Seiryoku Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 Emailed Keith yesterday morning Haven't heard back from him, or CAD Lights, yet. Hopefully I end up working something out with one of them! Link to comment
Seiryoku Posted April 15, 2012 Author Share Posted April 15, 2012 Still no reply from either Hopefully tomorrow! Link to comment
Seiryoku Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 Plenty of small businesses respond to emails on weekends :-) CAD Lights is open on Saturday too. Keith replied a little while ago, asked for a couple of days to get a quote together, crazy week he said. I eagerly await his next email! Link to comment
Seiryoku Posted April 23, 2012 Author Share Posted April 23, 2012 Still no reply from either Having a hell of a time spending money on an aquarium! Spending a fortune on my new AR build though Link to comment
Seiryoku Posted April 25, 2012 Author Share Posted April 25, 2012 Guess I'll try doing something through Lee Mar next. Can't believe how unreliable all of these companies/people are... Link to comment
lhernandez86 Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 I had a similar experience.....called 2-3 weeks apart getting shipping quotes both times they were different rates for the exact same items. they have good tanks but the shipping rates are insane.... Link to comment
siwelk Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 I'd just start spamming them. Subject - You've won $500!!! Body - Now build my ####### tank and you'll get it. Link to comment
Seiryoku Posted April 27, 2012 Author Share Posted April 27, 2012 Received a response from Keith last night, wasn't what I was expecting though o_o Asked him for a range of quotes... 36x24x18 = $750 36x24x20 = $825 36x24x24 = $1,000 He quoted a 60g cube (for a FW tank, no holes/overflow), 24x24x24, at $700. His lead times are 10-12 weeks with two others in front of me, assuming I go with him. Those prices seem rather high to me, but I've never really shopped custom built tanks. Anyone have an idea if they are in line with other companies/people? Link to comment
siwelk Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 My custom 26x20x16 - 3 sides low-iron $568 Those quotes seem reasonable FWIW Link to comment
madfx Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Those are very reasonable prices, especially given the quality of his work. Link to comment
Seiryoku Posted April 28, 2012 Author Share Posted April 28, 2012 Both tanks would be three sides low iron. The quality of his work seems great from what I've seen/read! Sticker shock I guess...when compared to everything else I've been looking at. Suppose I'd go with the 36x24x24, 90 gallons I believe. May as well go big or go home right? Issue now would be a stand. Want something that isn't going to collapse like cheap poker table! Noticed glass cages sells stands, solid oak in a variety of sizes, and they can add a side door for sump reasons. I know their glass work is terrible, but have never read or heard a thing about the stands they sell. Going to have to write up an equipment/cost list. Will clear 3k...maybe even 4k o_O Link to comment
oldpunk78 Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 Why not just go with a 120P? Or even a 90P/H for that matter. I have owned many tanks over the years and nothing has come close to ada quality. Drill the holes yourself. Link to comment
Seiryoku Posted April 28, 2012 Author Share Posted April 28, 2012 Why not just go with a 120P? Or even a 90P/H for that matter. I have owned many tanks over the years and nothing has come close to ada quality. Drill the holes yourself. Tank can only be 36" The 90P/H doesn't have the overall dimensions I'm after. Link to comment
madfx Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 Tank can only be 36" The 90P/H doesn't have the overall dimensions I'm after. Unfortunately there aren't any manufacturers making off the shelf 36" long tanks with 24" depth. You have to jump up to 48" length to get that. Only other option would be the Marineland deep dimension tanks, but that's 36x36" and more expensive than the custom quotes. I looked long and hard having the size restrictions as well, as I couldn't fit a 48" tank. Ended up going custom, 40x24x18". You have one other option, LeeMar does custom tanks through many fish stores in California. Their quotes are usually a bit higher than Keith's, but it's worth inquiring to see if they have anything already made near your desired dimensions. Sometimes people order tanks and change their minds, leaving them with a tank that they discount to move. Link to comment
Seiryoku Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 If only I could find somewhere to put a 48" tank... Keith seems, in my opinion, way too busy to take on another order right now. Takes him about a week to respond to any of my emails. Not sure I'd be able to handle such a delay in communications when paying $1000 or $1700 for a custom order. Emailed Elos (usa) two days ago and have yet to receive a response... Found a, somewhat, local shop that handles CAD Lights products. Hoping going through them will be easier...they are also within driving distance which may cut shipping costs some (if they order enough regularly). Link to comment
