Bow Valley builds tanks for Golds. Gary retired and somone bought him out. I know who it is but am not supposed to say anything. Hopefully this person will come out and say something to clear this matter up.

Well I bought my tank from Golds and it was Gary that built it and then ever so kindly brought it my house and helped me pack it in....

oh the plot thickens!! :lol:

I've had tanks built by both Mitch and Gary through Golds.

How do I become a cheatoball trimmer? :lol:

That's one hairy thread derail. I'd have to trim ya permanently if I told :razz:

I don't think we have rail's to be derailed here at Canreef :lol:, What does this "permanent trimming" consist of and how "Permanent" is it? :lol::lol::lol:.

On topic as said before you really get what you pay for, Colby's tanks might be more expensive but Jay's quality and his services are well worth it. I'm not saying other LFS in Calgary can't match up but in my personal experience Elite takes the cake for tank building.

Thats nice, but since Gary's retirement Bow Valley has taken over building all of golds tanks.

[b][QUOTE=Fragzilla;501364]I agree that Elite's tanks have very nice details, but there is a HUGE cost for the CNC machining. I priced out my new tank through Elite and it was 3-4 times the cost of Golds. With the way my tank is set up I wanted 2 of the edges to be beveled and polished, I got what I asked for.

Sitting on the shop floor Elite's tanks look great, but IMO once the tank is set up I doesn't justifiy the extra cost.

It all depends on you, i guess. I got a quote from elite which i thought was high. But I dont mind paying for a nice tank. The tank i have now, the edges are rough, Its a 90 gallon tank but the glass is 5/8" thick. I didnt know any better. If i would have known that the edges would have been rough cut, I would have notified them to polish the edges. Its something u learn from. Next time i know better.

That's nice Gary was at my house 2 weeks ago - lol

+1 :mrgreen:

All tanks get bubbles, in the seams. All tank builders have pro's and cons, as do the stock they hold and their prices.

Eight months back I got my 230 tank, starfire glass around built by Gold's, it was Gary that built. Best tank I've ever owned and the best price. I shopped around to ever builders mentioned before I decided. Gold's built the tank and sump exactly how I wanted with no extra cost. Nice work too. I even got all the edges smoothed. Since I got a good deal though, I picked it up. Met the guys in Golds parking lot. Now, when people come over, I get asked about who built it all the time. Dennis is awesome at Gold's. If he gets to know you, then you can pre-order what ever you want and is very knowledgeable. If its not right, he will make it right. He's proved that to me time and again. He even makes sure his stock is healthy and eating before he lets it go. I think that shows care right there for customer service. IMO, I think he has the best price in town as a builder, stock and supplies. However if he has another builder, than I can't say if the tank style changed or how good the work is.

Hope that helps. :mrgreen:

Please buy the square one so it is safe for me to go back in there. Bow Valley on the avoid list for the same reason:lol:.

Jays tanks at Elite are impressive. The care to detail is second to none IMO.

I have a tank i bought from riverfront, but was built by Bow Valley im quite sure, and i would never buy from either again.

That's nice, Gary was at my house yesterday but he doesn't build tanks and isn't the same Gary that you are talking about

Sorry, just wanted to join in on the "that's nice" about Gary. Seemed fun ahah.

Lets get Gary on here.. but which Gary?

Gary Leu use to build tanks for Golds.
not sure if he still does.
I've know Gary since way back when he use to build tanks for Capital Aquarium (I use to work there....LOL) that goes back to 1992

CNC euro brace.... how does that work? Can't even think your talking the brace and side glass are one piece of glass? That would be a huge hunk of glass and yea bling bling $$.
ANy pics?

Re: Tank Builders Calgary
 

No, the top and sides are not one piece. Just the eurobrace itself (on top) is one solid piece instead of 4 individual pieces.

Thanks, makes perfect sense now. DUH.

Thanks to all that have replied.

Just received my new tank and sump on Tuesday! Looks amazing!

Purchased at Gold's and was in fact built by Gary. Gary is the man! Even though it took a month to build. It was well worth the wait given the end result. You can see that he really puts a lot of care into building a tank.

Thank you Gold's and thank you Gary!


Can't wait to have it all set up...

Pics or it didn't happen. :twised:

Agreed...would love to see the tank.

I should have some pics posted tomorrow.

My Experience with Bow Valley Aquarium:
I had a 90 gallon built by them and then was going to get a 140 gallon built by them.
We were very happy with the 90 gallon tanks quality and price but dealing with Mitch was a nightmare.
His timetable mean absolutely nothing.
I honestly don't think that he can actually help himself.
The strange thing is that his employees all seem to know this and just shake their heads at his strange behavior and apologize for him:sad:.
I had read lots of posts about not dealing with Mitch but thought I would give him the benefit of the doubt due to his good prices and production time- this was a major mistake that I regret.
What I do not understand is why he does not just give realistic timetables and be upfront with people? He has absolutely no intention of meeting any of his deadlines and his staff are well aware of this.
If anyone doubts what I say- I strongly encourage you to visit his shop in person. Tell me about your experience as it will be unlike dealing with any salesman you have dealt with before.
That being said I will state that his product seems good to me and his price was also good, but regret ever dealing with him.

I completely agree with every you just said. I gave him the benifit of the doubt and ordered with Mitch, this was after I was informed that his business pratices has improve. Wow, I can't imagine what it was like before. Quality was fine, price was great, and service???? well...what service? Everytime I would call to ask for an ETA, he would lie and ask for more money. Money talks with this guy but you see nothing out of it. You pretty much have to hold a gun to his head just to get what you paid for after pleading and pulling out hair to stay calm about the ordeal. He promises you the world before he take your deposite, and then you're in it for the long haul. Be prepare for many sleepless nights.

I beg you all to have NOTHING to do with BowValley, I am down over $3000.00 that so far he is refusing to refund, he is a liar and a cheat.

I hope you are reading this Mitch, you know who I am, whoops ......... That's right, you don't know anything about "f"ing computers, and it's everyone else's fault that you didn't get messages or they didn't reply with information you were asked for.

Seriously, I wish I had never heard of this liar, or Bow Valley Aquariums, if you want more information PM me direct, oh and Mitch if u are reading this, please don't think I will ever stop telling everyone I meet what a awful experience I have had with you.
You owe me $3000.00 plus my out of pocket expenses.

Elite Aquatics is gone....

Who are the 2013 tank builders in and around Calgary?

concept aquariums baby for the win:)

hands down the best builders in canada.....but i am biased:P