Recommendation of reliable aquarium shops

[epicrates cenchria]

Hi, all,

I'm currently doing renovations of my new flat and toying with the idea of having a sizeable (4 or 5 ft) marine tank built in with my cabinet. Actually, I'm quite pressed for time as I need to give the details of the tank and its related equipment to my ID so that work can move on the site...........Hmmmm...... as I'm really like clueless how to get it started, can anybody help by recommending me some shops which I can do some more research......... helpppppp, people, please...........

[TayHongSiang]

Hi, all,

I'm currently doing renovations of my new flat and toying with the idea of having a sizeable (4 or 5 ft) marine tank built in with my cabinet. Actually, I'm quite pressed for time as I need to give the details of the tank and its related equipment to my ID so that work can move on the site...........Hmmmm...... as I'm really like clueless how to get it started, can anybody help by recommending me some shops which I can do some more research......... helpppppp, people, please...........

You can check out Aquamarin @ Katong...they are one of the reliable LFS to set up for you.

Another one is Reef Depot...in terms of price...hmmm...coz they are using mainly deltec equipments and german made tanks.

[Solo77]

henry from marine life and iwarna also provide such service. Bro, if you intend to set up a 4ft tank. Just inform your ID on the dimension and cater the space for the tank. The shops mentioned do help ppl to customise cabinet, etc.

For RD, the higher price is due to quality equipment from europe. Their after sales service is one of the best around. There are other commercial makers....yonghua and han teck, etc. Their contact can be found here or arowana forum....all the best.

[epicrates cenchria]

Ah Siang & Solo77,

Thanx for your fast reponse, guys! Looks like I get started by researching on those that you recommended, yes... I 'll need lots of luck ......& hardwork too! I'm getting my ID to build my cabinet as he had designed a wonderful showpiece on his drawings for me at the dinning area so I need to feed him with the technical specifications so that he can get materialised......... If you guys have any more recommendations, please do keep posting coming in...... thank you so much!

[mopiko]

Ah Siang & Solo77,

Thanx for your fast reponse, guys! Looks like I get started by researching on those that you recommended, yes... I 'll need lots of luck ......& hardwork too! I'm getting my ID to build my cabinet as he had designed a wonderful showpiece on his drawings for me at the dinning area so I need to feed him with the technical specifications so that he can get materialised......... If you guys have any more recommendations, please do keep posting coming in...... thank you so much!

ID is not the best person to design the aquarium. it might be better if you can crave out the space that you want the custom made aquarium to be and get a tank maker to build it up.

[epicrates cenchria]

ID is not the best person to design the aquarium. it might be better if you can crave out the space that you want the custom made aquarium to be and get a tank maker to build it up.

Ya lor.....he's not designing the aquarium but providing the space for it. That's precisely why I have to come to a conclusion so that he can move with the design of the capentry, wish he can design the aquarium as well......... as I'm quite hopeless. Where, how & when to start?????

[TayHongSiang]

Ya lor.....he's not designing the aquarium but providing the space for it. That's precisely why I have to come to a conclusion so that he can move with the design of the capentry, wish he can design the aquarium as well......... as I'm quite hopeless. Where, how & when to start?????

Yr ID will not commit something he is not familiar...he can only do up the cabinet for you and drill some holes for the pipings...that's about it.

Since you intend to go into this hobby, better get the professionals to do for you...less headache later.

[TayHongSiang]

Ya lor.....he's not designing the aquarium but providing the space for it. That's precisely why I have to come to a conclusion so that he can move with the design of the capentry, wish he can design the aquarium as well......... as I'm quite hopeless. Where, how & when to start?????

Yr ID will not commit something he is not familiar...he can only do up the cabinet for you and drill some holes for the pipings...that's about it.

Since you intend to go into this hobby, better get the professionals to do for you...less headache later.

[Solo77]

Hi Bro, i will suggest you just get the ID to inform you space available and type of formica or finishing on the cabinet. This can be then communicated to your tank maker. Understand your anxiety. All the best.

Ya lor.....he's not designing the aquarium but providing the space for it. That's precisely why I have to come to a conclusion so that he can move with the design of the capentry, wish he can design the aquarium as well......... as I'm quite hopeless. Where, how & when to start?????

[epicrates cenchria]

Hi Bro, i will suggest you just get the ID to inform you space available and type of formica or finishing on the cabinet. This can be then communicated to your tank maker. Understand your anxiety. All the best.

He's making the tank the centrepiece, the focal attention of the dinning area, so he's working around it. Btw, I had been to Aquamarin @ Jalan kayu, and was quoted $10k for a german system, all inclusive & Sea Life Aquarium @ Balestier and was quoted $5k for a local system, including fishes & coral. Honestly, I really don't know how to go about it and what should I ask or look for in their quotation? Do you guys have any experience with these 2 aquariums? Appreciate your advice..........

