Cadlights Feedback and Warnings

[Abobis]

Marcoss,
I hope Cacdlights has resolved this in a manner that is acceptable to you.

You may want to check out my thread as well-
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2524153

[Marcoss]

Update:

CAD Lights and I have come to a result that is satisfactory to me. My personal issue is now moot.

Marcos

[nbsdsailor]

They should have taken care of this a lot quicker. I'm glad they finally took care of your situation, but you shouldn't have needed to go public and force them to resolve it. I was about to pull the trigger on their 100g artisian II. Off to get custom quotes now.

[KirbyBTF]

Ive been having some issues with CAD lights as well. I ordered the 8g AIO, and after a week, two phone calls, two emails, and two promises, I still hadn't received a tracking number. It was only after threatening to cancel my order did I finally get the tracking number. When I got the tank it looked pretty good, but the return pump didn't line up correctly with the hole in the plastic correctly. Where the return pump sat after being installed the water level was too high for the 3 stage filtration in the back to work, the 3rd (shortest) part of glass was completely submerged, and if the water level was lowered to where it was supposed to sit the pumps intake was almost completely out of the water and spitting bubbles into the tank. They also sent me the wrong light, the one they advertise on their site is apparently no longer available and they send a different one without notifying their customers of the change. Seems to me like they should at LEAST update their website so people are aware of that. So I made yet another call to their customer service, the guy I spoke with was completely unaware of the issue with the return pump not working correctly so I made sure I got the right pump that was supposed to come with the tank, which I did. The best he could do for me was mail me a 90 degree elbow and hope it would work. I was able to make it work with some cutting and "ghetto rigging", but that shouldn't have been necessary in the first place. Now to the light, I wasn't too happy about getting a light I didn't order, but I was willing to work with them. I asked for some specs on the light, to which he had no answer, but promised to get back to me by the next day. Fast forward 4 days and still nothing. So I call and all he can tell me is its 13w and puts out approximately 120 par at 4" (highly unlikely). No clue about the spectrum, no link to a website that showed test results, couldn't even tell me the BRAND of the light so I could do my own research. Now to the last and smallest(yet most infuriating) issue, I was inspecting the tank for scratches and what not after adding the live rock a few days ago and noticed a piece of electrical tape on the black part of the tank so I peeled it off, these guys noticed there was a piece of the black paint missing from the back of the tank and instead of FIXING it they figured, eh, screw it. Lets just put a piece of tape on it. I will never order from CADlights again and advise others to take your money elsewhere. If I hadn't already stocked the tank I would be requesting my money back.

[figuerres]

Originally Posted by KirbyBTF

Ive been having some issues with CAD lights as well. I ordered the 8g AIO, and after a week, two phone calls, two emails, and two promises, I still hadn't received a tracking number. It was only after threatening to cancel my order did I finally get the tracking number. When I got the tank it looked pretty good, but the return pump didn't line up correctly with the hole in the plastic correctly. Where the return pump sat after being installed the water level was too high for the 3 stage filtration in the back to work, the 3rd (shortest) part of glass was completely submerged, and if the water level was lowered to where it was supposed to sit the pumps intake was almost completely out of the water and spitting bubbles into the tank. They also sent me the wrong light, the one they advertise on their site is apparently no longer available and they send a different one without notifying their customers of the change. Seems to me like they should at LEAST update their website so people are aware of that. So I made yet another call to their customer service, the guy I spoke with was completely unaware of the issue with the return pump not working correctly so I made sure I got the right pump that was supposed to come with the tank, which I did. The best he could do for me was mail me a 90 degree elbow and hope it would work. I was able to make it work with some cutting and "ghetto rigging", but that shouldn't have been necessary in the first place. Now to the light, I wasn't too happy about getting a light I didn't order, but I was willing to work with them. I asked for some specs on the light, to which he had no answer, but promised to get back to me by the next day. Fast forward 4 days and still nothing. So I call and all he can tell me is its 13w and puts out approximately 120 par at 4" (highly unlikely). No clue about the spectrum, no link to a website that showed test results, couldn't even tell me the BRAND of the light so I could do my own research. Now to the last and smallest(yet most infuriating) issue, I was inspecting the tank for scratches and what not after adding the live rock a few days ago and noticed a piece of electrical tape on the black part of the tank so I peeled it off, these guys noticed there was a piece of the black paint missing from the back of the tank and instead of FIXING it they figured, eh, screw it. Lets just put a piece of tape on it. I will never order from CADlights again and advise others to take your money elsewhere. If I hadn't already stocked the tank I would be requesting my money back.

