- It's BRS 360 Thursday,
and today, does it matter who made your tank?
Are they all the same?
The answer is there's a lot of good options,
but they're not the same,
and today we hit on why.
And right after the show,
the founder of Reef Savvy, Felix,
is joining us live.
All that's coming up.
(casual upbeat music)
Hey, I'm Ryan, your host of BRStv,
the BRS 360 to full circle journey
of taking everything that we've learned together
and transforming that journey
into a 360 gallon reef tank.
Today, we're talking tank manufacturers.
If you're even considering a new tank,
I'm certain you're gonna leave today
with a pretty clear picture
of what direction's right for you.
I say that because it took me 15 years
to get to this place,
and even then, in just the last few months,
it just really pulled it together for me.
So this is a good chance for you to leapfrog
to the front of that conversation.
The real challenge here
is getting the most value for your dollar,
meaning this isn't about if they'll hold water.
All the glass boxes we discuss today will hold water.
Something else that differentiates all of them
and there's one thing that I hope
everyone comes away with today
is deciphering all the available options
and a real understanding of what the dollar is getting
so you can get the option that best serves your desires
and I'm sure we're gonna deliver on that.
For me, I've owned tanks
from a slew of different manufacturers,
Marineland, Aqueon, ELOS,
Red Sea, Innovative Marine,
custom Vertex tanks, and Reef Savvy,
all the right tank at the right time.
And if I look back at what I paid for
than versus what I got,
I wouldn't have been disappointed with any of them.
I'm gonna share right off the bat,
Felix at Reef Savvy is making the 360 for me.
Felix is a friend of mine.
He's built many of the tanks for the team and I.
The 70 in my office,
the BRS 160
including tanks that we use for PAR testing.
End of story, he's earned my trust
and delivers on the best tanks out there.
But I'll be frank,
at the start of this, I was pretty committed
to going with the team at Planet Aquariums
just because their lead times are shorter
and the tanks are easier to afford
and they do really solid custom work.
But I had a half dozen discussions
with friends that all went the same way,
reminding me that I'm assembling a personal dream here
and looking at it for a decade plus.
I guess the choice just became obvious at some point
and a decision that I won't ever have to second guess.
By the end of this,
you'll see why this was such a hard choice for anyone,
but the differentiators between
the five different tiers of tank manufacturers
are pretty clear once you know what you're looking for.
The one thing I'm gonna state right off the bat here,
is what's inside the tank is way more important
than the tank itself.
I just wouldn't agonize over the tank manufacturer
anymore than I would over a sofa
because the fish and coral
largely won't care which one you choose.
The tank selection is really about us as reefers,
the finer touches in what it looks in the room.
What we're really buying
is a frame for a reefing masterpiece,
where in some cases, the piece of art
actually holds its own
with an off the shelf frame,
in other cases, custom framing costs
as much as the art itself,
but the net combination can be stunning.
So let's get right to it,
there are five buckets of tank manufacturers out there.
Standard off the shelf retail tanks,
in this case, the most popular being
Marineland and Aqueon,
premium retail tanks, like Red Sea,
affordable custom tanks with Glasscages.com being an option,
premium custom tanks from places
like Planet Aquariums and Miracle Aquariums,
and what I'll just refer to as exceptional tanks,
in this case, Reef Savvy and Felix in particular
being the best representation of that.
I'd say I'm a bit biased in favor of Reef Savvy
representing the exceptional end,
but I've yet to meet anyone
who has seen his work and would say otherwise.
All that said,
the thing about each one of these quality steps
is price and lead times double at about every step.
So the obvious question then becomes
is it worth it,
and at which quality tier is there diminishing returns?
That's a personal decision that only applies to you,
but it really means that you know what you're getting
and that value is actually realized
in a meaningful manner,
so let's dig into each one of those tiers.
By far the most common,
is the black trim retail tanks
you can get at a fish store
or even a big box pet store.
I've maintained a slew of these style tanks
over the years.
40 breeders, 90 gallon wave, 120 gallon tanks.
These guys hold water
and get the job done affordably.
End of story.
I'd personally buy this style of tank
wherever it's cheapest,
but unless you're a solid negotiator,
it's often the same price everywhere.
