Should I return it all and look elsewhere?

[infinite0180]

I had a RS. I was not impressed. I debated a WB and ultimately went with Innovative Marine. The aluminum stand is really heavy duty. Dont get me wrong the IM set up was not flawless and i had my own moments of concern but man im glad i went with IM. Its just nice knowing your tank is sitting on aluminum... i went with the ext model and picked out my own sump and plumbing. Im hoping IM still makes the ext when i can afford to upgrade in 2-3 years!

 

[FishingLovingSons]

I understand that the Cade aquariums have the ability to change the game so to speak as far as quality and features. They are now available here in the US.
The stands are aluminum t slot, and glass, the tanks are thicker and the silicone is also a class act.
I understand that Algae Barn is a US dealer.

Anybody know of a build thread using the Cade aquariums? Since the first advertisement from Algae Barn I’ve been very intrigued... heard many of the same things about them.

 

[howme127]

Anybody know of a build thread using the Cade aquariums? Since the first advertisement from Algae Barn I’ve been very intrigued... heard many of the same things about them.

I’d be interested as well, but I’m not impressed with aluminum stands, at least in my work. My coworker has had a lot more success with structural aluminum than I.

I’m curious if there is an acoustic amplification of the tank running from the aluminum. Or the very least a change in the NRC.

 

[Alchameth]

Wow, sorry you're having issues with them too... makes my problems look minor by comparison. At the same time, looks like my impression was right and I wasn't alone in having issues with the stand. They need to sort out their supplier issue on these stands apparently.
Sadly my tank is still sitting half crated in my garage for going on 3 weeks now due to stand issues. Opened it enough to do an inspection to make sure there weren't any cracks/chips...

 

[howme127]

Wow, sorry you're having issues with them too... makes my problems look minor by comparison. At the same time, looks like my impression was right and I wasn't alone in having issues with the stand. They need to sort out their supplier issue on these stands apparently.
Sadly my tank is still sitting half crated in my garage for going on 3 weeks now due to stand issues. Opened it enough to do an inspection to make sure there weren't any cracks/chips...

I’m curious what issues exactly have you had with the cabinet? I was asked by a rep to document so as to help them resolve.

 

[howme127]

Wow, sorry you're having issues with them too... makes my problems look minor by comparison. At the same time, looks like my impression was right and I wasn't alone in having issues with the stand. They need to sort out their supplier issue on these stands apparently.
Sadly my tank is still sitting half crated in my garage for going on 3 weeks now due to stand issues. Opened it enough to do an inspection to make sure there weren't any cracks/chips...

Also, I’d pull out the tank and sump and inspect and scrutinize the silicon and glass clarity while you are talking in pause mode and you might as well do a leak test.

I’m just thinking if you have to you can go ahead with all your claims.

Thank God they are on top of it with customer service!

 

[howme127]

Please excuse my typos... I should really be using a computer and not my phone to make these posts.

 

[Alchameth]

I’m curious what issues exactly have you had with the cabinet? I was asked by a rep to document so as to help them resolve.

I got the 6025 peninsula

I had some issues, like you, with the leveling feet threads. I was able to bend mine some to get the foot in, but it's tight and I probably couldn't get it out again. They replaced one of the support boards (long one) at the base.

I had some issues with the white end panel where the holes are for the plumbing and wires to pass through, the 2 pieces look to be coated in their coating, then glued together and coated again. Part of seam between the 2 pieces cracked apart and part of the inside board wasn't securely attached. They replaced that piece...

3rdly the inside divider piece that dives the sump area from equipment/storage... on the peninsula tank there are 5 doors, 2 of which attach to that divider piece. The hinge mount holes were pre-drilled and plugged. The middle hinge on both sides, the holes are wrong. The bottom hole is where the top one should be. They replaced that panel and the replacement had the same issue. So after over 2 weeks they told me they'd send me the plug and screws and to drill the hole needed and they'd " We will give you some amount of compensation for all your troubles." ...

Also, I’d pull out the tank and sump and inspect and scrutinize the silicon and glass clarity while you are talking in pause mode and you might as well do a leak test.

I’m just thinking if you have to you can go ahead with all your claims.

Thank God they are on top of it with customer service!

The sump is out and looks good, the silicon in the sump and tank looks good. I will however pull the rest of the panels off the crate and inspect the glass for any ocular irregularities. Leak test in the garage sounds better than a leak test in the living room!!!

 

[vetteguy53081]

MY RULE : BUY IT ONCE !!
You paid good hard earned money- Get your moneys' worth. Refund, or they can fix it the way you would have at THEIR expense !

