Urchinhead Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 I'm just kind of erked that I can't buy just the PRO TANK any more, I am not sure I want all that stuff that is going to be in the packaged deal... I kind of want to piecemeal my own stuff...why can't we buy just the damned tank!??!?! You can try and get a waver from Eddie... UH Link to comment
plankton99 Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Dont the doors close against the center divider? What keeps the doos from "sinking" in? Dennis I will not use the divider. What i plan on doing is gluing some rubber stoppers just inside the top of the cabinet ceiling to stop the doors. Link to comment
X3-3.0i Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 the shipping problems is from DHL from what i see and these tanks are of exceptional quality. i mean as of now i never seen anything like it until i got one for myself. from what i have seen in the warhouse, it is really good packaging. it took me about 15 minutes to remove it out of th box and its packaging (foams in every inch). Link to comment
fastandsneaky Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Granted its a DHL matter and theres now legal action taken of some sort, but thats part of the company's responsibilities not the consumer. Yes, I understand when it leaves the warehouse they dont control what happens, but a great business would fix the problem since its been happening since the previous tanks. And I know that maybe we should get tanks from our LFS but some people dont live anywhere near New York. Other companies have far fewer problems with the shipments they send. Im also wondering if they even tested the tanks out themselves, they should have caught the overflow problem before even it came out. It was not until after it shipped that they sent the mod. He even should have told me that the sump was not even out yet but instead they send me an aqueon tank with poorly glued pieces of glass, then when I called to complain, it was then when he said it was a prototype and that others are receiving it too. It just seems that they try to cut corners and make money. For example, why would they make the Pro Series a PACKAGE, how does that make it custom. And yes u can buy upgrades but then you would have to spend more money on third parties products. Making it a package, its a signature series with more room. And recently the price dropped back down to 694.99 on the signature series. How is that fair to the people who preordered the tank? And how is that fair for the people who bought the tank in between the price differences and had to pay more? And I know Im going to get scolded and hated for saying all this but its true. The tank itself might be great and the light might be nice, but the other components seem iffy. People say that there customer service is top notch but what would happen if they weren't. That is basically what is keeping their company alive. I respect all your opinions and this is mine so I'm offering what i think to you that the company to me is not that great, it is just what I think. Link to comment
NaClH2Ofreak Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Ya, kinda gotta side with ya on some things fast and sneaky. It is kind of a rough company to deal with. If you REALLY dont have your heart set on a cad tank, then I dont think I would recommend them either. Eddie is good a customer service but, you really really really gotta stay on top of him to make sure he does what he says he's gonna do. I also ended up paying an extra $250 for second day shipping on the tank and stand. That was split between me and eddie. The total was about $550 and he charged me $250. He didnt HAVE to reship the three different tanks to me second day so, I felt obliged to pay for the upgraded shipping myself. I thought it was nice of him to split it with me. Everyone else that I talk to (family, friends, etc) say that CadLight's should have flipped the whole bill for the upgraded shipping and then some! I dont know. Im just glad the whole experience is over and now I have a very stylish little tank. Would I do it again? N-E-V-E-R!!!!!!!! Its not worth the hassel to me. I will just buy local next time. On another note, I suspended the light from the ceiling today. Kinda tricky to do. Came out alright I guess. I will post a pic. Dennis Link to comment
fastandsneaky Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Ya, kinda gotta side with ya on some things fast and sneaky. It is kind of a rough company to deal with. If you REALLY dont have your heart set on a cad tank, then I dont think I would recommend them either. Eddie is good a customer service but, you really really really gotta stay on top of him to make sure he does what he says he's gonna do. I also ended up paying an extra $250 for second day shipping on the tank and stand. That was split between me and eddie. The total was about $550 and he charged me $250. He didnt HAVE to reship the three different tanks to me second day so, I felt obliged to pay for the upgraded shipping myself. I thought it was nice of him to split it with me. Everyone else that I talk to (family, friends, etc) say that CadLight's should have flipped the whole bill for the upgraded shipping and then some! I dont know. Im just glad the whole experience is over and now I have a very stylish little tank. Would I do it again? N-E-V-E-R!!!!!!!! Its not worth the hassel to me. I will just buy local next time. On another note, I suspended the light from the ceiling today. Kinda tricky to do. Came out alright I guess. I will post a pic. Dennis wow hanging the light looks gorgeous! great tank! Yea had my heart set on the tank so, i think that is what helped me stick throught it Link to comment
NaClH2Ofreak Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Ya, hanging the light make it eaiser to move out of the way to work in the tank. Adds a sence of style also IMO. Thanks for the nice compliment. Dennis Link to comment
