suggested me that the filters and stuff inside the starter kit are not of that good quality. Is that TRUE?

Some people put "styrofoam" under the tank to level the pressure of water, does it make any difference, I saw a tetra aquarium video on Youtube they said you should put "Elastic Ploy Soft Mat" under the aquarium to prevent breakage. My question is what is "Elastic Ploy Soft Mat" and where can I find it.

Look forward to have some senior advice.

Thanks a lot for reading,

Mike


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## arinsi (Mar 14, 2010)

i dont know anything about those mats but

if your buying any kits your going to have to pay a lot

you can probably strike a better deal with a used tank with even better equipment


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

If you are thinking of a 55, consider a 75. They are only a few dollars more ($100 for a 75 during Big Al's Boxing Week sale). Miracles tanks are Canadian made, and from what i hear from someone with numerous large tanks they are of superior quality. I only have a 20 long but I am impressed with the finish on the fillets on the inside of the tank. Having said that, I have a brand new Perfecto 75 in the basement, purchased for $100. You don't really want after market service; you want a tank that will be trouble free.
I'm a believer in styro under the tank. It will absorb any irregularity in flatness on the stand.


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## Roberacer1 (Aug 21, 2010)

It is true a starter kit is just that and when a retailer puts together something like that the product (the whole kit in this case) is being sold based on it's price point. Often what happens is the retailer strikes a deal with various suppliers and puts together a kit that has what seems like a reduced rate. Very often these components are of lesser quality as the higher quality items would put the price point higher. For the general person buying a kit the price point is the concern and little is known about the various components included. As an example it is widely excepted that as far as canister filters are concerned Eheim makes a better product. They are kind of the "gold standard" and have been for years. You won't usually find a kit with an Ehiem filter in it. In tanks there are things to consider. For years Oceanic Systems has been making aquariums using "annealed" glass. In short it has a higher lead content and due to that is much stronger. Their standards in glass thickness as well as fit and finish are generally higher than most other manufacturers as well. The issue... You pay for it. They have a matching wood stand and hood kit and the tank's frame is matched to the stand etc. The list goes on and on. At the end of the day it is all a process of determining what one can afford. Personally if I had the money I would buy the Oceanic over the Miracles simply because of the aesthetics. I should tell you that I've owned both. My Oceanic came with a "real wood" stand and was nothing other than gorgeous. The Miracles (45 Gal) was not a piece of junk by any means but it was more like a workhorse than a piece of fine furniture. How bad do you want the Porche? I should tell you that the price difference is valid.


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

Brand does not matter. All the commercial ones are very high quality.

Size is what matters. buy the largest tank you can afford and fit in your space.

If you can fit a 75 gallon tank, then do not go below 75 gallons. Believe me, it makes more of a difference to have a big tank than ANYTHING else. Because big tanks are more chemically and thermally stable because they contain more water.

If you can not fit a 75 gallon tank, then do NOT go below 29 gallons. This is advice that is intended to make you happy and enjoy your hobby. 

The smaller tanks (10g-50g) will come up and bite you when you buy a fish that is only 1" long today and will grow to 9" later. Unless you only want to keep a very small number of very small fish, go with a big tank. Don't worry about the brand name. They are all the same. They are glass with silicon and a plastic piece around the top and bottom edges. 

Don't worry about the "poly" sheeting. If your tank is going to be on a flat level commercially purchased stand, then you don't need the styrofoam or the poly sheeting. Just buy a high quality stand from the same people who you buy the tank from, and make sure to install it somewhere flat and level.

Use a bubble level, to be sure that your stand is level before placing the tank on it, check that the stand does not rock and is not torqued/twisted at all, and then put the tank on, and fill it a little bit at a time, to observe that it is always level, never rocks and is not going to be a problem. If you wish, you can put a sheet of styrofoam under the tank.

Even more important than styro under the tank, is a sheet of "egg crate" (plastic lighting grid available at home depot or any other home reno store) to protect the bottom of your tank from being broken by ornamental rock that you put into your tank. The look of large amounts of rock work and wood in your tank is the most beautiful thing (in my opinion) and putting the egg crate in before you put the gravel or sand substrate in, is a thing you will wish you did later. So do it right away.


W

P.S. I paid $275 used for a full 75 gallon tank and stand, with hood and lights and filter, and lots of fish. I am sure you could do very well for such a setup used.

P.P.S. If you don't have a good book get a book, buy that BEFORE you buy your first tank.

