I don't typically flame a manufacturer - but my cautionary tale about Custom Aquariums/Custom Cages that I feel obligated to communicate it was so bad to prevent fellow hobbyists from going through the same thing. Sounds like you got lucky with them. I hired them after a ton of research to build a 400g tank/stand, and 4 other tanks. They were damaged in transit (their fault, they didn't crate the tanks correctly) and they refused to remake the 400g tank unless I accepted the also damaged stand, that we didn't even know was safe after coming loose in its crate and bouncing around for 2,000 miles and the leg levelers being stripped from the threads. They only cared about the bottom line and not having to pay return shipping to fix the damage - it was pretty stunning. One of the original reasons I chose them was because of their lifetime warranty. Considering how impossible it was to work with them on getting their damaged tanks replaced, I can only imagine how a warranty claim would go. And in the fine print in their lifetime warranty - you have to ship the tank back to them first and the condition it shows up as will determine the evaluation. So - add the crating, freight costs, and shipping risk to the ridiculousness of their warranty. Good luck there. And then there were the machining marks on the edge of the tank panels, on the main viewing panel, that they said were "normal." This on a $5k tank. Right. I'm sure they have a lot of satisfied customers out there - one of the reasons I chose them. But you don't really get to know a company and its people until things go wrong. They showed their true colors - wow. They finally punted on the entire order because it was cheaper for them to declare it a complete loss, rather than fix their mistake. There are a lot of other manufacturers out there to choose from - you might consider a different one. Had to re-place my tank order with AGE - and they have been great so far - hopefully the tanks turn out ok. Crossing my fingers the tanks arrive ok this time. Glad your tank worked out - I wouldn't wish this experience on anyone...
This was glass? Those machine marks blow my mind!!! Good thing to bring up though... I have a call with American Aquariums today to finalize all of my details... I will ask about polished edges.I don't typically flame a manufacturer - but my cautionary tale about Custom Aquariums/Custom Cages that I feel obligated to communicate it was so bad to prevent fellow hobbyists from going through the same thing. Sounds like you got lucky with them. I hired them after a ton of research to build a 400g tank/stand, and 4 other tanks. They were damaged in transit (their fault, they didn't crate the tanks correctly) and they refused to remake the 400g tank unless I accepted the also damaged stand, that we didn't even know was safe after coming loose in its crate and bouncing around for 2,000 miles and the leg levelers being stripped from the threads. They only cared about the bottom line and not having to pay return shipping to fix the damage - it was pretty stunning. One of the original reasons I chose them was because of their lifetime warranty. Considering how impossible it was to work with them on getting their damaged tanks replaced, I can only imagine how a warranty claim would go. And in the fine print in their lifetime warranty - you have to ship the tank back to them first and the condition it shows up as will determine the evaluation. So - add the crating, freight costs, and shipping risk to the ridiculousness of their warranty. Good luck there. And then there were the machining marks on the edge of the tank panels, on the main viewing panel, that they said were "normal." This on a $5k tank. Right. I'm sure they have a lot of satisfied customers out there - one of the reasons I chose them. But you don't really get to know a company and its people until things go wrong. They showed their true colors - wow. They finally punted on the entire order because it was cheaper for them to declare it a complete loss, rather than fix their mistake. There are a lot of other manufacturers out there to choose from - you might consider a different one. Had to re-place my tank order with AGE - and they have been great so far - hopefully the tanks turn out ok. Crossing my fingers the tanks arrive ok this time. Glad your tank worked out - I wouldn't wish this experience on anyone...
Yeah - glass. Pretty crazy that it was allowed to ship like that. Even more crazy that they tried to explain it away as normal. If that is normal quality and quality control - glad I'm not getting my tanks from them anymore, LOL. I asked specifically about the tank edges when re-placing my order with AGE, and they kind of laughed and said of course the panel edges were polished. It was really sad - Custom Aquariums was great to work with up until the point the tank and stand arrived damaged, then everything changed and well...you get to know a person when the chips are down...
They gave you your money back? And you got to keep the tank? Why the bad review? I'm asking because I'm ordering a tank from them, and I appreciated the information you gave.I don't typically flame a manufacturer - but my cautionary tale about Custom Aquariums/Custom Cages that I feel obligated to communicate it was so bad to prevent fellow hobbyists from going through the same thing. Sounds like you got lucky with them. I hired them after a ton of research to build a 400g tank/stand, and 4 other tanks. They were damaged in transit (their fault, they didn't crate the tanks correctly) and they refused to remake the 400g tank unless I accepted the also damaged stand, that we didn't even know was safe after coming loose in its crate and bouncing around for 2,000 miles and the leg levelers being stripped from the threads. They only cared about the bottom line and not having to pay return shipping to fix the damage - it was pretty stunning. One of the original reasons I chose them was because of their lifetime warranty. Considering how impossible it was to work with them on getting their damaged tanks replaced, I can only imagine how a warranty claim would go. And in the fine print in their lifetime warranty - you have to ship the tank back to them first and the condition it shows up as will determine the evaluation. So - add the crating, freight costs, and shipping risk to the ridiculousness of their warranty. Good luck there. And then there were the machining marks on the edge of the tank panels, on the main viewing panel, that they said were "normal." This on a $5k tank. Right. I'm sure they have a lot of satisfied customers out there - one of the reasons I chose them. But you don't really get to know a company and its people until things go wrong. They showed their true colors - wow. They finally punted on the entire order because it was cheaper for them to declare it a complete loss, rather than fix their mistake. There are a lot of other manufacturers out there to choose from - you might consider a different one. Had to re-place my tank order with AGE - and they have been great so far - hopefully the tanks turn out ok. Crossing my fingers the tanks arrive ok this time. Glad your tank worked out - I wouldn't wish this experience on anyone...
I totally get the bad review. Getting a refund does not furnish OP with a tank that meets expectations. If she had to start the process all over again, all they did was leave OP with the responsibility of disposing of a beast of a tank. Maybe those issues would not bother everyone, but I have to agree that for $5k - you want that tank to be flawless... if only for a day. This post certainly made me more wary of my custom tank purchase.
Cancel your order if you can... you might get lucky, but not worth the risk in my opinion. Often these custom tanks are big investments for people, as it is for me - and I'm not going to risk 2 tons of glass, water, and rock in my living room next to my family after what I saw from Custom Aquariums.
Who do you recommend? I haven't ordered my tank yet.
I have a tank coming from American Aquariums in a few weeks. I will post pictures on arrival. Others have had good reviews of them and I have seen other tanks arrive well packed and look good.
