Cadlights 8g Mini arrived

[podBoy]

So, I've been out of the hobby for several years now, recently got the itch again. I decided I wanted to stick to something quite small. Wanted an AIO with lighting that would work for softies at least to keep the initial investment down. There was also the idea that it would limit what I could put in this tank to keep it simple.

 

I also wanted low iron glass, which limited my options a bit.

 

I settled on the Cadlights 8. I'd seen some issues with quality and customer service as I sifted through what little feedback there seemed to be. Some really happy costumers as well. There seemed to be a trend towards better costomer service in recent months, so that gave me a little bit more hope that this purchase would work out.

 

I figured I'd document my experience here as there isn't a whole lot of real feedback out there that I could find.

 

It arrived:

 

Gotta say, this is about the most ghetto box I've ever had delivered to my door. It works, for sure, but it's not pretty or professional looking in the least. Doesn't really bother me, but I thought it worth noting for feedback sake.

 

 

Packing seems to have done the job for the most part. The light bouncing around inside has scuffed up the top part of the acrylic divider though. Could definitely use some extra padding in there too keep stuff from bouncing around.

 

The good:

 

Low iron glass -

This is something I've always wanted, as I know how much more vibrant a coral can look from the top of a tank without the glass in the way. I love the extra clarity.

 

Plenty of room in back -

(Although, I think I might have preferred a bit less room and a little more depth to the display.) So this could be pro or con. Or both.

 

Pretty decent silicone job -

No stray smears, blobs that I could spot. Seams were all quite clean looking imho.

 

The Bad:

 

Missing/incorrect parts -

The light is missing any power supply/driver hookup. Only came with the light assembly that attaches to the tank.

 

 

The pump is a a 250v euro style plug. So. . .yeah. That's not going to work. TBH though, this pump looks about as close to a dollar store item I could get, so it's not likely that I'd risk any livestock and use it. But that's not really the point.

 

Peeling vinyl -

The blackout cover in the back is peeling in a couple of spots, looks to be cause by either shipping or packaging.

 

 

 

The vinyl trim job along the top is also pretty jagged in a couple places.

 

 

Light mount puts holes in vinyl -

One install of the light gives you two nice holes in the back covering. :/

 

 

Glass Chips/ Scratch /laminar crack?-

1 decently visible scratch though on the left side.

 

 

There are two small radial chips on the top of the front. One pictured, the other is almost identical.

 

 

 

These next two are the ones that concern me. The first is a very small but very sharp and jagged gouge right at the top edge quite near to the bent corner.

 

The second is a strange crack/seperation of the glass lengthwise along the pane.

 

 

Here is the small jagged gouge. . .

 

 

 

And here is the shallow but long crack/seperation that runs lengthwise along the glass.

 

I have a contact email sent into them, so we'll see what happens, I'm not sure I want to deal with the worry about cracking down the road.

[theishkid]

Please keep us updated as how they handle it. I'm thinking of ordering their new 34G pretty soon.

[pippa]

I received the starfire version of this tank last week but it looks like yours was a bit worse for wear, bummer! I'm not all that far from CA, how long was yours in transit?

 

Anyway I have to agree with you on the box, lol, glass "stickers" would be an upgrade but the cardboard is some heavy duty stuff. I didn't have any scratches, chips, or smears on mine. I also was surprised at the amount of room devoted to the back. I had a JBJ nano-cube before and it was maybe half this width, but I'm ok with it, I plan on growing some cheato back there. I haven't seen the IM version of this tank so I'm curious if it's the same.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[podBoy]

Wow. Those pics really highlight how big the back chamber is. I don't know if I'm going to be happy with these dimensions. I'd heard that they expanded it so that one of their skimmers would fit.

 

It's not really what I was used to seeing in the threads I'd looked over, so I decided to do a comparison pic.

 

mcentire1123's thread over on reefsanctuary.

