My Cade 2100 Build
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- Thread starter Magic031707
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Magic031707
Active Member
I'm a military veteran that has a tank just sitting here and out of a lot of money...well everyone knows how much they cost. Along with paying shipping that I should not have did, paying my LFS lots of money because they are closest to me at 2hrs away. At that price they should be spotless, not sealant smeared everywhere. It's okay for you and/or Cade to say, hey, one got throught the cracks. It won't happen again, lesson learned and find ways to make it better.
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Magic031707
Active Member
IMO, looks like a scratch. A crack would be long and straighter, running through the glass. They don't normally make right-angle bends like that. Trust me, if it was a crack, you'd know it.
Yowza. If that's just excess silicone, no big deal. Nobody is going to see what's going on in that 'false wall' for the ATO reservoir, though I agree it's sloppy and at this price, you have a right to expect better QC.
That said, if this photo is a crack, you might consider going to a local glass shop, having a sheet of glass cut in dimensions to fit in there, and 'sister' the two by sandwiching silicone between them. Not the ideal solution, I'm sure, but having moved an 1800 just recently myself, I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
AlgaeBarn
Marine Aquariums Made Easy!
Hi Dominic,
The cancellation, refusal, or return of this order is not possible due to our policies regarding CADE Aquarium orders (https://www.cadeusa.com/Policies/policies-warranty-info). When the crates arrived and as you said in your email did not look like they did in the pictures we sent, notations should have been made on the delivery paperwork, and pictures taken of that paperwork and submitted to AlgaeBarn as instructed in the email from June 17th 2022, and they were not.
You state that the inspection instructions were followed and that did not "result in any visible damage to the bottom of the stand or the tank that could be seen with the naked eye". The vinyl bottom of the aquarium is clearly visible while still inside the crate, without moving the display in any way. If all parts were properly inspected per our policies this would have been important to report prior to setting up the tank or removing it from the crate, within 48hours of the initial delivery. Furthermore no damage was reported in the call that was made on June 22nd or June 24th when you inquired about the set up kit not being in the delivery.
"I was able to properly inspect the aquarium and stand in their entirety on July 6, 2022. Immediately upon inspection by myself and the aquarium specialists hired to set up the tank, I reported the discrepancies and imperfections that were found." (If this is the case how is there a picture on R2R in your build thread July 5th, stating how you got it into position and the next step is plumbing, with no report of any issues until after the aquarium specialists were reportedly at your house to set things up on July 6, 2022.)
The reason that the aquarium kit is free is due to the fact that it is to be added at checkout and ship with the aquarium. When it is not added, or AlgaeBarn not contacted to add it either via phone or email before the aquarium ships, additional shipping has to be paid to send these items to our customers. The shipping that we requested you to pay $225.00 was only half of what it cost to send free product; AlgaeBarn paid the other half. We have processed the refund for the freight charge on the starter pack. It could take up to 7-10 business days.
In your build thread here on R2R your initial post on July 3rd (over 2 weeks/ post delivery) you show the tank crate and the stand crate side by side in your garage with the lid(s) unlatched and slightly opened. After speaking with the installation company they informed us of the process they went through to install your aquarium. They stated that the crates were in your home prior to the 3 installation technicians arriving at your home; and that you assisted in the installation process. This means you would have seen the issues first hand before removing the aquarium from the crate. They stated that they did not use suction cups, and that a manual lift of the aquarium on to the stand was performed with your assistance. Per the manufacturer this is when he sees most of the issues reported like yours occurring, ie vinyl torn or scratches to the bottom of the panes of glass (all non structural but all caused during install), since we do not have any report of issues prior to the tank and stand being removed from the crates we have to follow our return policy which begins once the aquarium has been picked up from CADE USA, and ends once the aquarium or stand has been removed from the crate base, or 14 days from receipt, which ever is sooner.
