Jso300 Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 MartyD, Thank's for making this thread. I had my mind all made up to buy this unit. But after reading and seeing what you have posted i think im going to steer clear. The picures you show of the packaging looks pretty poor. That alone turned me away. I wish you much success with your setup but im off to research other tanks all over agin. Link to comment
smithcreek Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 MartyD, Thank's for making this thread. I had my mind all made up to buy this unit. But after reading and seeing what you have posted i think im going to steer clear. The picures you show of the packaging looks pretty poor. That alone turned me away. I wish you much success with your setup but im off to research other tanks all over agin. Don't expect the packaging to be any better on the other tanks. If you are getting a nano shipped to you accept the possibility it will arrive in pieces. My first AP 24 did. Just order from a dealer like F&S that has an excellent reputation for customer service. I understand what you are saying, but I am not sure if I agree. You also have to understand I was pretty damn impressed with the cadlights before this and always had a nagging doubt about my decision, based purely on money, to go with the AP 24. So a step down from pretty damn impressed doesn't mean I don't like it, just that it's lost a bit of it's shine in my eyes. Also, I do think you could do some pretty cool stuff with that bulkhead other than just put a strainer on it. Something like a full length Calfo style skimmer from one end of the back to the other. You could make the teeth really shallow, skim the hell out of the top and keep a real consistent water level in the tank. Link to comment
cannonball68 Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 i think the new design is actually better than mine compared to having a return on top. i like the new return being lower with the lok-line. but it actually makes no difference whether they drill an extra hole for outtake or cut a surface skimmer as a overflow. i think drilling the tank is actually more work, i have tried to get my 90G drilled and barely anyone did it. the ones that did charged me alot of $$. Cadlights have updated pics of both of the 25G's. hmm does this mean they are selling both styles? wow as if there isnt enough choices out there. a pic of the new design: http://www.cadlights.com/product_info.php?...products_id=102 Link to comment
nano-man Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Don't expect the packaging to be any better on the other tanks. If you are getting a nano shipped to you accept the possibility it will arrive in pieces. My first AP 24 did. Just order from a dealer like F&S that has an excellent reputation for customer service.You also have to understand I was pretty damn impressed with the cadlights before this and always had a nagging doubt about my decision, based purely on money, to go with the AP 24. So a step down from pretty damn impressed doesn't mean I don't like it, just that it's lost a bit of it's shine in my eyes. Also, I do think you could do some pretty cool stuff with that bulkhead other than just put a strainer on it. Something like a full length Calfo style skimmer from one end of the back to the other. You could make the teeth really shallow, skim the hell out of the top and keep a real consistent water level in the tank. i agree with you on the Cadlights fitting on their new design. there is so much more mods that you can do with a fitting maybe thats why they changed it cause ppl love to mod their nano's. i bought a 5G from them and it is still doing great. i always wanted to get a larger one maybe the 25G when i get my tax return. which one do you think is better now that they have one with the fitting and one with the surface skimmer? i'm leaning towards the fitting one: http://www.cadlights.com/product_info.php?...products_id=102 it must be a bumber to have such a beautiful tank thrown around by UPS and chip the bottom like that. how did you fix it and did Cadlights take care of you or offered any compensation? Link to comment
zombiedust Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 MartyD....Dude thank you so much for the posts and pics. This is very educational...I mean it...I still want the Cadlights and now I have all the cool mods that people having been listing and what you will do in the future. UPS sucks......You rock.......L....Thanks to everyone else for their inputs as they are all priceless for a newb like me... Link to comment
MartyD Posted March 1, 2007 Author Share Posted March 1, 2007 A couple of things ... first, let's give credit where credit is due. DHL did the damage, not UPS. If it were UPS, the tank would have been in a thousand pieces! Second, Eddie has been great. He has called me many times to make sure things were ok and did work with me on the tank, since I agreed to fix it myself. About the overflow vs. bulkhead thing. The only downside I see is that you would get higher flow rates with the overflow. That does not matter to me (nor should it to anyone else) as you don't want a high flow rate through the fuge. This is what I have in mind for a bulkhead mod. Keep in mind that the plumbing parts are not right and I need to cap off the perforated pipe, but you will get the idea. Any other thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Marty Link to comment
mliu Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 I actually have the prototype to the CAD lights 25 with overhead. I have a rio 6hf in sump for the return and do not have an high flow issues passing thru the Refugium. I love the tanks original design, not sure if I would buy the bulkhead version. Just personal opinion and preference, and that is what it really comes down to. A couple of things ... first, let's give credit where credit is due. DHL did the damage, not UPS. If it were UPS, the tank would have been in a thousand pieces! Second, Eddie has been great. He has called me many times to make sure things were ok and did work with me on the tank, since I agreed to fix it myself. About the overflow vs. bulkhead thing. The only downside I see is that you would get higher flow rates with the overflow. That does not matter to me (nor should it to anyone else) as you don't want a high flow rate through the fuge. This is what I have in mind for a bulkhead mod. Keep in mind that the plumbing parts are not right and I need to cap off the perforated pipe, but you will get the idea. Any other thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Marty Link to comment
