Anyone Bought an Aquarium Setup Directly from China?

[MoKan Reefer]

Most of the name brand tanks come from China, even some of the custom ones. I know my custom 180g MODE came from China. SCA is china, I'm sure Cadlights (now mode) was china. IM is probably china and many more.

My concern would be transit and any type of customer service. Have you hit up GlassCages, I got a quote that was fair. Not sure on shipping costs for them though.

Actually Cade and this company both started producing their setups around the same time. They make alot of setups for stores and customers in China, Vietnam, and other countries but they don't have the reach and contracts Cade does.

My cheapest quotes just for custom tanks (6'x3'x25" tall) were $2800 shipped from Crystal Reef Aquatics which isn't in business anymore for glass while everyone else was $7k+, and $2600 + freight for an acrylic. Both are just tanks.

I hate the way Cade aquariums are setup with the ATO in back of the display. It'd defeat the purpose on a tank the size I need if I wanted to pay an ungodly amount for a custom tank from them.

Thankfully there's a complete guarantee (supposedly) when it comes to shipping and I've got all that in messages now. I'll have everything printed in the invoice also so I'm not too worried about that honestly.

 

[MoKan Reefer]

I haven’t bought fish tanks from China but have bought multiple carbon bike frames directly from alibaba factories.
Both these products are expensive when you buy brand names and simple technology but if they fail it’s going to suck.
Things to keep it mind:
Make sure everything is in writing and very very clear. They mean well and are good to their word but things get lost in translation and might get missed.
Use PayPal and have the invoice documented on there, at least if something goes wrong you can contest it, even if you have to pay 3% more to cover fees.
Get extra plumbing parts, they probably won’t be very costly but if you need them in the future getting metric sizes in the US might be a challenge.

Thats the plan. Already talked to him about the size bulkheads I'm wanting (metric holes/standard bulkheads sizing since that's how diamond hole bits are metric anyway)

Thankfully there's a complete guarantee (supposedly) when it comes to shipping and I've got all that in messages now. I'll have everything printed in the invoice also so I'm not too worried about that honestly.

 

[MoKan Reefer]

I figure with as little as it costs compared to domestic, I'm going to pull the trigger this coming month. With full warranty, shipping guarantee, and pricing, I'll be covered if something goes sideways. Plus it's less than ⅓ of my cheapest quotes for just tanks. If somehow they try to mess around I'm not out much.

I figure for the price if they don't have the issues that have plagued Marineland and alot of the newer rimless tanks with seems giving way regularly, sweet. If not, lesson learned.

 

[MoKan Reefer]

that looks dope. Stand doors literally look like nuvo aps from IM lol.
if it gets to your house without waiting a whole year, I would do it personally tbh.

That was originally my thought but all the pictures and ads I saw from the company looked alot smaller than I'm looking for so I decided to take the chance and message them about doing custom. Apparently they can build this style to a maximum of 3000mmx1000mmx1000mm (approximately ~118"x~39"x~39" tall) which is alot larger than I'm looking for. I'm wondering about how the overflow and return system will work with the display being alot larger than the ones they advertise but I'll cross that bridge when I get there guess. With the holidays and new year, he and I agreed it's smarter to wait for a minute because of all the shipping congestion and it being sky high due to the volume of stuff being shipped with the timing.

So in a few weeks, we're going to hammer out details, he's going to work out a CAD mock up of everything and once it's hammered out, and the contract is done along with the invoice, they'll start on the project. Approximately 5-7 business days from payment to completion and shipping. Then however long freight shipping and customs decides to take. So basically 3 weeks or so give or take from payment to delivery.

But he's already reassured me that the 72"x36"x25" tall display won't be an issue whatsoever. The pricing includes the 33.5" tall stand (will be speaking to him about building a 42" tall stand if possible as I'm a fairly tall guy and typical stands suck when I try to do anything under the stand). He's also spoke about the fact I can easily customize the sump also which I'm going to see about doing a 60"x30"x20" custom sump, which will basically be 85+% refugium because I'm planning to use the reef octopus Regal 300Ext and have it dump into the refugium, since they make custom sumps also.

I'm not overly worried about anything happening with shipping and freight or anything even because I already know guys at the freight hub about an hour away and they'll check it for me when it gets there and they have a forklift to load everything in the crates onto my trailer and friends and (being smart this time) mechanical lifts so once it's out of the crate inside, we'll just have to lift it onto the lift then slide it onto the stand. No heavy tank lifting this time lol.

