official SCA owners thread/club

ScubaShane

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Ordering a 150 Synergy. Will post pics as soon as I get it!
 

jguerin88

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considering going with an sca 120 or 150 pnp


can you guys share your thoughts is the pump , skimmer, stand and sump with the additional price ?
 

jguerin88

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do you guys like the sumps and equipment that come with the pnp setup ? should i piece together my own equipment or should i go with the pnp setup?
 

Dj City

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The PNP system is good enough. Not the greatest but definitely workable!
I've run their skimmers for years and have been happy with them.

I would replace (upgrade) the return pump though. Nothing "wrong" with the return pump, it will work and get the job done but there are better options out there.
 

Dj City

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Let the SCA 180 PNP build begin!

20200203_002427.jpg


This pic does no justice to the size and girth of this tank.
 

jguerin88

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The PNP system is good enough. Not the greatest but definitely workable!
I've run their skimmers for years and have been happy with them.

I would replace (upgrade) the return pump though. Nothing "wrong" with the return pump, it will work and get the job done but there are better options out there.
i’ve also never run a center overflow , any complaints on that ?
 

AbjectMaelstroM

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While I personally don't have experience with their stands, I've read that the "cheap" stands are, well, cheap and really don't take well to any kind of water penetration (starts falling apart) ...but those could also be exceptions rather than the rule. They have "premium?" stands as well and those are supposedly OK/good.
 

GabeM

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While I personally don't have experience with their stands, I've read that the "cheap" stands are, well, cheap and really don't take well to any kind of water penetration (starts falling apart) ...but those could also be exceptions rather than the rule. They have "premium?" stands as well and those are supposedly OK/good.
I've spilled a lot of water on my *ahem* cheap stand with no issues.

I am sure if you let it sit in the water it would be a problem, but the thing has feet so...
 

Trever

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Has anyone had the chance to compare the SC's to an aquamaxx or waterbox or red sea? Specifically, I'm wondering if there is noticeable difference in glass clarity between these various tanks. All are low iron, but a video alerted me to the possibility that the clarity is different. BTW I would not think this is a very subjective question... my question is whether one can see a real difference. Whether it matters and which is preferred is another issue... (Caveat, in the video I saw, the one tank was obviously inferior, consistent with narrator's remarks.)

The different sizes of course can have different thicknesses... I am looking at 20 - 50 gallon cubes, if that helps.

Naively, I would have thought the price differences don't have much to do with meaningful glass clarity, but rather, other things. But I would hate to order something and find out I was wrong.
 

Dj City

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Has anyone had the chance to compare the SC's to an aquamaxx or waterbox or red sea? Specifically, I'm wondering if there is noticeable difference in glass clarity between these various tanks. All are low iron, but a video alerted me to the possibility that the clarity is different. BTW I would not think this is a very subjective question... my question is whether one can see a real difference. Whether it matters and which is preferred is another issue... (Caveat, in the video I saw, the one tank was obviously inferior, consistent with narrator's remarks.)

The different sizes of course can have different thicknesses... I am looking at 20 - 50 gallon cubes, if that helps.

Naively, I would have thought the price differences don't have much to do with meaningful glass clarity, but rather, other things. But I would hate to order something and find out I was wrong.

Go ahead and get the SCA. There is no difference in clarity. If there is, its undetected by eye.
 

Big E

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I have a Deep Blue Rimless and the clarity is very good and I'm sure it's not the expensive level high clarity type glass. I doubt our eyes would be able to notice a difference.

I do have the same type questions about build quality.........not very concerned with the glass type
 

ScubaShane

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Has anyone had the chance to compare the SC's to an aquamaxx or waterbox or red sea? Specifically, I'm wondering if there is noticeable difference in glass clarity between these various tanks. All are low iron, but a video alerted me to the possibility that the clarity is different. BTW I would not think this is a very subjective question... my question is whether one can see a real difference. Whether it matters and which is preferred is another issue... (Caveat, in the video I saw, the one tank was obviously inferior, consistent with narrator's remarks.)

The different sizes of course can have different thicknesses... I am looking at 20 - 50 gallon cubes, if that helps.

