Tanks from Petsmart

[anthoney]

Has anyone ever had a problem with a tank that they bought from Petsmart? the reason i ask is that i went into a different lfs and the guy in there told me that the tanks in Petsmart are garbage and that he could sell me one that was better(thicker glass) but it was about twice as much as i paid. Also since his tank had different dimensions i would have to buy a new stand and canopy which he could also sell me for twice as much. I am curious what you guys think.

 

[diatom]

New tanks come with a warrenty...ues some are better then others but you'll be fine with what you bought

 

[mr . salty]

Just like everything else in life,YOU GET WHAY YOU PAY FOR.Good stuff aint cheap,and cheap stuff aint good.Although there are obvious diferences in quality between say an Oceanic and a Perfecto,It usually doesn't matter unless you are buying a large(100+ gallon)tank.Even then,I cant see paying more than $500 for a glass box.I have never paid more than $200 for a tank.The 130 I now have was FREE........

 

[wally]

From what I have been told by several ex-petsmart employees all of the petsmart tanks sold under the brand name "Top-Fin" are made for them by Perfecto. A good example is the 150 extra high they sell. (Its a very cool tank BTW) anyway Perfecto is the only company I know of that makes a tank that size and I have looked. You will find that most fish stores sell tanks for about the same price that is because they don't make hardley any money on them but they make a ton of money on the other stuff that goes with a tank like filters and lighting.
Anyway Petsmart gets a deal from Perfecto by buying huge amounts of tanks at the same time. The catch is they have to sell them under another name so they choose "Top Fin" to sell them under. I own several Top Fin Tanks and I am very happy with them.

 

[birdy]

I also have a topfin 46gal bowfront from Petsmart and have no complaints or problems with it.

 

[garyfla]

Hi
I'm curious as to what would be the difference in the tanks except long term mainteenance.What else does a tank need to
do except hold water and be non reactive?
Gary

 

[broomer5]

As Mr. Salty said - when "buying" a tank - you get what you pay for.
True - a glass tank is just a box, but it should be strong enough to not only hold water, but for those using it for a reef tank, it may have an additional 100-200 lbs of sand, and another couple hundred lbs of live rock, depending on the size of course.
I've had Perfecto tanks that tested out just fine with a full fresh water load, but when I drained that out and proceeded to add my substrate, rock and water - LEAKER !!!
Talk about getting PO'd - tear it all down and return the tank to store.
Not to say that Perfecto does not make a good tank - just happened I got one that leaked.
Since then I've always had 100% good luck with All-Glass manufactured tanks.
Whatever works for you is going to influence your opinion and choice and recommendations.

 

[risc]

I have 3 Top-Fin tanks... two 125 longs and the 150 tall... they are all excellent tanks and I have never had a problem with any of them.
Jim

 

[ewiski]

i only buy oceanic tanks for anything larger then a 20 gallon. yea there more expensive but i find they are worth the extra money.

 

[garyfla]

Hi
Was curious if anyone had ever had a
tank completely fail? Glass break or
adhesive let go. In over 30 years of
keeping tanks I've never had one do it.
In fact I've never even had one leak
except for the old stainless framed ones.
Gary

 

[garyfla]

Hi
When we moved to Florida in 79 I used a 40 breeder for a packing box for household items
It sat for three years on end in the closet.I set
it up after that and maintaned it for 2 years
Was then used as a live bait well on boat and was then given to a friend you used it for another two years and gave it to another friend who is still
using it to my knowledge.Never leaked a drop in all
those setups And this was a 40 breeder cheapest tank
they make. Gary