FAQ

Do you make acrylic aquariums?
Because no technology has yet been found that resolves the acrylic “aging” problem that causes dull-looking in tank after a certain number of years of use, and because the "easy-to-get scratched" aspect of an acrylic tank is still a major disadvantage, our answer is an emphatic "No". This is despite the fact that making curvy acrylic tanks requires a lot less investment in equipment, labor, and technology than making curvy glass tanks.

Do you make box-like aquariums that are made of regular flat glass, like the ones offered by Oceanic, All Glass, Perfecto, and other manufacturers?

We are capable of making virtually any kind of glass aquariums up to 316" each face (A square tank with 4 faces of this would make 12,968 gallons if we make a it 30" high, or 20,750 gallons if we made it 48" high), but we choose not to pre-manufacture box-like tanks of 100-gallons or smaller using the same glass commonly available to all glass manufacturers unless there is a pre-paid order from a customer and it is in truck-load quantity. Why? One main reason; in short, we don’t want to join an already crowded group willing to sell you a box-like minivan. Instead, we give you the equivalent of a Porsche, a Ferrari, or a Rolls Royce for the price of a minivan!

Another reason is we don't like to see an aquarium with sharp corners pointing out, risking the safety of its owner or anyone in your home. However, we do accept orders for glass aquariums in a variety of styles and shapes, including box-like seamed tanks that we call the Star View series. They're sturdily built using either Aqua Vim glass or Starphire/Ultra-Clear glass for our customers. To see the differences between regular glass and Aqua Vim® glass and Starphire® glass, please click [ here ].

If we're going to understand the great efforts to make Aqua Vim the most respected brand name in the aquarium industry, we must make our products stronger. To make a conventional rectangular glass tank, for instance, most manufacturers use five pieces of flat glass, and glue them together. At Aqua Vim, we use three pieces of glass. - The front glass, where you spend the majority of your time looking at your underwater world, is seamless curved glass. This not only enables you to enjoy a larger, uninterrupted panoramic view of your aquatic pets but also makes water-holding strength of a tank substantially greater and leakage less likely than a conventional 5-piece-flat-glass tank. Why? Because there are only 3 seams with our tanks compared with the 8 seams of other makers). Additionally, we typically use thicker glass than many of our competitors.

Better quality while still competitive in price did not come easy. Unlike other companies who must see their investment fully returned within a certain period of time, we made the decision to sacrifice some of our short-term gains for a long-lasting, widespread reputation in the aquarium industry. We invest heavily in our technologies and quality control but having a long-term strategy, allows us to remove the pressure of having to earn back substantial investment for quite some time into the future. This is one of the main reasons we're able to offer you such incredible prices.

Do you make custom aquariums?
Yes! We can make aquariums using your specific dimensions and style, subject to our engineer’s approval, of course, using Aqua Vim glass or Starphire/UltraClear glass. We can also make wood cabinets and canopies for Ocean View and Moon View aquariums to your desired height and width to accommodate your custom aquarium and to fit your room space. For example, we can design and make a room-divider aquarium that's higher than our standard specifications so it reaches all the way to your ceiling. A small additional fee applies.

What should I look for when comparing glass aquariums? Get answer [ here ]

What's the difference between Aqua Vim wood stands and other manufacturers'? -- Get answer [ here ]

How can I get the price list?
If you are a customer, send us an e-mail for the tank you're interested in and we'll get a price quote back to you by e-mail. If you are already one of our dealers, you can ask us for the login name and password to access the dealer login page, where you can see the wholesale prices. If you are a company engaged in the aquarium business but have not yet joined us, please do so by clicking "New Dealer Application Form" and send it to us first. We will verify and evaluate your application, and provide you with the login access if your application is approved.

What is the warranty on your aquariums?
It is not likely you will experience a manufacturing defect with one of our aquariums within the warranty period. We offer a five-year warranty against glass-to-glass leaks on our Lake View, Ocean View, and Moon View series aquariums, and a one-year warranty on Grand View aquariums, provided the tank sits on the stand made by us. Table Aquariums and Feng Shui aquariums come with three-month warranty. In the unlikely event of a warranty claim, the warranty will cover either repair or replacement of the tank, at our discretion.

How good is the quality of your aquariums?
Our aquariums are designed in the USA, manufactured and scrupulously inspected by a highly skilled group of people led by our Quality Control specialist from Germany. We would rather let people who have actually bought, used, or sold our aquariums tell you how good our product quality is. Please enter [ here ].

Do the glass tops have a warranty?
Due to the fragile nature of the glass tops (splashboards), we do not offer a warranty for glass tops that become broken. If one breaks, we may have tempered glass tops in stock and available for you to order. Just email us the dimensions of the top and we will inform you of the availability and price. You might also find a glass shop in your local area that can make one for you for a small fee.