As we stated earlier, we have sent all photos and relayed all information to the manufacturer as a secondary confirmation about the nature of the issues (including the picture of the silicone that have arisen with the tank in question. The manufacturer, having seen the pictures you sent over said that none of what is pictured is structural in nature, and rather that it is all cosmetic. The CADE director has previously stated to you that "building an aquarium system requires much consideration and a million variables for error that we work hard to avoid. Trying to accommodate and perfect every element from design, engineering, system convenience, production, QC, packaging and finally getting them across the world to the customer unscathed in a condition that meets their expectation is certainly challenging. But this is the ultimate goal. We don't always get everything perfect however we try our best and our track record with customer satisfaction is exceptional all things considered. We hope that the new age aquarists take into consideration that it is impossible to get things perfect especially when viewed through a macro lens. What we have created is functional furniture to recreate an aquatic habitat that will get wet, dirty and require maintenance. We build these systems for avid aquarists in the context of this purpose. Finally it's important that when the boxes are received the customers open the boxes and inspect for factory defects or damage from transit. If anything is noticed that is the best time to abort mission and contact the distributor to discuss your concerns. " He communicated that the most common time that he sees reports of tears in the vinyl and the scratch on the bottom of the pane of glass occurs during the installation process. The tears in the vinyl and the scratch in the bottom of the pane of glass would have been visible while the tank was still sitting in the crate and the lid opened so that inspection could be performed per the inspection instructions/policy. At which time if the installation company felt they could not fill it, or you felt that you were unhappy with any portion of the aquarium or stand, or the free kit; ALL installation should have been stopped, pictures taken and AlgaeBarn contacted. Due to the fact that the issues were not reported until after the installation company moved things into place with your assistance; and we are outside of the return period, per the return policy (https://www.cadeusa.com/Policies/policies-warranty-info) we are unable to honor any return, replacement, cancellation or refusal in accordance with our policies. "Regarding the messy silicone inside the ATO reservoir. It is often the case that silicone back there is not as neat as we'd like it to be. In the process of trying to create the most amount of habitable display tank space we have tried to make the weir and ATO reservoir space very slimline. The gap back there is only 8cm which does create a challenge tidying up if silicone gets a bit messy. It's just really hard to get a hand down there and attempting it during the drying process may compromise the bond on the rear black panel. So the staff are instructed that if they encounter this it's not a priority to tidy it up. For clarity, the panel in question does not hold water. It's just a support piece positioned between the tanks rear panel and the black divider panel of the tank. Its role is purely to support the rear panel from bowing. Admittedly the silicone in the back of yours isn’t perfect however it's not at all visible during operation and has a cover. What is more important to us is that the panel is installed and is performing its function. From a QC perspective we place the highest importance in the visible zones and less importance in the non visible." - Director of CADE Aquariums.
In summary, the procedure to report and claim shipping damages within the necessary timeframe was not followed. Without this, we are unable to hold the freight company liable and we are unable to confirm that cosmetic damages happened in transportation and did not occur in installation. Due to the instructions not being followed, AlgaeBarn is unable to offer a replacement aquarium. These damages appear to only be cosmetic in nature, and you are still entitled to the 2 year warranty offered by CADEUSA. While we understand that this is not the action you were seeking, we are unable to warranty damages caused during install and we do not warranty cosmetic issues. We do sympathize with your situation and we have arranged for a complementary replacement of vinyl film for the entire bottom of the aquarium. You will automatically get an email with tracking information as soon as the shipping label has been created.
The cancellation, refusal, or return of this order is not possible due to our policies regarding CADE Aquarium orders (https://www.cadeusa.com/Policies/policies-warranty-info). When the crates arrived and as you said in your email did not look like they did in the pictures we sent, notations should have been made on the delivery paperwork, and pictures taken of that paperwork and submitted to AlgaeBarn as instructed in the email from June 17th 2022, and they were not.
You state that the inspection instructions were followed and that did not "result in any visible damage to the bottom of the stand or the tank that could be seen with the naked eye". The vinyl bottom of the aquarium is clearly visible while still inside the crate, without moving the display in any way. If all parts were properly inspected per our policies this would have been important to report prior to setting up the tank or removing it from the crate, within 48hours of the initial delivery. Furthermore no damage was reported in the call that was made on June 22nd or June 24th when you inquired about the set up kit not being in the delivery.