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/nano-reefs/82794-cadlight-8-gallon-reef.html

 

 

 

 

As you can see, there's quite a bit of difference between the old and new chamber dimensions. The back chamber now takes up more than a third of the tanks dimensions, as shown in this pic.

 

 

Not exactly what is pictured on cadlights website.

http://www.cadlights.com/images/Mini%20series%20No%20light.jpg

 

 

:/

 

I think I might try to do a full return, or perhaps move to the 4g. I don't want more than a third of my tank space taken up by the back chamber. Not sure if they've changed the 4g chambers or not.

 

If I wasn't set on low iron glass, I think I might just move to a jbj rimless.

 

Oh, and I'm win WA state. Wasn't in transit all that long.

[podBoy]

Quick update:

 

Re-sent my email to their quick helpdesk email (customerservice@cadlights.com) at noon today, and got a response 3hrs later from Jason.

 

He's sending out the light power supply and the pump, and let me know that they have the mini I version still in stock, which has the older dimensions.

 

I was hoping they'd do a downgrade to the 4g, as I felt like it would be easier for me to be less nitpicky at that price point, but he said they could only do store credit if I downgraded.

 

So I'm pretty pleased with the costomer service. A+ on the response time. I kind of feel like I should have the option to return or downgrade, but it's a far cry from being ignored. Quick response and immediate replacement is certainly nothing to sneer at. He said it'd be out tomorrow morning.

 

So yeah, if you're buying an 8g, and want a little more space, up front, see if they have the Mini I in stock.

 

I'll await the arrival of the new one and update this thread when it arrives.

[gsechen]

I got the older min-8's and my complaints are the pump position, wish it was on the bottom with a tube instead of being stuck in the middle of the chamber. A lot of detritus gets stuck on the bottom of that chamber. Also the glass is nice but scratches easily!!! Other than that, the tank is fine and going strong for 8 months now...

[podBoy]

Update:

 

Received my new replacement 8g Mini 1 tank today. Response time was great, and I got the problem dealt with, and delivered before the weekend.

 

 

 

Looked it over, and this glass is completely free of chips/scratches. The edge polish and bevel is flawless. A notch above the Mini II I'd recieved, in my opinion. Still love the clarity on this.

 

No scratching of the back acrylic (no light shipped in the tank, so nothing bouncing around to blemish it.)

 

Black vinyl is better trimmed and not peeling.

 

Better display dimensions. I like this one a lot. I'm loving it. It's almost perfect and I'm falling in love with it just a bit.

 

But. . . . .

 

 

 

It's got a fairly decent gap in the front silicone. It's not really visible when you're vewing the tank from a slight angle.

 

Trying to decide what to do. I hate having to play the lottery to get a good tank, and part of me feels nitpicky, but I don't think it's too much to ask to want decent seams and good glass, is it?

 

Could I live with it? I dunno. I have a feeling that every time I go to look at the tank, I'd be checking that spot out to make sure it's not seperating. Would it? Probably not in a tank this small and of this design, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't bug me.

 

Then there's how it affects resale value. I think I might be hesitant to buy a tank that had a gap in silicone like this, and I think some might assume it's seperating, especially after being used. It's not going to help much to tell people. "oh, it was like that when I got it new."

 

Opinions? Would you just roll with it? Or try for one without any visible flaws?

[podBoy]

I got the older min-8's and my complaints are the pump position, wish it was on the bottom with a tube instead of being stuck in the middle of the chamber. A lot of detritus gets stuck on the bottom of that chamber. Also the glass is nice but scratches easily!!! Other than that, the tank is fine and going strong for 8 months now...

 

I'll have to keep the detritus and scratching in mind when I build mine. I thin I'll probably upgrade the pump with one I have lying around, although I don't know what my plumbing and mounting options are.

 

Got any pics?

[podBoy]

I take back what I said earlier. The gap IS plainly visible at bit of a higher angle.

 

Filled it up to see how it looks and do a visual test.

 

This is going to annoy me to no end.

