Where are they now? The tanks from "Tanked"

[Landsailor]

Since most of the second season's tanks are going to be installed across the country, I would like for RC members to track the status of the fish bowls built on the show "Tanked".

Phonebooth Aquarium
188606
188607

5/2/2012 - On consignment at Blue Reef Aquatics in Las Vegas as a goldfish tank. If you'd like an 8' deep aquarium that has the surface area of a tank 1/4 of its actual volume, you can buy it!

Serendipity Gumball Tank
Destroyed itself. Assumed to be in landfill

Jukebox Tank - Shari's Diner
Removed from service. Status unknown.

[swanny]

Well that didn't take long.

[sammy77]

Dooh...

[Palting]

That's only three tanks. I thought maybe you had more to show.

[agreeive?fish]

the phone booth tank was up for sale just a couple months after the episode it was built in ran

the gumball machine probably fell victim to the weather especially the desert heat since it was out doors in a hot climate if i remember correctly


the dinner juke box tank most likely fell victim to the pain in the butt to clean/maintain issue i think a lot of their tanks fall victim to. plus the initial mass die off of live stock which iam sure a lot if not most to all of the show tanks fall because of


they build some NEAT LOOKING tanks but most are just IMPRACTICAL for fish keeping... i keep watching for an update on the skate board ramp tank..fish all dead from fright tank busted or scratched from skate boards smacking up against it

[Landsailor]

That's only three tanks. I thought maybe you had more to show.

That would be the reason for the first sentence in the first paragraph.

Before the episode with the Black Spade Tattoo aired, a local posted about the owner having nothing but trouble with it and how everything had died within a few days of installation. Shocker.

[Playa-1]

They need a hang on back skimmer and overflow box for the phone booth :lol:

[WienerDog]

I think youll see most, if not all, them out for sale eventually. We know the time and dedication it takes to maintain a SW aquarium. These customers DONT. The show puts a SUPERSTOOOOPID tank in their busines and/or home, and they have no clue of the time. Therefore into the classifieds it goes. These guys really oughtta educate their customer first. So all these fish dont die....especially since most of them I could never afford.

[f3honda4me]

That would be the reason for the first sentence in the first paragraph.

Before the episode with the Black Spade Tattoo aired, a local posted about the owner having nothing but trouble with it and how everything had died within a few days of installation. Shocker.See now I heard from a local the exact opposite. Soooo, I guess we need some proof of either outcome.

I think youll see most, if not all, them out for sale eventually. We know the time and dedication it takes to maintain a SW aquarium. These customers DONT. The show puts a SUPERSTOOOOPID tank in their busines and/or home, and they have no clue of the time. Therefore into the classifieds it goes. These guys really oughtta educate their customer first. So all these fish dont die....especially since most of them I could never afford.

Except they have had quite a few customers they do tanks for that are repeat customers. :hmm2:

[sedor]

Interesting, I always assumed they took on maintenance contracts too to keep the tanks up. I know a lot of people have negative things to say about the show, all of which are true, but on the plus side...it does get people excited about the hobby. That cant be all bad :)

[igot2gats]

Since most of the second season's tanks are going to be installed across the country, I would like for RC members to track the status of the fish bowls built on the show "Tanked".

Phonebooth Aquarium
188606
188607

5/2/2012 - On consignment at Blue Reef Aquatics in Las Vegas as a goldfish tank. If you'd like an 8' deep aquarium that has the surface area of a tank 1/4 of its actual volume, you can buy it!

Serendipity Gumball Tank
Destroyed itself. Assumed to be in landfill

Jukebox Tank - Shari's Diner
Removed from service. Status unknown.

Other than eBay, how do you hear about the status' of these tanks?

[jmowbray]

I want to know about the doctors tank that was built in their house. It was the only tank that they actually put real live corals in. I wonder where it is.... My guess is that's it's the only tank that's actually still up and running as I'm sure the Doc.pays someone care for it.

[lostmyz]

And those peoples tanks aren't probably redonculously assembled... probably built in square tanks or bowed tanks.... let's shove a tank in a juxbox and hop stuff lives. I can't imagine many fish make it. The last episode they used denitrifying solution and said it. That "cycle" stuff never works! However I wont safe that in my past I've set a tank up in a day and threw some fish in it. But I diligently took care of it afterwards

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[moondoggy4]

One of the guys from the show I forget his name came to the Reef-A-Palozza show in the OC So Cal last October and wanted to a tank for the hobbist but I guess they figured out we are most broke and cannot afford one of their tanks. Looks like the show is going toward the OC Chopper guys.