 

[josvanmeer]

That was originally my thought but all the pictures and ads I saw from the company looked alot smaller than I'm looking for so I decided to take the chance and message them about doing custom. Apparently they can build this style to a maximum of 3000mmx1000mmx1000mm (approximately ~118"x~39"x~39" tall) which is alot larger than I'm looking for. I'm wondering about how the overflow and return system will work with the display being alot larger than the ones they advertise but I'll cross that bridge when I get there guess. With the holidays and new year, he and I agreed it's smarter to wait for a minute because of all the shipping congestion and it being sky high due to the volume of stuff being shipped with the timing.

So in a few weeks, we're going to hammer out details, he's going to work out a CAD mock up of everything and once it's hammered out, and the contract is done along with the invoice, they'll start on the project. Approximately 5-7 business days from payment to completion and shipping. Then however long freight shipping and customs decides to take. So basically 3 weeks or so give or take from payment to delivery.

But he's already reassured me that the 72"x36"x25" tall display won't be an issue whatsoever. The pricing includes the 33.5" tall stand (will be speaking to him about building a 42" tall stand if possible as I'm a fairly tall guy and typical stands suck when I try to do anything under the stand). He's also spoke about the fact I can easily customize the sump also which I'm going to see about doing a 60"x30"x20" custom sump, which will basically be 85+% refugium because I'm planning to use the reef octopus Regal 300Ext and have it dump into the refugium, since they make custom sumps also.

I'm not overly worried about anything happening with shipping and freight or anything even because I already know guys at the freight hub about an hour away and they'll check it for me when it gets there and they have a forklift to load everything in the crates onto my trailer and friends and (being smart this time) mechanical lifts so once it's out of the crate inside, we'll just have to lift it onto the lift then slide it onto the stand. No heavy tank lifting this time lol.

Sounds good, keep us updated and maybe start a build thread when you have more details!
My SCA 150 tank is Chinese and it looks fantastic.

 

[MoKan Reefer]

Sounds good, keep us updated and maybe start a build thread when you have more details!
My SCA 150 tank is Chinese and it looks fantastic.

Yeah, that's the plan I think. Was going to just custom order a replacement tank or rebuild the custom glass tank I already have since I already have the steel stand, custom glass sump, etc for it but the one I have has an entire corner where you can see the silicone in the seem has let go. With the price he's giving me being this good for an entire setup, and having gotten the quotes I have for just tanks, I think may just go ahead and sell off what I already have as a project for someone else. From what I see, the stands they use seem great and look sleek plus a brand new custom sump is never a bad thing lol.

 

[Joe Glass Cages]

Most of the name brand tanks come from China, even some of the custom ones. I know my custom 180g MODE came from China. SCA is china, I'm sure Cadlights (now mode) was china. IM is probably china and many more.

My concern would be transit and any type of customer service. Have you hit up GlassCages, I got a quote that was fair. Not sure on shipping costs for them though.

Thanks @Smite for the mention. We do our best to offer great value with excellent support.

@MoKan Reefer, I sure do like talking tanks. More than that, I enjoy supporting. If you would like to chat about tanks or what you are trying to do off-shore, let me know. Not that you have to get a tank from Glass Cages or anything, just like to support and see this hobby grow and help other grow in it.

 

[MoKan Reefer]

Thanks @Smite for the mention. We do our best to offer great value with excellent support.

@MoKan Reefer, I sure do like talking tanks. More than that, I enjoy supporting. If you would like to chat about tanks or what you are trying to do off-shore, let me know. Not that you have to get a tank from Glass Cages or anything, just like to support and see this hobby grow and help other grow in it.

I messaged you @Joe Glass Cages

 

[vtecintegra]

I don't see any mention of glass thickness. I would definitely have a conversation with someone like Joe about glass thickness and bracing with a larger tank.

I've somewhat been down this rabbit hole. I've got a tank in production right now with Glasscages due to my custom rimless asian tank having silicone failure in under six months of use.

 

[Joe Glass Cages]

I messaged you @Joe Glass Cages

Thanks so much. just replied.

 

[Joe Glass Cages]

I don't see any mention of glass thickness. I would definitely have a conversation with someone like Joe about glass thickness and bracing with a larger tank.

I've somewhat been down this rabbit hole. I've got a tank in production right now with Glasscages due to my custom rimless asian tank having silicone failure in under six months of use.

Thanks so much for the support! We love supporting you and this hobby!

 

[Nobbygas]

The problem with buying directly from China is the total lack of any after sales service, plus if anything goes wrong you will not get your money back.

 

[RVA REEF]

how many toilet flush does it take to fill up this tank

 

[joec]

Good luck getting ahold of China if something is wrong

 

[CMMorgan]

Actually Cade and this company both started producing their setups around the same time. They make alot of setups for stores and customers in China, Vietnam, and other countries but they don't have the reach and contracts Cade does.

