What else should I look for when choosing a tank (comparing CADE, RS, WB, EA)?

[dvlpr]

Hi all,

I'm sure there have been a million questions like this, but I've narrowed down my search to 6 tanks that are available to me locally and are similar in price and volume.

I've started to build up a feature matrix, but either I'm missing a bunch of "pros" for some of them, or they simply don't have them listed on their respective sites and brochures.

Can you please help me by adding in what you'd consider a "pro" for a model you own (recent models, as I know some have been updated, e.g. RedSea, so comparing to older models would be unfair). And perhaps, more importantly, any "cons" with any particular model (though I reckon there won't be many of those, seeing these are all good brands) - anything that you'd wish they'd done differently?

This is what I have come up with so far (prices are in AU dollars and are local to me, these are RRP, so don't include discounts and/or shipping).

	CADE ProReef S2-1200	RED SEA 425XL	RED SEA 525XL	WB 130.4	EA ReefPro 1200	EA ReefPro 1500
Dimensions (cm)	120x70x60	120x57.5x55	150x57.5x55	120x60x55	120x60x60	150x60x60
Display (L)	432	332	409	364	372	461
ATO (L)	35	20.8	20.8	20	24	29
Total (L)	512	422	525	480	441	536
Glass (mm)	12	12	15	12	12	15
Sump material	Glass	Plastic	Plastic	Plastic	Plastic	Plastic
Bonus	Integrated gravity-fed ATO Top/bottom weir intakes Doors on cabinet sides Integrated power board Metal frame cabinet	Integrated ATO (pump?)	Integrated ATO (pump?)		Metal frame cabinet	Metal frame cabinet
Price	$3199	$2290	$2990	$2750	$2290	$3290

Thanks in advance for any and all input! Oh, and if this is the wrong forum, please move accordingly - still new around here.

Still waiting till my freshwater sells before I can purchase one of the above, but hoping that won't take too long...

Cheers

 

[Peach02]

Haven't heard of the ea range before so I don't know much about them but looking at their page they seem high quality

I'd go with the largest tank you can if price is no factor so that narrows it down to
Cade pro reef S2 1200 or 1500 also the same size
Red sea Reefer 525
Waterbox 130.4 (they make a 170 and 190 similar sizes not sure why not included in the list )
Ea reef pro 1500

Next I prefer a glass overflow as it's easier to clean, this removes red sea.
We now have
Cade
Waterbox
EA

Here is where it gets to preference imo
Waterbox has the biggest knowledge base to draw from
Cade have a built in white base and a power board
EA have removable weir teeth

Another thing i look for is the Sump
Cade have a very refugium one if you put the skimmer in the media cartridge container and the ATO is built in
Waterbox can fit a clarisea rollermat with some slight modifications
EA's sump can also fit a rollermat but you'd have to add a baffle

Now for the cons of the remaining 3
Cade and Ea don't have a wide knowledge base
Waterbox has a wooden stand
Cade dosnt have a large refugium chamber on most models unless you change some things around
EA dosnt have filter socks from what I saw

I'd go with cade if you don't mind having a smaller knowledge base and no filter roller and you don't mind the extra width to the tank. (Ato takes up 10cm behind the tank)

 

[dvlpr]

Thanks for the reply!

Haven't heard of the ea range before so I don't know much about them but looking at their page they seem high quality

I'd go with the largest tank you can if price is no factor so that narrows it down to
Cade pro reef S2 1200 or 1500 also the same size
Red sea Reefer 525
Waterbox 130.4 (they make a 170 and 190 similar sizes not sure why not included in the list )
Ea reef pro 1500

Price is of course a factor - I'd like to keep the tank below $3-3.5K. Also, it's going on a timber floor, not a slab, so anything above 600L (plus 200-300kgs of dry weight) is pushing it. I'm already looking at putting in an extra joist into the floor (I'll do it myself), but foundation is not limitless either.

Another thing i look for is the Sump
Cade have a very refugium one if you put the skimmer in the media cartridge container and the ATO is built in
Waterbox can fit a clarisea rollermat with some slight modifications
EA's sump can also fit a rollermat but you'd have to add a baffle

I have no idea about the above (haven't come across rollermat in particular), so will do some research to understand what that is and whether I need it.

