• Thank you for visiting the R2R Marketplace! Please consider becoming a Supporting Member today! In addition to all the perks of becoming a supporting member, this notice will also be automatically removed! Click here for more details and Happy Reefing!

Florida acrylic tank builder Mario Vidakovic failure

Please read here before posting. Outside comments are not permitted per R2R's feedback forum policy. This is to allow the buyer and seller to have a streamlined conversation and hopefully come to a mutually satisfactory resolution in a negative transaction. If you would like to contribute your own feedback experience with either the buyer or seller, you may do so by creating your own feedback thread. Only the thread starter and vendor will have posting access. Thank you.
OP
OP
lite_rider

lite_rider

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 15, 2020
Messages
39
Reaction score
94
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That’s awful. People say crazing, bubbling, yellowing, and bowing in acrylic tanks is normal. Yea, it’s normal in poor workmanship, improper materials and mass production.

But a higher priced custom tank? No. Proper materials with adequate acrylic thickness and accurate deflection calculations? No. Unless you’re talking ‘micro bowing’ (1/16 inch) it shouldn’t bow either.

I have seen too many high quality tanks last years without any any of these issues from top tier custom builders. These issues simply are not true when it comes to acrylic tanks and are a display of the issues pointed out above.

I hope this does not discourage you from the hobby. I understand you did research and got referrals, but unless I was straight looking at someone else’s tank, I take in a person’s referrals as a grain of salt, for a lot of reasons.

I’d suggest saving money and having one shipped. There are high quality acrylic builders online that may be more expensive but they’re quality.

Personally if I were you I’d tell the seller you’re not waiting for him to sell defaulted tanks and the fact he’d even try to says a lot about his character. That’s not your responsibility and neither is properly building the tank, that’s what you’re paying him for.


Give him one more chance to make it right before you ‘go the legal route’ in which he’ll be paying your legal fees as well. If he declines, find out your limit at the county clerk for small claims court, pay the fee to file and send him an invoice the the fee to file. He may get the picture then. I’ve done this many time in my lifetime for all kinds of work and have only ended up in court once. Which I won.

This builder has had two opportunities to make this right and his product quality and attention to detail is consistently bad. yes I have seen some quality acrylic tanks that are rock solid. We thought that’s what we were paying for, and if I had to pay more to get quality we would’ve done so.
 
OP
OP
lite_rider

lite_rider

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 15, 2020
Messages
39
Reaction score
94
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I just wanted to public say thank you to Joe from glass cages, my wife and I genuinely appreciate him taking time out of his busy schedule to reach out to us in our moments of crisis. One of the most pleasant people you can talk to.

We will be moving forward with a build from his company as soon as we can settle on the tank details.
 
OP
OP
lite_rider

lite_rider

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 15, 2020
Messages
39
Reaction score
94
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Just an update guys thought I’d add these photos for you guys to review tell me what you think about the gap between these panels on the original tank and the replacement, I have asked him for a refund of all money in exchange for his two tanks that are built improperly, And of course his reply is he will only do so once he’s sold the two tanks to some other poor soul. Terrible!!

37BDB1AE-4F30-4AF8-AB58-8C77C4FE2DB0.jpeg 74166726-E946-4FF6-9223-CEC25C4F548B.jpeg 4452A6C3-CEE4-479C-8C36-5F822FC92501.jpeg
 

fishguy242

Cronies..... INSERT BUILD THREAD BADGE HERE !!
View Badges
Joined
Jan 21, 2020
Messages
42,776
Reaction score
246,117
Location
Illinois
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
just ...no comment:mad::mad:
 

iprayforwaves

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 18, 2011
Messages
66
Reaction score
35
Location
Orlando, FL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Totally unexceptable!!! He should be ashamed. Especially the way he portrayed himself on Facebook

We left a poor review on his Facebook and he didn't even have the nerve to respond, he just turned off the reviews on his page to try and hide what he's done. We are filing a small claims case against him, it's in the works.
 
OP
OP
lite_rider

lite_rider

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 15, 2020
Messages
39
Reaction score
94
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Any professional acrylic builders in the industry that is reading this message and wants to put in a professional opinion about his work in writing for the day that we go to court would be greatly appreciated. If you’re in the Central Florida area I invite you to come and look at the tanks first hand and give your opinion. Thanks wish us better luck than we have had
 

vetteguy53081

Well known Member and monster tank lover
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
90,860
Reaction score
200,134
Location
Wisconsin -
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
Both sad and inexcusable. He should not be allowed to build tanks any further, These pics will hold up on your behalf in court
Be sure to report to:
BBB
Attorney general in his state and your state
Dept. Of consumer affairs
 

Cabinetman

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
May 3, 2016
Messages
720
Reaction score
711
Location
Nova Scotia Canada
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That actually makes a lot of sense cause the tanks he was showing on Facebook looked really good. We kinda chatted a bit about tank building and I remember thinking this guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about, but just thought he must gitter done somehow looking at the tanks. I don’t understand how people can take credit for stuff they don’t actually do. Hopefully he owes up to this and just gives your money back. And quits building tanks too
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Cabinetman

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
May 3, 2016
Messages
720
Reaction score
711
Location
Nova Scotia Canada
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Any professional acrylic builders in the industry that is reading this message and wants to put in a professional opinion about his work in writing for the day that we go to court would be greatly appreciated. If you’re in the Central Florida area I invite you to come and look at the tanks first hand and give your opinion. Thanks wish us better luck than we have had
I’m no professional but I’ve built probably 30 big tanks now and my first ever one turned out with nearly perfect seams without any bubbles or gaps. Those are litterally the worse welds I’ve ever seen. This is what a proper welded seam should look like
And I’m just a cabinet maker that builds a few tanks...
F6FAEDAA-DCCB-4681-A1AF-C965F3ABA3BF.jpeg E49F2583-4817-4333-BB18-1D8B3DC45534.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Please read here before posting. Outside comments are not permitted per R2R's feedback forum policy. This is to allow the buyer and seller to have a streamlined conversation and hopefully come to a mutually satisfactory resolution in a negative transaction. If you would like to contribute your own feedback experience with either the buyer or seller, you may do so by creating your own feedback thread. Only the thread starter and vendor will have posting access. Thank you.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 71 53.0%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 68 50.7%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 34 25.4%
  • None.

    Votes: 30 22.4%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 6.7%
Back
Top