[Dadekster]

Welcome to America. As far as I am concerned the show is all about bling and no substance. Basically 90% of what is on TV now anyways. If they cared about livestock they wouldn't build most of the tanks they do because they know they are impractical to maintain and they are smart enough to know the end result. They care about one thing and one thing only, making money. As long as people out there are willing to lay the cash out for tanks they build they'll stay in business.
*steps off soapbox*

[yardboy]

got this off Florida Panhandle Reefkeepers Society website. Seems Tanked's latest craziness had the purchasers backing out for financial reasons.

http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wear_vid_22231.shtml

[Landsailor]

I had the pleasure (for lack of a better term) of helping move a 400 gallon ATM reef tank. It was extremely well built and it convinced me that I will never own a tank that big! It was built like a...well, a "tank".

A few Las Vegas Valley Reefers club members have ATM tanks, but they are mostly "standard" tanks. I have seen one cylinder, fish only tank with a custom coral insert that's quite nice but the base is about a half inch too wide to get it through most doorways.

[sedor]

Ya they did a mobile bus aquarium for a baseball stadium but they backed out because the sponsor fell through. They ended up giving them the bus and they did it for a school. It was actually pretty cool. I dunno...I like the show.

[Landsailor]

Other than eBay, how do you hear about the status' of these tanks?

I've never seen one on eBay but I haven't looked.

I took those photos of the Phonebooth Tank last week. Shari's Diner isn't far from my house, so I wasn't surprised when I drove by and didn't see it. The story about the Serendipity tank breaking and being thrown away was told to me by someone who works in maintenance at Caesar's Palace.

I started the thread in the hopes that RC members from cities that have stores that bought them would track them down and see how they're doing.

It's all about advertising. If the furniture store paid $30,000 for the Refrigerator tank and the free promotion gets $100,000 worth of business, then it's a good deal for them. There will always be re-runs, too.

[Cicatrix]

Two brief comments.

1. Highlighting the "regular" tanks with a lengthy installation phase, proper filtration, cycling and gradual stocking doesn't make for good television...at least not to anyone except the people here on this website.

2. It's television. Creative advertising and editing will attract the most number of viewers. It doesn't matter WHY people watch, so long as they watch and talk about the show. After all, we're talking about it now aren't we?

[sslak]

The part that bugs me is that they view fish as nothing more than decorations, rather than pets. Replacing a dead fish is like changing a burned out light bulb...and it shouldn't be that way.

They are a big sign that draws in people, and when they stop looking nice and/or die, they can just throw them away and either get new ones or change to a different type of advertising.

[Floowid]

I can't watch that show, I just sit and mutter at the screen about acclimation, maintenance, water quality (filling from a hose and then "adjusting" the water), fish selection, overcrowding, complete lack of cycling the new tanks, etc etc...

My wife and kids all love the show, they just hate it when I watch it with them.

[sirreal63]

I refuse to watch it, and if everyone refused to watch it, it would go away. Sadly that won't happen for a couple of seasons or more. People do dumb things, people film people doing dumb things, people watch people doing dumb things. It's not much different than the extreme home makeover shows where we find that building codes were not followed, homes that were "renovated" are falling down and yet people still watch the show. It was it is.

[alton]

I think youll see most, if not all, them out for sale eventually. We know the time and dedication it takes to maintain a SW aquarium. These customers DONT. The show puts a SUPERSTOOOOPID tank in their busines and/or home, and they have no clue of the time. Therefore into the classifieds it goes. These guys really oughtta educate their customer first. So all these fish dont die....especially since most of them I could never afford.

Like I have said before look at your local fish clubs and the turn over there. People join every day, spend thousands, a year later they are selling out. It happens all the time.

[KStatefan]

got this off Florida Panhandle Reefkeepers Society website. Seems Tanked's latest craziness had the purchasers backing out for financial reasons.

http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wear_vid_22231.shtml

Where did you see that the sponsor backed out due to Tanked's craziness?