MartyD Posted March 2, 2007 Author Share Posted March 2, 2007 I am waiting for the stand to arrive. It is supposed to be on the DHL truck for delivery. It is now 4:55 pm EST. Damn DHL! Link to comment
casiano80 Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 what size is the overflow bluk head?? cant wait to see it up and running.. Link to comment
MartyD Posted March 3, 2007 Author Share Posted March 3, 2007 Not much time to write this morning, but the stand did arrive. It was a little battered, but not too bad. I am tired of waiting for parts and replacement items, so I am moving forward. More to follow ... Another great handling job by DHL ... Lot's of parts and no directions Almost ready for water! Link to comment
smithcreek Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 No doubt the best looking and I would guess functioning stand around. Link to comment
Gerber77 Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 What are your stocking plans for the tank? The set up looks really clean. Link to comment
Travis Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Nice, I really like those Cadlight tanks, I may need to get one one of these days... Link to comment
donnoj Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Looking good! Seeing your progress is making me impatient. I ordered the new (unadvertised) 35 gallon setup w/ stand several weeks ago. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to see a pic with the lights mounted on top and a side pic of the tank on the stand too. Sorry for the requests...just envious of your setup! Link to comment
MartyD Posted March 3, 2007 Author Share Posted March 3, 2007 Wondering where I have been all day? Link to comment
bonsai reefer Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Looks really clean can't wait to see it stocked Link to comment
MartyD Posted March 4, 2007 Author Share Posted March 4, 2007 A crappy end to a long day. Now the MH won't fire. I am not sure if it is the bulb or the ballast. Anyway ... I am up and and running. I hope to get the light problem sorted out tomorrow and will take some decent pics. That's all for now folks. Link to comment
JG Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Sorry for your bad experience; I picked mine up rather than having it delivered and definitely had a better experience. This was the main reason that I chose cadlights, b/c their customer service was right here in NY. There are things that I would like to change but overall I am very happy. They are handmade so every tank will be different. Link to comment
MartyD Posted March 4, 2007 Author Share Posted March 4, 2007 Pick up for me would be a 155 mile (one way) trip, so that was not an option. I agree that Eddie's customer service is great, but he does need to do a better job packing things. The bulb is not a big deal. I am sure he will replace it. I finished aquascaping this morning. The pic is not that good, but you can see the end result. I put Tunze 6025 in the middle of the tank. The flow looks good, but I have a second Tunze to use if I need it. I am off to find a new bulb this morning. Link to comment
MartyD Posted March 4, 2007 Author Share Posted March 4, 2007 Some thoughts about the fuge ... There is not a lot of room back there. The Tunze nano skimmer will fit in the the first chamber, but the overflow dumps right into the side of the it and there is a lot of noise. Water also splashes all over the place and you can't keep the water level constant (a must for the Tunze). The second chamber is the ideal place to mount the skimmer, but that is the fuge chamber. I also put the float switch in that chamber, but will be moving it to the pump chamber. I am going to use the other half of the fuge for algae. I am building an "L" shaped platform out of egg crate. That will keep the algae away from the skimmer and I can just pull it out when I need to harvest the algae. I also velcroed the light to the back of the fuge. I think that is a much better solution. The light is not small and it takes up too much space when put on top of the fuge. The bottom line ... the fuge is nice, but when you start adding a couple of bags of chemipure, or other chemicals and then a heater and skimmer, space is at a premium. Ideally a second small tank to house the skimmer and fuge would be an ideal solution. This is something I may eventually try. The Ebo Jager needs to go. It is too big. The green valve in the foreground is the top off pump line. That is a temp fix. I need to put the fresh water reservoir under the tank and plumb it in correctly. Link to comment
VDub90 Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I wad reading up on the Tunze, is there anyway you could put it in the 3rd chamber with the return pump? It only needs 7in of water depth to work, and this would probably be the most stable chamber water level wise. Link to comment
MartyD Posted March 4, 2007 Author Share Posted March 4, 2007 The bulb was bad. I borrowed an old Japanese 10K bulb from a friend. With the actinics on, the light is nice and white. I am not sure if I want a 20K bulb. I think a good 14K would be plenty blue. FYI ... the light is 6" above the water. Here is a pic of the Cheato in the fuge. I mounted the fuge light vertically. How densely should I pack the Cheato? I got a giant bag full for six bucks! Link to comment
MartyD Posted March 4, 2007 Author Share Posted March 4, 2007 I forgot to mention that the prop guard that comes with the Tunze 6025 fits on the bulkhead perfectly. It makes the perfect strainer. The bulkhead definitely surface skims. Functionally I see no difference between it and the traditional overflow setup. Link to comment
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