In that case,
I'd just go to a local fish store you like supporting.
The most common brand of retail tanks
are probably Marineland and Aqueon.
These tanks are very popular
simply because they're the lowest cost options.
In most cases, you can find a store in your area
that has them in stock,
and you can walk in and leave with one today.
As do which one of these two brands I like,
I believe the biggest difference
is how they go about overflow placement
on Reef Ready tanks.
With some of the Aqueons,
the overflows are on the back wall,
but the Marinelands are often in the corners.
I personally prefer the corner overflows,
most notably on the popular 120,
where there's only one overflow tower in the corner.
Just much easier to aquascape
and set up flow without dead spots.
Next up is those premium retail tanks.
I think the simplest way to put it
is these are a way for the average reefer
to bring home some of the advantages of a custom tank
without all the cost,
meaning the custom features available on custom tanks,
but made in China using China materials.
Dollar for dollar, this combination
often produces some of the highest value products
in any industry.
I think by far the most common premium line
of reef tanks being the Red Sea REEFER tanks.
Almost every major city has a location
where you can actually go see them in person.
I've lost count of how many Red Sea tanks
we've set up here at the office.
We've got rows of E-170 for lab tanks,
E-170 in my office,
a six foot XXL 750 in the lobby,
an E-260 behind one the main video sets.
The E-Series in particular
just being popular around here
because they're so easy to set up and maintain.
What you're gonna see with the Red Sea REEFER series
is a rimless design which produces
a nice clean look at the top,
low iron clear glass, meaning reduced green tint,
much cleaner seams
without highly visible silicone beads,
matching stands which are cleaner looking and taller
so you're not bending down as much to see the tank,
the back is black,
and it comes with a glass pump
with all the required plumbing.
Once you consider the included self plumbing and stand,
the Red Sea REEFERS are in the neighborhood
of twice the cost of a standard tank.
What you're paying for is a nice, clean look
and what looks like a custom, polished frame
for that reefing masterpiece.
The reason the Red Sea comes in
at a much lower than fully custom tank price
is simply the economies or efficiencies of scale
and building thousands of the exact same size tank
efficiently overseas using overseas materials.
While some stores do stock them
you can pick them up today,
Red Seas are more often shipped direct
from the manufacturer to your doorstep,
a free or at least included perk.
In this case, I think it's pretty clear
what the added cost of a premium retail tank
is delivering on.
I'm pretty confident a large majority of people
will be happy with the results.
Next we will custom the first level of customs,
just a standard style tank,
but in a custom form factor,
meaning you can ask for the size and shape you want
but still at the most affordable price point possible.
I will say I don't have a ton of experience here
that I can offer
other than I called around
and asked all the people that have earned my trust
and they've all said Glasscages.com fits that bill well.
One thing I liked about their site
is they have seemingly hundreds
of different tank sizes and shapes,
all with very clear prices,
many even configurable with clearly priced options.
The prices seem reasonable
and looking at the pictures on this site,
I would say it looks like
the same type of quality standards as that first year
of off the shelf, low cost retail options.
The feedback I received from my peers match that.
This is a solid option for custom size or shape
or configuration at a very reasonable price
and if you don't go in expecting super polished finishes,
I think you'll be happy.
The second tier of custom
is what I describe as premium custom tank manufacturers.
There are a bunch of companies out there
that do this kind of work,
but Miracle Aquariums and Planet Aquariums
are the two that rise to the top
of everyone I know's list.
If you're in the market for an awesome tank,
potentially a custom size or shape,
or just for form matches function,
the tank itself has to match the decor standards
that you or family have set up for the rest of the room,
this is it.
Miracles you can work with directly.
Planet has a dealer chain.
In most cases, they'll hook you up with someone local
to help you get the right tank.
You can see their dealer network here
covers most of the nation.
One of the things you're getting here
is made in the USA with Planet
and made in Canada with Miracles.
The value of that can be harder to find,
but it's just a different standard of care,
meaning the polish and attention to detail
is taken to another step.
The teams building the tanks are long-term tank vets,
mistakes are rare, and when they're made,
they're caught quickly and addressed.
