Cadlights tanks reviews

[Albz]

planning to get a cadlight tank and would like some reciews before purchasing.

 

[GoVols]

If it were me I'd go for a Red Sea "Reefer"

Cadlight's quality and customer service after the purchase has gone done hill over the years.

There was a thread last week where someone got 2 left sided cabinet doors instead of a left and a right.
Cadlight's would not respond back to that customer over the issue

 

[sfmacguy]

The cadlights tanks are beautiful, I picked mine up a little over a year ago. Everything was fine, except they hadn't paid FedEx, so I had to pick it up at the FedEx Depot, and it took a while to get it released. Also the glass lid pieces are pretty cheap. Didn't end up using anything but the stand and tank, and still supurbly happy with those.

 

[Reefltx]

I have a cadlights, the tank is good but stand is something like IKEA.

I bought a reefer 350 which I haven't set up yet but the quality is 10x better.

 

[erinmegan85]

Go for the reefer. Run away from CAD lights. Do a simple Google search or search on here and you'll see why. Tank is beautiful. Customer service is a nightmare. If I had to do it all over I would spend the money on the Red Sea tank and save myself the headache.

 

[Albz]

Go for the reefer. Run away from CAD lights. Do a simple Google search or search on here and you'll see why. Tank is beautiful. Customer service is a nightmare. If I had to do it all over I would spend the money on the Red Sea tank and save myself the headache.

Red sea is more money tho haha

 

[rtparty]

If you're looking at Cadlights and don't want to spend Red Sea costs, look into SCA as well. Supposed to better service than Cadlights. I've contacted Cadlights on my current tank for a plumbing question and they were decent. They answered the question I had.

I think they make some dumb design decisions but that goes for almost any builder.

 

[erinmegan85]

Red sea is more money tho haha

Trust me it's worth it. It took me forever to get the tank. (Like a month) According to the website it had said it would be here within a week. It took calling almost every day the third and fourth week (not that they answered) and finally threatening to chargeback the price of the tank. My boyfriend was going TDY for work and was going to be gone for a long time, so we're lucky we got it before he left because there was no way I could move that tank by myself. Then once I got the tank the sump, plumbing and lid were missing. Finally got that three weeks later. The lid was smashed into a million pieces and the plumbing was cut wrong. I would rather pull my teeth out of my head than deal with them again, so I didn't do anything about the lid and the plumbing. Just made a screen top and went and bought the plumbing. You don't have to take my word for it, but I would strongly suggest you search on here for other's experiences as well as googling them for customer service.

 

[HolisticBear]

I bought a used 18G Mini and contacted CAD Lights to order the matching stand. They confirmed it was in stock and ready to ship, then nothing happened for three weeks. They ignored my two emails inquiring on current status. I was about to dispute the charge with AMEX, then decided to try Facebook. I got instant replies to my messages. They blamed it on a Fedex mixup, it should arrive this week.

Chelsea on Facebook is very responsive, but it left me nervous about future orders. Even then, it required multiple FB messages to resolve the Fedex issue. If you think Red Sea is more money, accept CAD Lights may ship a month or two late and you'll have to pester them. Yet again, maybe it will be smooth. But in general, googling for CAD Lights doesn't inspire confidence. You read more bad things than good.

 

[Salty1962]

I have a CL 70G ArtisanII and I love it. The key is to understand and get it IN WRITING the expectations of the purchase. The tank and stand is top notch, no MDF in the stand and it's baked on paint. The plumbing is metric, 40mm, and the return pump is lacking.
I believe if you get these things done and understood, you'll love the tank Also if you want it drop shipped to your house, you have to be able to remove it yourself unless you make different arrangements I bought my plumbing parts from CoralVue since they use metric on their equipment and it's cheaper. JME

 

[rtparty]

You read more bad things than good.

That's the internet in general and not exclusive to Cadlights

 

[HolisticBear]

That's the internet in general and not exclusive to Cadlights

Good point. But Red Sea Reefer and CAD Lights seem to have different trend lines and after my own unpleasant experience with CAD, it's unlikely I'll purchase from them again.

 

[rtparty]

Good point. But Red Sea Reefer and CAD Lights seem to have different trend lines and after my own unpleasant experience with CAD, it's unlikely I'll purchase from them again.

Oh no doubt. If I had the budget for a Red Sea, I'd do it in a second. Although, my local guy costs less and I could customize it. I'd also look at SCA before CAD.

I was just pointing out that if people search for negative experiences (for any aquarium product really) it will be out there. I don't recall exact figures but if someone has a negative experience, they will tell 15 people on average. If they have a positive experience, they will tell 3.

 

[Jonify]

planning to get a cadlight tank and would like some reciews before purchasing.

I have the 70-gallon Artisan II and I love it. After I glued all the plumbing together, I had to add a small extension to get the overflow return into the sump submerged, but after I did some soundproofing inside the cabinet and upgraded the return pump to a 660-gallon Sicce, the operation is absolutely quiet...and the display is stunning. I still have the PLS-150 skimmer that came with it, but I'd recommend something else...it overflows quite a bit (I just drain it every day to reduce the likelihood of it overflowing.)