Was I cheated?

[pchang]

I recently ordered an Oceanic 72 bow front reef ready tank and stand from a local fish store and when I went to pick it up today, the stand was Oceanic but the tank was made by AGA. The kid working there told me that they were the same company and the tanks were the same.

Can anyone tell me if they pulled a fast one or if in fact the tanks are the same?

Thanks!
Prent

[V4m8ION]

They pulled a fast one on you. I do believe that one company owns them. The "mother company' sells Oceanic, AGA and one other brand that I can't remember.

Oceanic is supposed to be their high end product
AGA is supposed to be the mid end product
"Can't remember" is supposed to be the low end product

[AikiReefer]

AGA is All Glass Aquarium. They're probably the largest glass aquarium manufacturer in the world.

Oceanic Systems has been a subsidiary of All Glass Aquarium since 1997.

You weren't ripped off. They're the same company.

[V4m8ION]

The same company does not mean the same product. Daimler Chrysler is the same company yet there is a major diference between a Mercedes and a Jeep. Another example, Ford Lincoln. Major difference between an Expedition and Navigator. As I stated earlier. Their product lines cater to the different buying groups. You were ripped off if they charged you an Oceanic price for the AGA tank.

[nasotang]

IMO I think you got ripped off. I agree with V4m8ION about the Oceanic being the upper end product for that company.

If I remember right the overflows are not in the same position or made of the same material. The Oceanic 72 bow has one in the back left corner whereas the AGA has one on the back but not in the corner.

[nasotang]

noway the Expedition is exactly the same as a Navi. That's why I bought a Expedition for the price of a Navi. lol

[V4m8ION]

That's nothing! Everyone thought that I was crazy when I told the Jeep salesman that I wanted to pay no higher than $80,000 grand for my Wrangler!:)

[bertoni]

<img src="/images/welcome.gif" width="500" height="62"><br><b><i><big><big>To Reef Central</b></i></big></big>

to pchang and AikiReefer

[AikiReefer]

Yes, indeed, the same company does not mean the same product. My bad.

Here's the link for the 72 gallon bow front aquarium and stand from Oceanic:
http://www.oceanicsystems.com/products_aq_bow.html

Here's the link for the 72 gallon bow front aquarium and stand from AGA:
http://www.all-glass.com/products/aquariums/index.html

What's interesting here is that pchang ordered a "reef ready" tank and stand. Oceanic's page says that their bow front comes in two options, Standard and Reef Ready. However, AGA's page makes no such reference.

Your LFS seems to have some explaining to do.

[tygger]

I didn't look, but if AGA did failed to make reference their standard and Reef Ready tanks, it was a mistake. When I was shopping for a new tank, I distinctly remember buying the the RR as oppose to the standard bow.

If they charged you Oceanic price, then you got ripped off. AGA should be less expensive.

[DAVER]

the oceanic tanks have a higher quality glass as well. it is thicker and has better clarity..on the other hand i have 2 aga 72g bows and when i purchased them i did not see spending the extra money for the oceanic. i think you will be happy with the aga, but, i would ask for a refund for the difference.

[pchang]

Sent to customerservice@oceanicsystems.com:

I was wondering if you could describe the differences between the 72 bow
front reef ready tanks made by Oceanic and AGA. A person in an aquarium
store said the tanks were the same, is that true?

Thanks,
Prent


Reply:

Thank you for the e-mail, and your interest in Oceanic products. Yes,
the two tanks are the same. If I can be of further assistance, please
let me know.

Thanks,

Ayinde Thomas

Oceanic Systems - Customer Service
214-320-6050 Ex.721
11990 Shiloh Rd.
Dallas, Texas 75228


I will contact my LFS about any price difference. Thanks to all who replied!

[AikiReefer]

Oh, so I got it right in the first place!

I have an AGA 72 gallon bowfront and thought the tanks were the same.

It's a nice tank, you'll enjoy it.

And since the two tanks are the same, I don't know why there would be any price difference.

