Zissou Intern
New Member
I found after 12 years of decreasing tank sizes (33g, 24g, 10g) that my interest was decreasing as well. My last/current tank has been somewhat difficult to maintain due to its small size, no sump, and because it has a bare glass bottom. I was thinking about getting out of the hobby. But then I remembered how much I enjoyed my first tank, so I decided to upgrade instead.
I knew that I wanted a larger lagoon-style tank and I spent most of December looking at options. I was looking for something close to 4’x2’ but less than 20” high. I would have bought a WaterBox except they were out of the size/color I wanted and they didn’t expect new stock until at least February (according to my LFS). Planet Aquarium seemed like a solid option, but multiple stores ignored my pricing requests (even in person and by phone). I generally like Innovative Marine products, but their tank was a bit higher than I wanted, and I don’t love the look of their stands (although I appreciate that they are very strong). I even considered UNS because the clean modern design of these aquascaping tanks matches my own design sense. I’ve drilled a few tanks in the past, so I wasn’t opposed to that. Ultimately, what pushed me away from this option was the fact that the 120u tanks are a little higher than I wanted (similar to IM).
So that left Fiji Cube. While I was initially drawn to what seemed like pretty good value, I was also quite apprehensive given some of the negative reviews I have seen. But I found that the pre-sale support was really good. They responded fast, they were able to answer all of my questions, and they were willing to make changes to the package I was considering. One thing I was nervous about was the finish of the stand because I read a review saying that it was basically just spray painted wood. When I emailed support, the person went out to the warehouse and sent photos of the finish under real-world lighting conditions. In general, they seemed to care about their work, which gave me more confidence. But even after I ordered, I was still quite worried that I might have made a bad decision. Let’s just say it was a long three weeks where I had to keep reminding myself that lots of times people neglect to share good news.
It arrived maybe two weeks ago, and I was pleasantly surprised. First, it was really well packed. The stand was much nicer than I expected, both in stability and finish. There was a missing part, but Fiji sent it by Fedex with no hassle at all. Of course this is cam bolt furniture, not fine furniture, but it is solid plywood and seems sturdy enough. The tank seams are not what I would call beautiful, but they are not bad either, certainly no obvious errors catch my eye. I still need to get the plumbing setup (probably a future post), but as long as it holds water, I’ll be a happy customer. Here are a few pics:
I still have a lot of work to do, but I’m looking forward to all of the fun sub-projects along the way: plumbing, aquascaping, curing dry rock, cable management, etc. In fact, projects like these may be part of what I have missed the past few years. Aesthetics matter a lot to me, so I’ll go out of my way to keep things clean and organized. I’ll post updates here as I go.
I knew that I wanted a larger lagoon-style tank and I spent most of December looking at options. I was looking for something close to 4’x2’ but less than 20” high. I would have bought a WaterBox except they were out of the size/color I wanted and they didn’t expect new stock until at least February (according to my LFS). Planet Aquarium seemed like a solid option, but multiple stores ignored my pricing requests (even in person and by phone). I generally like Innovative Marine products, but their tank was a bit higher than I wanted, and I don’t love the look of their stands (although I appreciate that they are very strong). I even considered UNS because the clean modern design of these aquascaping tanks matches my own design sense. I’ve drilled a few tanks in the past, so I wasn’t opposed to that. Ultimately, what pushed me away from this option was the fact that the 120u tanks are a little higher than I wanted (similar to IM).
So that left Fiji Cube. While I was initially drawn to what seemed like pretty good value, I was also quite apprehensive given some of the negative reviews I have seen. But I found that the pre-sale support was really good. They responded fast, they were able to answer all of my questions, and they were willing to make changes to the package I was considering. One thing I was nervous about was the finish of the stand because I read a review saying that it was basically just spray painted wood. When I emailed support, the person went out to the warehouse and sent photos of the finish under real-world lighting conditions. In general, they seemed to care about their work, which gave me more confidence. But even after I ordered, I was still quite worried that I might have made a bad decision. Let’s just say it was a long three weeks where I had to keep reminding myself that lots of times people neglect to share good news.
It arrived maybe two weeks ago, and I was pleasantly surprised. First, it was really well packed. The stand was much nicer than I expected, both in stability and finish. There was a missing part, but Fiji sent it by Fedex with no hassle at all. Of course this is cam bolt furniture, not fine furniture, but it is solid plywood and seems sturdy enough. The tank seams are not what I would call beautiful, but they are not bad either, certainly no obvious errors catch my eye. I still need to get the plumbing setup (probably a future post), but as long as it holds water, I’ll be a happy customer. Here are a few pics:
I still have a lot of work to do, but I’m looking forward to all of the fun sub-projects along the way: plumbing, aquascaping, curing dry rock, cable management, etc. In fact, projects like these may be part of what I have missed the past few years. Aesthetics matter a lot to me, so I’ll go out of my way to keep things clean and organized. I’ll post updates here as I go.
