LF: Custom tank builders in Calgary

[likwid]

Looking for a custom tank builder who can build a starphire nano sized tank. No drilling/overflow required.

[FishyFishy!]

Concept Aquariums here in Calgary. Simply the best!

I still don't understand how some people don't know about this yet. lol.

[Misses.ReefWars]

Looking for a custom tank builder who can build a starphire nano sized tank. No drilling/overflow required.

concept aquariums

403-230-7831 :)

[FishingGoalie]

Concept Aquariums here in Calgary. Simply the best!

I still don't understand how some people don't know about this yet. lol.

concept aquariums

403-230-7831

^^+10

[Steve_French]

Wish I would have know about them before I bought my tank. I did get them to make a sump for me though and am glad I did.
They make stands as well.

[mihaivapler]

Bow Valley..They do nice fish tanks for a sweet price

[Baker]

I dont really have anybody else to compare to but I am having Concept do my builds and they are excellent. Denny has gone over and above my expectations. Great guy that loves the hobby and has been helpful from the first day I met him. Concept all the way.

[Buccaneer]

Bow Valley..They do nice fish tanks for a sweet price

Bow valley may have the worst reputation for false promises, long wait times and trying to rip off their customers ... I had to get visa to get my deposit back after waiting weeks and then being told it would be more than the agreed price

[SteveCGY]

Bow valley may have the worst reputation for false promises, long wait times and trying to rip off their customers ... I had to get visa to get my deposit back after waiting weeks and then being told it would be more than the agreed price

They've been awesome to me. If you have cash in hand they will bend over backwards for you. Cheapest place to buy tanks that I've seen

[Coleus]

Concept is awesome to work with. You will be pleased with their customer service and workmanship

[Mahawka]

+1 for bow valley too. But it's a hit or miss. I had a great experience with them when I ordered my tank.

[byee]

If you were inVancouver, BC, I would suggest Oceans by Design in Seattle.

Great custom cubes and a heck of a lots less than others mentioned.


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[Buccaneer]

They've been awesome to me. If you have cash in hand they will bend over backwards for you. Cheapest place to buy tanks that I've seen

visa is not cash? ... you just got lucky and thats all ... I am not the only one with nightmare experiences with bow valley

[Mahawka]

You just need to know how to deal with him. Visa does not equal to cash. Think about it :wink:

[reefwars]

You just need to know how to deal with him. Visa does not equal to cash. Think about it :wink:

still ............ any payment should be seen as equal. you wouldnt want what has happened to many of the people i know to happen to you, its sad and just not right.

if you end up being out a 100$ no biggie right? well i know and have fixed the problems of many who were out thousands...not hundreds but thousands and brought tears as they never recouped that money( cash deal right)

these are family members, honest people who work hard for their money ,do they really deserve to be treated like that?


no of course not because its not right

thats all ill say on this:)


good luck!!

[Mahawka]

Welcome to the real world. If you are not willing to take a risk then dont do a cash deal. You as a buyer should of done your research before going in to a deal. It was really the buyers own stupidity to enguage in to cash deal with such a significant amount. Especially when they know they are dealing with a poorly rated vendor. I am not saying it right for the vendor to do such unethical acts. But comeon! The buyer is just plain stupid!

P.s. Cash is not equal to card when you deal with certain vendors. No paper trail = no liabilty. And think about taxes.

[reefwars]

I am not saying it right for the vendor to do such unethical acts.

there you have it man you answered it yourself:)


i supposed if you pay a guy in crackers you get what you get right, but you have to understand that a real business doesn't go around choosing which customers to screw and not screw based on how they pay, alot of these people put trust in the builder just like they do for us, wouldnt you agree?


if it were you out that money you would be crying a different dance im absolutely sure and like i said i personally have had to fix some of these problems. one gentle that comes to mind found his ad on kijiji, met him paid CASH (i did that big so you wouldnt miss that part) and three months later got a tank that was way wrong in size, no overflows, chipped holes and when asked about it and to make the correct changes was told to get lost.......is this really what you promote for others to buy?

again i suppose, i mean its your money lol


im sure the gentle man above who had to get his money back from visa would agree , its tiresome, sad, poor practise and just not right....its really not.

thats all ill say on it as i can go all day , it is a buyer beware world ....so buyer beware;)


ps: fragalot!!

