Why are lowboys so hard to find?
- Thread starter bexlc
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Pico bam
Well-Known Member
Right!?! I've been trying to order like 3-5 of them! Just haven't gotten my butt to the lfs to see if they can get them in. Ive got a store that loves me and will order just about anything commission free. I believe petco or petsmart might even be able to get them for you not sure if you have them in MO.
Probably because they are in demand but a niche product.
I've priced them with shipping and I'm better off building the lowboy from glass panels.
BanjoBandito
Valuable Member
didn't "DEEP BLUE" go under as a company?
coralfishreef
Active Member
Lowboys have very thin glass. My guess is that they don’t ship well. When I went to pick one up from an LFS, the owner opened the box to make sure it wasn’t broken because he said they often come in damaged. The lowboy had a broken pane and I remember that he said “!@&?!?@!, this can’t be returned. I’ll have to eat the cost.”
we can make them and and make many of them.
However, they are not anything like the offshore mass produced ones with respect to price and quality. The mass produced offshore tanks are built with a plastic frame and thinner glass.
Let us know how we can help.
coralfishreef
Active Member
A local seller uses an older glass cages frag tank and it is solid - thick glass and lots of silicone. My guess is that the Zoomed Lowboy glass thickness is 4mm.
The LFS had another lowboy that wasn’t damaged which I bought, setup, and then took down and sold at a loss. The lowboy just felt too flimsy for my comfort. Thin glass and the plastic trim wasn’t solid plastic but foam with a thin plastic veneer.
The viewing area from the front, sides, and back is narrow because of the low height and top and bottom trim. If you’re looking at using multiple lowboys, have you looked at using a hydroponics tray or stock tub instead?
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bexlc
Community Member
Yeah, my beef with the aquaponics tubs is the lack of side viewing. I need something that I can observe without having to lift every frag to view from the top. Pest management becomes a real problem when you’re unable to get good side views.
I haven’t actually seen lowboys in person, but I’m sure that the price is indicative of quality. I may have to look at building something myself unless there’s something out there than can hold large amounts of water without being “show quality” and achieve the intended purpose.
I haven’t actually seen lowboys in person, but I’m sure that the price is indicative of quality. I may have to look at building something myself unless there’s something out there than can hold large amounts of water without being “show quality” and achieve the intended purpose.
coralfishreef
Active Member
It’s hard to beat $100 - $150 for a lowboy and if you don’t have it against a wall and surrounded on both sides like I had it 
, there are a lot of viewing opportunities.
Maybe check with local LFS in state or nearby states or local reefers. You may need to drive some distance to pick one up. I’ve also seen local reefers sell lowboys from time to time.
If you’re looking at other options, Advanced acrylics has some larger acrylic frag tanks but they are 7 times the price and they’re acrylic.
Glasscages tanks also has tanks around that size which start at around $500 according to their site, but shipping can be expensive.
, there are a lot of viewing opportunities. Maybe check with local LFS in state or nearby states or local reefers. You may need to drive some distance to pick one up. I’ve also seen local reefers sell lowboys from time to time.
If you’re looking at other options, Advanced acrylics has some larger acrylic frag tanks but they are 7 times the price and they’re acrylic.
Glasscages tanks also has tanks around that size which start at around $500 according to their site, but shipping can be expensive.
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bexlc
Community Member
I own two of the advanced acrylic 24”x24”x8” frag tanks. I paid somewhere around $250 for approximately 20 gallons. They are wildly infuriating, because at that low of volume, even taking an alk test sets off the ATO and every time I change out the filter floss, the water level changes. Now compare that to say, the Aqueon 75 gallon which can be purchased for $110. The annoyance there is more ergonomical. However, theoretically, dollars to dollars spent, you could set a frag rack at the same depth from the rim of the 75 as you would from the frag tank and have the tank lower to the floor to compensate for the ergonomic/usability difference. Less money, more real estate, greater stability. Would I do it? Eh, hard maybe.It’s hard to beat $100 - $150 for a lowboy and if you don’t have it against a wall and surrounded on both sides like I had it
Maybe check with local LFS in state or nearby states or local reefers. You may need to drive some distance to pick one up. I’ve also seen local reefers sell lowboys from time to time.
If you’re looking at other options, Advanced acrylics has some larger acrylic frag tanks but they are 7 times the price and they’re acrylic.
Glasscages tanks also has tanks around that size which start at around $500 according to their site, but shipping can be expensive.
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They became Seapora, same exact tanks and everything.
CDA Built me a amazing 80g frag tank, I’d highly recommend CDA and also AGE for custom tanks.
$1800 about 300 of it was shipping, all starfire, reinforced seams and reinforced starboard bottom and external overflow.
I just want to point out one thing. While Deep Blue is now Seapora, their tanks are not EXACTLY the same. It might be a nit pick but very important to differentiate. I can't confirm this for every tank but I know for the popular 80g shallow tanks, Deep Blue used to only make them with a bottom tempered pane. Now Seapora makes them will all tempered sides. I'm sure a lot of their tanks follow the same trend now. When I was trying to figure out if I could drill my tank or not, I found a lot of conflicting information on the forums until I reached out to Seapora. Luckily I had a Deep Blue tank and was able to drill it.
Like I said, I only know this is true for the 80 gal RR tanks. If you're interested in a certain tank you may be in luck. This 60gal frag tank is described to have non-tempered sides.
Seapora Reef-Ready Frag Aquarium - Rimless - 60 gal
Most Glass Tanks are only available for pickup in our Lancaster, PA retail store, and not for shipping Seapora tanks are designed with the reef aquarist and home coral fragger in mind. They are made of a combination of tempered and untempered glass panels and feature unique dimensions and sizes...
But here, for the 80gal it says it was built with tempered glass. "This aquarium has been assembled with tempered glass panels for safety and durability."
Seapora 80 Gallon RIMLESS Reef Ready Aquarium 48x24x16
This Seapora Rimless Reef-Ready Aquarium has been made with the highest quality materials available. All RF series rimless reef-ready aquariums are equipped with a corner overflow box and two holes - a 1" drain and a ¾" return. All models include diamond polished edges and black silicone.This...
bluefishaquarium.com
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