# Glass Cages - Experiences



## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

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.


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## kkau1 (Jun 22, 2006)

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.


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## oregon aqua (Jan 30, 2008)

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


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

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


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## speakerguy (Sep 1, 2007)

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.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

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


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## speakerguy (Sep 1, 2007)

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


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## derringer (Jun 17, 2008)

kkau1 said:


> 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.


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## sai_dee (Mar 20, 2008)

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


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## Revernance (Aug 20, 2007)

oregon aqua said:


> 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


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## macclellan (Feb 28, 2007)

speakerguy said:


> 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.


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## rountreesj (Aug 14, 2007)

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


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## imcosmokramer (Mar 6, 2009)

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.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

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!


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## robinnight (Feb 3, 2009)

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.


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## rhodophyta (Jan 23, 2006)

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.


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## king oz (Jun 27, 2007)

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.


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## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

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)


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## ashappard (Jun 3, 2006)

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.


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## uglybuckling (Jun 28, 2004)

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.


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## aaronjb (May 20, 2009)

Buyer beware!! I know this is an old thread but I thought I would relay my experience to anyone else who is considering buying from this manufacturer. Their prices are cheap but customer service is non-existent. I bought a tank from them online and went to pick it up at the designated drop off point. They had it wrapped in stretch wrap, which in hind sight I should have removed before signing for the tank. I ran my fingers along the edges over the stretch wrap to check for chips. The tank seemed like it was in good shape. However, when I got the tank home and removed the stretch wrap a big chunk of glass fell out of one of the edges. Further inspection along that same edge revealed a couple more small dings which actually fractured when I added water to the tank. I contacted the manufacturer with no response. Their policy is once you sign for the tank it's yours and no refunds. I ended up throwing the tank out and buying a 48 gallon from PetCo (which I've had for almost a year with no problems). I wouldn't consider buying a tank from this company again and would discourage anyone else from purchasing a tank from them.


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## Calcimoo (May 15, 2009)

Why do they have such good seller ratings in Ebay? Those reviews aren't fake. 

I want to buy a couple acrylic tanks very much. Seems like most the problems are with glass tanks and shippers. I'm still going to go for it. 48 X 18 X 17 $170 + $63 shipping, how can you beat that?

Let you know how I do, will get 1 to start. I can't reach the bottom of 24" deep tanks and I'm really tired of hoses and bucket brigades. That's my reason for taking the chance. Well, that and acrylic is awesome for seeing thru and my shop lights will work fine over them. Easier than trying to light a small bowfront, for sure. When you live where there is zilch amount of choices of tanks to buy what can you do? Drive 150 miles and pay 4 X's as much to a store if you can find one with what you want? I don't think so. People who sell them on craigslist always sell all their stuff with it, hundreds of dollars of stuff I don't want. Huge heavy glass tanks is all you can ever find. 

Buying from a show or a guy traveling thru and selling out of a motel room is just as risky with a sewing machine, for example. I got burned bad. That's how they get rid of junk. Buy straight or buy from a dealer.


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## Calcimoo (May 15, 2009)

I just ordered it. Super nice friendly patient woman with a lovely southern drawl. Shipping $70, should be here in 3 days. 

Now to go find a coffee table strong enough to hold it, no more step ladders for me.


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## rhodophyta (Jan 23, 2006)

I would differ about buying from a show. The best glasscages tanks I've seen were ones they brought to fish conventions for open sale.


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## Calcimoo (May 15, 2009)

Fish conventions in Wisconsin are called Boat Shows. I wish they had fish conventions, those glass tanks would sell like hot cakes. 

I already got the tracking number, tank shipped out yesterday. 

Talk of buying a new coffee table, wanted one for livingroom, worked good. My farmer is glad I'm getting rid of the 2 45 gallon tanks, not mad at all I ordered the acrylic. He's been running his Wood Mizer all week, told me to help myself to all the 2 X 4's I need for building stands to suit exactly what I want. I build dog houses, picnic tables, etc., he builds feeder wagons, hay wagons and so on. 

How do you find where these fish conventions are and when? Sounds like risking more insane driving to the Twin Cities. We went to a Horse Expo there once.


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## rhodophyta (Jan 23, 2006)

Not too many of the Aquatic plant clubs exist yet to hold shows and conventions, but there are fish societies and national associations for cichlids, livebearers, killifish, catfish, etc. that do.

One place I look online is Kingfish Services. http://www.kingfishservices.net/events.asp
Many but not all activities get posted there. Google may turn up a few more, especially if you look for local shows near you.


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## Calcimoo (May 15, 2009)

Bet something shows up in Twin Cities Craigslist when one comes to town. Thank you, I never would have thought of such a thing. They have something like 90 stores over there with aquarium related products. Seems like some kind of show would show up, maybe be in The Mall of America, that's where that big walk thru and under aquarium is I still haven't seen yet is. Bought tickets for my kid and a friend to go. There's even a cafe with the hugest cylinder tank, only picture she took that came out good with her cell phone. Forgot the camera I gave her to take. 

