[houseofcards]

If anyone has purchased from Glass Cages I'd like to hear about their experiences both in terms of the quality and their drop off service.

 

[kkau1]

I had a custom rimless tank from them made 2 years ago. They used super thick glass that made the tank too heavy to move alone (3 foot x 18 inches x 22 inches). The silicone was pretty sloppy and the edges didn't really line up all the way, but for the price it was worth it at the time. I picked up my tank from their trailer as they toured around for pet shows i think. Things were good, but after a year and a half the tank sprung a leak on the lower corner of one of the sides. I can almost say for sure that it was due to the construction, it was most likely not framed properly when it was made.

 

[oregon aqua]

The only way i have dealt with them is through a couple of e-mails and i would have to say they came off as pretty rude.

i asked about one of the nanos they have listed on their web site and how much it would be to ship UPS to Oregon and the said, to quote from their e-mail (and i'm trying to remember how they wrote it) "we don't do nano tanks and we don't ship glass tanks so this isn't going to work" oh well they had good prices to=0(

this was from a post of mine 3-08-2008

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/nano-aquariums/49215-1ft-cube-garden.html#post368480

 

[houseofcards]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. It doesn't sound too good unless they have improved things of late.

 

[speakerguy]

I frequent Reef Central very often and the reviews of Glass Cages are very mixed. I personally would look elsewhere.

If you are considering acrylic, I would look at http://www.envisionacrylics.com/ . They are very highly respected and all the work I've ever seen from them is first rate. The pics on their website hardly do them justice, they are really pretty. A large tank would be much lighter too. It will cost more than Glass Cages though. For a glass tank http://www.miraclesaquariums.com/ is also highly regarded.

What size tank are you looking for? Perfecto, Marineland make up to 300G as a standard size.

 

[houseofcards]

Thanks speakerguy. Wasn't really considering Acrylic. I think miracles is a canadian company, not sure if the shipping will be a deal breaker. I'll have to check them out.

HoC

 

[speakerguy]

http://www.aquariumobsessed.com/ is popular too but I think they are expensive.

 

[derringer]

The silicone was pretty sloppy and the edges didn't really line up all the way, but for the price it was worth it at the time.

I had considered them at one time, but I saw those same type of comments numerous times ...

I figure workmanship/craftmanship etc is very important and if they aren't good (professional) enough to get those two areas right, I don't care to give them my money - no matter how cheap it is. At the end of the day you get what you pay for - it seems like a great bargain, but the quality and workmanship leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[sai_dee]

Good to know, I almost purchased some tanks from them some time ago.

 

[Revernance]

The only way i have dealt with them is through a couple of e-mails and i would have to say they came off as pretty rude. this was from a post of mine 3-08-2008

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/nano-aquariums/49215-1ft-cube-garden.html#post368480

Wow, customer service like this leaves me speechless. I recieved a rude email from a company one time.

So I just sent a reply with this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer_service

I never heard from them again. I even sent a second email just in case

 

[macclellan]

http://www.aquariumobsessed.com/ is popular too but I think they are expensive.

Insanely expensive. I just received a quote from them on a 12g trimless (20"x12"x12) with a starfire front panel.. They said $269 + $249 shipping(!). For those not so good at math, that's $518, or $43/gallon.

Glasscages quoted me @ $72 + $35 shipping, but I'm weary of buying from them due to reports of shoddy quality and wet floors.

 

[rountreesj]

I'm pretty sure most of the bad experiences come from quite large aquariums...

 

[imcosmokramer]

I am not into planted tanks, but rather reef tanks. I ordered from GlassCages.com and I would NEVER do it again. I ordered two tanks. Once arrived chipped, but I said, hey, stuff happens. These were to be used as grow out tanks for corals, so I didn't really care.