Urchinhead Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 I will not use the divider. What i plan on doing is gluing some rubber stoppers just inside the top of the cabinet ceiling to stop the doors. Damn fine idea sir! That solves one problem for me. The other being what to do about the shelves which I would like to use. Perhaps something similar in the rear like a 1-2" bar that I can screw into the rear area to provide support for the shelf... UH Link to comment
Urchinhead Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 between the price differences and had to pay more? And I know Im going to get scolded and hated for saying all this but its true. The tank itself might be great and the light might be nice, but the other components seem iffy. People say that there customer service is top notch but what would happen if they weren't. That is basically what is keeping their company alive. I respect all your opinions and this is mine so I'm offering what i think to you that the company to me is not that great, it is just what I think. Anyone who scolds you for this is depriving a village somewhere of their idiot and should return at once. The tank is a good tank and the customer service is top notch but the rest of the kit seems to be a Chinese OEM no-name clone of other people's work. Not really good form. The price drop is a bad move and you should call up and ask for a refund of the difference ala Apple and their iPhone stunt. The Pro 'kit' answer I got from Eddie was that too many people were buying it and couldn't make it work without allot of tech support from Eddie et al so they were dropping it. My advice on that is start an email and call in campaign to restore the option of the Pro tank DIY. Having the Pro then making it a kit to me is just silly. Caveat Emptor I say! Hell just put a disclaimer on there that says this is for people who konw what they are doing. You buy it with full knowledge of that fact and if you can't figure it out too bloody bad! UH Link to comment
TriggerHappyDude Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 I agree, and thats what I want! I don't want to call Eddie and ask him, thats what all you guys/gals out there are for on these forums! But I'm still not sure who Eddie works for? Does he work directly for CAD? I got emails from Ken at Ocean Reeflections...he was cool and answered his emails well. But he just had the info from CAD about the new "kit" and couldn't do much about it. Link to comment
Urchinhead Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Eddie is CADlights. At least that is my understanding. As in he is one of the partners. Ocean Reeflections is a different company that works with CADlights. They can do whatever they want to do. It is just a matter of finding the right buttons to push to make them willingly give you the tank you want. UH Link to comment
NanoNamor Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Eddie is the owner of CADlights, which is pretty much a "mom and pop" operation run in Brooklyn, NY. Ocean reflections is an authorized seller of the cad tank so if they cant get the tank by itself then they wont have just the tank to sell you. They buy the same thing we buy directly from CAD. Once ocean reflections sells it to you, at I assume some sort of mark up % from what Cad sold it to them, they then tell you any problems call Eddie at CADlights lol. Link to comment
TriggerHappyDude Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Eddie is the owner of CADlights, which is pretty much a "mom and pop" operation run in Brooklyn, NY. Ocean reflections is an authorized seller of the cad tank so if they cant get the tank by itself then they wont have just the tank to sell you. They buy the same thing we buy directly from CAD. Once ocean reflections sells it to you, at I assume some sort of mark up % from what Cad sold it to them, they then tell you any problems call Eddie at CADlights lol. Actually I was quoted a lot less from Ocean Reeflections (two EE's as in REEF), than CAD Lights prices. So there is no mark up from them on these systems. Link to comment
Jay-sun Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Eddie is the owner of CADlights, which is pretty much a "mom and pop" operation run in Brooklyn, NY. Ocean reflections is an authorized seller of the cad tank so if they cant get the tank by itself then they wont have just the tank to sell you. They buy the same thing we buy directly from CAD. Once ocean reflections sells it to you, at I assume some sort of mark up % from what Cad sold it to them, they then tell you any problems call Eddie at CADlights lol. Hey, This statement is not true. Ken at Oceanreeflections will stand behind any product he sells 100%. I live in NH and deal with Ken out of AZ 100% for my equipment purchases. I had some problems with my CAD 34 gallon tank. I went through Ken and he made sure everything was taken care of and then some. Have you dealt with Oceanreeflections or is this just your assumption?? Cause I know for a fact and several other guys on this forum who have dealt with Ken can attest to the fact that if there is a problem with a product he sells it will be taken care of by him. One way or another it will be made right. Eddie is the owner of CAD lights. I like Eddie and he treats you right as a customer. I do however disagree with the Pro series tank being made into a pkg. That totally defeats the purpose of it in my opinion. I also do not agree with his methods of shipping. Albeit I have not had a problem with any of the CAD tanks, stands etc. being lost or damaged but I have had less than stellar dealing with DHL on several other instances. As far as the equipment that comes with the CAD tanks it may not be name brand but as long as if does its job what does that matter. People are complaining of the price of the pkg's now imagine what they would be had he used name brand components. The tank itself is worth the money. It is mainly the tank I wanted when I purchased my first 34 gallon tank. I did go with the light they were selling at the time and that was a mistake. It truely was a piece of junk to put it nicely. The tank though was and still is beautiful. The components such as the light and skimmer that came with the new tank is much much better. But again its not a deltec skimmer