Tank Commission

[sirenrayla]

For the mers on here who have a tank did you buy it from another mer or did you have it commissioned? If so, who did you go through and about how much did it run you? I want to get one and it would be a huge boost for business. I am currently in a pod and we have one to use for pod events, but I need one for my own personal events as well. Anyone know anything?

[AniaR]

Tanks are notoriously expensive and difficult. Some of the things to consider:

You'll need a specific place big enough to store it
you'll need a safe and reliable way to move it - both putting it on a vehicle and taking it off
you'll need to insure it- and insurers will usually only do that if it's made by an actual established company known for making tanks
clients rarely want to pay the actual asking price for tanks, very few mermaids make any money on them at all, and the tanks aren't used very often
filling it and emptying it and emptying it with water in accordance to the local bylaws
the type of glass used for tanks is incredibly expensive, so tanks tend to cost 30-40k for tanks that are 4 windows of glass. I know this because I called every single company in North America when I won a grant to see if it would make sense to buy my own

I have access to a tank because a local aquarium lent it. The only reason I get to use it is because the city handles all the cost, all the transport, the filling of the water, and the bylaws. I insure it however (already had it built into my contract with insurer) when I use it. They keep the tank at the aquarium, even though it's small they need to use a crane to move it onto a flatbed truck which then delivers it, then a water truck needs to fill it and that water is cold.