Has Anyone Bought an Inter-American Tank Lately?

[johnny]

Out of curiousity has anyone ordered an IA tank in the last month? If so how long did it take for you to get? I've been waiting for the school's tank for over 2 months now... I'm getting slightly frustrated, but I understand that he's swamped with new business.. just wanted to see how long everyone's been waiting. Thanks :)

Nick

[Ninong]

Originally posted by johnny
Out of curiousity has anyone ordered an IA tank in the last month? If so how long did it take for you to get?

I would think that anyone who ordered a tank in the last month would not have received it yet.

My little 120-gal tank was shipped 31 days after I placed the order and then it took an additional 2 weeks to get to me. Nathan Paden just posted pics of his Inter-American 415-gal tank that he received earlier this month: http://archive.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=28768

I believe his tank was shipped about two months after he placed the order. As you know, they had a lot of orders for large custom tanks when you placed your order. For comparison, when I was considering ordering a custom tank from Oceanic, they quoted me "a minimum of 60 days" for any custom tank order.

Regards,

Ninong :D

[Tadashi]

Did you call Mitch to find out when he shipped it? I think mine took about 8 weeks. It took 4 wks to build and then 4 wks to ship.

[johnny]

Yeah I've been calling Mitch every week. It was quoted 3 weeks on May 8th to get done, then kept getting the "3 more weeks routine", then about 4 weeks ago, I got it will be done july 9th. Since then, each week it has been ... It will be done next week. It's getting frustrating mostly because we need to get the tank here before the contractor will build the stand and also because we've had a moving crew on standby for 4 weeks... I think they're ready to call me the boy who cried wolf :)

Mitch wasn't in wed or friday of last week, nor today, so I'll give a call on Monday and see what's going on.

Ninong,

Sorry I should have asked has anyone had their tank shipped, as opposed to gotten it :D I can't wait to deal with the shipping company :rolleyes: (especially since we're paying them before the deliver it... the school refuses to pay COD ... )

Nick

[Tadashi]

Wow, you are patient. If it was not in the mail I would have said forget it and done something else. Did he say what the hang up was? I was told that it took one week to cut the glass, one week to assemble, one week to dry, and one week to prep for shipping. I thought I remember you saying that he has the laminated glass in his shop already.

[carolina98]

Nick, sorry to butt in your thread, but wondering if anyone else has heard that Oceanic is going to do a limited run on Starphire glass tanks?

[metamorphis]

Are there any other companies that are using starphire glass? If not, why?

[johnny]

Meta,

The reason I was told by Mitch was that it is twice as cheap to buy the starphire glass in Canada as it is to buy it in the US. Not sure why, but that's what I was told. Plus, he doesn't have much of a markup on his tanks to begin with.

Nick

[gas4544]

Ninong,
How did your 120 gallon tank from IA turn out? What was the price? I'm thinking of moving up to a 120 gallon tank myself.

[Ninong]

gas ~

My 120-gal Starphire tank from Inter-American turned out just fine. The total cost, with all options, was $550 plus shipping. Shipping varies depending on your location but it is best to have Mitch quote you a shipping charge in advance and then request that it be prepaid on his end and added to your total charge.

You can see pics of my tank here: http://www.reefland.com/cgi-bin/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3153

Ninong :D

[Tadashi]

gas,

When you design your tank think about the following before you talk to Mitch. Then have him fax you a spec sheet. You only have about 1 week to make changes before it is too late. If you do decide to change something (ie drain hole size, etc) have him fax you a new spec sheet. They are building so many tanks the change will get lost in the shuffle otherwise.

1. type of glass (PPG Starfire, Greylight, LOF) - which sides (starfire all front 3, front only, LOF bottom, greylight overflow, etc)
2. thickness - ie 12mm sides, 19mm bottom
3. padding - yes/no on bottom. I did like this feature although some say it is not needed.
4. plumbing - what size returns and drains? do you want the bulheads threaded on one or both sides? I have one side threaded x SLIP. The slip is for the standpipe. The other is screw in for cabinet plumbing.
5. edges - ground and polished, beveled and polished, etc. I recommend the beveled and polished to match Oceanic's edges. My ground and polished looks like they used a chisel (looks like the old chisel arrowheads).
6. bracing - center braces, euro, or combination
7. Trim - If you go with the double trim on the bottom then ensure you stress to Mitch to have them line it up. Mine is a little off by 1/4 so the edges do not meet up. Most people do not notice it but since I know it is there is drives me nuts - yeah the wife calls me anal.
8. silicon - clear or black. Ensure you also get the bead put around the top of the bracing
9. mirror - he has a special mirror glass for the back if you want. Mine is all starfire for 360 deg viewing.
10. overflow - where and what size. what do you want as the overflow grate (I do like the black egg crate over the oceanic slots), return holes (i did not use this since I hooked up sea swirls).
11. tank dimesions - if you already have a stand tell him what the outside dimensions must be. He was exact on this feature. I did give him leaway on the height which he suggested 30".

In my opinion if you are going to get a large tank get the best. It is not like you can upgrade later by changing out a part. I would have paid more money for the professional edging on the glass.