[ken55]

I started the thread in the hopes that RC members from cities that have stores that bought them would track them down and see how they're doing.

I've never seen the show (I don't get that channel) but I would be very interested to actually see one of their works in person. I'm sure I would be impressed with the shape of it but would I also be impressed with the quality of the build? The materials actually used? How well it's put together?

Is there still water in it? Sorry for this one..... I couldn't resist.:lmao:

[ken55]

Like I said, I don't get to see the show so I don't know where the tanks are located. If there happens to be one in the Central Va area I'll volunteer to go check it out and let you know what I see. Must be in a public area or place. I'm not gonna go knock on someones door.

[zigzag1]

The show builds tanks like the Tuttles build bikes on American Chopper... I like Paul Jr and Paul Sr too. I would never own or want to own one of their "theme" bikes/choppers nor one of the ATM tanks. I watch both shows with an open mind as entertainment, not as instructional videos that I have to comment on, or have to agree with.. JMTC!

[ken55]

Not feeling that I have to comment on. Certainly don't feel that way.

Was just curious more than anything else. It just seems that every week or so a "Tanked" thread comes along. I was interested to see for myself. If I should happen to see one then I feel it would be fair game for me to give an opinion of what I saw.

[Pastor Salty]

I would hope the folks who purchase those outrageous tanks would be smart enough to have someone maintaining them as well.

They have used sea water from time to time to fill their tanks and I always wondered how that would work

[Pastor Salty]

I would hope the folks who purchase those outrageous tanks would be smart enough to have someone maintaining them as well.

They have used sea water from time to time to fill their tanks and I always wondered how that would work

[BioSphere]

I think the show is interesting, but I always imagined that the people rich enough to pay for a custom build could pay for a service contract. It always struck me odd that they would fill up the tank, throw in the fish and then have the big reveal. What happened to cycling the tank and acclimating the fish? I just figured that was edited out. Anyone know what happened to the car aquarium or the desk aquarium in the lawyer's office?

[bretcummings]

To top it all off.....There is a knock off of the "Tanked" show soon to be hitting another station.

[scarface70706]

To top it all off.....There is a knock off of the "Tanked" show soon to be hitting another station.

well lets hope they will be more professional and caring for livestock then just building creative but retarded tanks and collect their $$$

[Landsailor]

I was next to Shari's Diner at walgreen's a few minutes ago, so here's the proof:
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[toned]

I enjoy the show, but it's entertainment and that's where it ends

I don't expect to learn anything from it

[pledosophy]

I think it is a fun show. I would never have a themed tank, but I do enjoy what they come up with.

The show does show many repeat customers and has gone back to tanks they have installed for add ons much later which seemed to be fine.

I agree a lot is for T.V. but the cycling argument is kinda lame to me. It is very possible to use cycled rock where they use rock and cycled filter media's and setup a tank in a day. Many people who breed fish do this routinely.

It is a little hard to blame them for the husbandry, that is not what they are selling, they are selling the tank and accessories. It is up to the owners to care for the fish.

[devildog999]

I personally like the show for entertainment value and that is the extent of it. To be honest, it's what got me back into the hobby a year ago after getting out for a couple years. I believe that the stuff they show on the show is not what they regularly do. I think most of their stuff is more practical but for entertainment value, they build the crazy wacky stuff....at least I hope.

[aandfsoccr04]

That tank they built in the Dallas church that is like 57,000 gallons is really impressive. I'm sure that one is still there ;)

[Donkeykong]

Ya that one in the church was amazing. From what I remember they had a full time marine biologist and staff to take care of it. I think that would be the key to any of these tanks is having some one there to maintain it after the install. Like has already been mentioned, this is a show for entertainment purposes, watching this show to learn how to setup a tank is like watching jersey shore to learn how to act in your 20's :debi:

[Landsailor]

I think the church tank is the one that really defines how I feel about the show. Rich people wasting money on snake oil salesmen to impress the neighbors. That is definitely money that could be put to a much better use, but instead is pointlessly wasted on vanity.

At least the fish won't die since they employ a marine biologist to take care of them.

[reeferstace]

Landsailor nailed it.