Frankly, you are either dealing directly
with the team that built it
or one step away
and there's just a different level of accountability
associated with that.
My only real gripe
is with both of these companies
their websites do not sell the dream very well.
It'd be nice to see the high-res imagery of all the tanks
and what sets them apart from the rest.
For those of us
who have got a direct recommendation
or seen their work in person,
we know what we're getting,
but for the reefer researching this kind of thing,
it sure would be nice
to see the dream that I'm attempting to buy.
So while this is not the tier
where most reefers start,
Miracles and Planet are a pretty common tier
for that group of reefers
who have been doing this for awhile
and looking to set up a dream style tank.
As I mentioned earlier,
I was about to pull the trigger with Planet for the 360.
It's a pretty darn close to the endgame
of as nice as it gets in glass tanks.
Okay, so what about the truly exceptional tier of tanks?
I feel like I need to express
that I'm a Reef Savvy fanboy
so my opinion is biased.
That said, I'm just gonna say it,
Reef Savvy tanks are not cheap
by any stretch of the imagination
and there is a significant wait time,
so what would justify that?
The materials and manufacturing
are the easiest to find.
Simply put, Reef Savvy is not just made in America,
but also using the best American and European components,
meaning there's what's known as low iron
or generic terms like ultra clear glass
and then there's three quarter inch
Belgian made DIAMANT glass
shipped in basically hermetically sealed containers.
When Felix cracks them,
the air that comes out is from Belgium.
This is museum quality,
highly transparent extra clear glass
with very little residual color.
The green tinge inherent with ordinary glass
is nearly illuminated with ultra low, iron oxide levels,
meaning particularly bright true color representation
of all the corals and fish.
However, I believe the thing that separates
Reef Savvy from the pack
is you're dealing direct with the owner
top of the chain.
There isn't a single tank lead in the facility
that hasn't been touched by Felix.
I'm not sure how to describe it,
but fanatical business founders like this
just have standards
that are nearly impossible to reproduce.
Speaking from first-hand experience,
the most impressive thing
is how many times he's told me no.
The thing about standards
is they only have meaning if you uphold them,
most importantly, when it's hardest to do.
So in cases where others would bend the standards
to make a sale,
Felix sticks to the standards,
because he knows what good looks like
and how to achieve it,
simple as that.
The reefing community has also seen
a level of innovation that comes from Reef Savvy
that the rest of the industry
has attempted to copy after.
They're the founder of the low profile Ghost Overflow,
armored seams, and phantom bottoms,
but more than that,
when you're designing your tank with Felix and his team,
the evolutionary style of thinking
is applied to every aspect and decision of the tank,
meaning that you'll be 100% happy on all fronts.
Also, that's speaking just for myself.
I've had the chance to meet Felix
when he made that first tank for me back in 2013.
I got to know him pretty well since then.
What I know about Felix
is exceptional work is written into the code of his DNA.
If we asked for him to do less,
he'd just quit and do something else.
In fact, the process
of putting this video together this week,
and saying some of these things out loud,
it really seems silly
that I was considering any other option.
But let's come back down to Earth a bit.
Exceptional work is neither cheap or fast
and it's often in high demand.
There's a reason why the 50 plus tanks at BRS
only three are Reef Savvy tanks,
and it's because there's a cost
associated with exceptional.
Even though I want it, I can't always have it.
So I'm just gonna say it like it is here.
When Felix heard
that I was finally building my dream in my own house,
he called me up
and told me his wife and him discussed it
and they wanna build something really special
as a gift for me.
Without getting too emotional about it,
I just gonna say,
that is one of the nicest things
anyone in the industry has done for me
and every time I look at the tank,
it's gonna have a very special meaning
that goes way beyond an aquarium,
but, more so, an extension of friendships
that I can share with my family and all of you.
In this case, you can actually check out
both the Reef Savvy website as well as Facebook
and see some really solid examples of his work
which depicts the dream pretty darn well.
So coming up next,
you get to see the man behind the curtain.
Felix himself is joining us live
in just 15 minutes at 12:30.
We're gonna share some of his work
and just talk what makes an awesome tank.
So click that link to join us.
And if this is your first time with us,
you can see the entire 360 build series here.
But we'll see you in 15 minutes.