Getting a custom tank was a real learning experience for me. It is not like buying a car where the dealer walks through the options. You will need to know exactly what you want. I would look at other tanks in stores also for ideas.

Be prepared for a long wait - more time to plan your taank. If he says 4 week delivery it means about 8 weeks. I think mine took about 2 months from the time I ordered it.

Have some people to help you unload it. Most companies will deliver it to your house, but the recipient is responsible for off loading, uncrating, and moving into the house. My trucker was kind enough to help.

Do not let the trucker leave until you uncrate the tank, unwrap it, and clean the inside with water and wipe the outside with aquarium glass cleaner. I did not see a scratch until I unwrapped It is on the outside so at least algae does not fill it. Wrapping was not marred so it happened before it was wrapped.

That is all I can think of to help you with IA. I am not sure about other custom tank builders but even with others consider the options before you meet and don't skimp on details. Once the 500 lb tank hits the front door it is too late.

You can check out my pics of the 155-gal (http://www.geocities.com/ktchinn/155-html) on my web site. Finally all setup and running.

For 155-gal, 49"x27"x30", 4 sides 12mm starfire, greylight overflow 18.5"x8.5" center, 19mm bottom and padding was $1209 inclduing S&H ($425). I think three sides of starfire was only around $1000 including S&H.

Good luck.

[Kenzy]

Hi Nick, I'm in the same boat as you. I ordered a custom 180g in mid June and still don't have it.

My problem is that I was supposed to get a deal on free shipping to a new LFS chain that is opening locally. The tank was supposed to arrive a month before the store opened with a shipment of other tanks that were to be sold at the store. So far the store has been open for 2 weeks and no sign of my tank.

Last time I called 2 weeks ago I got the "Don't call me I'll call you" attitude.

I'm pretty laid back, but this starting to get to me.

[johnny]

Kenzy,

Yeah that does suck. I've been told now that the tank is SUPPOSED to be shipped this week and SUPPOSED to arrive next week... I SUPPOSE I should start holding my breath :rolleyes:

If you do that "don't call us we'll call you" it may never get done :D That's one thing I've learned from starting this club up at RPI, if someone doesn't do something by when they say they'll do it... they're putting it off ... the only way to get the thing done is to bug them every other day asking for when it will be done and calling the day before it supposed to be done to make sure it will be done.

Nick

[gas4544]

Tadashi,
Thank you for your very complete response about ordering from Inter-American. I am in the process of designing an SPS tank and I am considering my options for what tank to buy. RIght now I am leaning toward buying a tank very similar to the one you had made.
I would like a tank that is similar in size to a standard 120-gallon glass tank. A tank with a footprint of 49" X 27" sounds like it would work out very well for my purposes. I will probably design the tank to be a little shorter than yours, say 24" tall. I would then have the stand and canopy custom-made locally.
Your website is very well laid out and very informative - great job! Here is a quote from your website on plumbing the tank:

"I decided on two 3/4" returns and one 1.5" drain. However, if did this again I would have gone with two 1.5" drains. Best to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Worse case I could have run my wiring down that hole. The manufacturer states that a 2" drain will allow about 2200 GPH and a 1.5" drain will allow about 1400 GPH."
I would also like to have one center-rear overflow box with two drains and two returns. I am anticipating that I will be using an Iwaki MD100RLT for the return pump. It puts out 1990 gph at 6' of head. The return would likely be split between one or two Sea Swirls and possibly some LocLine plumbed through the overflow box. I am also considering adding a DIY surge bucket which would be supplied by a seperate pump. The surge would flow into the tank through one or two holes about midway up the water column. The surge bucket plumbing could be plumbed through the overflow box or through seperate holes in the back of the tank.
So, how did you determine the size of your overflow box? I would like to use either Durso or Stockman standpipes. Do any of you have any other recommendations? Thank you for all your help.

Gary

[Tadashi]

Thanks for the compliment. I hope it helps others out there. I am lucky to have an old college but to help me out.

Something else to consider is I have two pumps in case one goes out on me. They are running at 75% so worse case I can run the system on one pump at 100% in an emergency. The con is that the extra pump uses elec, cost $, and adds noise to the system.

My overflow dimensions were dictated to me by my stand. When we retro fitted the stand I placed a support beam across the middle. This causes the one return and the other drain and return to straddle the 1.5" beam (2x4). However, this is a good thing. yes my overflow is huge but it allows me to get my hands in there to work (recently spent 20 min trying to catch a baby clown out of there) and it fits a 2" Durso with ease. I basically left the dimensions to Mitch once I gave him the situation parameters - he was the one to come up with the 18"x8.5". Since I have the water about 1" below the top I do not lose any water capacity with the large overflow.

If you go with a small overflow you may have to do a stockman. With dual drains in my system the durso would not fit. I would have to go with the stockmans.

On the bright side the 1.5" drain is more than enough for my tank. Althought the second drain would be nice to run my MH cables through. I think my 1.5' drain is handling about 2000gph. I have opened both pumps up 100% with no problems.