[TayHongSiang]

He's making the tank the centrepiece, the focal attention of the dinning area, so he's working around it. Btw, I had been to Aquamarin @ Jalan kayu, and was quoted $10k for a german system, all inclusive & Sea Life Aquarium @ Balestier and was quoted $5k for a local system, including fishes & coral. Honestly, I really don't know how to go about it and what should I ask or look for in their quotation? Do you guys have any experience with these 2 aquariums? Appreciate your advice..........

Did they provide an itemised quotation to you listing the type of equipments, pipings, type & brand of lightings, what is the type of wood they using for yr cabinet, etc...? Or just a ballpark figure?

I'm sure you saw their display tanks and i m sure AM one is definitely more appealing...

You can list down some of the equipments like protein skimmers, lightings,etc...and let the lau jiaos here advised you whether you r getting a good deal.

I was quoted from RD for $20k for a 3ft german system with protein skimmer, calcium reactor, etc...everything in.

[epicrates cenchria]

Did they provide an itemised quotation to you listing the type of equipments, pipings, type & brand of lightings, what is the type of wood they using for yr cabinet, etc...? Or just a ballpark figure?

I'm sure you saw their display tanks and i m sure AM one is definitely more appealing...

You can list down some of the equipments like protein skimmers, lightings,etc...and let the lau jiaos here advised you whether you r getting a good deal.

I was quoted from RD for $20k for a 3ft german system with protein skimmer, calcium reactor, etc...everything in.

It's just a ballpark estimate..... hmm..... I should ask them for an itemised quote. Yes, lor.... I fell in love with the display tank almost immediately........ it is like in its own world.......

Oh, my.....$20k for a 3ft german tank, looks like my next step is to ask for a proper itemised quote, guess I know what to do next.....

[thomas_lim]

Maybe you want to ask yourself how much you want to commit in this hobby. You can go for a top class setup immediately or an average setup which can still produce the same result depending on your husbandry practise and commitment to the hobby.

E.g. local tank setup with better equipments.

IMO, either one will still please oneself depending on individual level of satisfactory point.

I know some reefers here had deep pocket so pardon me if I said the below.

In event that you will give up on the hobby la.. it is always good to have a "back-out" plan. So I would look at the resale value for my setup as well and put it in my equation.

P.S. Not saying you will give up la..

Just my $0.02.

[peacemaker]

AM has a thread to showcase their set-ups. Gallery

[ReDDeviLs]

bro, need to tell u this..

10K setup for 4x2x2 tank.. may consist of very low end.. brandless stuffs..

20K setup for 3x2x2 tank may consist of very high end branded stufs..

also do a check on customer service,reliability on equipments and any backup spares incase something breakdown.

also make sure what u wan can deliver within ur time frame, u wun want ur project to delay for weeks just bcos of 1 item.

remember to consider u want people to maintain for u,or u want to play along and enjoy this hobby yourself. this plays a big part in terms of $ and passion. what u see doesnt mean what it will be like in ur tank,after all maintainence people onli come once per 1-2weeks. where else if its your own tank or shop's tank,they are there daily.

hope all this helps.

to add on with what bro thomaslim said.

resale value is v important too. doesnt mean u have to give up then the resale value affect u, dont forget of upgrading too!

we are always looking to a better upgrade to improve ourself and our system.

lastly, perhaps ur ID can link and discuss with ur future tank maker to come up with something even better!

hope my input helps!

fyi: some reefers here take sides on some aquarium shops,unless they know u,trust u,then they willing to share their true experience privately. else later kenna backfire.. kenna sue! LOL!

[topfuel_19]

bro, need to tell u this..

10K setup for 4x2x2 tank.. may consist of very low end.. brandless stuffs..

20K setup for 3x2x2 tank may consist of very high end branded stufs..

also do a check on customer service,reliability on equipments and any backup spares incase something breakdown.

also make sure what u wan can deliver within ur time frame, u wun want ur project to delay for weeks just bcos of 1 item.

remember to consider u want people to maintain for u,or u want to play along and enjoy this hobby yourself. this plays a big part in terms of $ and passion. what u see doesnt mean what it will be like in ur tank,after all maintainence people onli come once per 1-2weeks. where else if its your own tank or shop's tank,they are there daily.

hope all this helps.

to add on with what bro thomaslim said.

resale value is v important too. doesnt mean u have to give up then the resale value affect u, dont forget of upgrading too!

we are always looking to a better upgrade to improve ourself and our system.

lastly, perhaps ur ID can link and discuss with ur future tank maker to come up with something even better!

hope my input helps!

fyi: some reefers here take sides on some aquarium shops,unless they know u,trust u,then they willing to share their true experience privately. else later kenna backfire.. kenna sue! LOL!

I agreee with my 2hand/2leg up for Reddevils comment, I think this hobby is endless with new tech comming up fast so i think we should not really throw 10k-20k $$ in so fast as u may not like some things inside the package.

