# Tetra brand tanks... issues?



## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

Was looking at the tanks tonight at Petco... specifically the 55 gallon tanks. There's a local pet store that actually has the Aqueon branded 55 tanks for 100 bucks.

I do actually have more of a liking towards the Tetra brand 55 however. The Aqueon is a little bit taller. 

Obviously Aqueon does a lot better job on putting their tanks together however... That brings to question out of all the bad stuff people say about Tetra tanks, has anyone on here actually had any issues with them or had one leak?


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## Red Cloud (Nov 11, 2014)

I've had all Aqueon ones myself, but I did some of the research because I had the same questions. Apparently from what I read, Tetra tanks were the most likely ones to leak or even burst at the seams. I read several stories of tanks splitting in the middle of the night


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

I probably would just be better off going with Aqueon... always had their tanks with no issues. Especially since the tank itself is cheaper!


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## FewestKitten896 (Dec 13, 2013)

Never had a problem with mine. A lot of people build their own stands and there is definitely a lot of room for error when building and having 500+ lbs of water and substrate. I bet you will find more success stories than problems with them though. Although people tend to only complain about stuff rather than talk about the positives of something. Sorry if reading this is like a game of ping pong


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## Bloomer (Mar 22, 2014)

As far as I know All Glass Aquariums makes all of the mass market tanks. 

There are differences among tanks, though, the dollar a gallon ones seem to have messier glue joints than some of the others. Just sort through them and you'll find a nice one, I have 3 40gal B DAG tanks that are excellent. Both of my marineland tanks have black silicone. In the upper rim there's a sticker with the assembler's name and date of manufacture. AGA's symbol is an anchor and if you read the tank label carefully, AGA is mentioned. 

I have tetra, top fin, aqueon and marineland and they all have the same stickers.

I agree on stands, most stands barely or don't contact the tank midspan of the front and back walls. The huge soft silicone joint on the bottom of the tank probably makes up for that to a degree, but an unpward bend in the stand or very stiff cushion under it both help a lot to even the load.


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## ngrubich (Nov 29, 2011)

Bloomer said:


> As far as I know All Glass Aquariums makes all of the mass market tanks.


From what I have read in the past, this is true. However, there are slight variances in glass thicknesses between companies. IIRC, the Tetra tanks use slightly thinner glass than Aqueon. Granted the thickness shouldn't be much of a factor in smaller tanks, but it can pose a considering factor with larger tanks (>40B). 
With that said I am an Aqueon guy, myself. I've never had a problem with their tanks, and their rims have always been level across the tank (no so much with the bulk DPG Tetra tanks after Petco stopped including the Aqueon tanks in their sales). I've seen some sloppy work for the DPG tanks (some as much as 1/4" deflection in a 20L), but what do you expect with All Glass Aquariums pumping out all those tanks for these sales. The old saying is true when it comes to those DPG sales: you get what you pay for. 


Of course, many people buy them and haven't had problems with them but the "brand" / time of year is a considering factor when I purchase cookie-cutter [dimensioned] tanks.


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## FatherLandDescendant (Jul 24, 2014)

I have a 10gal and a 29gal tetra brand tank. The first 10gal leaked out of the box, the 29gal was good to go from the leak test.

The 10 has been up and running for a few months now. My 29 has yet to be set up, that happens this weekend.


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## Bloomer (Mar 22, 2014)

I noticed a few of my DPG tanks were made almost a year before I bought them. Pure conjecture, but I wonder if they were cosmetic rejects?

The Aqueon 55 gal I have has much thicker glass than the tetra 55 gal, but the tetra is tempered glass. In practice, there's no difference between the two, really, because they both have top center braces and I didn't drill either. They were both DPG purchases, but the Aqueon was an old display tank and they gave it to me because they were out of Tetras. 

Most of my tanks are Aqueons, too. 

How the tank is constructed is very important, the craftsmanship, I couldn't agree more. A one gallon spill is a mess, 50 gals is a flood!


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

Just go down and look at them. The tetras are so poorly made I'm surprised they even hold water very long. I looked at a stack of 40 breeders and the glass edges didn't even sit properly. The quality is visibly poor. I'm sticking with anything but tetra.


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## Culprit (Nov 6, 2012)

I`ve had a 20H tetra tank leak from the bottom corner after about 2 months of use.