"I was able to properly inspect the aquarium and stand in their entirety on July 6, 2022. Immediately upon inspection by myself and the aquarium specialists hired to set up the tank, I reported the discrepancies and imperfections that were found." (If this is the case how is there a picture on R2R in your build thread July 5th, stating how you got it into position and the next step is plumbing, with no report of any issues until after the aquarium specialists were reportedly at your house to set things up on July 6, 2022.)
The reason that the aquarium kit is free is due to the fact that it is to be added at checkout and ship with the aquarium. When it is not added, or AlgaeBarn not contacted to add it either via phone or email before the aquarium ships, additional shipping has to be paid to send these items to our customers. The shipping that we requested you to pay $225.00 was only half of what it cost to send free product; AlgaeBarn paid the other half. We have processed the refund for the freight charge on the starter pack. It could take up to 7-10 business days.
In your build thread here on R2R your initial post on July 3rd (over 2 weeks/ post delivery) you show the tank crate and the stand crate side by side in your garage with the lid(s) unlatched and slightly opened. After speaking with the installation company they informed us of the process they went through to install your aquarium. They stated that the crates were in your home prior to the 3 installation technicians arriving at your home; and that you assisted in the installation process. This means you would have seen the issues first hand before removing the aquarium from the crate. They stated that they did not use suction cups, and that a manual lift of the aquarium on to the stand was performed with your assistance. Per the manufacturer this is when he sees most of the issues reported like yours occurring, ie vinyl torn or scratches to the bottom of the panes of glass (all non structural but all caused during install), since we do not have any report of issues prior to the tank and stand being removed from the crates we have to follow our return policy which begins once the aquarium has been picked up from CADE USA, and ends once the aquarium or stand has been removed from the crate base, or 14 days from receipt, which ever is sooner.
As we stated earlier, we have sent all photos and relayed all information to the manufacturer as a secondary confirmation about the nature of the issues (including the picture of the silicone that have arisen with the tank in question. The manufacturer, having seen the pictures you sent over said that none of what is pictured is structural in nature, and rather that it is all cosmetic. The CADE director has previously stated to you that "building an aquarium system requires much consideration and a million variables for error that we work hard to avoid. Trying to accommodate and perfect every element from design, engineering, system convenience, production, QC, packaging and finally getting them across the world to the customer unscathed in a condition that meets their expectation is certainly challenging. But this is the ultimate goal. We don't always get everything perfect however we try our best and our track record with customer satisfaction is exceptional all things considered. We hope that the new age aquarists take into consideration that it is impossible to get things perfect especially when viewed through a macro lens. What we have created is functional furniture to recreate an aquatic habitat that will get wet, dirty and require maintenance. We build these systems for avid aquarists in the context of this purpose. Finally it's important that when the boxes are received the customers open the boxes and inspect for factory defects or damage from transit. If anything is noticed that is the best time to abort mission and contact the distributor to discuss your concerns. " He communicated that the most common time that he sees reports of tears in the vinyl and the scratch on the bottom of the pane of glass occurs during the installation process. The tears in the vinyl and the scratch in the bottom of the pane of glass would have been visible while the tank was still sitting in the crate and the lid opened so that inspection could be performed per the inspection instructions/policy. At which time if the installation company felt they could not fill it, or you felt that you were unhappy with any portion of the aquarium or stand, or the free kit; ALL installation should have been stopped, pictures taken and AlgaeBarn contacted. Due to the fact that the issues were not reported until after the installation company moved things into place with your assistance; and we are outside of the return period, per the return policy (https://www.cadeusa.com/Policies/policies-warranty-info) we are unable to honor any return, replacement, cancellation or refusal in accordance with our policies. "Regarding the messy silicone inside the ATO reservoir. It is often the case that silicone back there is not as neat as we'd like it to be. In the process of trying to create the most amount of habitable display tank space we have tried to make the weir and ATO reservoir space very slimline. The gap back there is only 8cm which does create a challenge tidying up if silicone gets a bit messy. It's just really hard to get a hand down there and attempting it during the drying process may compromise the bond on the rear black panel. So the staff are instructed that if they encounter this it's not a priority to tidy it up. For clarity, the panel in question does not hold water. It's just a support piece positioned between the tanks rear panel and the black divider panel of the tank. Its role is purely to support the rear panel from bowing. Admittedly the silicone in the back of yours isn’t perfect however it's not at all visible during operation and has a cover. What is more important to us is that the panel is installed and is performing its function. From a QC perspective we place the highest importance in the visible zones and less importance in the non visible." - Director of CADE Aquariums.