 

[Alchameth]

Right?!?! These WB or RS or *insert whatever tank/stand/sump/plumbing combo kit here* ain't cheap... My first car was cheaper than this thing, and it is something that will be a centerpiece in my living/dining room for years to come. That is why I went this way, I didn't want to have to mess with each piece separately. I have no doubt I could make a stand to support a 140G tank, the question is would I want it in the middle of my floor for years to come, and the answer to that is heck no! lol...

Also Howme, check the date on the stand boxes if you still have them... I was a bit surprised to see the tank I bought had a stand with a date stamp from over a year ago. Both boxes had the same month/year sticker on them... so how they were wrong from over a year ago just boggles my mind.

 

[howme127]

Right?!?! These WB or RS or *insert whatever tank/stand/sump/plumbing combo kit here* ain't cheap... My first car was cheaper than this thing, and it is something that will be a centerpiece in my living/dining room for years to come. That is why I went this way, I didn't want to have to mess with each piece separately. I have no doubt I could make a stand to support a 140G tank, the question is would I want it in the middle of my floor for years to come, and the answer to that is heck no! lol...

Also Howme, check the date on the stand boxes if you still have them... I was a bit surprised to see the tank I bought had a stand with a date stamp from over a year ago. Both boxes had the same month/year sticker on them... so how they were wrong from over a year ago just boggles my mind.

These are all the new "2020" cabinets. They, in my opinion, they did a round of value engineering... such as making all of them have black laminate parts inside. That's much cheaper than having individual veneered parts per colorway, which is great in my opinon. Also, it seems they changed an order of operations... meaning from older videos of people assembling WB's cabinets, there is no overspray into the hardware of the outside, aka colored, parts. I'll make this same decision sometimes as work to save on time/costs... here it's biting them in the ****. I'm wondering if the hole size of the leveling foot insert is an oversite during the value engineering or if it was a decision to reduce the number of bit changes during milling, which I do to. But this is just tooooooooo out of wack.

This last cabinet has a 03/2020 date and I believe the one before had a 4/2020 date.

 

[ARAJEA]

Read all of this and just answering the subjects question. Yes.

 

[howme127]

Well, as of right now, I'm in it for another round, as it was the option WB gave me. They are starting from scratch with a whole new system. I told them I was in fear of being a WB warehouse of defective products. They've thrown out there paying for anything I do for the repair of the current items along with full replacement along with possible equipment I might still need to discounting future needs. But honestly its still up in the air until things get resolved with what I paid for or full refund.

 

[Alchameth]

These are all the new "2020" cabinets. They, in my opinion, they did a round of value engineering... such as making all of them have black laminate parts inside. That's much cheaper than having individual veneered parts per colorway, which is great in my opinon. Also, it seems they changed an order of operations... meaning from older videos of people assembling WB's cabinets, there is no overspray into the hardware of the outside, aka colored, parts. I'll make this same decision sometimes as work to save on time/costs... here it's biting them in the ****. I'm wondering if the hole size of the leveling foot insert is an oversite during the value engineering or if it was a decision to reduce the number of bit changes during milling, which I do to. But this is just tooooooooo out of wack.

This last cabinet has a 03/2020 date and I believe the one before had a 4/2020 date.

So what you're saying is I might be working with a better quality of cabinet being a year old.... yeowch...

 

[howme127]

So what you're saying is I might be working with a better quality of cabinet being a year old.... yeowch...

I'm not 100% but it's where my opinion is going.

 

[howme127]

I'm playing with the idea of working up cabinet packages using their design but engineered the way I think it should be, if not only to fix my own but to have as a full cost/100 assessment. It would include cad/cam files, material list/costs/purchase locations, and hardware lists/costs/purchase locations. It's my day-to-day, so it wouldn't be that much work, but finding the time is the only issue.

 

[Alchameth]

Scary when you think that 1000 lbs ish on this peninsula is supported by just 5... 3/4in plywood boards.

 

[howme127]

Scary when you think that 1000 lbs ish on this peninsula is supported by just 5... 3/4in plywood boards.

Plywood is some crazy strong stuff, five 3/4" 4B Russain Birch ply can probably hold 2 tons on edge easily, but keeping it all in-plane is another story. Any sheer force that isn't overcome by gussets or some other form of downward transfer puts ALL that weight on the mechanical fasteners.

 

[K7BMG]

To have the holes sized properly for the threaded inserts needing to be pressed into place will cause the wood to split if you ask me, I have seen this a lot with other furniture and things over the years.

The right way is to use a strong epoxy manufactured from the likes of Hilti or Simpson.
These epoxies have unbelievable strength and they don't shrink or expand when curing.
The hole at this point would be correct for the fitting.

IF you get to keep the parts and pieces I would try this.

 

[Alchameth]

I heard back from them this morning. Got the info on the hinge holes, they are sending out the rubber inserts and they refunded $200 for my troubles. I'd rather not had issues, but at least their Customer Service was responsive and were willing to do something about it.

I hope they get their stand supplier issues sorted out.