 

 

 

[pippa]

I had to go and look over my tank after seeing your pictures. The silicone certainly isn't 100% perfect but honestly without you posting this here I would have never thought to really look there. Once the tank is filled with sand, rock and corals there are just so many better things that grab my attention and the glass makes it all worth it If it doesn't affect the structural soundness of the tank I wouldn't worry too much.

Also is it possible to add some additional silicon to fill the gap? (I have no idea here, just wondering)

[Neebles]

You are the customer, if you aren't happy let it be known.

[farkwar]

Also is it possible to add some additional silicon to fill the gap? (I have no idea here, just wondering)

 

Reminds me of the BRS April Fools 70gallon DIY tank Joke.

[pippa]

Reminds me of the BRS April Fools 70gallon DIY tank Joke.

 

Hey some of us are not in the loop. Please share

[podBoy]

I had to go and look over my tank after seeing your pictures. The silicone certainly isn't 100% perfect but honestly without you posting this here I would have never thought to really look there. Once the tank is filled with sand, rock and corals there are just so many better things that grab my attention and the glass makes it all worth it If it doesn't affect the structural soundness of the tank I wouldn't worry too much.

 

Also is it possible to add some additional silicon to fill the gap? (I have no idea here, just wondering)

 

I was hoping I could ignore it, but certain lighting situation in the room make it really stand out.

 

And it technically does affect the structural integrity, probably not nearly enough to cause any problems down the road. But it's missing some sillicone in a place where it should have it. There's really no reason for it to be there, any extra on the bottom could simply be trimmed after the fact.

 

I thought of adding some silicone as well, but I'm not sure if there would be a seam. Then there's the issue of the silicone being the same color/etc. . .different brand might be a different shade and stand out more.

 

I always look over every seam and edge on a new aquarium. It's just not worth finding out something is wrong after water is in, or a couple years down the road when it's stocked with expensive livestock.

 

You are the customer, if you aren't happy let it be known.

 

I sent them an email out on friday - was hoping they'd reply today, but nothing so far. I'll give them another day or so and then re-send it. I dislike having to deal with defective items, because I feel like I'm pestering and being nit-picky, but in the end, It's not my fault when a product arrives with problems.

 

I'm okay with small defects as long as they meet this criteria:

 

1) They aren't visible or distracting

2) They don't affect the structural integrity or function of a product

3) They don't affect the overall resale value

[Neebles]

I have unfortunately had to deal with them on every single piece of equipment I have bought from them, tank, skimmer, reactor. They offered me 10% off a future purchase for my "frustration" knowing damn well I will never buy another cad lights product again.

[funkskunk]

So what happened with your tank? Did you keep it? Just curious as I'm thinking about getting a CAD8 or 4 myself.

[Halo_003]

I was thinking about getting the CAD 4G but after this I'm thinking maybe I should just spring for a full on custom PicO instead. I would not accept a tank with any issues. If they don't build or pack well, that's their problem. If you pay brand new pricing you should expect a 100% brand new product. If I can't rely on CAD for this then I'll go to PicO when I buy a new tank in the next few weeks.

[podBoy]

They told me that they would have to charge me shipping to send out a new one, and I would have to return the old one because it wasn't a structural problem, and asked if I wanted instructions on how to fix the silicone gap myself.

 

Honestly, the older version seems to be a better finish in most areas than the new version. Glass is polished better, no chips, thicker base glass. New version seems to have taken a hit in quality, not an improvement. Of course, that's just out of my two samples.

 

I just kind of dropped the issue as I got busy with other things, and they basically have told me I'm stuck with it unless I want to play tank lottery and cover shipping. I kind of wish I had just gone with a PicO, honestly.

[spazizz]

That sucks. Things aren't looking good for them.

[mblackburn]

Wow, that's a lot of display missing. I just ordered mine too and found this thread and mine's already shipped.

[fragtal]

Wow, that's a lot of display missing. I just ordered mine too and found this thread and mine's already shipped.

 

So. How did yours turn out? My 4G shipped yesterday so I' m wondering.