siwelk Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Found a, somewhat, local shop that handles CAD Lights products. Hoping going through them will be easier...they are also within driving distance which may cut shipping costs some (if they order enough regularly). This is what I did. It was shipped to my choice of address though, which was work. They facilitated communications with CAD after I provided specs. Link to comment
Seiryoku Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Not sure if this is a good or bad bit of news... Currently in discussions with the girlfriend about slightly rearranging the front room to allow for a 4' tank. Not certain we will come to an agreement on it, but it does open up more options for me! Also found a bad ass thread over on RC started by an engineer on basic DIY stand design. I'm decent when it comes to building/designing things, but have very few power tools right now and no real access to any. This guys design can be easily done with minimal tools. Tons of ways to finish the stand too (gotta keep the girlfriend happy and have it "furniture" quality). Link to comment
Deckoz2302 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Check out coast to coast aquariums....or greatlakes aquariums...my 4ft cube is coming along nicely and coast2coast responds and answers very timely. Also 6week lead and starphire upgrade is free ATM plus a discount of 20%on rimless Link to comment
bear-hugs Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 Wow thats an interesting title as you have NEVER BOUGHT ANYTHING FROM THEM. as i have read in your thread that they sent you pricing but you just decided on not getting it from CAD right? Ive had my 39G System over 3 years, took it down already but within that time (speaking for me) i always had a great experience with them knowledgeable and courteous. seeing all the new stuff they came out with esspecially for the Artisan 2 tanks makes me want to get back in though. if you compare systems you still get more with the Artisan packages though. Link to comment
Seiryoku Posted May 9, 2012 Author Share Posted May 9, 2012 You are correct, I've never purchased anything from them. There customer service, while dealing only with the owner of the company, was so terrible that I decided to avoid doing business with him. Also, he has yet to reply to the last email I sent him concerning a potential purchase (was sent before deciding to avoid them). You don't have to purchase from a company to properly judge their customer service. Check out coast to coast aquariums....or greatlakes aquariums...my 4ft cube is coming along nicely and coast2coast responds and answers very timely. Also 6week lead and starphire upgrade is free ATM plus a discount of 20%on rimless Glanced at their websites and they both seem to be decent companies. Both are out of state (to me) which will require shipping, one thing I was trying to avoid. Looks like I may have to suck it up and pay for it though... Link to comment
bear-hugs Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 i hear ya. dont know the jist of your last email but you do seem to ask for alot for your money, maybe they decided it isnt something they can make a profit on. i've worked in a BMW dealership and we sometimes get requests that arent possible and we decline to comment further. may seem rude, but it actually prevents the customer from getting resentment from the rejection of their offer. if you have someone local i would suggest to give them a shot or check it out in person if they have it on display. you may like it when you see it in reality. Link to comment
Seiryoku Posted May 9, 2012 Author Share Posted May 9, 2012 I do ask for a lot, but nothing unreasonable. I've worked in retail the past ~14 years and have dealt with everything imaginable. I'm not talking about a department store or anything simple either. I deal in rare coins/currency, gold/silver/platinum/palladium bullion, antiques, etc. It is all about customer service, which CAD Lights severely lacks. Link to comment
Seiryoku Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 Ouchy... A 48x24x24 tank from Coast to Coast would cost me $3161, nearly a 1k of it is crating/shipping charges. Link to comment
madfx Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I do ask for a lot, but nothing unreasonable. It's hard to know what's reasonable when you don't know their profit margins. Ouchy... A 48x24x24 tank from Coast to Coast would cost me $3161, nearly a 1k of it is crating/shipping charges. Coast to Coast makes great tanks, but that is extremely over-priced in my opinion. I had that same tank (2 inches shorter) quoted for less than half of that price with shipping included. That was from Miracles. ReefSavvy was similar as well, but with a longer wait time. I even had a way bigger tank quoted from A.G.E. for less than that.. Yikes.. Link to comment
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