Tanks from Source Aquatics Calgary? Too good to be true??
 

Hey, just wondering if anyone has gotten a tank from these guys?? There advertising on kijiji and the tank prices are really awesome compared to anything around me. Just wondering if its too good to be true as im thinking of making the trip to get one from them to try it out.

http://sourceaquatics.webs.com/

From all appearances...this might be Bow Valley Aquariums. If so, you should search it out using that name here and you will get the answers you are looking for.

On the Location page it says Bow Valley/Source Aquatics so it looks like they are the same. Our local Total Pet sells a lot of Bow Valley tanks so you've seen them before. They're less expensive but they commonly have air bubbles throughout the silicone and the glass edges are pretty rough. But if price is what you want and you're willing to sacrifice a little quality they still hold water. Allan really doesn't like them but I'm somewhat undecided. My 120gal is a bow valley.

Look at the url: sourceaquatics.webs.com

They don't even use a proper domain name and are using a free website from webs.com

IMO, I would not deal with anyone that can't even spend a few dollars to have a proper website. To me it says "Fly By Night Company"

Just my opinion though, if you are looking at coming down to Calgary, I would maybe talk to Kevin at Red Coral. He makes tanks at a fair price.

Really? interesting. Its bigger then a 120Gal isnt it? well now i dont know what to do, i was going to get a 180 from them as a "tester" before getting the big one. The only thing im seeing now is that i was at total pet yesterday and took a peak at there 350 thats still leaking.... lots of bubbles. I dunno. Seems to be more of a 50/50 when you do a search on here. And i dont like to play odds like that with my luck. The insurance company said they would cover a tank explosion, once. Then the premiums would be soo high it wouldnt be worth insurance anymore. The only reason i thought calgary is my uncle drives truck and makes regular trips there. Cheap shipping. Then I also came across a post that said munster tanks in vanc gets stuff from bow valley, but his prices are a lot ( A LOT ) higher.(not sure if thats true) Gotta be careful were not dealing with a bunch of middle men that jack the price up.

Like globaldesigns was pointing out Red Coral in Calgary makes aquariums so they would be worth investigating. I've never heard anything negative about them. If all you want is a standard 180gal with a basic overflow you might want to consider a Marineland tank as well. I dont know who has the best price for them but the craftsmanship looks nice from what I have seen and a lot of retailers carry them.

Does the tank have to be new? There are always a lot of people shutting down and selling off everything in the for sale section of this site as well as in our local Bargain Finder.

Caveat emptor.


means: buyer beware ............. of shower doors!

Got my 165G DT and 60G sump made at Bow Valley and love the quality of both. Perhaps theyve cleaned up their image as both my purchases were in the last 6 months.

Absolutly not, Im looking for a 180 with overflows because after listing the freshwater tank i changed my mind and i just couldnt go through with it, i want them to go in the fish room and i want to get a nicer tank. The tank they're in now is fine but one its a major pain moving a tank when you need to use the same tank on the other side and two it would be nice to upgrade them a bit and use the 125 as a freshwater sump for the heaters and such. (i will never own another tank without a sump now that i have seen the light) I have a marineland tank 46Gal and it is very nice (tempered so not sure about the bigger ones) but im not a huge fan as its a bowfront and its kinda distorted when you look, not huge but you notice it moving a bit, plus its just me but now that ive owned one im not a huge fan of bowfronts.(lighting and cleaning the curved glass but thats just my excuse i think) You dont know who sells them round here do you? The bargain finder is ok but you have to be patient. Im always cruising the sale ads for tanks too. The more i read up about all this it might just be easier to go that route but new is just quicker thats all. Sometimes i need to sit back and relax instead of jumping the gun and spending lots of money.


It is quite possible but its still a gamble for me. Theres a reason i dont go to casinos. haha. People always tell me that im a pessimist and stuff but i remember when i first met my now brother in law and he was all "no it cant be that bad" and " oh come on now" and if you ask him now its closer to " no you really dont have any ******* luck" haha. i laugh about it. So i take the safe routes.

hehe i had my sump built bye these guys they put baffles in the wrong way and tryed say it was my fault .good thing i had drawing of sump design that i had them sign before getting it built

I had the exact same thought as GlobalDesigns. However, this is perception and may not hold true but history shows that reputable businesses spend money to do things right so I'd be a little hesitant based on that alone.