[alton]

This post needs to be moved to the bash everything forum, it is getting old. If somebody wants to buy a million dollar car or a 50K aquarium who cares? What ever makes them happy. There has always been aquarium maintenance companies taking care of peoples aquariums and people who have gigantic aquariums, get over it. If you don't like the show, don't watch it. If you do not like there tanks, don't buy one.

[percula99]

[QUOTE=pledosophy;20228009]I agree a lot is for T.V. but the cycling argument is kinda lame to me. It is very possible to use cycled rock where they use rock and cycled filter media's and setup a tank in a day. Many people who breed fish do this routinely.
QUOTE]

This how I set up my QT when I buy new fish. I take rock from my sump, and water from my tank and presto, instant QT. They did however set up that tank in the casino and used tap water to fill the tank and just added ther salt and then the fish. Recipe for disaster. They probably should have a discalimer at the beginning to warn people to not follow the methods shown to set up a tank, this is for entertainment purposes only.

[MaxxedMan]

Of course 95% of the tanks they set up are probably rectangle tanks with sumps, proper plumping, and the end user fills the tank and stocks it at the proper time. But those aren't the builds that are going to make the show.

And any tank that does make the show, is going need a reveal for the after the install. I wouldn't be surprised if the fish aren't removed after the reveal.

"We installed the tank, get some water and fish in it to show the user and cameras, then lets get it all out before the amonia rises and cycle the tank."

[Plato]

All of those tanks installed. The people who get them pay nothing. It is payed for by TV sponsors, the ones who advertise and so on. So If you get a 20 to 80 thousand dollar tank for free do you really think they care. It's unfortunate. They don't take care of it either and their filtration is crap. All of the fish installed are refereed to a sacrificial as almost 90% die. Its a TV show what do you expect.

[Hal]

The show builds tanks like the Tuttles build bikes on American Chopper... I like Paul Jr and Paul Sr too. I would never own or want to own one of their "theme" bikes/choppers nor one of the ATM tanks. I watch both shows with an open mind as entertainment, not as instructional videos that I have to comment on, or have to agree with.. JMTC!
+1 It's TV, not reality, despite the "reality tv" name. Having a brother who lives in LA and has been involved with some reality tv shows, it's shocking to see how much of a "reality" show is staged.

I'd much rather ride a Harley that has 100,000+ of engineering hours that went into the design and testing vs. a motorcycle where somebody said: yeah, that looks about right.

In defense of Tanked though, it's entirely possible that they are waiting for the tank to cycle before adding the fish, but through the "magic" of tv, we don't see the 3 weeks of cycling that occurs. That "garden hose" they fill the tank with might actually be connected to a 50g barrel of natural sea water, etc. I think sometimes we assume the worst.

[EricSIny]

I was in vegas this weekend and saw the phone booth tank. pretty funny that the guy got rid of it so quick, not to mention the guys from ATM wouldnt even accept the guys phone calls let alone sell the tank or something for him.

on the other hand blue reef aquatics was awesome, nice small store w/ beautiful livestock!

[drukkosz]

I was interested when I saw that thread, but after reading few posts it looks like it all went down.

How about we all stay on the topic and somebody can actually post an update on those tanks!

We all have mix feelings about the show, but that is not the subject of that thread.

[Reeferz412]

I saw three or four episodes.. The keg fish tank with cichlids, jukebox, the fish tank for that kids room and the bed under it, and that gumball one. After watching them, I wondered how practical that is and if they actually took them time to tell the owners how to take care of it. I also observed that they bought like 50 fish and dumped them in with time constraints because (by coincidence) the owners were 10 minutes away from the house/company the tank was in. They only talked about the physical aspect of the fish and system but never went over the work it takes to maintain. Why would they lol? I am pretty sure a lot of people think these guys are terrible people for just displaying these fish on camera for 30 mins and then a few days when cameras are off, most of them die. So far I have heard of only one still running? Sure, this gets people into the hobby, but they have the mentality that you can have a wild looking fish tank and spend ridiculous amounts of money only to see your fish die because of the mentality these guys implemented. This is why so many people new to the hobby only stay in it for a short amount of time, they give up because they don't know the hard work it takes to keep a tank. It's all about money, not the passion, studying, research, and PATIENCE to keep beautiful fish and corals. I wouldn't have a problem with this show IF I had no clue how to maintain one of those crazy tanks.