Which brand tank???

[Johnd651]

So 3 pages in and I’m not sure anything useful has been gleamed. First you need to figure out what dimensions and weight you have to work with, and that will determine size. Next is budget, because if a Cade or Red Sea is out of the realm of possibility (don’t forget everything else you need, including components), this discussion about which brand of tank is entirely moot. And you need to make some decisions about wanting a turn-key system, what type of stand or whether you want something custom.

It's funny you say that since I have actually found this very helpful.

Space is not the issue, just weight and only because I have a 2 year old now, and some projects I no longer want to deal with such as shoring up floors or building the stand... stuff she really can't help with. Since it's an old farm house a lot of the first floor beams do sit on massive stone walls and joists are made of rough 8 and 10" boards.

I'm looking to go between 36 and 48" and stay under 100 gallon but at least 75. I do want a sump, and the overflow to be internal.

I'm not against a Cade for example, but if I can get something similar for $1000 less that's money I can put towards lights, corals, etc.

Really at this point I'm liking the IM INT tanks and the Fiji Cube INT tanks, and planet aquarium.

Nothing against red sea since I like there setups .. but I've been on here and Facebook groups for a while... I've seen the leak posts as well.

 

[Johnd651]

No love to Planet Aquarium?

Not to shabby... and all wood stand.

 

[blaxsun]

I'm not against a Cade for example, but if I can get something similar for $1000 less that's money I can put towards lights, corals, etc.

Cade Reef S2 900. Aluminum stand, access on 3 sides, manifold, return outlets top/bottom and a rear-mount ATO. 85-gallon display. $3,225. Worth every penny IMHO. Wish we could get them in Canada. Best of luck in your quest!

 

[flashsmith]

Yea, IM must be on to something since more and more manufacturers are offering aluminum stands... I guess the innovative part really means something.

 

[bpbonds]

Have you looked at the Prostar? I'm super happy with mine.

 

[Johnd651]

Have you looked at the Prostar? I'm super happy with mine.

New to me.

 

[johnj]

D-D are best finish iv seen! iv had red sea/D-D and others and just solid is the D-D! Stand comes built also!

 

[bpbonds]

New to me.

Its worth looking into great set up a bit cheaper than IM, RS, and WB.

 

[ks2509]

I was in the same boat you were in. Waterbox and cade were My two tops until I found out about fiji cube and their 81 ext. The dimensions fit my wants better than the other 2 and the added challenge of plumbing my first tank sold me. I ordered it through an lfs so I didn't have to deal with the drop shipping and so far I love it.

 

[Johnd651]

D-D are best finish iv seen! iv had red sea/D-D and others and just solid is the D-D! Stand comes built also!

What's DD?

 

[Coomer]

Wait till Black Friday, Cade might be running a sale

those folks at Algaebarn don’t mess around when it comes to customer satisfaction.

 

[jgsolo32]

If you watch a video on any Cade tanks and see how they’re designed, the wealth of features and easy of access to everything - it’s becomes pretty self evident why they’re great tanks. I’ve also never seen a single complaint.

I have Red Sea Reefer and love it, but it was my second choice because we can’t get Cade here in Canada.

Waterbox is way down the list - mainly because their stands are Ikea quality and their customer service is abhorrent.

I vouch for bad customer service from Waterbox. Arrogance. When I upgrade I will be offloading my Cube 20. Cade is what I am looking at.

 

[hoytoyed]

I can say that the Cade pre-built stand is constructed like a tank. Glass doors are a nice touch and the built in power management system is superb. Having access from both sides of the stand is awesome; I don’t know why everyone doesn’t do that. Great glass on the aquarium. Cade USA says they’ve never had a glass failure on the tank or sump and I kind of like the clear seals. Plumbing on at least some models comes with manifolds for a chiller and reactors too. But all that comes at a price and with shipping costs going crazy, they ain’t cheap. AlgaeBarn is top notch for customer service too.
I have a Red Sea tank too, but I constantly worry about the seals. Mine look fine, but a friend was taking about the overblown worrying people do about RS seals and within 2 weeks of her saying that, her RS started leaking.