Feeling paranoid about bad tank reviews

[bridgerunner]

I’ve had one tank panel crack in a decade of freshwater fishkeeping, and that tank was maybe a little vulnerable due to age, location, etc.

Since then I’ve moved across the country, was fishless for a couple years, have a happy lil 7 gallon planted nanotank, and am gearing up to set up a medium size (45-75 gallon) planted tank, with mostly new equipment.

The terrible reviews of basically every glass tank on Petsmart/Petco websites are freaking me out. I like taller tanks. Considering a 65 gallon, comes with a stand. Aqueon. More than half of reviews complain of leaking and/or cracking.

I’m so worried about this I’m almost contemplating dropping a thousand bucks on a smaller-than-ideal acrylic tank.

Has there been some weird epidemic of terrible quality tanks since I got out this 5-6 years ago? Please reassure me that a standard glass tank on a solid, level stand is not going to actually have a 50% chance of flooding my house and killing a hundred bucks worth of stock.

 

[dougall]

Nobody is really gonna say much when something works as it should, in this case holding water, so it's not quite a 50/50 chance.

But,I'm also one to suggest not cutting corners when it comes to aquatic life and large boxes holding water. There are definitely far better options out there than high Street dollar per gallon aquariums too.

I'm personally a fan of higher end, rimless aquariums, Ultum, Landen, Evolution Aqua, Waterbox etc. there are also many tanks geared towards saltwater setups that will work fine for freshwater once you choose different lights.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I have been keeping fish since jan 01. For most of that time I have had 20-30 tanks running at least a part of the year. I have gone out of my way to try to buy only All Glass (now Aqueon). I have had very few issues with leaking and only one cracking. My very first tank was a 45 gal and it did delevlop a leak after about 15 years. I do not reseal tanks, I replace them.

I had a used 75 gal I bought leak after about the same amount of time and I have had a 5.5 gal crack because I left one end unsupported when it was half filled with water (a stupid mistake by me). This is the only tank where the glass has cracked. All the rest that leaked lost their seal someplace.

Many of the folks who shop at pet places for fish stuff are newbies. The odds are the issue was not with the tank but with their lack of experience which led them to make mistakes. The stand needs to be leve and the tank frame must be supported all around the bottom. It is dangerous to move a tank with substrate, water and fish in it. I have learned to do this by lowering the water level to maybe an inch above a thin layer of substrate. I can move and active tank with fish and plants still in it but.. and this is still risky. If i cannot lift such a tank, I will not try to move it this way.

I have purchased used all Glass tanks that were anywhere from 10 to 25 years old and still have most of them. My 150 has to have been made in the 1960s or 70s and was bought used.

Finally, when I was still buying more tanks I loved the PetCo buck a gallon sales. the only thing i insisted on was I would only by Aqueon tanks v.s. the other brands they offered.

Here is the real information one needs to consider. If all glass were making bad tanks which cracked regualrly, would you not sww this posted all over fish sites and social media?

 

[dudley]

I agree that people usually only post about issues with any product is when they have a problem. Having said that, definitely check out any aquarium before purchasing it and look at the construction of the tank, the application of the silicone, the plastic trim and any other points before buying.

If you will be taking the tank home yourself, provide enough padding to secure the tank from sliding around in your vehicle, cardboard, towels, old carpet scraps and other cushioning material will definitely help secure the tank and avoid dinging it. Be sure to have enough help to move the tank from your vehicle to your home if you can't handle it easily and never, never lift the aquarium by the plastic trim on the top of the tank!!!!

 

[bridgerunner]

Yeah, I’m assuming a lot of the complaints are from people who don’t know how to handle an aquarium. Thanks for the reassurance.

 

[FreshyFresh]

You've got 2 players in the standard sized store bought aquarium sector.

1) Central Garden and Pet. They make Aqueon tanks and some other aquaria product name brands.

2) United Pet group, which I believe is now called Spectrum brands. They make Marineland, Tetra and other aquaria name brands.

They're both decent products, but one thing I've noticed between the two is Marineland tends to use thinner glass than aqueon. I've found this between comparing 29g and 55g between the two companies.

I've also had the glass crack on a marineland 29g and had a bottom seal leak on a tetra 55gal. Both tanks were under a year old and on store bought stands intended specifically for them.

In my opinion, it doesn't matter if you pay $1/gal or $10/gal. Any time you have a box of water in your house, no matter the construction or material. The potential for water escaping is always going to be an issue. Thinking about the risk prior to setting something up is wise.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I believe Spectrum also owns Perfecto since it was bought out first by Marineland which Spectrun then acquired. I believe the Marineland and Tetras tanks are basically the old Perfecto brand. I never liked them and the biggest drawback is that the tops between the two brands were not the exact same size and could not be used interchangeably. I also recall their strip lights were not quite the same either.

For those curious, here are the pet brands owned by the two companies FF listed above:
https://www.central.com/our-brands
https://www.spectrumbrands.com/brands/pet-care.html

Both companies have many more brands which are not pet related but you will have to look for yourself if you are really curious.

 

[FreshyFresh]

I believe Spectrum also owns Perfecto since it was bought out first by Marineland which Spectrun then acquired. I believe the Marineland and Tetras tanks are basically the old Perfecto brand.....

Agreed.

Same situation as Aqueon being what once was All-Glass I believe.

I''d try to avoid Marineland tanks 55g and under as well. The 60's and up I've seen don't look too bad and have more substantial frames and thicker glass than the smaller sizes. It's always a pain when you have a mix of Aqueon and Marineland tanks because of the difference in hood and lid sizes like you mentioned.

 

[fishorama]

I'm not sure some "brands" aren't locally made. My late father in law worked for a time a warehouse that made tanks & shipped pet supplies (not "that store", it was a local family name I don't recall).

That said I've never had a tank crack or break in 40 years of tank keeping. I have had the silicone seals fail several times on very old or tanks of unknown age. It's not that hard to reseal.

Most new tanks come with some form of guaranty against leaks.

I think stands are more likely a problem especially if "homemade" or made of particle board. You need to make sure is "pretty" level in all directions. On a 4 ft long tank even almost a half inch "off" has not been an issue for me. But shims before you add water to level a tank are a very good idea.

Beware any "bumps" along the stand surface, a lump of paint or glue or uneven wood could cause a problem, the bigger the tank the bigger the issue.

 

[bridgerunner]

Yeah, I ordered a Water Box today. It’s time for a nice tank, and their stands are top-notch.