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## flight50 (Apr 17, 2012)

A lot of comments you see is from he say she say. There are some that can actually contribute to the topic based from actually owning and running a Tetra though. Besides the quality issue, its a tank that can hold water just like any other. Any tank can leak. The leaking comes from the seams, not the glass. Redoing the seam(s) will fix the leak. Visually, yes the Aqueon's are more appealing. I have yet to hear of any Tetra tanks horribly failing out side of seam leaks. If in doubt, stick with the Aqueon. I have both but they aren't setup and running. I have only done 2-3 week leak test on (8) Tetras 40g and (4) of my Aqueon 40g tanks. None have failed at the seams within that time period. My tanks will be setup in my garage so if anything bad does happen, I won't be too upset for I took the risk of a $1 sale tank.

A good point was made about the stands. Most that use the $1 sale are also more than likely to try to save a buck or two and build their own stands just I am doing myself. I am sure Tetra warranties their tank just as any other tank maker. You must use their stands or an approved manufactured stand for a near error-less setup. A stand that is out of alignment can put a tank in stress at a seam. This can progressively get worse and before you know it, you get a leak and blame Tetra tanks. They make thinner glass tanks with not so great quality seams but you aren't forced to buy them. Purchase at your own risk just like anything else on the market.


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## Bushkill (Feb 15, 2012)

I'm having a little trouble wrapping my head around the assertion that AGA makes all of them. I'm not really doubting it, but could someone here point me to something that would back that up since I've never heard of that before.

Another area the tanks differ is the top trim. The Tetra tanks' top trim has a slight narrower lip where a glass top would sit. 

I make my own glass tops out of scrap glass for my tanks, and several sit on a rack with the end panel being the viewing panel. I bought a couple of 29G's about a year ago, and cut the glass to the dimension at the corners. Well, the tank bows enough that the back half of the glass top that I cut falls into the tank. The tanks bow about a 1/4" at the top. That's when I realized the lip on the trim is also narrower (O'Dell tanks were similar) which compounded the bowing effect.

So that if you put a standard store-bought versa top on it, the middle of the panel would barely be supported by the trim if at all. The handle may actually save the day.

Nope, nobody held a gun to my head to buy them and shame on me for not noticing the trim is designed differently. I could care less about sloppy silicone as long as it's applied, but the thinner glass causes issues I don't particularly care for and I didn't realize until I filled it and cut a glass panel to fit over one half of it.


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## Verivus (Jan 6, 2015)

My 40B from the DPG sale was the only tank in the store with a decent silicone job. It's been holding up for about a month now on a stand I bought from lowes that fits it perfectly. I have no issues with bowing and my versatop lid sits on top just fine when I have it on there. I guess time will tell.


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## Coralbandit (Feb 25, 2013)

AGA was purchased by Central Gardens(along with Oceanic,Kent,corallife,zilla....)
http://www.central.com/
^Hit pet brands then aquatics.^
They wrecked oceanic through plain old ignorance(in that they ignored the business to failure) and seem bent on discontinuing any of their products that actually sell.
AGA is aqueon.
I am an aqueon guy with almost 1,000 gallons.
I did buy a 20 long tetra last DPG and have no complaints.
I did search through everyone of them to get the best and believe me there was a difference.
On the year old tank;
used to be 90 day min cure time for manufacturers,not so sure this still applies but I never have seen a lable less then 6 months old.
Deep blue are the worst when it comes to leaking and complete failure.
With no reason I question any tank with black silicone.


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

And it's a shame about Oceanic. I've seen about four of them through the years between when I first had tanks and when I started up in 2011. At various people house that I visited. Very neatly put together, even seams of silicone etc.
But glad you made that comment about Deep Blue. Since I'm confined to the 10g or less I was thinking about doing a Deep Blue. In the adds, they look great.
Guess from all this it's an Aqueon for me.


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## Bloomer (Mar 22, 2014)

AGA is noted on the Tank Labels stuck to the tanks I've bought, all three brands mentioned. It's not obvious, the company name, All Glass Aquarium, is a bit confusing, is it a company or a tank made from all glass? The label verbiage is something like "All Glass Aquarium Aqueon 40 Gallon" or similar, but AGA is always capitalized and spaced strangely so it's easy to miss.

I have no idea if they make ALL of them, I've read that numerous times, though and it agrees with my limited sample of 30 or so tanks. 

