Fish: Re: [tropical fish club] Buying Basic Tanks in the UK

I would like to try and clarify some of this information because it is not entirely accurate. While tanks are not made the same way they were 20 yrs ago that does not make them any less reliable. It is basically advancement in technology that is responsible for the thinner glass, different types of glass, etc., creating a more lightweight tank that is still sturdy and reliable.

The use of tempered glass is not a bad thing. Tempered glass is actually stronger than standard plate glass, which is the other type used to make aquariums here in the US. To allow the use of thinner glass panes for aquariums now, the companies use braces on the tanks. The use of thicker glass 20+ yrs ago was to prevent the tanks from bowing due to the pressure of the water. The braces allow for thinner glass to be used now because the braces prevent the bowing. This is why it's not a good idea to purchase a used tank of 55 gallons or above (that had a brace or has a broken brace) and use it without that center brace... the trim with the brace can be purchased separately to replace it when it breaks. The replacement trims/braces are different for each manufacturer, so the proper trim should be sought out and used for each tank. In regards to the smaller tanks using thinner glass without braces, this is simply because enough research has
been done so the companies know how thick/thin the glass must be to hold the weight/pressure of the water inside safely, without putting into question the reliability of the tank. Once again... research & technology that wasn't available 20 yrs ago.

In regards to the "sale tanks" for $1/gallon... these ARE the same tanks as the ones that are sold without that sale price. Buying the cheaper tanks and even equipment from the big chain stores such as PetCo, PetSmart, Walmart does not mean less quality of the product. All of the tanks being sold in these chain stores comes either from Aqueon or Marineland. The non name brand labels such as Top Fin, AquaCultuer & Regent are still being made by the same companies (Aqueon or Marineland), the same people are responsible for their construction, etc. The differences in these products is in name only, and happens because of contract deals with these stores. So the comment "you get what you pay for" is not an accurate statement.

The one exception to this is a filter that is found in the box kits. The brand name of the filter is Great Choice. While it is included in the box kits from Aqueon and Marineland, it is the one product included in the kit that is made by some other company (no idea what company) and again, is in there because of a contract the 2 major companies have with the chain stores. I can't speak for Marineland, but I can tell you that Aqueon DOES handle the tech support for those filters even though they don't manufacture that filter themselves.

The price differences you find out there on these tanks is all based on contracts with the manufacturers, but ALL of these tanks DO have a warranty. One thing not commonly known is that the warranty on all of these aquariums is void if the tank is set on a stand other than a manufactured stand made for that size aquarium. So anyone setting their tank on a table, dresser, or home built stand, etc. automatically voids the warranty on the tank.

55 gallon tanks that are found in the box kits are made entirely of tempered glass. This is done to make the weight of the tanks lighter. The only drawback from this is that tempered glass cannot be drilled (for plumbing a sump, etc.).

Each manufacturer has various big brand and private label names out there on the retail market. What used to be known as Oceanic became AllGlass, and AllGlass became Aqueon. What we see out there branded as Perfecto & Spectrum are all Marineland manufactured, and for both of these companies there are the private label (contractually based) names such as Top Fin, Regent, and AquaCulture. Manufacturers go through changes in names over time but they still retain the trademarks on these names even though they no longer use them. This is common in any retail business, not just exclusive to aquariums or aquarium products.

The one correct bit of info I found in this thread was stated by Ray. Those $1/gallon sales DO lose money each time because the stores expect to make up the difference with "add on sales", meaning the equipment and accessories that the store is able to sell with those tanks. So every time one of us current hobbyists goes out and takes advantage of those sales and we don't buy anything except the tanks... we are, essentially, losing money for both the retailer and manufacturer. With the economy what it has been and continues to be, it wouldn't surprise me at all if those $1/gallon sales dwindle or disappear completely at some point for this reason. And, adding to that... those sales are done based on contracts between the retailer and manufacturer... not because the product quality is any different or due to overstock or etc. As with any contract between a manufacturer and retailer, they have their time limits and there is always a risk in the
future that as contracts run out/expire, they are not renewed or the terms are subject to change.

In regards to the UK tanks... I sat with hubby last night and went through one of those links that Christine was nice enough to offer us, and hubby sat her scratching his head alongside of me over many of them. Some of them made sense when we dug deeper and looked into the glass thickness of the larger tanks, differences in gas/oil prices from US to UK, and differences in regulations and policies, etc... however, some of the tank prices just made no sense to either of us. An example of one of these was a 12x12x12 cube tank (7.5 gallon) that when converted, would sell for US cost of over $200. The glass thickness, lack of braces and trim, etc. contributed to our confusion over the high cost. One other thing we did notice was the type of glass they are using for the standard tanks in the UK. While their bottom pane appears to be standard plate glass or tempered glass, the side panes on all of those tanks would be the equivalent to what we know
here in the US as "starfire glass", which is a specially produced glass that can be tinted and offers more clarity than the standard plate or tempered glass. This does not, however, account for the extreme expense of the smaller tanks as mentioned above like that 7.5 gallon tank with a cost of over $200. My husband was as baffled by that as we all are and suggested the same thing I did a few days ago... if someone in the UK could call that company and ask why their prices are so high compared to US tanks, we might get some answers that way. I can't afford to make an international call to do this, otherwise I would have done it already.

I hope this helps to clarify some of the information that is being passed back and forth in this thread. If there is anything else I can do to help clear up this info, or anything else about the manufacturing of aquariums, etc. please feel free to ask. Hubby has limited amount of time to devote to my question sessions, however, he is happy to do what he can to make sure that accurate information is going out to the public.

Dawn

Dawn Moneyhan
Aquatics Specialist/Nutritionist
To learn more about me go to
http://www.helium.com/users/449334

--- On Sat, 6/29/13, oldies1433 <db1433@gmail.com> wrote:

From: oldies1433 <db1433@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [tropical fish club] Buying Basic Tanks in the UK
To: tropicalfishclub@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, June 29, 2013, 9:19 AM

Just a quick comment here about tanks and especially tanks on sale. Yes, I

have read and seen tanks for sale all over up here in Northeast Pa, but

being from the "old school" I always tell people its the same old thing,

you get what you pay for!

Granted, these "sale tanks" are cheap and as Ray just mentioned, you wonder

how they could net the seller any kind of profit. The answer is simple,

take a close look at the sides or ends of the glass on these tanks; a bit

thin ain't it?

Of course it's near impossible to find the quality tanks we used 20 years

ago, especially now with many company's now using "tempered glass" on the

bottoms. In those days 55 gallon tanks came standard with a glass

thickness of about 1/4 inch and believe me, when you picked up one of these

you knew it.

But here is a good case of the "buying a brand name tank" way of thinking.

If you read some of the Aquarium magazines available, you will notice many

of the big names that advertise in them, those are the type tanks you want

to buy. Usually they come with some sort of warranty however cheap they

are, unknown names come with unknown warranty's!

bill in pa

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