buying ADA tank - need advise

[o2bubble]

hi all, its been a while since I took a break from this hobby (hmm, 4-5 years?) and I have decided to get back with a new 6 feet tank for my new house soon

I had always wanted a ADA tank (my dream!) and this time I was really bet on getting one even if its going to burn my pockets (or burst my ear drums from scoldings from my wife, haha!). So, I am almost going to confirmed until today that I saw the actual ADA 6 feet tank at a LFS and compared with a non-ADA one as well (luckily, the LFS had both), they look very similar (same thickness, minimal silicon, clarity etc) and what's also made me thinking again if this decision is correct (given ADA tanks costs 2 times more at least), is that both look like the previous crystal glass 4 feet tank I had previously, the glass had a slight greenish tint and not like the product picture I saw from ADA website which does not have any greenish tint.

As such, I would like to seek some opinions from bros who has/had an ADA tank before or who has done similar comparisons of its quality and clarity with other brands/custom-made ones before making this decision. One question is for the same price of the ADA tank, will it be possible to get better quality custom-made crystal glass tank with even lower iron content (less greenish tint)?

In meantime, I'm planning to go to the LFS again next week to make a longer and detailed comparison between the 2

[BFG]

If you could afford it , you want to splurge for yourself , you feel its time to try something at the other end of the spectrum and financially , you are able to cover purchasing this without affecting your family expenditure , by all means , get it . Time to realise your dream if you could afford it . Never try , never know . I was in your shoes some 10 years ago thinking about a marine tank and now I want a larger tank .

[o2bubble]

hmm..money is not the real issue, its just me that after all these years of working, I learnt to treasure hard-earned money much more, besides, I just spent a bomb on new house renovation

[madhav96001]

Now a days local make tanks are comparable with ada quality interms out look. I am not sure about the strength of the joints over the years for large tanks.
After having both ada and local make tanks, I found no difference, they both show case my skills only. Nothing more. Ada tank doesnt offer you any photoshopped view..

Unless your skills improve miraculously when you are with ada tank and lose those skills with local tank, I dont see a point in spending that amount for ada logo. But if you fancy about that logo itself thats a different story.

Mine are 2ft tanks only, not so much to worry.

Your tank size....I am jealous!


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[o2bubble]

went to natura aquatic to look at the newer model ADA tank and quality is better than the older model in my opinion, the glass and the silicon are pretty high standard but still think its slightly over-prized compared to non-ada ones for the marginal difference due to the brand... having a headache whether to bite the bullet now

[torque6]

I have a 3 feet ADA tank, bought 2nd hand previously for 1/3 of the price. It was retailing for 900+ and the guy sold it for 300. Even at 300 for a 3 feet tank was a hard sell. I was the only guy who was keen to buy. After getting it, I noticed that the sticker on the ADA tank is also removable, so it's not exactly engraved into the tank. There were alot of scratches on the tank too, even though it was only used for 6 months (with receipt as proof), this confirmed the feed back I have read on various forums that ADA glass are "softer" and are more prone to scratches.

If I were do get another tank, I wouldn't buy ADA tanks, I will just engage Coral Reef Aquarium to do my tank. I think CRA still offers 5 years warranty whereas if ADA silicone leaks in the next 6 months, you are on your own. Don't expect authorized ADA LFS to do anything. N30 does tank as well, but I personally find them too expensive and they are priced that way so the big boss can drive his Mercedes CLA, LOL. N30 however does good 3 inch iron wrought stand with zinc coatings.

I've stopped buying ADA related stuff such as lily pipes and now rely on VIV for their OEM ADA replicas. I tell myself, it's a piece of glass, same shape, same function, slightly poorer clarity but once in the water, with algae film in 1-2 months of use, no one will be able to tell the difference. You will however notice that VIV is 1/5 of the price of ADA glass.

However, that saying, if you do get a non ADA tank, you will always have that "maybe I should have got the ADA tank" feeling.

[ross.chang]

Just saw the ANS Opti Tank at East Ocean today. Looks like a very well build tank. 12mm crystal glass. much cheaper than ADA too.

[sfk7]

Well, if you are not particular about brand, then yes, many lower priced low iron glass tank can look almost the same as ADA tanks. With that said, after buying the high quality low iron glass tank, would you go saying it is still not an ADA tank?

I'm the latter, so ADA tanks for me. Just 3ft, not the 6ft you're talking about though!