[reefwars]

No paper trail = no liabilty.


and that part is real scary, especially when your talking about a glass box that holds water and lots of electricity:)

[Mahawka]

Sorry I do not understand your sentences.

[Mahawka]

But yea. Go to concept. They are super!

[mihaivapler]

Bow valley may have the worst reputation for false promises, long wait times and trying to rip off their customers ... I had to get visa to get my deposit back after waiting weeks and then being told it would be more than the agreed price

Don't know why everyone is against Bow Valley?I had my tank ordered on Monday picked up 4 days later everything all good the tank is really nice and for a fraction from concept quote..for the price concept asked just for the tank bow valley was offered me the tank plus the metal stand.and no extra charge from the original quote..in my opinion concept is just over advertised...why should you pay extra 200$ for the same tank?just so you could say its made by concept?

[Coleus]

Don't know why everyone is against Bow Valley?I had my tank ordered on Monday picked up 4 days later everything all good the tank is really nice and for a fraction from concept quote..for the price concept asked just for the tank bow valley was offered me the tank plus the metal stand.and no extra charge from the original quote..in my opinion concept is just over advertised...why should you pay extra 200$ for the same tank?just so you could say its made by concept?

you get what you pay for :-) If you are happy with Bow Valley then there is nothing wrong with that. Myself, I am happy customer with Concept because if there is a problem with my tank, I know they will do their best to fix it.

I got my 10 feet tank built by Concept, and they replaced one of the glass panel because there was a very tiny scratch that I could not even notice until they told me.

But you should shop whenever you are comfortable with. Why being negative about store that you never dealt with? Should we just give our feedback about store that we have dealt and then OP can have information and find it out himself?

[byee]

I have to agree with Mihaivapler.

Based on everyone's recommendations, I contacted Concept for a custom 60gal cube and quoted a price of just over $1000 shipped to Vancouver.

A little too rich for me.

I ended purchasing my custom built cube at Oceans By Design in Tukwilla, WA (Seattle - Southcenter area) for $500USD.....45g instead.

It's made of 10mm starphire glass on 3 sides.

Great deal.




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[FishyFishy!]

Well maybe it's relative to where you are getting the tank from....but i've asked both of the tank manufacturers and concept is not only a better price, but way better customer service, custom ability and quality... Mitch may do things quick, but the quality shows! Ask Mitch to do anything remotely nice looking (without a rim, a nice eurobrace, or polished edges)....the guy has no idea whats going on..for real..(I was quoted 4 weeks for a basic tank).... go ahead and get trimmed standard tanks for cheap from bow valley....want anything of quality and nice looking with the customer service to support it...GO CONCEPT.

I've been to both.... and i'm cheap... concept is way better. You have customer service and a great product. Try finding that with Mitch...Unless you're doing something NOW...then Mitch might talk to you. Want good advice and a great quality product....hands down...go concept

[ktsalt]

Had problems with Bow Valley bc someone recommended him. But it was a nightmare. He will scam you and if you do get a product from him, its not what you requested and you will end up paying more and wish this would just go away. Please go anywhere but to BVA and do your research 1st.

[Buccaneer]

Don't know why everyone is against Bow Valley?I had my tank ordered on Monday picked up 4 days later everything all good the tank is really nice and for a fraction from concept quote..for the price concept asked just for the tank bow valley was offered me the tank plus the metal stand.and no extra charge from the original quote..in my opinion concept is just over advertised...why should you pay extra 200$ for the same tank?just so you could say its made by concept?

You dont know why everyone is against Bow Valley? ... it has been stated here in this small sampling a more than 50% dissatisfaction rate for a business that builds a product that holds ( in some cases ) hundreds of gallons of water in your home. More than one person has stated he is unethical (that alone is a red flag).

The first person to endorse Bow Valley in this thread it was his very first post so likely BV or someone trying to pump his worn out tires.

