Custom Look CadLights 50Long

[twan]

Lets see how this goes.

Eddie, the tank arrived today. I still need to leak test the entire unit. No cracks or chips were noted so far. However I am not happy.

*The packaging for shipping was awful. Glass was written on the box but this was obscured by the black cling wrap that went over it. The driver nor anyone who came into contact with the tank during shipping were aware that fragile, not to mention a glass item was inside. Also while Styrofoam was used for the corners but there was no Styrofoam under the tank. The bottom of the box had only cardboard layered to pad it..............some that had those heavy staples that left a few nicks in the bottom the the tank. This should have been shipped more carefully for the $200 I paid in shipping.

*The return ended up being 1/2" not 3/4" like discussed / ordered. There is plenty of room in that overflow box and away from the walls and drain hole that you could have done like I asked. Instead the tank was drilled for a size I did not order and I was not consulted prior to drilling. Clear communication from your company would have avoided this. I was very clear in my phone calls and follow up emails on 1/31/12 and 2/14/12 as to the sizes I needed.

*The tank has black silicone throughout not clear silicone as indicated on my invoice as per my request.

*I still have not received my Durso drain pipe with bulkhead or the custom acrylic cover for the overflow box I paid extra for.

How do you plan to handle resolving these issues? I look forward to your reply and will be calling to follow up tomorrow 3/9/12.

 

[twan]

Found another defect. Look at this picture here along the left wall 3/4 of the way back:

Small divot about 1/8" deep and about 1/2 the size of a dime right along the silicone line.
Will it hold water? Does it need more silicone now? Time will tell.

Here are admittedly crappy but closer pics of it:

 

[twan]

Eheim 1260 does 635 gph wide open which is probably perfect for 3/4".
Running that through the 1/2" means 450gph for a loss of 185gph (29.13%).

*Is 450gph the max for 1/2" pipe?
*Is 450gph choking my Eheim 1260 thats capable of 635gph?
*Is 450gph enough turnover for this size tank with a 1" drain?

These are the questions I need help with. Thanks!

 

[twan]

Got an email back. Called and discussed all these items individually with Eddie. He was pretty apologetic but that only goes so far with me.

I have to wait till his Durso with bulkhead and plumbing to come next Wednesday 3/14 so I can leak test the tank. Then I will make a decision on what to do. I did tell him that his return hole arguments did not hold water with me because I am not contesting the physics of it all...............I am unhappy with the lack of communication before drill met glass.

His offer of the bio-reactor is nice................but my custom designed sump due in next week does not have the room for it. I asked for a cash refund of a similar amount if I decide to keep the tank. He has to run that up the pole to get an answer for me.

I have to wait till next week to get all my materials to leak test this tank and decide if it is going back or not. He stated to me that after my tank dried it was filled and held water for 2 days before cleaning and shipping so there should be no worries about its integrity.

Hi, Anthony

The gouge - Its ok, looks it may have happened during the polishing process of the glass. the seams are totally sealed and water tested before they are shipped out so it will 100% be fine in its performance and is under full warranty.

We use and do all we can to make sure the tanks get there with no damage. foams dont work as well as cardboard because of the hard and sharp edges of the glass esspecially on the bottom where it is the heaviest. that is why we use cardboard. we also used commercial freight service to deliver just one tank to you. you can get a quote from Fedex freight and its a $700 shipping service we used for you. its the same service we use for commercial locations where the pallets are filled 48" x 48" x 96". this type of shipping service not much company would use esspecially for one tank. but for our custom made aquariums we use the best service available. getting there in good condition, that is the most important to us.

truthfully i wouldnt recommend a 3/4" hole for return for any tank that is less than 70G esspecially when we are looking to make the overflow box as small as possible. you will see when the 1" Durso pipe comes in (on its way) that it is much tighter than it is right now. the plumbing needs to have space and slack around it as to have as little pressure on the pipes as possible. 1" and 3/4" combo is used on our 70G systems where the overflow box is 11" x 5.5" and is designed to flow up to 1000GPH-1200GPH. your overflow design has a flow capacity of 700GPH-900GPH already and that is more than enough as you should be using 400GPH-500GPH for typical reefs. the dimensions of the overflow box is dictated by a)space for cabinet material b)size of flange of the bulk-head c)piping, connections adapters that will be used d)space and slack to avoid the plumbing from pushing each other too much. the overflow we made is as small as possible with still leaving some space for working on in the future.

Im really sorry about the black color. i looked at your invoice again and it did say you wanted clear. we were making a large batch of Artisan tanks and with the size the same, the builder built it the same as the rest of the tanks. this new Black silicone we have is top of the line and we were very excited to use it on our new Artisan II aquariums. would the black silicone be acceptable to you? if you are willing to keep the custom tank we sent you im willing to give you one of our newest Cell-cast Conic Bio-reactors. if not we will make another tank for you right away and send it out by next Friday and also schedule your current tank to be picked up before the new one arrives.

 

[twan]

I will have decision if I am keeping the tank after I the bulkhead and durso to leak test the tank.
If I am keeping it also depends on the amount compensation CAD can refund me in addition to the $200 for the stand, instead of giving me the reactor I cannot fit.

Right now all is on hold till Wednesday.