What happens when I receive a cracked glass aquarium?
Over the years, we have greatly improved our packaging system. To see how good our packaging is, please click [ here ]. We double-check each tank before shipping and to protect merchandise from damage, we use Styrofoam bottoms, corners, sheets, wraps, as well as bubble wraps, cardboards, wood crates, wood pallets, bandings, stoppers, and shrink-wraps, wherever needed. It is therefore highly unlikely that you will receive a damaged aquarium. But if you do, we will replace it.

It is important, however, that you open and check the packages when they arrive to make sure the contents are O.K. at the time of delivery. With palletized shipments (for tank of 26 gallon or bigger), shipping carriers call you before they make delivery, we also provide you with shipping info and trucker's phone number for you to check the status of the shipment and schedule a delivery time with the driver. Most drivers have no problem letting you open and check the goods before you sign (Offer him a cup of coffee while you do so). In case a driver don't want to wait and insists you sign first, you must walk around the package and look carefully for signs of possible damage to box/crate and outside packaging. If you find anything suspicious, no mater how small it appears, you must cross off "Received in good condition" in POD (the paper that a driver let you sign on) below or above your signature, and mark down your suspicion with words such like "looks like possible damage to box" or "slight dent on packaging", or "torn edges on shrink wraps", "pallet appear tampered", etc. onto the paper. This gives you the best chances to prevent yourself against shipping damage in case you find damage and have to file claim.

It's important to know that if you do not inspect the goods while the driver is still there, you will almost never get the driver to acknowledge any damage later; and if you do not mark down your suspicion of a possible damage on POD, you will almost never get the driver to admit it later. As a result, you risk losing your eligibility for a replacement of the damaged aquarium and would have to pay for shipping costs involved even if we do agree to replace it.

If you find damage, be sure to send us pictures showing both the damaged contents and its damaged outer package, with a copy of the POD or Bill of Lading marked by you and signed by the driver. Send this to us via email and contact us within 48 hours so that we can use the materials you provide to help file claim against the shipping company, and work together to get you a replacement.

Are there any volume discounts?
Yes, In fact, not only will you get discounts from us for quantity orders, you will also save on shipping costs. Inform us as to what your maximum quantity is on the product you are interested in and we will give you a price quote.

What else should I know about installing, using, and maintaining my aquarium?
AquaVim's Ocean View and Moon View series cabinet stands come to you pre-assembled. You only need to place your tank on stand and hook up the tank with your filter. As you do these, please note:

1). Do not remove the blue (or black) foam attached to the bottom of the tank at the time of setup. If cutting is necessary for plumbing, please cut as little as possible. Tank should be placed on a level stand that is on a level floor. Either an unlevel floor or unlevel stand can cause a tank to break, particularly after it is filled with water.

2). When moving the tank onto the stand, do not rest it on the glue-hiding skirt of the stand. Instead, slide the tank to its position from the back of the stand where there is no skirt. For cylinder tanks, the ring-shaped skirt at the top of the stand is removable. You can take the skirt off first, put the tank on top of the stand, then slip the skirt back over the top of the tank.

3). Doors are equipped with "click-on, click-off" stainless-steel hinges that are adjustable in all directions. If any misalignment is observed, a screw driver is all you need in most cases. In rare cases, a wooden door may be warped due to rapid weather changes combined with mishandling during shipping. In this instance, the door would need straightening by applying weights or clamps.

4). As with any glassware, do not bang on aquarium. Great care must be taken when you place and remove rocks, gravels, corals, driftwood and any other ornaments or decorations. To make your aquarium setting as safe as possible, we recommend using a proper glue to secure your rocks and ornaments if you pile them up.

5). For instruction on how to connect your tank with your sump filter, please click [ here ]. If you purchase our Grand View series aquarium, you will need to assemble the stand yourself unless it has been done by your dealer at additional cost. Click to see Grand View stand Assemble Instruction.

For aquarium retail stores, you need to become our dealer to carry our products. To become our dealer, click [ here ].

If you are an individual interested in purchasing our aquarium, we can sell to you directly only if you are not in close proximity to one of our dealers. We occasionally will make an exception to this if the aquarium is one of our "special deals" which usually means the aquarium is somewhat less than perfect or it is an older floor display model. You can also request your local aquarium store become our dealer and order for you. You may earn a $100 fish or coral credit, or a shipping discount, or both, by encouraging your local store to join us - see detail [ here ].

For approved dealers, click and fill in a Purchase Order Form and Credit Card Authorization Form, and send us your order either by email AquaVim@aol.com or by fax 718-433-4826. You need to list the items of your order, add-up all the prices and shipping charges you see on Dealer Price List, and choose your payment options as detailed below.

We accept checks, credit cards, and Paypal. For your first order, we would appreciate it if you would send us a cashiers check or money order. Please make your check payable to Aqua Vim Corporation and send it to 54-08 46th Street, Maspeth, NY 11378. Indicate the details of your order, your name, shipping address, and phone number. If you want to get your order processed on the same day, you can send us payment via PayPal, payable to payment@AquaVim.com. As you already know, we work on a small profit margin so there is a 2% service fee we need to receive from you for each PayPal transaction. Again, it's important to specify the details of your order, including your name, address, and phone number for shipping purposes.