As this is a hobby, i think we should see more learn more be4 we pay for anything.

Btw, i'm doing renovation line. As i know those ID dun really know about this hobby, in the end they will also find marine shop n do for u(and they pocket $$ from it)

Bro, i think u should DIY cos it is very intresting hobby(man zhu gan in it)

Capenter is very important cos a 4ft tank can be Tonnes with every thing in it. I dun trust those home furniture carpenter as they only gd in normal cabinet(i know many many of them). Maybe u can get a custom made cabinet tank from defu lane(ken) His work is very nice & strong, he do for many aquarium shop's customer.

[baudi]

Defu lane man did mine cabinet. 6 fter. good work and no problems. i then needed a second cabinet to add a big chiller, added chiller after the fact. he came & measured, built and delivered, price ok, but he must of taken the measurements wrong cos chiller didnt fit. What really made him a good guy was that he took it away, built a new one to the correct specs and then everyone was happy. so two thumbs up for him from me.

[Solo77]

think you must be confused. I believe right now you are anxious to get everything done up and if budget is not an issue, you will pay more to just get one person to plan everything for you and thereafter enjoy the joy of reefing.

I suggest you go for few more trustworthy shops and see how comfortable you are with them. Opinions here may be biased. Hence, seeing is believing. Give yourself a chance to see more options. As what many snrs here have advised, good after sale services and resale value of equipment are important. Ballpark figure is not conclusive as you can't do apple to apple comparison. In the first place, it is already not easy. Just take it like buying proton vs BMW. A 20K quote cannot be used to compare with a 30K quote if the 30K quote includes top notch items. I understand to get a deltec tank can easily be 5 digit amount where as getting it made locally is just less than 5K(if you are not asking crystal panel).

I think in all business, you cant have all happy customers. There bound to have some bad experience encountered. The question is how best they try to resolve. In the forum, there is always supporters for certain shop and their experience will be "wonderful". Hence, if ppl share their bad encountered, they may be "bombed" left and right. So is through personal sharing that one gets to know more insight stories.

All the best in your search and yell if you need help. here got many wonderful bros and sis. hehe.

(just my limited knowledge and sharing my personal opinion)

[Vlamingi_cont]

You can check out Aquamarin @ Katong...they are one of the reliable LFS to set up for you.

Another one is Reef Depot...in terms of price...hmmm...coz they are using mainly deltec equipments and german made tanks.

Also the branch at JK...

[epicrates cenchria]

AM has a thread to showcase their set-ups. Gallery

Pictures very nice, surreal......... drool, drool already ......

[epicrates cenchria]

Hi, all,

I'm back! Can dear all brothers & sisters kindly comment on the following quote, thank you way in advance.........

Please also advise me what to do next......

Below Is Our Quotation, For Your 5 Feet Reef Tank.

Quotation A

Tank Size - 60'x18'x24'

Sump - 36'x14'x14'

Wooden Stand

Equipment :

Lighting - Illummax Pro

Skimmer - Reef Octopus

Skimmer Pump - New Jet

Chiller - HaiLea HC500A

Chiller Pump - New Jet

Main Pump - HaiLea 6550

Fluidized Reactor - Reef Octopus With Media

Live Sand

Full Piping

Natural Sea Water

Scaping And Workmanship

The amount for the above quotations A is $6000.

Quotation B

Tank Size - 60'x18'x24'

Sump - 36'x14'x14'

Wooden Stand

Equipment :

Lighting - Solite Pro3

Skimmer - Deltec Ap701

Skimmer Pump - New Jet

Chiller - Teco TR20

Chiller Pump - New Jet

Main Pump - Aqua Bee 7000

Wave Maker - Vortech MP20

Fluidized Reactor - Reef Octopus With Media

Live Sand

Full Piping

Natural Sea Water

Scaping And Workmanship

The amount for the above quotations B is $9200

[Solo77]

think quote A seems better. The saving definitely can use to upgrade. What is the price of the tank, stand and sump, less all the equipment? For the wooden stand, what is the material? how thick is the glass and what glass they use?

[epicrates cenchria]

Quotation.doc

Hi, all,

Here's another one from another company.

PLease comment..... thanks

[ReDDeviLs]

upgrade ur mp20 to mp40.

mp20 really no power, feel b4 liao!

[epicrates cenchria]

think quote A seems better. The saving definitely can use to upgrade. What is the price of the tank, stand and sump, less all the equipment? For the wooden stand, what is the material? how thick is the glass and what glass they use?

Ok, thanks, I'll take note of that.....sure, to pose them the same questions. Btw, is there a preferred width for a marine tank? I was told different dimensions by different shops.... from 15 inches to 18 inches to 22 inches to 24 inches........ they all have different reasons like the space for equipment, reef will not be stable, need turning radius for bigger fishes????? haiz...there I go, already so blur like sotong..... @__@