FAQ

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

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 glass aquariums up to 2,000 gallons, but we choose not to pre-manufacture box-like tanks of 250-gallon or smaller sizes using the same glass commonly available to all glass aquarium manufacturers unless order is in truck-load quantity, because of one main reason: In short, we don’t want to joint the crowded group to sell you a box-like minivan, instead, we give you a Porsche, a Ferrari, or a Rolls Royce for the price of a minivan. Another reason is, we don't want to see an aquarium with sharp corners pointing out, risking the safety of its owner or anyone in your home.

However, we have custom-made many seamed glass aquariums using AquaVim glass and Starphire/Ultra-Clear glass for our customers. To see the difference of regular glass vs AquaVim® glass and Starphire® glass, please click [ here ].

With a great effort to make AquaVim the top brand name in aquarium industry, we must make our products stronger. To make a conventional flat glass rectangular tank, for instance, most makers use five pieces of flat glass, and glue them together. We use three pieces of glass, - At the part where you usually see through, we use seamless curved glass. This not only enables you to enjoy the panoramic view of your aquatic pets, but also makes water-holding strength of a tank substantially bigger, and leakage is less likely than 5-piece-flat-glass tank. (Because there are only 3 seams with our tank compared with 8 seams of other makers’).

"Better in quality and cheaper in price" did not come easy. Unlike other companies who must see their investment fully returned within certain period of time, we determined to sacrifice our short-term gain for a long-lasting reputation. We invest heavily, but with long-term strategy, to make sure we don't have pressure of having to earn back the investment for a long time. This is one of the main reasons you get such incredible prices.

Do you make custom aquariums?
Yes! We can make aquarium using your specific dimension and style, subject to our engineer’s approval, using AquaVim glass or Starphire /Ultra-Clear glass. We can also make wood cabinet and canopy of Ocean View and Moon View aquariums to your desired height and width to fit your room space. For example, we can design and make a room-divider aquarium higher so it reaches your ceiling, or match a color of your own, for a small additional fee.

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

What is the warranty on your aquariums?
It is not likely you will experience a manufacture defect with our aquariums within the warranty period. We offers a five-year warranty on our Lake View, Ocean View, and Moon View series aquariums, and one-year warranty on Grand View and Table series aquariums, and three-month warranty on Full View and Feng Shui aquariums, against glass-to-glass leaks, provided the tank sits on the stand made by us (except the Table series tank that has no stands but rollers). The warranty is for repair or replacement of the tank at our discretion.

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 (splashboards) that are broken. If it breaks, you can easily find a glass shop in your local area to make one for you for a small fee.

What does "Reef Ready" mean?
"Reef Ready" tank has one or two overflow boxes glued to the back or corners of the aquarium. There are usually two holes drilled in the bottom of the aquarium where the overflow box resides. The larger hole is for a drain, and the smaller hole is for a return. Our "Ocean View" aquariums are usually reef ready and are pre-drilled and are equipped with overflow box, bulkheads, PVC tubing, elbows, adapters, and other in-tank fittings. (You can always specify your tank to be non-reef-ready at the time of your order).

Can I drill holes in my aquarium?
Although most our tanks are non-tempered glass, we do not recommend drilling holes by yourself. Drilling holes by yourself voids the warranty. You should have a qualified technician drill holes for you.

How do I move my aquarium?
Aquariums should be moved without water in them. We also recommend removing rocks, gravel and decorations. Damages caused from moving an aquarium are not covered under the warranty.

What happens when I receive a cracked glass aquarium?
It is important to open the package at the time of delivery to check if there is any damage. Be sure to let the driver know and mark it onto the Bill of Lading if you find anything damage. If an aquarium is cracked, be sure to send us a picture via email or mail within 48 hours, we will file claim, and send you replacement after the claim is honored.

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

What else should I know about installing, using, and maintaining my aquarium?
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 place on a leveled stand that is on a leveled floor. Either unleveled floor or unleveled stand top can cause a tank break, particularly after it is filled with water.

2). When carrying the tank onto stand, do not rest on the glue-hiding skirt of the stand, instead, slide the tank to its position from the back where there is no skirt. For cylinder tank, the ring-shape skirt on stand top is removable, you can take the skirt off first and put the tank on stand top, then slip the skirt back over the top of the tank.

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

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

For individuals, please first check our Dealer List. If you are within 100 miles of any one of our dealers, we do not usually accept your order unless your order is for one of the "special deals" that usually are less than perfect or are old version floor displayed model as posted on Special Deal page of this web site. If you are too far away from our dealers, you can either purchase directly from us by sending us an email or Order Confirmation Form with your payment, or you can tell your local aquarium store to become our dealer and order for you. You may earn a $100 fish/coral credit, or shipping discount, or both, by letting your local store joint us - see details [ here ]

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

For approved dealers, send us your Purchase Order either by email or by fax (212-868-3298).

We accept cashier's check or money order, and PayPal. Check can be made payable to China South Group Inc and sent to 54-08 46th Street, Maspeth, NY 11378; PayPal can be made to chinasouth@aol.com.

We do not accept credit cards, if you want to use your credit card for your purchase, you can use it to pay PayPal and PayPal pays us. Paypal will not charge you transaction fee but they charge us. For more information on PayPal, please go to their website: http://www.paypal.com.