Where to get a big bowfront?

kare-bear

kare-bear

Member
Hi,
I have had fresh water tanks for years. I started a 24 gallon aquapod reef 1 1/2 years ago and I love it. It's time to get something bigger. I am pricing out a 72 inch bow front Oceanic to build into a wall. It's really difficult to figure out what I need to get. The local fish store can make me a package but I wonder if I can save some big bucks by buying online. I might need some help figuring out everying so maybe I should buy local. Does anyone know where to get good deals on large glass aquariums? Thanks for reading this.:wave:
 
DrHank

DrHank

Well-Known Member
:welcomera :hallo: I'd post that I'm looking for one on every site I could find. I'd check the equipment for sale on every site I could find. I'd look on craigslist.com in your area. I'd check LFS for both new and used. Finally, I'd check the local free ad papers and newspaper classifieds. A good deal is bound to come up if you can wait it out.
 
Witfull

Witfull

Well-Known Member
welcome to RS.

i would buy the tank local, no shipping/broken/scratched/chipped aggrevation.

i would get a reef ready tank as well.

you can get everything else online or DIY it...depending on your skills and desire to do it yourself.

first thing you need to decide is, and yes this is hard to do, what do you want to have, type of tank...reef,,, fish with a few easy corals,,, lots of corals a few fish,,,,,then


what fish will fit this type of tank,,,,which corals


its alot to decide, but you will spend lots of money in this hobby. its better to think twice spend once~
 
kare-bear

kare-bear

Member
Thanks Dr. Hank,
I want a new tank, I am in a small community. I have been searching e-bay and Craigslist for a while. I am interested in a 72 inch glass bow. I heard that All-glass and Oceanic are now the same company. I want to order this week so that I can start knocking out my wall and planning frame. That's a good idea to post multiple sites to see if anyone has an idea on a sale.
 
mps9506

mps9506

Well-Known Member
You won't find any cheaper prices for new AGA/Oceanic aquariums online, as the shipping cost for shipping one tank are typically cost prohibitive for online vendors to sell them.
Like everyone else said, keep checking the FS/FT forums, craigslist and ebay for something local to pop up. your other option is to order custom from miracles, glass-cages etc., but that probably won't actually save ya money :)
What I recomend when buying new AGA/Oceanic tanks is to call around to every pet and fish store within 50-100 miles of ya. Tell them what size you want to order and see what they quote you. Many places sell aquariums near or at cost to get you in the door to buy the rest of the stuff, I've seen as much as $300-$400 price difference on the same big oceanic aquariums from different shops. Also you might find a place that has had one sitting for a while that they want to move out cheap.
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
Check out our vendors here on RS in the Vendors catagory.

And WELCOME to the REEF! I love Bowfronts!!

:)
 
kare-bear

kare-bear

Member
That's probably the best reply I've received. I will but local and see who can do the best deal. I'll probably end up buying everything together anyways. I have looked at the sites you listed. Thanks for the advice.
 
kare-bear

kare-bear

Member
I don't know Jack or where to find him on here. I also can't find any vendors. I'm pretty new to computers.....
 
DrHank

DrHank

Well-Known Member
Definitely talk to Jack. Don't totally rule out used. I just drove 18 hours round trip to pick up just the tank that you are looking for. In my case I was lucky and got an entire system free. That was a find of a lifetime. However, you can easily save 50% of the cost if you keep looking and go used. The one thing that I will say is that by the time most folks buy a 155 gallon Bowfront, they know enough to buy good to great equipment to go with it. If you can wait out someone who is upgrading or getting out of the hobby (like the set up I got) you will get the most for the least. Good luck and happy reefing!
 
Witfull

Witfull

Well-Known Member
ive seen glass cages work,,can be very shoddy. poor silicone work, poor beveling of corners, wavy glass....you get what you pay for, especially sight unseen.
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
Even though AGA and Oceanic are now the same company there is still a difference in the tanks IMO. I had looked at repeatedly and was ready to buy a 72 AGA bowfront when they showed me a 90 Oceanic Tech tank. within about 10 minutes I decided I had to have the nicer tank even though it was quite a bit more expensive. Also if you can build a relationship with the LFS you can get them to sell the tank at or close to cost since they know they will make money off of you when stocking etc.
Other than the tank and stand I would order the equipment on-line. If you go to the forums page down towards the bottom are our sponsort. Several of them have great prices on equipment as well as more variety. Most LFS will sell 1 or 2 kinds of protein skimmer for example while the on-line vendors may have 20 different kinds often for about half the cost.
Now most of my livestock and food I buy locally but have also had some good experiences ordering livestock from our sponsors.
 
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