P.P.P.S. Starter kits are great, if you have enough money to buy a 75g kit. Big Als Boxing day sale is great. But used is even cheaper, and you can more freely throw away the filter that came with your used setup and buy new filters, hoods, and lights, as you have money to spend on your hobby. Unless you have $1000 burning a hole in your pocket right now, go with used, and forget the kits.


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## Roberacer1 (Aug 21, 2010)

I think something got lost in the translation along the way as I pointed out what the differences in quality were from a few manufacturers. It is true that mostly Tanks are just glass stuck together with silicon with plastic frames on the tops and bottoms of them however if you look a little closer you can see the differences. As I say some use different types of glass as well. Check out the Miracles website. They talk about it. Tank size is of huge importance as is the strength of the glass used in a larger tank (specifically). This stuff is not any different than any other product sold in any other market. Guppymadness, was it Mike that I read? The big issue that I have is about the kit thing itself. If you look at what is in it you will find that many of the components (ie filters, striplights, heaters etc.) as well as the tanks themselves are often the more inferior units. They are grouped as I say in order to fit a price point so as to make it look like it is a good deal. Just like Big Als we did this in my store. Firstly we would do a larger order of cheap components and get them cheaper through bulk buying then as I say we put these cheap things together, call it a kit and flawg it to the unknowing customers who bought them like hot cakes because the price was low. Next these very customers are back buying a new filter because the one that came with the kit isn't cutting it and the strip light isn't keeping the plants alive etc. In the end we basically sold them two systems and one at full pop because they bought it one piece at a time. The best part is we usually made better margins on the kit because we bought all of the parts so cheap in the first place. If you are buying an entire rig and you are buying it all at once you have *bargaining power*! list exactly what you want for your kit and ask them to price it out. If one retailer won't give you a deal go to another and ask them. Trust me you will win. Retailers with the exception of Big Als usually don't warranty this stuff beyond what the manufacturer does but all of the manufacturers do warranty their stuff which in components I would say is important. You need to look at what is important to you and decide what you need from there. If you are just going to keep a school of neons in it then you don't have to have any of the more expensive filtration systems for example. Do you even need a heater at all (goldfish). Actually you could get a standard black framed tank with an incandescent hood by any manufacturer on a steel square tube stand with an air pump and a sponge air driven filter. Your fish would be just fine if you learn how to work with that and the inside of the tank can look absolutely stunning with that after you added what you wanted inside. You might want more than that though.


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

Well of course, Miracles will say theirs are the best. But most hobbyists are loyal to a brand of filter, fiercely so. I have rarely encountered someone who cares about the brand of tank. Maybe the low-iron starfire glass is worth more. But you can get that from Miracles, or from others.

Warren


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## Roberacer1 (Aug 21, 2010)

I wouldn't say Miracles is the very best. There are better and there are worse. Oceanic are one of the very top end and come at that price point. Most aquarists from what I have seen have never been educated to this fact hence the mindset. Iron content BTW is partly what determines the strength of the glass. Build design is another parameter in that a good tank uses thicker glass on the bottom than the rest of the tank. Also larger tanks often have reinforcing built in as well for instance. Many of us are "fiercely" loyal to Eheim filters for example for a very good reason. They actually do work better and I am not talking out of my *$% as I have personal experience with most of them. BTW the Eheim was pretty close to the same money as it's Fluval counterpart. Difference... Night and day mechanical performance!


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Is Oceanic still making tanks? When AGA bought them they closed the plant. I did hear that former employees reopened the plant, but they obviously can't be using the Oceanic trademark, since that belongs to AGA. just checked their site, and apparently they are now joined with Coralife, and their line of tanks is limited to a few types. It seems they have forsaken the mass market.


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## Roberacer1 (Aug 21, 2010)

I didn't actually look too closely. I think I might have seen that Oceanic does a lot of custom work now which they are probably better suited to anyways. Most people aren't going to go for the Jaguar over the Chev if you know what I mean. I haven't been in the business for more than 10 years although I regularly get the itch. I can only do so many things in a day and my music business is about all I can handle. It creates plenty of gray hair on it's own lol. AGA also made a great product and they were both available for quite some time as they both offered a very different product. We sold both at our store. I was just making a point with that in that all things are not created equal as one would first assume. Miracles for example started as carrying the bottom end of the business. There were other manufacturers as well but the business shrunk rapidly at the beginning of the millennium and many are gone. My advise is to do your homework and don't make any decision too rapidly. I was also in a round about way reminding people that tanks are usually a piece of furniture as well and that needs to be figured into your plan from the very start.


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## Lee_D (Jun 11, 2010)

One of the issues I've noticed is that other than Big Al's, there aren't that many stores that carry a large inventory of tanks. I bought my last three tanks back in the days of SuperPet, and you would be able to walk through thier store and wade through lots of different shaped big tanks made by Oceanic. Now it seems to be Big Al's or nothing.