Moreover, your tank will be holding 180 Gallons of salt water and all your expensive livestock. If there is ANY chance that could let go, you will rue the day you decided to save $200 or whatever on a high quality tank.

Just my $0.02

I was looking at buying a tank from these guys about 12 months ago when I first saw their ad on Kijiji.
I called the guy, we talked and settled on a very reasonable price.
He said to swing by the shop, gave me the address, and I was on my way.

When I got there, he wasn't there (I believe it was Ray) and there was just a lady at the front desk. She said he wasn't available and wasn't involved in sales but asked if she could help me. I told her the tank and price I was quoted and she said she would never sell me that tank at that price.

I gave up at that moment and never thought twice about going back. Then again, I really like to deal with people who have all their cards lined up, not all over the place.

That being said, I have never bought a tank from Red Coral, but I have bought quite a bit there, and I have never had even the smallest negative thing to say about them.

Any threads with these guys names in it seems to spark quite the debate. I definitly agree that a company that is very organized and prompt seem to always be the better choice.

Ok so mulling over this a bit more and i think i should put this out there to see what people think because its one thing that i kind of have trouble with. I find that once a company knows that they have the repor to do so they will bend you over a barrel. What i mean is that you have a company such as source aquatics, they may not have such a good track record, they prob spend $100 on glass and $100 on man hours to make a tank say 180 gal. They then turn and sell the tank for 450$. I will not deny the chances of getting a sub par product because, to a point, it is true you get what you pay for. But my problem is you get places that have a good repor with everyone and all the sudden there stuff is gold. They may spend $200 for the same amount of glass but better quality, and maybe $250-300 for man hours for better built product, But they then turn and sell it for $1500-$2000 for there name and because they basically go well its this or the bad stuff. I just have trouble trying to figure out wether or not the extra 1000 is worth the bragging rights. In the end i will prob spend the extra for the peace of mind but its just something that i find troublesome.

There is a lot more work that goes into tanks that are more expensive. I have a bow Valley tank, and it has rough cut edges, bubbles in the silicone and overall is a very very entry level tank.You could almost say low quality. (I have a 165G tall)

Then you can take a look at Jays tanks at Elite. The care and attention to detail is amazing, he offers things no one else is offering like his amazing 1 piece Euro Bracing. Honestly they are some of the nicest tanks i have every seen.

Bow Valleys tank cost me $500 when i bought it 6 years ago. Jays tanks @ Elite are almost 4 times that amount. But you get what you pay for.

Also price can also depend on the buying power of the maker. Bow valley makes a lot of tanks vs jay at Elite is a one man show, so obviously his costs are going to be way higher.

When i upgrade im getting a tank from jay or something comparable.

IMHO bow Valley tanks are good for new people in the hobby, but i would never upgrade to one. This post was in no way meant to be a plug for Elite or jay, it was just an easy example.

i totally agree with you, my only thing that i have trouble with is it takes me a while to decide that the extra $1000 is justified you know? Yes i agree, attention to detail is worth alot, fit and finish is worth alot but is it worth what there selling it for. The only thing i can come up with is it must be because there still in buisness and still selling tanks. But i guess i need to run through the paces of working my way up there.

People don't realize that the tank is really the cheapest part of the whole setup and it's the one thing that many people try and get away with spending the least on.
Kevin

Do you mean like compared to lights and such? I dont know if id say its the cheapest (compared to pumps, fittings, rocks and such), but really it is the backbone of the system. I think the complication of the tank im going to be after is going to force me to go with someone that is really organized to make sure the tank gets setup proper.

I think the bigger reason behind the $1000.00 is guarantee of workmanship, you receive a tank (At least in Jay's case) that is flawless and on top of that someone that stands behind there work.

If your bowvalley tank explodes on you at 2:00am will the builder be at your house helping you clean?

