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Coral Vue Hydros

CAD Lights Versa vs Red Sea Reefer


phillyclownfish

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phillyclownfish

My current tank is getting a bit small. I have a custom Pico that holds about 22 gallons. I want to upgrade to a new tank. The two tanks that have come to mind are the ones in the topic title. They both seem well built and I do not want to be dealing with any structural issues. However the price difference between the two is significant. Space is limited in my house so that is why I am leaning towards to Versa tank. Any thoughts on these two tanks?

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22 gallon pico?? I have a cadlights artisian the tanks are generally good but the customer service stinks. I dont know about the reefers but if you do buy the cadlights you will probably spend more money upgrading something over the red sea tank so the price difference might not be as great as you think.

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I don't have any personal experience with CAD, but have a Reefer 170 and really like it. The tank, sump, stand, and plumbing all seem very well made, and I haven't had any issues in the month that it's been running.

 

I've had several tanks over the years and the Reefer is my favorite so far.

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phillyclownfish

22 gallon pico?? I have a cadlights artisian the tanks are generally good but the customer service stinks. I dont know about the reefers but if you do buy the cadlights you will probably spend more money upgrading something over the red sea tank so the price difference might not be as great as you think.

 

Yes Pico aquariums.

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The cadlights sumps that come with the artisans kinda suck. The ones on the reefer is better but I find the ato container too small. Plumbing on the reefer is better designed as well. It really all comes down to how much you wanna spend since red sea is more expensive especially for the big tanks.

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I love my CAD Lights Artisan 70 II, however after having to deal with CAD Lights CS I would not buy another one. A lot of good intentions, poor follow through and a huge lacking in consistency.

 

I can't speak for the RedSea Reefer, my friend has the 34 gallon and seems to like it. I think the sump just lacks chambers to do a skimmer and fuge but that could just be because it's the small tank.

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The price difference might not be as significant as you think. A LFS near me sells the white reefer 450 for 1400-1500 on occasion and the 250 in for about 900 black or white. Red Sea tanks aren't MAP pricing, so you can actually get them for whatever someone will sell to you for. BRS and Marinedepot overcharge for them.

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phillyclownfish

Thanks for the feedback. If I could get a 250 for 900 I would buy it immediately. Unfortunately I can not find anywhere that sells them for that price.

 

What upgrades does the CAD need?

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I have a red sea reefer 350. You can check out my build thread in my signature. I love the quality and simplicity of the reefer. It is easy to setup the plumbing. If you can get it on sale, that would be great. I got mine from BRS during a group buy so 10% reward points and no tax. My LFS offered me a small discount but I have to pay tax plus shipping. Note that unless your lfs actually has one in stock, they gonna order it from Red Sea directly anyway so it doesn't matter where you get it from.

 

I will red sea customer service is top notch and they reply quickly and professionally.

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phillyclownfish

The price difference might not be as significant as you think. A LFS near me sells the white reefer 450 for 1400-1500 on occasion and the 250 in for about 900 black or white. Red Sea tanks aren't MAP pricing, so you can actually get them for whatever someone will sell to you for. BRS and Marinedepot overcharge for them.

Whats the stores name? Maybe they will ship if I pay them...

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I say Red Sea also. I have a Cad Tank and only reason I went with it was the footprint. I could not fit a 36" wide tank in the space and wanted the 250. Ended up getting a 30" wide Versa 42. Tank is decent but the plumbing on the Red Sea is much nicer. The Red Sea stands also have a little better finish to me also as the Cad stands are to shiny for my liking.

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  • 2 months later...

My accessories, Ecotech Vectra M1 Pump

Ecotech Vortech Mp 40

Radion XR30W X2

Ecotech Battery Backup

Nyos Quantum 120 Skimmer

Innovative Marine Reactor Full Size

Aquafuge Hang on refugium

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  • 3 months later...

may i add my sentiment to the cadlights CS. BTW, Dont ever buy in cash. Pretty much every complain that was mentioned above is true and then some.

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