sounds real familiar....
I ordered my system on 8/7 it's now 9/13 and the last item on the list will get here next week on the 16th.
based on my emails and phone calls I suspect that I would never have gotten any of the parts that did not ship with the tank. every thing was up to me to keep calling and emailing them asking for the status.
in fact I went out of my way more than one time to try and tell them how to fix the problem with handling customers. as far as I can tell at this time they do not care at all. I am going to be contacting a few folks and ask them not to see the products. I am also going to see if we can do anything else but in the end they can keep taking money from folks until they get a big law suit or something.

not going to buy from them ever again here also.
I am just glad that my tank and stand seem to be made ok and not showing any signs of failure (Praying that it stays that way)

really sad cause I see some possibilities but crap management and customer care.

about the parts they ship: they have a connection to china to get stuff from several places there, most of what they sell is made in china with no brand name. they make a few things when the china stuff fails or does not ship in time. they claim to do custom tanks and I wonder how they handle the customers for them.... anyone live in LA want to stop at their office and see what they are up to just for the heck of it ??

[tjohnson27209]

Was looking to purchase the 18gallon tank they had and after looking on the website was confused about a few things so I decided to shoot them an email regarding whether the LED lights on the website were included or not.

According to an email from "Scott" the LEDs pictured on their website are no longer what is being shipped to customers they have a "New" light, which in my opinion looks like junk and something I could order off of Amazon or eBay for $17-27.00. Looks cheap. I have attached the exact pictures "Scott" emailed to me...hopefully they show up

[figuerres]

Originally Posted by tjohnson27209

Was looking to purchase the 18gallon tank they had and after looking on the website was confused about a few things so I decided to shoot them an email regarding whether the LED lights on the website were included or not.

According to an email from "Scott" the LEDs pictured on their website are no longer what is being shipped to customers they have a "New" light, which in my opinion looks like junk and something I could order off of Amazon or eBay for $17-27.00. Looks cheap. I have attached the exact pictures "Scott" emailed to me...hopefully they show up

one of the issues with them is that the parts they use seem to be changing all the time, they are getting stuff from china for pumps, and I think also for lights and some other stuff. looks a lot like the light they send me for my sumps fuge and that one is very dim and I will be replacing it very soon. I have reading lights that are brighter than the sump light they sent me.

[Abobis]

I am merging my thread into this one.

Seems like quite a few people are having issues with Cacdlights. Here's mine:

Originally Posted by Abobis

I am an active aquarist in the marine aquarium hobby for the past 22 years owning tanks of all sizes, from several different manufacturers. I have also been an active member of two local aquarium clubs for the past 10 years.
Presently I have a Current Cardiff reef, a Nuvo by Innovative Marine, a Perfecto tank, an Aqueon tank, as well as my Cadlight aquarium. These tank range in volume from 30 gallons to 150 gallons.
My Cadlights Artisan 150 was to be the showpiece amongst all of my aquarims. Here is my experience with Cadlights-
Recently my 20 year old 150 gallon aquarium had a seal that was compromised and I had decided to replace it. At the time, I had considered Innovative Marine and Cadlights. I chose the Cadlights as I ultimately did not want to go with an all-in-one system.
My 150 Artisan was ordered directly from Cadlights and was delivered in a timely manner. It arrived from cross-country without an issue as the packaging was superior. This was in May.
Upon inspection of the system, I had noticed a few small imperfections. I had followed protocol and notified Cadlights. I had followed up with multiple phone calls, multiple emails to two separate company contacts, as well as private messages through aquarium related forums. Cadlights for the most part was unresponsive to my flood of correspondence with them-
Cadlights did work with me through my plumbing issues which ultimately were my fault. Cadlights sent the parts promptly and free of charge. Despite what you read in the forums, I actually do feel that their choice of materials is good. It should provide years of trouble-free service and perform well.
I had decided to overlook some of the imperfections and move forward, but after reading some other experiences with Cadlights, I have now decided to share them in this forum.
Stand: I was attracted to the "piano finish" as stated on the website. My vision of a piano finish would be jet-black, super glossy, and with a high quality of finish. While it is jet-black, it is super glossy, I can see marks made by a random orbital sander through the finish, particularly on the doors. Although it is difficult to capture in a photo, I have attached the same photo that was sent to Cadlights. In addition, a vertical stand support had been split where someone had overtightened a screw. Does this compromise the stand's integrity? Picts attached.




Overflow Cover: The cover on the overflow is clearly the wrong size. While it is minor, Cadlights should pay more attention to this as this is unacceptable.
Pict attached.

Aquarium Bracing: All seams on the tank are finished perfectly and the tank itself is nearly perfect. One section of the bracing was not affixed level to the other sections. While it does seem insignificant, when the glass cover is placed on the tank, it does not fit totally flush. Picts attached.


I had also requested specific information regarding the sale of the tank. I had spoken to an associate and was promised this information several times. I had never received it.
While preparing my Artisan 150 for service, my Innovative Marine Nuvo 24 randomly fractured after six months of use. I had purchased this tank used, despite the internet warnings- After contacting Innovative Marine, they promptly upgraded me to a fully loaded Fusion 30. They were kind enough to replace the tank, stand, upgrade the lighting, included a bunch of accessories, and were focused on making me a happy customer. I did not expect this as I was not the original owner, but they had EXCEEDED my expectations. Good customer relations!
I had considered purchasing a Cadlight skimmer and a Conic Media Reactor to keep my tank and accessories created by the same manufacturer as they know their products best. After my experience, I will no longer purchase them from Cadlights. This is disappointing to me-
The purpose of this post is to document my particular experience with Cadlights. With some minor revisions to their workmanship and customer service, I feel that they can greatly improve the companies perception.
The tank looks spectacular and commands the attention of everyone that sees it. Check it out-
Steve Szoke

[KirbyBTF]

Yea that's the light I got and I'm not very impressed at all. I'm going to try and get a refund.

[ravin01]

I purchased a 100 gallon setup. Hard to plumb because of the the Chinese fittings. The tank is nice. I've gotten rid of the stand, the protein skimmer, the plumbing that came with it, the biopellet reactor. Let's see, all that is left in a year is the aquarium.

They are very tough to get on the phone and never answer their emails. I would not rate them on a 1-5 star scale. Can you say ---- They suck

[figuerres]

Originally Posted by ravin01

I purchased a 100 gallon setup. Hard to plumb because of the the Chinese fittings. The tank is nice. I've gotten rid of the stand, the protein skimmer, the plumbing that came with it, the biopellet reactor. Let's see, all that is left in a year is the aquarium.

They are very tough to get on the phone and never answer their emails. I would not rate them on a 1-5 star scale. Can you say ---- They suck

from what you just posted I will say that it seems that they are changing some things in the package for the beter, one of the problems I had was that they were out of stock on the plumbing parts, they are now shipping US fittings, as soon as I had the bulkheads I was able to go to home depot and get more pipe that fits the bulk heads no problem.

the stand: the one I have seems to be made a decent wood, from what other have said they used to use MDF and are now using actual ply wood.
the skimmer seems to change every year or at least it looks that way based on the photos I have now seen. and all of the older ones get bad ratings.
some new ones they have been selling seem to be getting better reviews.

it's like we are all beta testing for them.... and that feeling sucks.
I want a tank and stand that will run for a long time w/o a failure due to a flaw in the build .... so far it does look like the stand and tank I got are ok, but in a month I think the skimmer will be going in the trash bin, then I will have to see how the rest of it goes.