Well first i do agree, but for the sake of debate, No bow valley is not going to care. Also i have to say that if for some unknown reason one of lets say jay's tank goes for whatever reason, even though he backs it up, hes not going to pay for your insurance deductable, the loss's for your livestock, I would imagine a new tank would be coming but again, he doesnt have to find someone to insure your house after youve had a claim like that or help you clean either. Is your tank from him?

Quite the debate here! It's gone from rough edges and bubbles in the silicone to exploding in the middle of the night! The only way this hobby is going to grow is by people starting out with entry level equipment and progressing from there. People just starting out or those on a limited income aren't looking for perfection, they're looking for something that does the job, and I'm sure Bow Valley fills this niche just fine. Just because someone uses a Seaclone skimmer, it doesn't mean they are any less passionate about the hobby. I'm not promoting Bow Valley by any means but let's face it, you don't need a Rolls Royce to go to the grocery store if a Hyundai does the job just fine.

It is funny though cause i dont know how much of a debate it actually is cause i think we are all agreeing, im just being a stinker with the other stuff. haha.

Just so every knows...I'm Ray from Bow Valley / Source Aquatics.

I have been doing some of the marketing for Mitch just to bring in some more "retail" business and work a commission based on sales I bring into the shop. I put up that website for free ....yes because I don't get paid for marketing.

Bow Valley has been in business in Calgary for 35 years and has been building tanks for 30 of those years. most of the tanks built 30 years ago, are still holding water and in the last 20 years, we have only had 1 tank with a faulty seam and 3 tanks with minor leaks come back to the shop. We offer a warranty on all the tanks and back our products.

We use NEW glass on all of our tanks of 3 years ago.

We all know that dealing with Mitch can be tough and that is why I'm here. to help smooth the edges of Mitch. Mitch can be quite generous with his timeliness on getting product to the end user and we are working on at least giving a more reasonable waiting period where we think the tank can be delivered as promised.

Bow Valley Services has been supplying local, provincial, national and recently stores all over the USA.

for prices, I think we are more than competitive with 180 gal tanks selling for $375.00 with glass tops etc, etc.

I have heard MANY people complain about the service of the company but not many once the receive the product.

As far as the bubbles in the silicone, they happen when you squeeze the the silicone out of the tube.

Just a note, I'm not here defending the company, just providing information.
I dont own the company just do a bit of marketing that helps pay for my hobby and my tanks.

My VERY first tank was bought from Gold Aquariums and was a Bow Valley Tank and I have personally owned 30 tanks built by Bow Valley and never had a leak or any issue.

I you have had any issue, please PM me and we can find a way to deal with it.

if you do end up purchasing a tank from Bow Valley and anyone tells you that you can have the tank in a few days, its just not going to happen, plan to wait around 3 weeks as that's probably how long it will take.

Any questions for me...feel free to PM.

Cheers,

PS: we have a new website www.sourceaquatics.com

Well said. I was the entry level hobbyist that has had a bow valley tank for almost 6 years now, and it has served it propose well. But now i want to ditch the Hyundai, and roll in a Bentley. :)

Rahim101. Thanks very much for the input, its nice to hear the other side a bit too.

So are you implying that other manufacturers who make tanks without bubbles in the silicone are either a) not using silicone or b) not squeezing it out of the tube? I'm confused.

The few times I've built overflow boxes for my tanks with silicone and glass I haven't had any air bubbles. Of course I was very careful and took my time preparing the glass edges, cleaning the glass, applying a nice even bead of silicone, and very carefully placing each piece of glass. Would it be out of the question to suggest it probably has more to do with attention to detail and not inherent problems with the product?

I find it interesting that the new marketing requires the use of a different business name. Aesthetics and shower door scraps aside (my sumps from within the last 3 years) there is no doubt these tanks hold water well when you finally get them. I think it's a good thing there are products available to hobbyists with different budgets and expectations.

The marketing is done under MY company (Source Aquatics), if you phone and buy a tank from "Source Aquatics" I get a commission....thats the only reasoning behind it. it helps me keep track of the my sales.....thats all.

if you want a nice bow valley aka "source aquatics" tank here in bc, just go to bcaquaria and contact MUNSTER TANKS they get all their tanks made by them, i guess for freshwater tanks the quality is ok??

thats interesting if true as his prices are pretty steep comparativly.