You seem to miss the point with Bow Valley ... its not the $200 ... you are lucky you got what you asked for and that is all ... its the thousands that people spend and dont get what they paid for ... or the weeks on end of broken promises (2 week tank build turned into 3 month nightmare)

Just because you lucked out and got a tank built by them to your satisfaction does not mean everyone else with a negative experience is lying as you are insinuating

The OP wanted recommendations/referrals ... buyer beware

[kien]

Don't know why everyone is against Bow Valley?


As Bucky just said, that's great that you had a good experience with Bow Valley. However, this would be the exception rather than the norm with them. Definitely buyer beware!

At the end of the day, we do have choices. So, if you want to save $200 and take your chances, that's your prerogative. Many people have gone down this route thinking the same as you, why not save some more money? Then they quickly discover the "why not." Or in some rare cases like yours, they come out unscathed.


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[mihaivapler]

You dont know why everyone is against Bow Valley? ... it has been stated here in this small sampling a more than 50% dissatisfaction rate for a business that builds a product that holds ( in some cases ) hundreds of gallons of water in your home. More than one person has stated he is unethical (that alone is a red flag).

The first person to endorse Bow Valley in this thread it was his very first post so likely BV or someone trying to pump his worn out tires.

You seem to miss the point with Bow Valley ... its not the $200 ... you are lucky you got what you asked for and that is all ... its the thousands that people spend and dont get what they paid for ... or the weeks on end of broken promises (2 week tank build turned into 3 month nightmare)

Just because you lucked out and got a tank built by them to your satisfaction does not mean everyone else with a negative experience is lying as you are insinuating

The OP wanted recommendations/referrals ... buyer beware
I didn't say the others are lying,i just reply whit my suggestion whit a tank builder..that's all...i don't say what the other sad i not true,in my case was fast good build and good price...the difference in quality is not huge to make it worth the extra 200..i have a tank from concept to and is no big difference..if for you customer service worth 2-300 or even 1000 depend the size of the tank then go for it...is like you say the only good car is mercedes the rest are not worth buying..i'm just wondering never happened to anyone to have a tank promised by concept for a week later and then to be delayed?its impossible to have all the tanks on time,but that doesn't mean concept is not worth using because they didn't respect the time promised...

[Buccaneer]

http://homestars.com/companies/2568165-bow-valley-aquarium?show_review=195039

from a buyer for a tank for a corn snake

Tank for Corn Snake (http://homestars.com/reviews/195039?company_id=2568165)

http://homestars.com/assets/avatar-572c97f1c4bf5a09eda6eb962ade625c.png (http://homestars.com/homeowner/215254-anonymouse71-from-calgary) anonymouse71 from Calgary (http://homestars.com/homeowner/215254-anonymouse71-from-calgary) 1 May 07, 2013, Calgary
0


If you want a tank that looks like it was slapped together in the dark by a drunken chimp, this is the place for you. The owner was nearly impossible to get in touch with over the phone and after I brought the tank back for a refund he told me he didn't know how to operate the debt machine and I'd have to come back tomorrow for a refund. I've spoke to him on the phone a few times and every time he's yelled at me, been verbally abusive and hung up. He's got the tank and I'm out 200 bucks.… read more (http://homestars.com/companies/2568165-bow-valley-aquarium?show_review=195039#) Horrible experience to say the least.

[winterborn]

I just had a very specific breeding tank built by custom, its awesome quality and exactly to my specs, and even little things I would have never thought of, they did. At the same time I got a price check at bow valley, and yes his price was better (by $150) but he was showing me around his shop and it was all scrap glass, I even have a friend that works for a glass instillation company and they all know mitch on a first name basis(he buys/gets for free broken or defective pieces of them, thats why his prices are cheaper)which came to my attention when I was talking to my friend about my new tank so with out slinging mud around that much.. you go to concept when you want a nice show tank or very specific tank, and you go to bow valley when looks dont matter (safety too) and price

[ashr]

Concept Aquariums here in Calgary. Simply the best!

I still don't understand how some people don't know about this yet. lol.

Agreed