Having said that, I think I'm going to take a little drive up to Orangeville and visit Miracles this week. By the way, is that Starfire Glass (Low Iron) worth it?

Lee


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## Roberacer1 (Aug 21, 2010)

Starfire (low iron) glass. I am guessing you read the little blurb they put on their site. It is true that regular glass in tanks cast a slight green tint but without seeing the difference who knows how much difference it makes. Have you ever actually listened to the difference between an MP3 and a full on broadcast wave recording of a good song? Many people don't think it matters but the difference is night and day. My suggestion is if you can get the chance to A-B them and have the guys point out the difference then that will help you to make up your mind.
What made the biggest difference with the Oceanic stuff for me was the fit and finish. The frames were way beyond what other tanks are in terms of how good they looked. Everything fit right, all of the silicon was smooth, there were no plops of stray silicon and there were no visible imperfections in the glass. They just looked pro when you put it beside anything else. Like I say the glass was stronger as well.


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

Central Garden and Pet owns MANY different brands and imho caters to the masses rather than forsaking them...
They own Aqueon, AGA, Kent, Coralife, Oceanic and Zilla. (Also, other huge pet brands like Kaytee, Nylabone, TFH, Superpet, and Zodiac...)



BillD said:


> they are now joined with Coralife, and their line of tanks is limited to a few types. It seems they have forsaken the mass market.


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

Education and observable reality are two different things. That is to say, if someone would like to tell me their tank (or brand) is better, I require some facts to back it up. That they are made of glass, and hold water is all I require. If someone else has some more arcane requirements I am glad to hear of them, but I am sure that I am not being uneducated, but rather unimpressed, to hear of those differences.

W


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## Roberacer1 (Aug 21, 2010)

We've covered the point of the fact that there are differences then. As I say it is important from the outset for one to determine their list of required specs and suss that out first. Buying the first thing that seems like a deal might not be one at all. Especially not for them. For me form is as important as function as I won't be interested if it doesn't look good in my living room and with that I would probably throw it off of the balcony if I had to listen to Niagara Falls or a swarm of bees while trying to hear some new songs. That is just me though.


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## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

I have a 33 years old 75gal Hagen tank and it is still in use today with all the original silicone


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## Roberacer1 (Aug 21, 2010)

Would you have said that was a poorly made aquarium 33 years ago? I don't know if silicone ever degrades but glass doesn't seem to. It is very true unlike a car aquariums don't at least practically wear out. That said, I have seen many a tank with a cracked bottom and I will qualify that by saying for various reasons including faulting manufacturing.


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## Lee_D (Jun 11, 2010)

I would think a cracked bottom is more indicative of miss use than bad manufacturing. Either something was dropped on it or the tank wasn't levelled well enough. The only two busted tanks I have ever seen, one had a pop bottle dropped in it and the other was placed on an uneven surface.

Lee


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## Lee_D (Jun 11, 2010)

By the way, I just went up to Orangeville and bought a 125 gallon tank at Miracles. Nice place. The tank though has a big sticker on it saying "Aqueon". The receipt calls it a "Perfecto". I now realize I could have bought it at any Big Als. I think it was cheaper though going to the factory.

The sticker also said Aqueon is a division of "Central Garden and Pet" with Oceanic and All-Glass. That doesn't leave very many other manufacturers to choose from.

Lee


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## Roberacer1 (Aug 21, 2010)

Look. If you accidentally tap your coffee pot from your coffee maker it is common for the pot to explode without warning sometime soon thereafter even though there is no visible crack. This is because just like many aquariums they are made with tempered glass. Tempered glass doesn't like sudden jolts nor does it like to flex. If that tempered glass is either the wrong thickness or the wrong composition of materials to hold the weight of the contents one risks the possibility of it breaking. As we said they use different components and manufacturing techniques to make the glass that they use in various brands and types of tanks that are made. Some techniques and materials cost more. That may be valid to the specific end consumer depending on usage of the end product. Obviously a tank intended for turtles that is only going to be half full of water doesn't need to hold as much weight as a tank that will be full. Conversely if one intends to put a lot of rock or gravel in their tank and fill it up it might need to be considerably stronger than average. If the tank is particularly tall and long maybe it needs to have bracing. There are a lot of variables. Once again just like all wine is not the same neither are aquariums. Another example. It was pointed out that some manufacturers use glass that passes light waves more purely. Some types of glass filter out a lot of certain light frequencies. This difference could also be an advantage... or not.


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