Our Commitment to Quality
Let's talk quality. A lot of what we see from some other companies just isn't the right way to build a quality product. Hers's our checklist. We think that if you can't answer Yes! to each of these questions you shouldn't trust the product to be reliable and to not have some sort of failure in the future that may endanger your tank and it's inhabitants. We know what it's like to loose valuable coral and fish through equipment failure. At Austin Oceans, everything we sell is engineered to be at the top of your list when you evaluate for quality. We use this equipment ourselves daily in our own personal tanks and there is nothing out there that will beat us.
- Are twist-lock flanges included, or even available?
- Do they counter sink every tube glue joint for strength?
- Do they use 3/8" cast acrylic on all flanges, or go with cheaper 1/4"?
- Do they use cheap white PVC fittings, or heavy duty extra-reliable SCH-80 fittings?
- Is the Beckett injector secure yet easily removable, or is it simply wedged in to a piece of white pipe? Unbelievable but some vendors do this.
- Do they use 1" input plumbing, or 3/4" (or even 1/2"!)
- Is the gate valve threaded on both sides, or is it glued to the box (not replaceable or cleanable)?
- Does it even have a gate valve?
- Do they use US manufactured cell cast acrylic and will they tell you what brand they use?
If the answers to all the above are not Yes!, then you are not getting a truly high quality product. Many places claim to be high quality, but very few of them truly understand the term. Check out their claims. You will not be able to find a higher quality design than one from Austin Oceans.
This is very important. All of our products are made with North American made cell cast acrylic. Note that cast material is 33% stronger and but the most important issue is that it absorbs 70% less water. Absorbed water makes the material swell, stressing joints and causing bowed panels. Many manufactures of plastics specifically claim that their extruded acrylic is not safe for salt water use. Never use extruded material in long-term aquarium applications. We also use exclusively US or North American made cell cast acrylic. US manufacturers may cost more than overseas acrylic manufacturers but the consistency and quality of their product is worth it. Ask our competition if they use Chinese or imported acrylic. If the answer is yes, then they are playing roulette with the quality of their products and you will be playing roulette with the quality you get if you buy from them.
3/8" cast sheet: Many places claim to use 3/8" thick material for flanges, but may revert to 1/4" material for the lids, Beckett housings or the skimmer cups. Some also use 1/4" for the mixing box or bases on the reactors. We use all 3/8" material for the boxes, flanges, bases, and skimmer cups. The only 1/4" material you may find is for zero stress areas like the internal baffles.
Translucent Black: We use a special cast sheet material that is slightly translucent. This allows the customer to see exactly what is happening inside the mixing box by using a light, but is dark enough to prevent algae growth. Our flanges also use this more expensive material, and the effect is stellar! We are the only manufacture exclusively using this shade of cast acrylic.
O-rings: We use professional grade O-rings, in expertly milled grooves. We use professional class CNC routers to make the grooves.
Custom designs: All products can be modified as desired. We like doing custom work, and encourage customers for ask for changes. While ordering an off-the-shelf model may be a little faster (as it is sitting on the shelf, waiting to ship) ordering a custom model can be quick too. We handbuild most products to your order so custom tweaks usually won't cause much delay.