Something to look forward to, for sure. If I have enough reasons to add up, Farmer will make the trip with me, need a navigator. I hope one is in that mall, used to see tv commercials for that place even back when we lived in NY. Been here 16 yrs. and still haven't seen it.


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## Calcimoo (May 15, 2009)

The UPS guy snuck the boxed tank up by the back door without anyone even knowing he was here. Our blue heeler keeps trying to heel him, got him twice so far. Good thing we have the best UPS driver in the whole state, maybe USA. 

I bought a 2nd tank at Petco, the only 40 gallon breeder they have ever had there. So I had to make 2 stands, just finished spraying them with marine clear coating. So tommorrow I will unbox the acrylic from Glass Cages and put both tanks up on the stands and try my darndest to put up a clear picture for all of you to see both of them. I won't tell you which one is which.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

this is off topic, but where in West Central Wisconsin are you from calcimoo? i am from Menomonie originally. it is such pretty country over there.

you can't beat the prices of glasscages.com tanks.


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## Calcimoo (May 15, 2009)

They say that soil over by Menomonie was some of the deepest and best soil in the state so of course that's where they put all the wharehouses. We're from the northern edge of the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. We pretty much fell on the trail of Amish in searching for farmland somewhere in this country. So of course I think the prettiest country is all the hilly stuff south and south/west of Eau Claire and Fall Creek but too hilly for me driving tractors and usually too expensive so we went east some. We moved here in 1993 in time for all the flooding and tornados. At least we made sure we didn't live near any creeks or train tracks. But we did move into one of those pockets time forgot. Sadly all the Amish are quite a ways south of us and the Mennonites bought up Thorp because people don't like the prison and ethanol in Stanley, that's just plain stupid. But it has all changed a great deal the last few years even out here. I think they've given up being so mean to each other.


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## Calcimoo (May 15, 2009)

Ok, finally the picture is up. I didn't use the Farm's boards, he makes actual 2 inches by 4 inches boards and they were too heavy. Bought boards at big guy's for $18.90, it's the hardware that's real expensive.

The acrylic tank is incredible, I've never even seen one before. I can't believe how light it is. I forgot how they round the corners on the front side, just by chance set it up there that way then saw them. I could just picture myself going years with them on the back and never knowing. They look really awesome.

It has been an excellent shopping experience.


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## jdaddie (Apr 29, 2009)

so i was looking at this place to order some aquariums, glad i checked out this first. Not gonna get the glass ones anymore. From what ive read though are the smaller acrylics decent?


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## bws060 (Sep 27, 2011)

I just recieved a tank from glass cages, i must say it is the largest piece of mangled trash ive ever purchased. Since it was a custom order no refunds no exchanges. Steer clear of this company and save yourself the frustration. They dont care if your not happy. thats why you have to pay first.


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## AlexLbk (Nov 14, 2011)

Hate to speak out of school here, but I have had the Glasscages tank for over a year now. It's a custom 105 with a cabinet and a 48G sump. The tank, cabinet, sump, and canopy came in in great shape and there hasn't been a single scratch. The customer service is ok, but if you consider that it's factory not a retail store, the expectations have to be in check. I'm very happy with the purchase.


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## Marketser (Jan 15, 2012)

Hello! I bought terrarium,a month ago on frog terrarium . In fact, the links of products lead to Amazon and purchased through this site. I received a terrarium two weeks ago! I do not know whether to do this first site or Amazon, but was supposed to arrive for a few days.


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## BIG_Z (May 10, 2012)

I got my 730 off of them and I was pretty happy with it, reasonably close to pick up no chips / roughness. Been setup for a good while now with no issues. I guess I am one of the lucky ones.


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## wwh2694 (Aug 15, 2008)

You'll get what u pay for...


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## Bryeman (Aug 24, 2009)

240g acrylic tank, with custom stand, and canopy.... Top of tank (the Euro style bracing) "popped" on the back right corner and started pulling up. I dodged a disaster with water, etc., but the tank can't be usable like that as I'm sure it's a matter of time before the sides give out in that corner as well. This happened about 2 WEEKS after the warranty was up. I just contacted them to see what the response is, but either way, that tank lasted less than 4 months and I followed all of the rules they had in place. Horrible craftmanship. Big thumbs down. Now I have a 240g enclosure and I'm not sure what I can really use it for!


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## Flear (Sep 29, 2012)

initial read, going "oh dear god", i'm happy to have avoided them
i'm reminded that this thread was started years ago
seeing more recent posts, hoping that they've improved, ... guess not

i decided awhile ago to build my own tank, hardest part is a single 12foot long piece of acrylic.

unless your all thumbs, ... if your concerned with price, build it yourself. would be what i pick up from this thread.


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## Bryeman (Aug 24, 2009)

Flear said:


> initial read, going "oh dear god", i'm happy to have avoided them
> i'm reminded that this thread was started years ago
> seeing more recent posts, hoping that they've improved, ... guess not
> 
> ...


