Tank disaster

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fixmgood

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It is now time to talk of my tank disaster after waiting 18 months. My 500 gallon custom- built tank by Eddie from Cadlights was lost in a matter of minutes. Who knew what was beyond what the eye could see? It was admired by everyone lucky to see it. It was all deemed as a result of the manufacturing process. I was hoping that the company responsible would make good for the damage caused and huge loss incurred. After a conversation at the time of the disaster as well as several times thereafter, the responsible person/company has chosen to ignore messages, emails or promises offered. I have tried to ask them to "œwork with me".
This has left me no other alternative but to take to the forums to tell my story.

On March 21, 2014 this is what my wife walked into (650 gallons in total "“ tank and sump system):
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Sand, rocks, dead coral and fish and 650 gallons of water throughout the downstairs of my home. I rushed home worried for risk of fire and electrocution , unable to conceive what I had just been told. My tank was slated to be on a tank tour with a write-up as it was pretty spectacular. Only pictures can show the scene of devastation:
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The front panel of ¾" starfire glass 96"x30" had come loose and blown out.
The house had just had a complete remodel. Everything was new from structure to furnishings. Being a longtime hobbyist, some of the livestock I had had for several years; the oldest being two Tomato Clowns which were 12 years old. NOTHING survived. I dedicated several hours per week to keep my tank and systems running in pristine condition.
The saltwater is considered black water (sewage water) due to the presence of livestock AND thus the whole bottom of the house had to be gutted to stud level and rebuilt. Some of the loss included home furnishings , AI lighting system, Apex system, chiller, Tunze pumps, tank cabinets to name a few of the pricey losses.
An engineer has determined that the cause of failure was all in the manufacture of the tank.

We lived in a hotel for 4 months while the house was being rebuilt. Sounds like fun for the first week. It was sheer stress on our marriage and disruptive to daily living.
To date I still do not have a tank and Cadlights has still not given me any compensation which runs into thousands of dollars. It's a pity that I only found out after the fact as to how many problems this company has and the poor reviews it continues to sustain. I hope you research all options when it comes to purchasing supposed custom built and expensive products.

I am a reasonable person and would have hoped for some resolution and compensation after all this time. It is still not too late for Cadlights to resolve this and make right.
They have my number.
 
Wow. That is a tragedy of epic proportions. I am terribly sorry for you loss. I would file a complaint with Better Business Bureau as well as Rip Off Report and any other online place you can. That looks to be pure incompetence. If it were me, I would have filed a law suit long ago. Heck, if you really want to create a stir, perhaps paying for sponsorship on a couple forums and posting a banner with some facts and a link to a hosted location with photos and your story. In a case like this, they should have stood behind their product at the very least. Granted you were probably well beyond the warranty period. Still, they should have backed the tank at the very least.
 
wow, every reefers nightmare. Makes me nervous as I have a cadlights tank. Not the response I would expect from eddie. Did your home owners insurance cover this? Out of curiosity why did you wait a year and a half to post this?
 
Wow this really bites! Sorry for your loss. Really made me cringe. My tank is the same dims as your but mine is one inch thick glass. Hope you are ok with your family now.
 
First and foremost, this was not what I expected when I clicked on the link. I am sorry that this happened to you and your family (or anyone else who has experienced such a situation). I can only imagine the amount of stress, disappointment, and devastation this has caused you, your family, as well as your emotional health.

If I were you, I would've quit right then and there.. perhaps to return down the road on a much simpler system (~60 gallons-90 gallons).

Moving forward, I agree with Slief that those route of actions are probably the best way to go for now. See if you could file a lawsuit. There are many lawyers that will work for free as long as they are given the promise and say that they will receive X% of the compensation if you were to win the legal dispute. It sucks that this happened and that such a well known company would act this way.

