Beware Oceanic Stands
- Thread starter lcstorc
- Start date
saamath
Member
I just registered on this forum, and I'm sorry if it is WAY late in the game to bring this thread back to the Oceanic incident... You guys were all pretty much correct, in that Oceanic used to make the best tanks available... Up until a few years ago, Oceanic was the only brand to offer comprehensive coverage on the tanks that they sold, 'so long as the tank were placed on an Oceanic stand.' Back then, the stands came unfinished unless you paid to have a custom facing applied, and they were made of plywood rather than particle board. The company catered to the highest-end clientele, the types of consumers who wouldn't blink an eye at shelling out an extra couple hundred bucks to make the stand match the decor of its surroundings perfectly. During my many years of working LFSs (Aquamain's in Greensboro, NC and Premium Aquatics in Indianapolis, IN being the largest), I saw literally dozens of amazing Oceanic systems sold and installed, and almost all of them are still up and running, with no structural issues yet experienced.
Everything changed about 5 years ago... Once companies like Perfecto Mfg. started making tanks with Starphire glass and quality construction, Oceanic lost out on its top-shelf monopoly. The company became less profitable, and was purchased by All-Glass Aquariums. At that point, corners were cut to keep costs down. Concept tanks like the Tech series were introduced with a focus on outward appearance rather than on craftsmanship. They tried to aim for middle-tier consumers rather than the wealthy ones, so attention to detail came second to cost reduction. Problems were reported with each new 'series' that they churned out. Essentially, an Oceanic tank is now just an All-Glass with a fancier label and a higher sticker price. They still advertise their 'lifetime guarantee' on their products, but as some of you have seen they'll fight tooth and nail to avoid honoring that obligation. There has even been talk as recently as last year that Central Pet, the parent company to All-Glass, is looking to eliminate the Oceanic line in all regards except for packaged products like marine salt, and their notorious Bio-Cubes. Apparently they've realized that making cheap tanks with a lifetime guarantee is bad for the bottom line.
It's sad to see such a well-respected line go down in flames like that. I still have my original reef-ready 58 gallon system running after almost a decade, and it depresses me that I can't count on ever buying another one that will give me that type of performance. I wish you luck with the new stand, and I'd recommend doing a little 'after-market' bracing to the interior. It's easy to piece together a skeleton framework with structural lumber or with metal inside of the stand body, and by only attaching the frame to itself rather than into the stand walls you won't need to make any physical alterations to the actual stand itself so the warranty will still be valid. The bracing will also prevent the weight of the tank from ever compressing the stand enough to put pressure on the glass doors, so the blowout scenario won't repeat itself.
Everything changed about 5 years ago... Once companies like Perfecto Mfg. started making tanks with Starphire glass and quality construction, Oceanic lost out on its top-shelf monopoly. The company became less profitable, and was purchased by All-Glass Aquariums. At that point, corners were cut to keep costs down. Concept tanks like the Tech series were introduced with a focus on outward appearance rather than on craftsmanship. They tried to aim for middle-tier consumers rather than the wealthy ones, so attention to detail came second to cost reduction. Problems were reported with each new 'series' that they churned out. Essentially, an Oceanic tank is now just an All-Glass with a fancier label and a higher sticker price. They still advertise their 'lifetime guarantee' on their products, but as some of you have seen they'll fight tooth and nail to avoid honoring that obligation. There has even been talk as recently as last year that Central Pet, the parent company to All-Glass, is looking to eliminate the Oceanic line in all regards except for packaged products like marine salt, and their notorious Bio-Cubes. Apparently they've realized that making cheap tanks with a lifetime guarantee is bad for the bottom line.
It's sad to see such a well-respected line go down in flames like that. I still have my original reef-ready 58 gallon system running after almost a decade, and it depresses me that I can't count on ever buying another one that will give me that type of performance. I wish you luck with the new stand, and I'd recommend doing a little 'after-market' bracing to the interior. It's easy to piece together a skeleton framework with structural lumber or with metal inside of the stand body, and by only attaching the frame to itself rather than into the stand walls you won't need to make any physical alterations to the actual stand itself so the warranty will still be valid. The bracing will also prevent the weight of the tank from ever compressing the stand enough to put pressure on the glass doors, so the blowout scenario won't repeat itself.