[ReefWreak]

Originally Posted by figuerres

it's like we are all beta testing for them.... and that feeling sucks.
I want a tank and stand that will run for a long time w/o a failure due to a flaw in the build .... so far it does look like the stand and tank I got are ok, but in a month I think the skimmer will be going in the trash bin, then I will have to see how the rest of it goes.

That definitely sucks. I don't want to be beta testing products for companies either and paying full price.

If you want to make lemons out of lemonade, and are DIY handy, you can always keep the skimmer body and turn it into a recirculating skimmer with a better pump, or do different mods to make it into something that they couldn't/didn't.

[soulpatch]

Originally Posted by MrTanks008

I edited so as to not post ad for company

Sent you a PM on here with questions...

[figuerres]

Originally Posted by ReefWreak

That definitely sucks. I don't want to be beta testing products for companies either and paying full price.

If you want to make lemons out of lemonade, and are DIY handy, you can always keep the skimmer body and turn it into a recirculating skimmer with a better pump, or do different mods to make it into something that they couldn't/didn't.

I might get a better skimmer and then see if I can fix what they did and run two skimmers ... if I have the time, seems like the pump draws too much water or needs more air in the mix.
the adjustment they have is too low (no foam in the cup) or to high (too much water in the foam that goes into the cup), if I can push a little more air in to the intake w/o stalling the pump it might work much better. or choke back the water flow just a bit.

[Djturna4thakidz]

Go with SCA. So much better to deal with and the quality is great!

[Sinocard]

I bought a little cadlights bowfront 2 weeks ago, used.

Great tank. Love the way it looks. It made me consider buying one of their new tanks.

Until I read this thread. Absolutely terrible. I don't care how much I like my current cadlights tank, the stories in this thread have made me want to never use them for anything new.

[figuerres]

Originally Posted by Sinocard

I bought a little cadlights bowfront 2 weeks ago, used.

Great tank. Love the way it looks. It made me consider buying one of their new tanks.

Until I read this thread. Absolutely terrible. I don't care how much I like my current cadlights tank, the stories in this thread have made me want to never use them for anything new.

from what I have seen and heard that is the one thing I might buy from that is just the tank... seems to be the best thing they make is the tank.
I think they have had some tank issues but way less then the other stuff.

[Sinocard]

Originally Posted by figuerres

from what I have seen and heard that is the one thing I might buy from that is just the tank... seems to be the best thing they make is the tank.
I think they have had some tank issues but way less then the other stuff.

From what I read, some of their tanks are VERY prone to cracking for absolutely no reason.

I hope my little bowfront isn't one of them. The style of the tank is absolutely stunning.

I'd like to know why they don't make the one I have anymore.

[Wolfex]

I was shopping for a new tank in the spring and they were on my list. I decided against them and glad I did. This is one of many negative experience posts I have read recently. The warranty fine print is a common theme. I'll be warning my friends who are in the hobby away from this company.

[KirbyBTF]

Emailed them a month ago about returning the POS light they sold me. Still no response...

[figuerres]

Originally Posted by KirbyBTF

Emailed them a month ago about returning the POS light they sold me. Still no response...

You have to get them on the phone to get anything done. Email tends to be ignored, just call them every day plus email that you called them and what they said, I think when they get it both ways they know you mean it.

[spectrascott]

I purchased a Versa 42 and to be honest am to happy....Sump pictured on there website in the add is not what you get...unless you buy the 68 gallon one. The one that comes with it has a fuge area about 2 inches wide.....why bother.

[figuerres]

Originally Posted by spectrascott

I purchased a Versa 42 and to be honest am to happy....Sump pictured on there website in the add is not what you get...unless you buy the 68 gallon one. The one that comes with it has a fuge area about 2 inches wide.....why bother.

I am glad that you got lucky with your purchase.