Just to be clear, are all Munster tanks made by bow valley (or source aquatics)?

Hmm Interesting. The guy from Munster tanks represents himself on some of the forums as the guy who builds his own tanks...if they come from Bow Valley, his pricing jumps a lot!!

We supply Corwin Luke with all of his non bowfont tanks.

yeah he tries to tell people he builds his own tanks, my friend had bought a tank from him and payed lets just say alot more then what he would have paid if he had bought it directly from bow valley, suffice it to say he was not happy as he was told by corwin he was getting a custom crafted tank with all the perfect seams/edges and silicone work. Its surprising that Oceanic Corals has partnered with Munster tanks considering all this.

Canreef MODS, my apologies for posting this. There seems to be a lot of confusion and misrepresentation about Munster Tanks. I would love to clarify any and all false statements made on this thread. I will address comments made by each of the Canreef Members below:


Hi mseepman. I wanted to clarify your confusion about Munster Tanks and how it operates its business. Munster Tanks has NEVER represented itself 'as the guy who builds his own tanks...'.

Instead, Munster Tanks has always promoted itself as a supplier of 'Premium Quality Monster Aquariums'. The company designs, builds, buys, in fact whatever it takes to get the customer what they want. If price is the main factor, I determine the course of action based on the application, budget, needs and requirements of the client.



Hi Rahim. Thanks for your input. Just to clarify, I have NEVER purchased or done business with Source Aquatics. However, Bow Valley and I go a long way back. As a former National Account Manager for a Major Glass Manufacturer in the past, I used to supply glass to Bow Valley. I acquire ready-made tanks, glass to make tanks, glass for others to make us tanks, etc, from several sources.

To clarify further, Bow Valley is NOT my 'bread and butter' or even my main source of aquariums and tanks. This is due primarily to the fact that anyone can buy from Bow Valley. I support those that are loyal to me and are in it for a win-win relationship. I deal with manufacturers that sell only to re-sellers, like myself.


Hi Blowfish. Thanks for your post. You as well, seem to be confused and mis-directed about Munster Tanks offering and services. First of all, I do not 'try to tell people', I do tell people that I make, have made and mostly get made most of my tanks for me. Secondly, until the BCA Aquaria site crash, I had a 100% I-Trader rating from my clients, which really contradicts you saying 'your friend'. I would really like to settle this 'issue' outside of this forum, if in fact it exists.

I find it personally 'very high school', very childish, very cowardly that someone would post on a forum issues that a friend has with me. I can be reached personally anytime by anyone at: 604.837.8998 or at munstertanks@gmail.com

Last but not least, partnering up with Oceanic Corals is not the surprise. The surprise is your unfortunate post that is absolutely false an untrue.

'contact MUNSTER TANKS they get all their tanks made by them' is absolutely false. This statement is definitely not accurate information.

Change your mind on my post? I hope you read it correctly now. I read yours before deleting. Im happy to have people come in and clarify posts to get the truth and also a good time to see someone stand behind there products. Thats what these forums are for. Just please keep it professional. If you still have a problem i have my answer to it saved and will happily pm it to you.

I'm a little confused, does Munster tanks build any of its own tanks? If not what service do you provide to justify increasing the cost of the product you provide?

zum14. If you really have a problem with me, call me now at: 604.837.8998. I would love to discuss your displeasure with me further. I do not have a problem with you, just your posts. I look forward to your response.

Everyone, I mean everyone, including all the sponsors on this forum and all others, provide a product that they increase the price to make a profit. That is what all businesses do. If anyone wants to know what I provide and do, besides tanks, visit my threads on BCA Aquaria:

http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=44

I didnt have a problem with you untill I read your post. This is a forum. It is a site for people to ask questions, get answers, share ideas and opinions. You can not censor that. I have every right to say that prices are high if i feel they are, does that mean that im slandering your product? Not in the least. I would love to hear someone come in and prove to me that the product is worth every penny i would be spending and what a superior product it really is. (Read the whole post, people stand behind Elite and tell everyone how great and professional his tanks are and you really get a good product for the price) Instead I get someone telling me that they dont like what im saying and that I should not contact them anymore?