Based solely on my experience, I don't really see anything bad about AGA tanks, I've never had any leakers. I cracked a 10 gal by accidentally lifting one corner when it was full, my fault there.

We have a few higher end small tanks, eheim quastyles, a fluval edge and Mr. Aquas and those are definitely constructed more neatly, but cost a lot more, too.


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## Bushkill (Feb 15, 2012)

Verivus said:


> My 40B from the DPG sale was the only tank in the store with a decent silicone job. It's been holding up for about a month now on a stand I bought from lowes that fits it perfectly. I have no issues with bowing and my versatop lid sits on top just fine when I have it on there. I guess time will tell.


It's the 29G's that bow like a pregnant guppy, lol! A bit taller and it makes all the difference. Honestly though, it's not that it has me feeling paranoid about a leak or a catastrophe. My catastrophes are usually self-inflicted. And I was also a little ticked at myself for assuming there would be no bowing at all.


To be clear, I'm not looking for an argument in questioning whether or not AGA makes 'em all. Just curious about stuff like that. As companies fold, get bought, we just end up with fewer choices and in some cases....none.

I have a few Deep Blue tanks in the mix. The silicone around the bottom of a 65G I bought looks like somebody used a carrot to spread it along the seam. But the vertical seams are actually well done. Almost like 2 people built it. I guess the thinking there is why put effort into something that just gets covered in gravel? But I also have a 29G Deep blue that I bought used. It was part of a small fish room breakdown while the rest of the house was being packed up to move out. So I didn't get a good look at some things. Sheesh, but the silicone in the bottom of this thing looks like Edward Scissorhands was scraping algae in there. I mean really chopped up and shredded. I wasn't worried about a leak since it sits on the fishroom floor not far from a drain. It's held up fine for three years now.


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## Verivus (Jan 6, 2015)

Ah, I see. That's unfortunate about the bowing. :/ I do know the Tetra tanks and the Petsmart Great Choice tanks are made by the same manufacturer, but I'm not sure about the other brands.


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

I have a 3 and 10 gallon Deep Blue Professional tanks and they are very well made. If I could find a 40 breeder local I would buy that over the Aqueon.


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## Bloomer (Mar 22, 2014)

To throw in some more confusion, my 3 40B's are all DPG tetras and they have taped silicone joints, absolutely perfect like the Marineland ones with black silicone, those are masked somehow, too.

The amount of silicone in the bottoms of some tanks is incredible, there has to be noticeable added cost to glopping it in like that. I don't think it has any purpose, maybe it somehow cushions the joint from rocks? IDK.

This is a nice discussion; I've been in various parts of manufacturing for 3 decades and product variation is one thing you want to minimize to satisfy buyers. If for no other reason than differences among your products make customers wonder why they're all different. Maybe the large variation we see matters to function, maybe not; if a tank fails after a period of time, one of the first things suspected would be the wide range in construction quality. If all these tanks were close to the same, we might be equally likely to look at something beside the tank.

Seems like very few customers would overlook the ones that just plain look terrible and they get shipped, too!


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## lksdrinker (Feb 12, 2014)

I've got a $1/gallon tetra 20h that leaked from the get go. However, it'll only leak if I fill it all the way to brim. The water will leak from behind the black plastic trim in only one corner. I've been using the tank for 11 or 12 months with no issue though. I just make sure I never fill it all the way and keep my high water mark just below the plastic trim. 

I was pretty upset once I realized what was happening. While I often noticed a dribble/puddle near the tank, I only seemed to find this either just after or the day after doing a water change. I figured I had just been sloppy and splashed some water around near the tank when refilling. After this happened a few times I made sure to be extra careful during a water change; and afterwards still found some water and finally figured out what was going on. Turns out I positioned the tank in such a way so that the leaky spot was the back corner up against a wall making it that much harder to see. 

I decided that it wasnt worth breaking down the tank and figuring out a way to temporarily house a number of fish just to go back to the store and try explaining it had been leaking from day one! 

Needless to say I am now very concerned about buying any more tetra tanks; or taking advantage of the $1/gallon sales. I've had far better luck buying used tanks on CL for less than $1/gallon anyway!


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## DizzyD (Apr 24, 2013)

Just pay attention to what you are buying. I've scene some terrible tetra tanks at the pet store. I even took a picture and emailed Tetra about it. Never got a response.


