Aquarium Shipping and Lead Times

Free shipping on all aquarium orders over $4,000.00!*

Max Size Restrictions for Free Curbside Aquarium Delivery: The aquarium must be no longer 84”. Plus, any aquarium up to (48”H x 84”L x 30”D) or (30″H x 84″L x 48″D) includes free curbside delivery.

Any aquarium larger than the above parameters in (Height, Length, and Depth) includes free delivery to a commercial loading dock or freight terminal, but curbside delivery is not included.

Picking Up Your Aquarium

Customers may pick up the aquarium at the nearest freight terminal or have it shipped to a facility with a commercial loading dock and adequate forklift capabilities (proper forklift extensions and weight rating required). It will be up to the customer to arrange for pickup at the shipping terminal or the commercial facility. Common practice would be to borrow a friend’s pickup truck or rent one for the day to pick up at either type of facility for last-mile delivery.

With our refundable moving kits, it may be easier than you think! If this is not an option, last-mile aquarium delivery for really large tanks can be arranged by us on a case-by-case basis for an extra fee. In-home/office setup for any aquarium may be quoted on a case-by-case basis for an extra fee (Please call for a quote).

Free shipping is only included within the lower 48 United States. Additional charges may apply for Hawaii, Alaska, and international orders. There may be some exceptions to our free aquarium shipping policy for remote or difficult locations.

Aquarium Shipping Costs

  • Under $2,499.99 – Call for custom quote
  • $2,500 to 2,999.99 – $375 flat shipping/crating fee
  • $3,000 to 3,499.99 – $250 flat shipping/crating fee
  • $3,500 to 3,999.99 – $150 flat shipping/crating fee
  • $4,000 and above – FREE shipping!!

Free and flat-rate shipping is applied per crate shipped. Extremely large orders that must be shipped in multiple crates will have the above chart applied per crate. This is rare, however, and most orders will fit on one crate.

Aquarium Lead Times

Our lead times include the aquarium arriving FULLY CURED. Other manufacturers deliver aquariums with instructions not to use them until a particular date because they’re still curing – sometimes several days or weeks after you receive them. When you receive a Custom Aquarium, it’s ready to use.

Standard Aquarium Lead Times
for Orders that Contain Aquariums:

  • Standard: 40-50 business days (approx. 8-10 weeks)*

Fast Track* Aquarium Lead Times
for Orders that Contain Aquariums:

  • SPECIAL: 20-25 Business Days (4-5 weeks, maybe sooner if we have them in stock)*
  • Standard: 30-35 Business Days (5-7 weeks)*

*Estimate only – lead time may vary with demand, holidays, and other factors. Business days are a more accurate estimate than weeks for lead times. Tempering, concealment columns, painted enamel backs, and other custom operations may add to these lead times.

*Fast Track Aquarium Shipping will add to the cost of your order. Fast Track orders are given special priority in our production queue, which makes operations less efficient and more costly to produce at these lead times. The curing time will not change, so your aquarium will be of the same quality as standard lead times.

Glass Tempering Lead Times

All aquariums are built-to-order. Lead times include time to process the order and manufacture the aquarium, time in our production queue, time for the aquarium to cure (several weeks), and shipping/freight time. We can’t do anything to speed up the curing time, but we may be able to fast-track processing and manufacturing for an extra charge if your order is urgent.

Tempering will add 3-7 business days to all lead times.

Painted Enamel Backgrounds or Concealment Towers add 1-3 days of lead time.

Standard Shipping

Our standard shipping applies to all items not shipped freight or included in an aquarium order.

Standard
Arrives at your door within 6-10 business days in most cases.

Priority
Arrives at your door within 4-6 business days in most cases.

Rush!
Arrives at your door within 2-4 business days in most cases.

NOTICE: If your order total is under $2,500.00 and contains an aquarium, we will call you for a shipping quote. Any order that contains glass lids but doesn’t include an aquarium will have a minimum of a $100.00 shipping fee due to the materials needed for safe delivery.

Free Shipping Policy

Free shipping is only included within the lower 48 United States. Additional charges may apply for Hawaii, Alaska, and international orders. (Please call for a quote)

If shipping and handling exceeds 25% of the cost of the unit ordered for any shipment, additional charges may apply. Customers will be notified with a new order total for approval before shipment.

Unloading service, extra handling, and remote delivery charges are not included in free delivery. If items are shipped via freight, the customer must have items delivered to a location with a loading dock or be at the delivery location at the time of shipment. If lift gate service is required, an extra charge applies, plus any additional unloading or remote delivery charges.

Suppose liftgate unloading or remote delivery service is not paid for at the time of purchase and the shipping company retroactively charges Custom Aquariums for these charges. In that case, the customer authorizes Custom Aquariums to charge the customer’s credit card or invoice them for these additional charges. Liftgate and unloading service includes curbside delivery but does not include moving the products inside the customer’s house or location in any circumstance.

If items are returned, shipping and handling costs incurred to ship the products to the customer will be deducted from the total dollar amount of the refund. Shipping and handling for returning the product is the responsibility of the customer. See our full return policy for details.