Naively, I would have thought the price differences don't have much to do with meaningful glass clarity, but rather, other things. But I would hate to order something and find out I was wrong.
low-iron-glass-573x286.png
download.jpeg
Competitive-price-15mm-Starphire-ultra-clear-low-iron-float-glass-China-factory-and-exporter.jpg
 

ScubaShane

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I've also owned a Deep Blue 150g and did notice a tint in the glass. And no it wasn't Algae in my water column. That was one of the reasons why I tore it down I went with a SC Aquariums 150g.
 

Trever

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Thanks everyone, that's helpful. Hmmmm.... putting my cards on the table, I'm very interested in the SC 50 gallon cube, but found an aquamaxx that is 33 gallons (perfect size for my use case) and less than half the cost! (Same cost as a Waterbox AIO 20 gallon). Trouble is, I'm not sure it's apples to apples in terms of glass quality, and I'm particularly concerned the aquamaxx is so cheap for a reason. If the aquamaxx is noticeably below par/hazy, that simply won't work for this use case. If anyone has seen an aquamaxx, maybe they can comment...

This thread is useful though to confirm I can no doubt call up SC and get just the configuration I want in terms of holes, maybe even not have the internal overflow chamber down the back (has anyone requested that?).
 

Big E

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I've also owned a Deep Blue 150g and did notice a tint in the glass. And no it wasn't Algae in my water column. That was one of the reasons why I tore it down I went with a SC Aquariums 150g.

I think the Deep Blue Rimless tanks only had the low iron glass. I was comparing low iron glass vs actual Starfire brand glass. I don't think I could tell the difference on a tank filled with corals and fish.
 

Jefdav84

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SCA 50 Cube owner here. Tank has been up for about 3 months. SCA customer service has been exceptional in every aspect.

Had issues with payment processing. SCA contacted me directly , and even worked with my bank on the phone until the processing issue was resolved.

Tank delivery process was excellent

I wasn't able to fully go through the shipment for a few weeks. I noticed that the return pump was missing so I contacted Steve via email and he had a new pump shipped to me in two days from Cali to North Carolina.

Had an issue with the skimmer pump here in the last few weeks. Sent another email to Steve for any suggestions on more troubleshooting. He responded back and said a new one was on its way.

If anyone is weary because of threads you see about poor customer service, don't be. I have had nothing but a great experience.

Now for a few shots of the tank. You can also check out my build thread badge as well.

IMG_20200201_190746.jpg
IMG_20200104_212242.jpg
IMG_20200119_194022.jpg
 

fishybizzness

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SCA 50 Cube owner here. Tank has been up for about 3 months. SCA customer service has been exceptional in every aspect.

Had issues with payment processing. SCA contacted me directly , and even worked with my bank on the phone until the processing issue was resolved.

Tank delivery process was excellent

I wasn't able to fully go through the shipment for a few weeks. I noticed that the return pump was missing so I contacted Steve via email and he had a new pump shipped to me in two days from Cali to North Carolina.

Had an issue with the skimmer pump here in the last few weeks. Sent another email to Steve for any suggestions on more troubleshooting. He responded back and said a new one was on its way.

If anyone is weary because of threads you see about poor customer service, don't be. I have had nothing but a great experience.

Now for a few shots of the tank. You can also check out my build thread badge as well.

IMG_20200201_190746.jpg
IMG_20200104_212242.jpg
IMG_20200119_194022.jpg
Hi, I am in the process of setting up my sca 120 and I'm already looking at getting a 50 as well! Did you get the pnp or just the tank? Also if you did get the pnp, did you get the wood or the MDF stand? Thanks
 

Why-Me

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Hi, I am in the process of setting up my sca 120 and I'm already looking at getting a 50 as well! Did you get the pnp or just the tank? Also if you did get the pnp, did you get the wood or the MDF stand? Thanks
SCA 50 pnp with upgraded wood cabinet.
IMG_20200120_225915.jpg
IMG_20200120_225957.jpg
IMG_20200122_111725.jpg
IMG_20200122_111801.jpg
 
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