Which brand tank???

[Johnd651]

So I am trying to decide on something in the 60-80 gallon range that comes with some of the components. But there is so many brands that all seem to be "the best" depending on which site you look at. I'm looking for midrange on price with some decent extras (sump or skimmer or pump) etc with stand, but have no idea which is truly worth the $$$.

Thoughts?

 

[blaxsun]

Cade then Red Sea.

 

[Johnd651]

Cade then Red Sea.

Why? Not trying to be a smart butt but what makes them stand out. I've only ever owned your standard petco tanks.

 

[a4edwin]

I have a sca so I would recommend. But I like waterbox also good tanks the stands not so much

 

[blaxsun]

Why? Not trying to be a smart butt but what makes them stand out. I've only ever owned your standard petco tanks.

If you watch a video on any Cade tanks and see how they’re designed, the wealth of features and easy of access to everything - it’s becomes pretty self evident why they’re great tanks. I’ve also never seen a single complaint.

I have Red Sea Reefer and love it, but it was my second choice because we can’t get Cade here in Canada.

Waterbox is way down the list - mainly because their stands are Ikea quality and their customer service is abhorrent.

 

[BAUCE]

Crystal Dynamics if you like water damaged flooring and terrible customer support

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

I think innovative marine is best bang for the buck for stand and tank without plumbing or sump, especially if u like shallower lagoon style. New water box look nice if want a complete cookie cutter install with sump.

Other than that, custom...

 

[flashsmith]

I'm in the market yet again. Currently own 3 IM tanks. No issues at all and great quality especially the aluminum stands. Shopping around and my local waterbox dealer is dropping them because of non existent customer service and he can't even get filter socks to sell to his customers. The only other brand I would consider would be red sea. Cades are nice but too much $$$ for me.

 

[blaxsun]

Innovative Marine is fine, but you’re paying a premium for their AIO designs - and that really limits your choices for accessories like skimmers and reactors.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Crystal Dynamics if you like water damaged flooring and terrible customer support

Same with Red Sea, I’ve seen so many reports of tank fails I lost count. Company blocking and erasing post, emailing people not to go public, just weird overall. Cade is also manufactured in China so I would go with SCA or Glass Cages if your in the US

 

[adsf430]

I have red sea and haven't had any issues but seems like from the forms people that do have had their items replaced when it's in warranty and haven't seen many complaints beyond the inevitable tank leak I assume must happen in rare cases with any company. If I was getting a new tank though, I would probably go with the cade since their sumps/stands look incredible. I watch the new release videos of their tanks for fun since they look so incredibly thought out.

 

[flashsmith]

I agree with that. I'm looking at sump systems and I have no clue where to start. The AIOs are easy for me to setup and get the right components for. I'm downsizing sort of with just keeping 2 tanks my sr80 and the new one yet to be determined.

 

[Johnd651]

I have a sca so I would recommend. But I like waterbox also good tanks the stands not so much

I was originally looking at a sca 150, but have to downsize. The only thing is I heard the tanks are good, the packages not so much.

 

[Johnd651]

So it seems like

Red sea
Cade
I'm

Top the list... with sca and glass cages in the running.

Waterbox and crystal dynamics at the bottom.

 

[Johnd651]

So the Cade tanks are only available through Algea Barn?

 

[ninjamyst]

Why isn't innovative marine in? They don't just sell AIO. Theie aluminum stand is way better than other vendors. If you are into custom sump and plumbing, they are the best right now. But if you are looking for plug and play, then red sea or waterbox are both equality meh.

Don't worry too much about the maker. Find the tank with the dimension you want.

Edit: sorry, didn't see you put I'm which I assume now is IM =P

 

[blaxsun]

Red Sea is definitely not “meh”. For turn-key tank solutions, it’s ranked Cade, Red Sea and Waterbox dead last. Cade has the best tanks, stands and features; Red sea and Waterbox both have about the same quality of tanks, plumbing and sumps, but Waterbox has the worst stands and customer service by far (even Ikea is better). Red Sea has fairly decent stands (including the new aluminum ones on the S-series).

Once you get into custom setups (including IM), the sky’s pretty much the limit.

 

[ninjamyst]

I am running a red sea now and the stand isn't great either. I seen waterbox at the stores, and they both seem the same in quality of the stand. They are direct competitors offering similar product line at comparable price point. So in my mind, they are ranked about the same.

I am waiting for my IM to arrive.

 

[blaxsun]

I am running a red sea now and the stand isn't great either. I seen waterbox at the stores, and they both seem the same in quality of the stand.

What’s wrong with your stand? Mine’s built like a tank. Maybe you have one of the older pre-v3 stands?

 

[Wasabiroot]

I have an SCA 50G. The sump shipped with the tank was too wide to fit under the stand, and I never received a replacement even after a back and forth correspondence. The tanks are great value but the communication was spotty. To be fair, I bought mine in March of last year, so it's possible he was completely swamped with a bunch of people getting into the hobby simultaneously.

Cade aquariums are some of the best (the power station on the side is amazing) but pricy. Red sea are quality AIO. Really all this depends on how much money you can drop.