However, the build quality was pathetic at best. The glass was not cut straight, the walls did not line up. There was SO MUCH silicone left over that people who saw that tank literally laughed. The price was fine, but there is no way I would ever have them build me a display tank. Even as grow-out tanks, I have considered just throwing them away and starting from scratch, but that would be such a waste of money. How hard is it to cut rectangles of glass, and then silicone them together (assuming this is your job, and you have all the equipment). I was so angry that I did not even contact them. I figured any company that is willing to send that product out, clearly is not concerned with quality.

Anyways, I can not stress enough how terrible these tanks look. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Tex Gal]

Tex Guy and I bought a tank from Fishtankshop.com It turns out that the manufacturer was glasscages.com. Paula who owns Fishtankshop.com was polite, followed up on progress and finally made sure the tank was done well. When we went to get the tank at first it came with one side off square. We didn't accept delivery and called Paula. She assured us they would redo it perfectly. The next tank was done well. It's true that there was a lot of excess silicone on the bottom. There was also some at the seams. It was relatively easy to remove. For the price I'm not sure you can beat it. If you are expecting ADA quality you won't be getting that. One thing we liked was that you could order your own dimensions. Tex Guy got a 2' x 2' x 19". Perfect for a planted tank!

 

[robinnight]

I got a 20 gal long from them and it's good. I mean it's not ADA quality but the price works for me. I actually got it from the building in TN. Not the best customer service but like I said, it works.

 

[rhodophyta]

Guy down the street picked up a tank he ordered and it leaked from Day One. It was a 48" by 48" by 96" tank and it never could be resealed right. The seal that worked looked like a mess, super thick and rough. I have looked at the tanks they bring for sale at conventions (not the presold ones in the truck). Those tanks have always looked good. Maybe it is that they don't want to take them back with them and/or they pick out the nicest ones for point sales. And yes, I have gotten brusk if not rude email replies from them too. I wanted a slightly different size tank from their standard.

 

[king oz]

I have dealt with them and so has a friend of mine, my friend also said construction was sloppy, he called them before filling it to let them know what he thought, they told him since he didn't buy a stand from them it wasn't under warranty and to scrape of any messy silicone with a razor blade,lol thought that was there job before letting it leave there facility
I also bought an 8x2x2 240g and must say the construction was up to par on my particular tank, but here is where the rude part comes in again, I live in Wichita ks. the closest stop they had has in okc so I rented a trailer and took the trip, they posted on there site that they would arrive in okc at 9am well the weather was a little ruff so i figured they were running behind after waiting an hour in a hotel parking lot, i decided to give them a call the guy was very rude and said he didn't know where i got my info but they wouldn't be there until 9pm i told him from your site and i happen to be sitting here looking at it on my lap top, I was pissed had to pay for a hotel and the trailer for another day, i complained to him and explained my extra cost now he told me he knew how I could save some money and asked for my credit card number so he could cancel my order, i told him I rented the trailer and drove 2-3 hours to get this tank and I wasn't leaving without it, and he still insisted that I just cancel the order, so very very rude in my opinion.

 

[TAB]

Just about every tank maker has the " if its not on mind stand, no warrenity" thing. Realistical, most tanks fail do to lack of support then fail do to bad workmenship( not saying that can't happen)

 

[ashappard]

I bought some acrylics from them. cheap and no complaints.
they aren't fancy rimless starfire tanks but they do look nice. No leaks after quite a while and I do like the way they will make a tank any size you like. My favorite tanks from them are two 24x24x17high cubes, trimless but eurobraced - they are excellent for what I do. very glad I bought them.

the woman on the phone was polite, took my dimensions and called me back with a quote.
the shipping container was well put together and I had enough styrofoam sheet to use as shipping box liners for about 2 years.

isnt there a glasscages thread popping up every so often? this whole thing seems so familiar.

 

[uglybuckling]

I have a 40 rimless from them. The build quality is reasonably good, and the pickup was pretty close, and customer service was actually great. However, the tank did have a TON of extra silicone sealant on it. Again, like Tex said, pretty easy to take off with a razorblade. I filled it up to test the seams, and it's watertight, but I didn't keep water in it for very long. Anyway, *shrug* no complaints yet.