or a Aquactinics light. But for an all in one system the stuff is good enough and will get the job done. I also agree that CAD's quality control needs to be addressed. As far as parts missing, wrong glass tops, or what have should not be happening. Even the stands and tanks being lost or damaged in transit should not be happening. I myself wish Eddie would do something about that. You would see a big drop in complaints on this thread had there not been so many shipping problems. If anybody is thinking of buying this tank and would like my take on them pm me. I have 2 at the moment and will have a 3rd one soon. Once I decide what I want to do now that I cant order the pro tank by itself. I have experience with the finnex tanks, and RSM 34 to compare to the CAD's. Sorry for the babbling. I have been a member here for quite some time and mostly been a lurker. But I am trying to become more involved so here it is. Bottom line CAD sells some nice tanks with decent equipment. Not top of the line name brand stuff. But it will work and work well. Eddies shipping methods need to be addressed. This would stop the majority of the negative feedback I am sure. If you buy from Ken at Oceanreeflections he will take care of any problems himself. He will not pawn you off to the Mfg. Again these are my thougths, expressions, experiences etc. I do not own or work for either of the companies listed above. Just a happy customer who has had good luck with both businesses. Jason Link to comment
TriggerHappyDude Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Amen! Ken is nice, and Eddie sounds great, both seem good to deal with. I wished I could just get their tanks...maybe if I begged? What is C.A.D Lighting's web site URL anyway? Link to comment
X3-3.0i Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 usually manufactures list their prices as MSRP but it is really up to the retailer to sell it at which ever price they want. like how Sony would sell their products at a higher price than what Best buy would sell that same item. i agree with Jay-sun, the tanks are awesome, i love it more and more as everything is starting to produce results. this is THE SYSTEM to get if you dont want any modding, or if you want a high quality system. they ship out tanks everyday and i am sure that a large percentage of them make it with no problem. i dont see how they can stay in business if more than 10% breaks in transit (thats almost $1000 per tank and cabinet). again i have had my 52" Plasma shipped to me and the packaging is nowhere close to what is on this tank even that i picked it up in person. the skimmer, tank, and the lighting in my opinion is top notch and better than any 24" HQI system i have seen so far. the LEDs are much stronger than the ones in my Aqua-pro light from Coralife. as far as for the other components, i really dont see any difference with the stuff sold in my LFS and they work great. Link to comment
Jay-sun Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Amen!Ken is nice, and Eddie sounds great, both seem good to deal with. I wished I could just get their tanks...maybe if I begged? What is C.A.D Lighting's web site URL anyway? www.cadlights.com Jason Link to comment
X3-3.0i Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Hey Dennis, i hung my lights too on the ceiling. the first time i did it, i didnt center the light and it was on an angle. did you happen to just have those hooks there or did i do it wrong? Link to comment
aspinn Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 wow i have tyo say i think ill be hanging mine... looks much better (not ot mention like alot of people said the plastic stands make me nervous Link to comment
NaClH2Ofreak Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 LOL! Mines crooked to! What I did was just leave the light on the plastic stands, then held up each wire to the ceiling and had my wife "eyeball" it . They came out fairly straight. I did have to slide the right side connection over a little bit on top of the fixture to kind of pull the pendant to the right a little more. Eh....good enough for government work. Dennis Link to comment
stoneman Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 LOL! Mines crooked to! What I did was just leave the light on the plastic stands, then held up each wire to the ceiling and had my wife "eyeball" it . They came out fairly straight. I did have to slide the right side connection over a little bit on top of the fixture to kind of pull the pendant to the right a little more. Eh....good enough for government work. Dennis one way you might try to suspend the lighting is to first mount the light with its plastic legs on top of the tank , then take 2 tumbtacs and 2 pieces of string that are 41'' long each along with a couple little screws. tie a screw to each string and use the tunbtacs to stick them in your ceiling. the weight of the screws will put the strings taut. this will be a very easy way to line it up where you want it. when you get it right put you hangers in. hope this helps some of you. stoneman Link to comment
NaClH2Ofreak Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 Oh ya....good idea Dennis Link to comment
X3-3.0i Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 awesome Dennis! i did that last night and it came out alot better than me just eyeballing it and then running up on my stool back and forth. you know it never even occurred tome that my wife can help. i like it much better hanging, looks REALLY frameless now. Link to comment
aspinn Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 wow i love the look of the hanging... how long did it take u to set-up?.... that would be horrid if they got rid of the pro... yes it may require more work but it gives you more room/custimization then the sig /sigh well i guess it made my decision for me lol i was torn on which one to go for... but hey ya never know he may keep it going Link to comment
NaClH2Ofreak Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Ya..hanging the pendent really rounds out that "euro" look. Dennis Link to comment
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