New Video:
http://youtu.be/JuygrNeDe8M

 

[twan]

Here are better pictures of the gouge/divot:

Here are better pictures proving the overflow box is almost level and the sticker backing is the problem:

 

[Tonyscoots84]

what i dont get is you ordered this tank and def. spent a crap load of money. i think its time for this company to stop pooping on us reefers who use our hard money on there not 100% PERFECT tanks. I just dont understand...

 

[twan]

This whole process has been frustrating. I gotta take the weekend off.

 

[dubs]

dont take the weekend of dude build it self can be very frustrating but if u take the weekend off or take a break it will only take longer to build and or make any decission u need hang in there man i had alot of issues putting my 150 but once i got if fill and running it was all worth the headacke best of luck with ur build

 

[Tonyscoots84]

i think you need to argue hard with these tank builders. they need to own up to there mistakes n need to ensure a 100% perfect tank for the amount of money you guys are spending. in my eyes the only break you should be taking is waiting for the perfect one to come in. n when that perfect one comes in you send that one they tryed to slap u in the face with back. its unacceptable no matter what the cost in IT SHOULD BE PERFECT! not 95% perfect.....

 

[Tonyscoots84]

go get em tiger :biggrin: dont settle, remember you paid alot of money for this tank n they should make it perfect

 

[twan]

Copy of email I just fired off.

Good evening Eddie, after careful consideration I am not accepting this tank.

The primary reasons are:

*Black silicone used versus clear*
This was clearly requested on the invoice, numerous phone calls and two separate emails of mine confirming in writing this detail on 1/31/12 & 2/14/12.
I am aware you are very proud of your new black silicone that will be used on the Artisan II tanks. This however was/is not how I would like my tank to be. I want clear silicone please.

*Gouge in glass at seam line*
You stated that it looks it may have happened during the polishing process of the glass. Silicone takes place after glass had been polished. This means that the person applying silicone to the tank had to have seen the gouge there at the seam line. For the price paid for this tank, this should have been noted and another piece of glass used for the bottom. Instead this was siliconed right over and passed along to me. Your statement that the seams are totally sealed and water tested then touting that the tank is under full warranty does not satisfy me. If I ever had a warranty claim on this tank it would be that the gouge noted today compromised the integrity of the tank with its position right on the seam line. Your warranty will not help me at that time recover loss of livestock in the tank or further more importantly any damage to my home.

In your email on Friday March 9th you stated that "we will make another tank for you right away and send it out by next Friday and also schedule your current tank to be picked up before the new one arrives." I am taking you up on that offer and I will be calling Monday 3/12/12 to finalize details of the replacement tank and get information on when it will be built/delivered. We will discuss exactly how I want this build and I will memorialize our discussion with an email to follow further confirming the work order to be placed in the hands of the person putting the tank together.

I hope your attention to detail on this next build will be on par accordingly with what a custom spec'd and priced tank should be.

Thanks

--
Anthony J. Giovannone

 

[twan]

Looking @ Week 2 of Cycle

The rock is in two different bins each with a powerhead and a heater.
They are also covered to minimize evaporation.
One has about 10lbs more rock then the other.

 

[twan]

Spoke with Eddie last night, new tank will be built this Wednesday 3/14 and ship next Wednesday 3/21.
The new tank will still keep a 1" drain and a 1/2" return but will be with clear silicone with a higher attention to detail in fit/finish as it should have been from the beginning. I will not pay new shipping or any charges to actually coordinate and ship the old back.

Actually if anyone is interested locally in the black silicone tank I have now $300 picked up takes it.

 

[twan]

[font="#092Franklin Gothic Medium#092"]Looking @ Completed Sump

Tyler really did a nice job here. Communication has been top notch. He has addressed all my concerns and was flexible. Highly recommended. The unit came yesterday 3/12/12.

This is the way an item should be crafted and shipped. Everything fits and is spec'd exactly as ordered.
Kinda makes me wish I had Tyler make me an acrylic display tank to go with this sump and skipped all the CADlights business.

Less talk, more pictures.

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[Macropora]

The packing is incredible! BTW... How thick is the foam and the name of the manufacturer? I'm thinking of getting something that thick for the bottom of one of my tanks.

 

[twan]

[font="#092Franklin Gothic Medium#092"]Looking @ Unanswered Questions II

Sand
I have 40lbs of Arag-Alive Special Grade Sandsitting in their original bags. I have two 20g tubs that are currently cycling my rock. Should I leave the sand in its bags until it goes into the display with the (almost fully) cycled rock? Do I add it to my cycling containers now? Do I rinse the sand at all?

Heat
How does the apex control heaters? Do I crank both my heaters up all the way and let the apex turn them on and off or do I set them at the desired temp and let the apex turn them on and off. Will the think rubber retainers supplied to hold the heaters in their brackets be subject to melting sitting right on the heater element?

Flow
Will an Eheim 1260 return rated at 635gph @ zero head and one MP10wes powerhead be enough? Time will tell.
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[twan]

The packing is incredible! BTW... How thick is the foam and the name of the manufacturer? I'm thinking of getting something that thick for the bottom of one of my tanks.

The yoga mat I bought off amazon (http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/1118537-post71.html) to place under my tank or the foam that was used to surround my sump during shipping?

 

[Macropora]

I was trying to read the name of the styrofoam manufacturer that was used to pack your sump for shipping, lol. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[twan]

No worries, I saved the pieces and will take a better pic of it for you 2nite.