Now for the cons of the remaining 3
Cade and Ea don't have a wide knowledge base
Waterbox has a wooden stand
Cade dosnt have a large refugium chamber on most models unless you change some things around
EA dosnt have filter socks from what I saw

From my understanding, a refugium chamber simply needs to house a macro-algae, so doesn't need to be all that big? Again, no experience whatsoever...

I'd go with cade if you don't mind having a smaller knowledge base and no filter roller and you don't mind the extra width to the tank. (Ato takes up 10cm behind the tank)

Cheers Those 10 cms are actually a bit of a problem. It's going in the dining room and I'd need to shift the table a bit to fit it in comfortably, meaning less space on the other side. I probably won't mention this to my wife though

Again, thanks for the input and hopefully this is also helpful to some newbie looking at similar options.

 

[Peach02]

I have no idea about the above (haven't come across rollermat in particular), so will do some research to understand what that is and whether I need it.

From my understanding, a refugium chamber simply needs to house a macro-algae, so doesn't need to be all that big?

Okay so the rollermat is essentially a self changing filter sock that only needs to be changed every 3-6 months

The refugium has the potential to be the strongest filter in your tank that's why I like to give them lots of space

 

[dvlpr]

Okay so the rollermat is essentially a self changing filter sock that only needs to be changed every 3-6 months

The refugium has the potential to be the strongest filter in your tank that's why I like to give them lots of space

Thanks! Yes, I looked up rollermats and they seem a bit expensive ($500+), so probably will look at that once the tank is established, as I have yet no idea how much it'll cost me to get it to the first fish stage

 

[Pntbll687]

Make a list of what YOU want and narrow your choices down.

Take everything everyone here says with a grain of salt. It's not their tank IT'S YOURS.

I say this because you're they one who will love with it. You're the one who will do maintenance on it. And more importantly you're there one paying the bill.

 

[dvlpr]

Make a list of what YOU want and narrow your choices down.

Take everything everyone here says with a grain of salt. It's not their tank IT'S YOURS.

I say this because you're they one who will love with it. You're the one who will do maintenance on it. And more importantly you're there one paying the bill.

Absolutely! I'm very new to the hobby - just started a freshwater tank in December 2018, so a lot to take in, moving to a whole different system (my current tank does not have a sump, for example).

 

[Pntbll687]

Absolutely! I'm very new to the hobby - just started a freshwater tank in December 2018, so a lot to take in, moving to a whole different system (my current tank does not have a sump, for example).

If price becomes an issue check with a local lfs and have them get a quote on a custom drilled aqueon tank. I wanted a 180g peninsula style tank, but a waterbox or red Sea was out of my price range.

So I ended up with an aqueon drilled on one side.

 

[dvlpr]

If price becomes an issue check with a local lfs and have them get a quote on a custom drilled aqueon tank. I wanted a 180g peninsula style tank, but a waterbox or red Sea was out of my price range.

So I ended up with an aqueon drilled on one side.

That tank looks great!

My LFS owner is a really good guy and has helped me heaps with my freshwater adventure, but unfortunately he doesn't stock some of the brands above. However, even if I buy a tank elsewhere, I'd still go to him for the rest of the equipment and rocks/fish.

 

[Pntbll687]

That tank looks great!

My LFS owner is a really good guy and has helped me heaps with my freshwater adventure, but unfortunately he doesn't stock some of the brands above. However, even if I buy a tank elsewhere, I'd still go to him for the rest of the equipment and rocks/fish.

He doesn't have to stock the brands you're looking at in order to get them for you.

Depending on where you live redsea and waterbox are carried by Phillips or Central distribution. There's a 90% chance your lfs deals with one of them

 

[dvlpr]

He doesn't have to stock the brands you're looking at in order to get them for you.

Depending on where you live redsea and waterbox are carried by Phillips or Central distribution. There's a 90% chance your lfs deals with one of them

Oh, he's got RS and WB (and EA), it's just the CADE that's he doesn't have. I can get it directly though or through another LFS or I can convince mine to become a dealer (not sure what it takes on their part though)