My cheapest quotes just for custom tanks (6'x3'x25" tall) were $2800 shipped from Crystal Reef Aquatics which isn't in business anymore for glass while everyone else was $7k+, and $2600 + freight for an acrylic. Both are just tanks.

I hate the way Cade aquariums are setup with the ATO in back of the display. It'd defeat the purpose on a tank the size I need if I wanted to pay an ungodly amount for a custom tank from them.

Thankfully there's a complete guarantee (supposedly) when it comes to shipping and I've got all that in messages now. I'll have everything printed in the invoice also so I'm not too worried about that honestly.

Have you gotten a quote from Adam Moroz at American Aquariums? They are in Pennsylvania. I am expecting a tank from them, very similar to the one that @HighChiefKC had made last year. He has pics on his build thread. They make acrylic - way cheaper than any other quote I received. Adam was very patient while I designed, then redesigned and changed my order. In the end, he said he was going to owe me money back! Nice guy, very knowledgeable. His phone number is 724-971-3335. American Aquariums

Updated. as I see the post popped back up. Do not buy from Adam. It was a horrible experience and he was a nightmare. Hindsight being 2020, there are many other buyers I'd consider in the future but he is not one of them.

 

[NewReefNYC]

Hi, did you end up getting the tank from Timothy? If yes, please advise on the experience and please show the tank. Thx

 

[NewReefNYC]

That was originally my thought but all the pictures and ads I saw from the company looked alot smaller than I'm looking for so I decided to take the chance and message them about doing custom. Apparently they can build this style to a maximum of 3000mmx1000mmx1000mm (approximately ~118"x~39"x~39" tall) which is alot larger than I'm looking for. I'm wondering about how the overflow and return system will work with the display being alot larger than the ones they advertise but I'll cross that bridge when I get there guess. With the holidays and new year, he and I agreed it's smarter to wait for a minute because of all the shipping congestion and it being sky high due to the volume of stuff being shipped with the timing.

So in a few weeks, we're going to hammer out details, he's going to work out a CAD mock up of everything and once it's hammered out, and the contract is done along with the invoice, they'll start on the project. Approximately 5-7 business days from payment to completion and shipping. Then however long freight shipping and customs decides to take. So basically 3 weeks or so give or take from payment to delivery.

But he's already reassured me that the 72"x36"x25" tall display won't be an issue whatsoever. The pricing includes the 33.5" tall stand (will be speaking to him about building a 42" tall stand if possible as I'm a fairly tall guy and typical stands suck when I try to do anything under the stand). He's also spoke about the fact I can easily customize the sump also which I'm going to see about doing a 60"x30"x20" custom sump, which will basically be 85+% refugium because I'm planning to use the reef octopus Regal 300Ext and have it dump into the refugium, since they make custom sumps also.

I'm not overly worried about anything happening with shipping and freight or anything even because I already know guys at the freight hub about an hour away and they'll check it for me when it gets there and they have a forklift to load everything in the crates onto my trailer and friends and (being smart this time) mechanical lifts so once it's out of the crate inside, we'll just have to lift it onto the lift then slide it onto the stand. No heavy tank lifting this time lol.

Hi, did you end up getting the tank from Timothy? If yes, please advise on the experience and please show the tank. Thx

 

[jose hernandez]

2 good 2 b true

 

[Reefing102]

I’d be interested to see the outcome @MoKan Reefer

Did you end up going with Glass Cages or Alibaba?

 

[MoKan Reefer]

Unfortunately with the pandemic and all my family and personal business took a huge hit so I haven't been able to pursue any venture I'd discussed above unfortunately. I never got any red flags from Timothy or his company and still speak to him fairly regularly about updates their company has and whatnot so I believe it's a legitimate business. I just haven't been in a place to do anything myself unfortunately. In fact, I still have the original 270g (6'x3'x2') tank empty in my living on the stand where I haven't even gotten around to dismantling it with everything going on.

In full disclosure, once the time comes I'm finally back at a spot to finally upgrade again, I'll most likely be going with Joe at Glasscages due to his over the top customer service and due to the fact I won't have to mess with importation and governmental bs. I've been dealing with all of it over the last few years through my personal business and its enough of a headache without adding in personal items let alone the headache of shipping something of that size with all of the possible mishaps which could happen along the way.

At some point I'll undoubtedly order a smaller tank through Timothy but something the size I need it's not an intelligent decision with my personal experiences with our importation and customs services currently.