New to the Game

[Hornet]

Thanks for all the tips.

But I have yet another noob question.

Is AGA a namebrand of a tank or is does that just stand for All Glass Aquarium ?

And is that just the normal aquarium that I would find in my LFS. I'm kinda liking the idea of getting something with low iron glass (starfire or whatever its called) but I'm not sure if I can find anything local.

[daugherty]

usually the lfs can order you one that has the low iron glass.

[Mtrueblood]

Hey buddy saw that you are from the hampton roads area. I would recomend that if you have any questions about what to buy definaly ask in this forum because these guys will help you out no matter what. If you want to buy stuff and have trust in some of the LFS the ones that I would recomend are Reef Chief in Virginia beach, great bunch of guys in there and great prices, Also Petworld on Mercury Blvd in hampton. The guys that are good in both stores that I trust are named Jeff. At Reef Chief they have siminars and meetings to teach and inform you on equipment and taking care of your tank. If you need anymore info about the areas LFS`s just let me know I have been to all of them.

[RyanG]

AGA is the namebrand for All Glass Aquarium. They are a company.

[fatman]

Originally Posted by Hornet

Thanks for all the tips.

But I have yet another noob question.

Is AGA a namebrand of a tank or is does that just stand for All Glass Aquarium ?

And is that just the normal aquarium that I would find in my LFS. I'm kinda liking the idea of getting something with low iron glass (starfire or whatever its called) but I'm not sure if I can find anything local.

It is their brand name and also stands for all glass aquarium. As far as I know of they do not do any custom work and produce no tanks with clear glass fronts, just standard plate glass with the slight green tint like nearly all tanks. Most custom tank builders charge around 20 to 40 percent more for a tank with a clear front glass. They are about the cheapest mass produced tanks of acceptable quality. They bought out sevearal aquarium building copanies over theyears and are continueing to grow. They also produce the majority of the cheap tanks offered as starter tanks at stores such as Wally's World and Fred Meyers. They have been around since the old days when most tanks had stainless steel frames. At a level of one to ten I would give their standard tanks an eight. I would give their "reef ready" tanks a four or five. I think they should use thicker glass so as to do away with center cross braces. Other than that I have no problem with there tanks except their poorly set up "reef ready" tanks with huge overflow towers and undersized bulkhead holes. Do not be surprised if you look at the prices for custom tanks and find them 3 to 5 times more expensive than an AGA or other mass produced tank of comparable size. It usually requires a very special spouse/girls friend to accept the cost of a custom marine tank. It can easily equate to a person buying themselves a fair sized diamond.

[Hornet]

Thanks a lot Mtrueblood. I was planning on riding down to Va. Beach before the week is out. I came across 2 stores while looking for tanks Fish Safari and Animal Jungle. I just tried to look up "Reef Chief" but could not find anything. I had just went to Pet World in Mercury today during lunch and they seemed pretty cool. But I want head down to the beach and check out some of those shops before I decide on a tank.

[reeffreak]

All Glass is the name of a company that makes mass market aquariums.The name has changed to Aqueon now.Both Aqueon and Oceanic are both owned by Central Pets(mother company).Aqueon for the mass market and Oceanic for custom orders.Oceanic does have the option for starphire glass on the front or front and sides....Aqueon doesn't.One other thing to consider Aqueon has a two year warranty and Oceanic a lifetime warranty.If you have the money than definitely go with starphire glass....they are really,really clear in comparison to the others.You will never notice until you see both side by side.

[Mtrueblood]

Your welcome. I definatly say go to Reef Chief before you go to the other two places. Animal Jungle has some good prices but not a whole lot of advice to give out with the equipment. Buying for the first time you will want to have someone that can explain the stuff that you are buying and Animal Jungle is busy all the time and just want to sell it to you. Fish safari is another good place to go. They can offer alot of good info but when it comes to Live stock, corals, inverts, etc... The owner really doesnt sell you his good stuff. Reef chief will make a deal with you on anything that is in his shop. He definatly has the widest selection on Live Rock and on Corals. His website is www.reefchief.us. The contact tab at the top will give you the address and phone number. Hope that this info helps.

[Hornet]

I made up an excuse to ride down to Va. Beach today. I was not to impressed with the advice I got from Animal Jungle, they said I should talk to the owner when I started asking some out of the ordinary questions for the avg. highschool kid.

Hmm, I might just make a trip to reefchief tomorrow. I'm kinda eager to get a plan laid out so I can start figuring on how much money I'm going/willing to spend.

[Mtrueblood]

LOL true true glad to see that I am not the only one who feels that way about them. I think that you will like Reef Chief they are a whole lot better and they will be able to answer all your questions.