In summary, the procedure to report and claim shipping damages within the necessary timeframe was not followed. Without this, we are unable to hold the freight company liable and we are unable to confirm that cosmetic damages happened in transportation and did not occur in installation. Due to the instructions not being followed, AlgaeBarn is unable to offer a replacement aquarium. These damages appear to only be cosmetic in nature, and you are still entitled to the 2 year warranty offered by CADEUSA. While we understand that this is not the action you were seeking, we are unable to warranty damages caused during install and we do not warranty cosmetic issues. We do sympathize with your situation and we have arranged for a complementary replacement of vinyl film for the entire bottom of the aquarium. You will automatically get an email with tracking information as soon as the shipping label has been created.
@Magic031707 Given you didn't follow procedure, I'd say this is an entirely satisfactory outcome. I also received my tank with some shipping damage, followed the procedure to the letter, and the vendor took care of everything. All's well that ends well when you do your part.
Magic031707
Active Member
So I'm assuming you just perfect huh....you believe everything AB says..@algaebarn is reaching to try and blame others.
Magic031707
Active Member
@Rovert and maybe you should have came to my resident and lifted a 560 lb tank by yourself to look at the bottom since you know everything. Once again they are trying to take my money and run. Now I get why people go with Red Sea or Waterbox. Should listen to the folks that said they have been taken advantage of by @AlgaeBarn
No reason to get nasty.
I just moved an 1800 a few months ago, so you don't need to tell me anything about the challenges. But this sort of thing can happen to any tank, not just a CADE and I doubt you'd get a better reply from Waterbox or RedSea. My point is that from your own description, you failed to follow their procedure for reporting problems and now you're angry at everyone else. Sorry to say, but as a veteran, you of all people should know what happens when you don't observe protocol. When you post in a public forum and air your dirty laundry, you also open the door to other viewpoints, even if it's not what you want to hear.
Heyyy!! We JUST ordered our tank and are making arrangements now. By any chance did you take measurements of the crate?!My baby is here got her couple days ago. Should moving it today or tomorrow and start filling. Got the aquascape done but may have to add to it..May need to go higher.
2mp 40s (will get 2 more)
Simplicity 3200 return pump
Simplicity 320 skimmer
Hyrdos controller system
4x Nicrew 150watt lights (lps tank)
And of course all the other things from Algaebarn.
LAReefer4Life
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Just email Sam at algaebarn and they can provide you with all those measurements
Just be aware that the crates come STACKED, the stand on top of the tank. I'd urge you to have at least six guys available to help, and if you can find them, a set of at least four of those suction cup glass handling gizmos.
Just a word of advice, make sure you inspect the delivery thoroughly and document any possible damage on the exterior of the crates and any broken or blemished items internally. Report that promptly so that CADE can seek amends from the shipping company for rough handling.
Last edited:
Yab00ku
New Member
Sorry for happened man, honestly I would think for the price they charge for these tanks, a replacement would be guaranteed for such problems but I guess not.
Hopefully you get through this and maybe you could have a professional take a look at it in order to check whether this will affect the useability of the aquarium.
Hopefully you get through this and maybe you could have a professional take a look at it in order to check whether this will affect the useability of the aquarium.
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