But as long as it looks straight and the silicon looks good, I doubt tetra will give you any more or less trouble than any other brand. Even as bad as this tank looks I'm sure it would hold water fine...


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

I've seen the same as the above pic in stores. One tank was flush on the bottom but stuck out more than the above pic on the top.


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## Gilby (Mar 5, 2013)

I got one of the tetra 40B tanks and it doesn't sit flat on a flat surface. Got an Aqueon and placed it on the same surface without issue. The Aqueon has a slightly larger viewing area since the trim isn't as thick. My LFS sells the Aqueons for $40 when on sale, but it's normally $50 or $60 when not. IMO, it's worth paying a little more for the thicker glass and better construction.


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## AquaDean (Nov 20, 2009)

I purchase one of the Tetra 40 breeders from Petco and the tank is just fine.
But, try to find a hinged glass top for it. 
I ended up calling Tetra and found out that Tetra, Marineland, and Perfecto tanks are all the same manufacturer and the tops are interchangeable. 
Aqueon and All Glass Aquarium are the same manufacturer but are not interchangeable with Tetra, Marineland, or Perfecto. The Aqueon versa top is 1/8" too wide for the Tetra tank and won't fit. Plus Petco and Petsmart cannot buy the Tetra glass tops, you have to have a independent shop order the tops under the Marineland or Perfecto label.


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## Verivus (Jan 6, 2015)

AquaDean said:


> I purchase one of the Tetra 40 breeders from Petco and the tank is just fine.
> But, try to find a hinged glass top for it.
> I ended up calling Tetra and found out that Tetra, Marineland, and Perfecto tanks are all the same manufacturer and the tops are interchangeable.
> Aqueon and All Glass Aquarium are the same manufacturer but are not interchangeable with Tetra, Marineland, or Perfecto. The Aqueon versa top is 1/8" too wide for the Tetra tank and won't fit. Plus Petco and Petsmart cannot buy the Tetra glass tops, you have to have a independent shop order the tops under the Marineland or Perfecto label.



The petcos around me all carry the tetra glass tops in store. It's where I got my 40B lid.


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## flight50 (Apr 17, 2012)

DizzyD said:


> Just pay attention to what you are buying. I've scene some terrible tetra tanks at the pet store. I even took a picture and emailed Tetra about it. Never got a response.
> 
> 
> But as long as it looks straight and the silicon looks good, I doubt tetra will give you any more or less trouble than any other brand. Even as bad as this tank looks I'm sure it would hold water fine...


I have yet to see any Tetra's look like that. That's actually pretty bad. Perhaps construction teams are based on regions around the country. I see a few panels off by 1/16" or an 1/8" but never more than that. The silicone jobs and panel alignments I have seen in the (3) Petco's I visit, are in good shape without a doubt. I barely even have to take a second look at the construction. Yes there is extra silicone at the bottom majority of the times but it gets covered by substrate so no issues there. Its the verticals that matter. No Tetra has dissatisfied me I must say.


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## larusaquarium (Feb 21, 2015)

I've had a 37 gallon long tetra brand tank for a year. Knock on wood, tank is doing great and no leaks. 
Tank was purchased as a complete aquarium with light and filter. But only thing that I ise from all that is just the tank. 
All the equipment that came with the tank is very bad quality or not sufficient for a planted tank.


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## Bloomer (Mar 22, 2014)

That tank in post 42 is really bad, looks like the wall was aligned wrong during bonding or was bumped. I've see some smaller mismatch, but not that much, why was it ever shipped?  Jeesh! Let's use our customers for quality control, dumb!

I have experienced the canopy fit issue twice. Once with an Aqueon canopy on a tetra 40B. The other, surprisingly was an Aqueon canopy for an Aqueon 45 gal, both too wide. About an hour with coarse diamond files got them to fit, but what a pain. 

All the petco's near me sell nothing but Tetra canopies and they fit any tank. Any surprise that's different from what AquaDean found?

Why is all this stuff so different? :help:


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

I'm not really sure I believe that Aqueon/AGA makes all of those branded tanks. I thought I read somewhere online that there was 2 major companies that made the name brand tanks.

I know Aqueon makes Top Fin for sure because whenever you see it in stores, I've noticed they always come with Aqueon branded lighting and such. Even the protective cardboard around the tank I seen at one store said Aqueon on it.


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