Don't buy from this company, at the very least is my opinion. 3 messages into these guys and no response. Not only did the top pop off less than 4 months in (their stand, level, on foam like they say, etc), but the service appears to be still an issue. Oh well, gave me an excuse to fall in love with my 125g all over again while I try to figure out if I can repair this on my own.


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

Well crud, I was looking into a 125 that had the dimensions I like (72x24x17 as opposed to the typical 72x18x23). Guess that's out the window with these reviews. I'll postpone for a while.

Bryeman - you could always have a 240 gallon terrarium with newts or other critters, but ouch, what a huge waste of acrylic. If WI wasn't so far from TX I'd consider making you an offer for it. Oh well. Back to the drawing board...


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## Bryeman (Aug 24, 2009)

mudboots said:


> Well crud, I was looking into a 125 that had the dimensions I like (72x24x17 as opposed to the typical 72x18x23). Guess that's out the window with these reviews. I'll postpone for a while.
> 
> Bryeman - you could always have a 240 gallon terrarium with newts or other critters, but ouch, what a huge waste of acrylic. If WI wasn't so far from TX I'd consider making you an offer for it. Oh well. Back to the drawing board...


Yeah, i was disappointed. Not sure if I'm more disappointed for not following all the advice before hand and listening to my gut, or more so from the fact that they can't even take the time to respond to me. I'm not even asking them for anything but advice on how to repair it because I already know they aren't customer driven enough to stand by something less than 4 months old. Totally unreal.

Thanks for the advice on the terrarium, but I'm doing research on how to repair this and will be attempting that. My 125g is coming along nicely (glass... from a different local place ) and has motivated me to fix this 240g and get it planted. Going to look nice when up and running again. It's a boat load of space!


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## Flear (Sep 29, 2012)

sadly the lack of customer retention hits all markets as companies seem to think it's more important to get new customers and the old ones well, who cares.

in the computer world, Dell & HP are both like that, IMO that's just bad business practice

in the aquarium world, ... glass cages, no competition out there except every other aquarium manufacturer in the world. and enough people curious about building their own tanks from scratch. ... that's huge competition.


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## Wildcat (Feb 2, 2010)

It's been awhile since this thread has been commented on. It seems people are fairly down on them but it has been a few years. Have they improved at all? They have some great prices and even better sizes.


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## jpsquire (Feb 3, 2014)

Never again! I bought two 48" aquariums from Glasscages.com — over $800. I picked them up off the Glass Cages truck in a parking lot in northern Va. When I unpacked them one was fine. The other had a flaw on the rounded corner of the tank where the wall meets the bottom that looked like the glue had not taken properly — there is a deep cavity that goes almost all the way through! I sent an e-mail on Nov 13th, 2013 with photo asking what I should do. No response.

On the 21st I sent a second e-mail.

On the 25th I FINALLY got a response which was like a form letter and didn’t really speak to the problem or answer my questions.

I sent another detailed e-mail and they responded by saying: "We believe the tank will be fine. Remember you have a 90 day seam leakage warranty.
Go ahead and use it”. They did not sign their letters so I had no “contact person” and their answer was, frankly, clueless — if it did leak it would be my floor that got the 50 gallons of water on it!

I basically gave up on them and repaired it myself. Luckily, I’m pretty handy and my “fix” worked but, if I wasn’t, I can’t imagine the hassle involved in getting them to repair it. Their prices are good but their service and quality control is horrible. Absolutely horrible!


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## TropTrea (Jan 10, 2014)

I have just browsed through this thread and find it very interesting. Going back about 8 years I know of several people that bought tanks from them and they praised everything except there price. Form the competition they were roughly 50% higher than anyone else but everyone swore by there quality. 

Years ago as a store owner I looked into getting some custom tanks for a customer from them. I found that their recommended retail price was considerably higher than Marinelands custom price. Then there discount for wholesale was much less as well. Now I'm hearing ther prices came down and so did there quality.


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## Killifish15 (Feb 10, 2013)

I purchased a 100 gallon acrylic aquarium from them you can see the tank in my photos. Since the tank was to be custom built I gave the sales guy in Florida specific design instructions. Specifically I wanted the opening in the top of the tank to be as wide as possible since I was using the tank for a freshwater plant tank. I received a tank with two openings 7 inches by 20 inches which precluded me from setting up the Iwaugumi layout I wanted. Also, shipping was a nightmare. The tank was to be delivered to my office in downtown Louisville. I was never contacted by the carrier as to the date it would arrive. I called Glass Cages and was given the number of the carrier. This was in December of 2012. I did not get the tank until late February 2013, the tank was ordered and paid for in early November of 2012. I was given three delivery dates, and after waiting in my office for three hours the tank was never delivered. After contacting the credit card company my tank was finally delivered. The only thing good I can say about this company was the price was good (799) but I would have paid twice that amount to receive the tank that I wanted and without the delivery problems I will never order from them again!


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