One problem with the SeaSwirl setup I have is that in a 4' tank the nozzles are too powerful moving sand out of the corners of my tank to the middle. That is why I had to throttle my pumps down. (may change to the flat nozzle to reduce the water velocity). Also, after I had my tank orders my buddy suggested that I should have had the braces drilled to put the SeaSwirl nozzle right through it. That would have been awesome had I thought about it earlier. I am not sure if Mitch can drill the brace (if it will affect the structural integrity).

I went with the 30" because Mitch said it was the same price as the 24". I have a DSB (6+") mainly so I can reach the bottom of the tank with my arm. After having smaller tanks and problems with corals growing almost right up the the surface I really like the open space and coral growth room the extra height gives. Plus it gives me some extra water volume.

Good luck. Keep us posted on your progress I am curious to see it all setup.

[Kenzy]

johnny ,

Any word on your tank yet?

I finally got through to Mitch on Friday and was told to expect it on Aug. 28. Well I guess I'll have to wait and see. :rolleyes:

Later.

[johnny]

The tank was supposed to leave IA last friday, I was given a PRO number. I was called during the week while I was on vacation to say the PRO number was not valid on consolidated freightways webpage, I came back today and talked to the school and they said they talked to Mitch, the tank was shipped and should arrive here wed. The PRO number is still not valid, but that might just be the company's webpage not being updated enough.... we'll see, but my fortune cookie tonight at the chinese restaurant said that "All great accomplishments are first thought to be impossible" :D

Nick

[Ninong]

I don't understand why you didn't have him fax you a copy of the Canadian Freightways Bill of Lading that is signed by him and the truck driver with the exact date and time the crate was picked up (at the bottom right of the form) and with the Pro Number in the upper left corner. It usually takes about 48 hours for the Pro Number to show up on Consolidated Freightways' website after it is picked up by Canadian Freightways.

Even though he faxed me a copy of the signed Bill of Lading so that I had proof of when the crate was picked up, the trucking company still entered the date on their records as two days after it was actually signed for and picked up and then took twice as long as they should have to get it to me from Canada. So, sometimes the adventure is just beginning when it gets turned over to the trucking guys.

Ninong :eek1:

[johnny]

Originally posted by Ninong
So, sometimes the adventure is just beginning when it gets turned over to the trucking guys.



hehe then please just shoot me now :D I may graduate before this tank actually gets setup.....

Nick

[johnny]

I sit here uttering every swear I can think of.... why?.....

The tank's crate was broken halfway through the first shipping, and returned to inter-american. Now it has been shipped again, but somewhere along the lines, the shipping address was changed from Troy NEW YORK to Troy MICHIGAN! I'm on the phone now attempting to get a hold of customer service in the location the tank is at, but no luck..... URG.

Nick

[scubadude]

Originally posted by johnny
Yeah I've been calling Mitch every week. It was quoted 3 weeks on May 8th to get done...................................................
Nick

Hi Nick....So let me get this straight, you ordered the tank on May 8th? which is 4 mos. ago and you still havent received the tank? Man you are patient! I understand that IA makes a quality tank but am very concerned at the way their businness has been run for the past few months! I am at a point right now where Im ready to upgrade to a 180-220 tank and am strongly pondering the Idea of a starphire, but as we all know time is money. I would love to see some pics of your tank when you get it, as it will definately have impact on my deciding purchase, I would also like to know if you have addressed Mitch in anyway as to the problem? I realize some ppl are trying to be patient and let them do their job, I also realize that they are very busy now, and overwhelmed prolly, however there seems to be a lack of communication between you and Mitch? I guess what Im getting at is do you feel IA (mitch) could have communicated with you on a more professional level? Im not asking you to put the blame anywhere.....but it sure does seem like alot of expensive "Faults" have been occuring everytime someone places an order w/ IA and I cant seem to tell if the customers think It was their fault or IA's fault. Yes 2 mos may be reasonable....but 4 mos? back when Ninong placed his order his tank arrived within 2 mos. Now that IA is slammed you get it in 4 mos. There is definately a trend that has been set here that appears to me to NOT be in IA's favor....yet everyone is still ordering tanks from them :confused:

[johnny]

scuba,

My case was somewhat different than most in that RPI and myself worked out a deal with Mitch... also notice they have a webpage now ;) So what ended up happening was every time he got a "real" order in.... I think ours got delayed. Also, I think there may have been a time when a 8'x27" pain of starphire was needed and it just happened to be the week that the glass for our tank came in and matched those dimension...... well you get the idea. I agree with you.... I am not very happy about how things turned out. Yes we got a great deal on the tank, but the deal was set 4 months ago and I finished the webpage in 2 weeks and feel that if I had not started to get aggrivated with Mitch I would never have gotten the tank.

So while I am quite aggrivated, I don't think this would ever happen to a regular customer where a loss of money is at stake. The latest shipping fiascos aren't Mitch's fault...... they're Consolidated's. Which btw has changed the destination city to Troy NEW YORK now, but still has the terminal as Detroit..... anyone know if that needs to be changed as well?

Nick

[johnny]

The tank arrived today, look for a thread in the main forum.

Nick

[ambulldog615]

what is thier web site??

[Ninong]

http://go.to/interamerican