[V4m8ION]

I hate to be proven wrong!:) I would still check around. The customer service person could be stating that the tanks are the same demension wise WxLxH. Fire back an email to the customer service person asking why then are Oceanic tanks more expensive. I have never seen an Oceanic tank being priced the same as an AGA. If the tanks are truely the same ask the LFS to give you the AGA price.

Just lookking to save you money.

[Northtampatang]

FYI, the company that owns both Oceanic and AGA is CENTRAL PET. A friends mom works there, and I love to walk around the warehouse for my supplies! They take my order and I can pick it up the next day at the employee rate(wholesale -15%, she lets me do it once every six months).

And, you should go back to the LFS and tell them to hook you up. Its a pain, but try this: load up the tank, bring it with you, leave it in the car and go in and ask for a credit. If they wont do it, tell them that you want to return the tank,( its in your car) and order the AGA version. Chances are they will give you the credit verus a return and re-order. My LFS screwed me, I orderd an oak stand, and when I picked it up and broght it home, I found out it was oak satined pine(good copy though). They said it was a mistake, but when I brought it back and raised heck, they gave me a good credit(i ended up paying wholesale for the stand).

It is a pain to have to haggle, but it really is the principal of it all.

[boz151]

Major difference between the Oceanic and the AGA used to be the nicer beveled trim kit on the Oceanic. You could also get them with black seams. To get a drilled "reef ready" AGA, you have to special order it and they silicone one of their new, fancy overflows into it. Just my 2 cents.

[tygger]

Strange. I specifically remember seeing both side by side and the Oceanic tank had the overflow built into the corner of the tank where as the AGA had the overflow built a little off center to the left.

Oceanic also makes a canopy and stand for their bow tank that is different than AGA's.

[drk70]

Can't comment on bowfronts but when I bought my Oceanic 70g RR (36x18x25) I was looking at a 65g AGA RR and the price was cheaper. The differences I found were that the AGA tank had center bracing, glass didn't appear to be as thick but not sure (that would explain the center brace), joints seemed sloppier (not put together as well) and you didn't get any of the overflow piping (seen prices for this ranging from 29.99 to 42.99 additional). The Oceanic had no bracing (plus for me), quality looked better and the overflow kit came with the tank.

All in all the pricing was not too far off if you added the overflow kit to the AGA (you could make your own) but quality and the bracing made a difference to me.

Just my 2 cents.

IMO, I would get money back or return it and get what you paid for.

[pchang]

I took V4m8ION's advice and sent another e-mail to Oceanic-

Ayinde,

Thanks for your fast response. If the tanks are identical then why
is the Oceanic more expensive? Seems that there should be something
different with the glass, trim, hood, or warranty to justify the price
difference.

Thanks again,
Prent

Response:
Well
to be honest with you I'm not sure. All because we do not have retail
pricing. We sell wholesale only to distributors. And a question like
that can be compared to trying to rent an apartment in two different
cities. (ex. New York City and Dallas Tx,) New York charges higher due
to what they can afford to charge compared that of Dallas' living
expenses. Retail is going to be different just about anywhere you go. In
some regions of U.S. All-Glass might be higher than Oceanic. But to be
honest I'm really not for certain. If I can be of further assistance,
please let me know.

Thanks,

Ayinde Thomas

**********************************************

I called a store in PA I found on the web that carries both and they said the glass is thicker on the Oceanic and the finish is nicer.

I'm going to return my tank and get what I paid for.

Thanks everyone

[Northtampatang]

Good for you! I run a retail store(not fish) and there are always sellers trying to get over on the buyer (chrarging over retail, substitutions, etc.) If your tank was never filled, take it back!

[drk70]

Same here - Good for you! I wouldn't have thought that a manufacturer would say anything bad about their product (not sure who owns who but think their all owned by same company)anyway, as you can kinda read that into their response.

[Northtampatang]

They may be subsidiaries, but are still two seperate divisions. Central Pet (HUGE DISTRIBUTOR) is the actual owner of the two.