My friend has a tank that is 3/4" thick and also built by Cadlights. Looks like an amazing piece of art, but this definitely proves that even well built tanks can fail. I hope your marriage is strong, and hopefully even stronger by overcoming this situation. I know that nothing I say can make your feel all that better but know that we (us reefers in southern california) really feel for your loss. I get upset when I kill some of my coral.. I don't even know how I would react to such damage.

I hope you can put this behind you regardless of the ending outcome/solution. Hopefully this company makes right by contacting you and upholding whatever the agreement was that you've discussed. Please keep us notified, and I know that I'm saying this for all of us when I say that we have our fingers crossed and are hoping for the best.

You can post this on local forums as well as the well known forums. Don't just post this in the Socal section, make sure you post this in the General Reef Discussion section as well as the equipment section.

Fingers are crossed to come back and read an update that brings good news.
 
sorry for your loss. this is enough evidence for me to choose acrylic for future bigger tanks

Cadslight is located in Ontario. It's not that far for a visit if they are ignoring your messages
 
The reason I waited so long,I was hoping to get this settled amicably and without litigation.My marriage is strong enough after 36 years this is just a tiny hiccup. Thanks for the concern.The thing that scared us most was the fact that when my mother in law comes to visit which is only once a year,stop cheering she stays for 3 months,she usually sits right by the tank,right where that huge piece of glass came flying out,I shudder at the thought.
 
Tank was installed in September 2012,filled and running by end of Nov 2012.So as you can see was not running for very long.
 
My God man..... My God! Your house looks like you been hit by Katrina! I'm so sorry you had to go through this! I have a 66 gallon and I'm always worried something bad will happen when I leave the house. We are talking 500 gallons!!! Enough water for a village.
 
Ivan
I am glad you finally posted this. you have more patience then most. It is a crime that the Cadlights has not stepped up and accepted any responsibility for the failure. Good luck!
 
From what you say the tank should still have been under waranty. I'm sure you thought of alternative routes if cadlights do not want to make good on their warranty if in fact they are responsible.
 
Ivan sorry for your losses, pictures make it so much worse than your tragic story.

Eddie do the right thing! A boycott of Cadlights from the community maybe get him to act.

My wife would not let me have a tank after going through that, you have a keeper!
 
sorry for your loss. this is enough evidence for me to choose acrylic for future bigger tanks

Cadslight is located in Ontario. It's not that far for a visit if they are ignoring your messages
happens to acrylic too Tony. Just ask Wayne or visit the coral tank from Canada thread gy nineball. His was 1350 gallons built by the Tanked folks I think. Also refused to take responsibility.

Oh man its too bad they don't answer the phone I was definitely gonna call them for my next build

Quite the opposite. Be glad they don't answer phone so you call elsewhere.

Ivan, I'm outraged for what you've gone through and so relieved that no one was in front of that tank. You most definitely have my support and it appears the support of this community. Will you eventually start up again and do you have pics of this from its glory days?
 
If you are still bothered by this incident after 18 months it's worth talking to an attorney. Call the LA county bar association and ask them to be referred to a products liability attorney. Their number is (213) 627-2727. A case like that should be taken on a contingency basis meaning your lawyer won't charge you hourly but will get % of recovered sum. Even though most of them look for bigger cases involving bodily injury or death you might still find an attorney who takes smaller property damage cases.
 
happens to acrylic too Tony. Just ask Wayne or visit the coral tank from Canada thread gy nineball. His was 1350 gallons built by the Tanked folks I think. Also refused to take responsibility.



Quite the opposite. Be glad they don't answer phone so you call elsewhere.

Ivan, I'm outraged for what you've gone through and so relieved that no one was in front of that tank. You most definitely have my support and it appears the support of this community. Will you eventually start up again and do you have pics of this from its glory days?

Ugh, don't remind me Rik! But yeah, I know exactly how he's feeling right now and I'm so sorry that you had to go through this too.

If he made a home insurance claim, I'm sure his insurance company would investigate if a suit is possible to recoup their money.
 
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