Having been lucky enough to have won the Cade PR400 nano tank in a competition by @Live Aquatics and this forum, I thought it would be a good idea to share my initial thoughts on this tank having unboxed it and given it, its first water test. If you're keen on getting one or want some more info, you can order online here - www.liveaquatics.co.za
First impressions
This little tank has really blown me away. I have owned a Boyu tl550, Red Sea Max 130, Red Sea Max 250, 4 custom tanks and currently have a Red Sea Reefer 350 and the workmanship and quality of this tank easily competes (if not beats) the Red Sea tanks. The glass is 6mm and is opti-clear and it is very easy to see how this adds to the quality of this tank even at this thickness. It also gives off a very crisp glow on the edges which is pretty cool. The lighting unit gives off a good amount of light and i'm sure softies, LPS and some lower maintenance SPS would do just fine. The skimmer looks like it will do the job quite well and the return pump seems to give enough flow that a wavemaker wont be needed. In my opinion, if you're looking for a high quality nano then give this tank a look.
Unboxing
The tank came in a paneled box that was reinforced with aluminium on each edge and corner and I would be more than comfortable if I had to get it shipped to me as this box is solid as a rock and took a good 20 minutes just to get open.
Once I managed to get the top panel off I found the tank in an incredibly snug fit, with foam protection on each of the 8 corners of the tank. This made it impossible for any each or side of the glass to ever come into contact with the wooden panels surrounding it.
Once then metal tabs were bent open on the aluminium edging I was able to open the four side panels enough that I could lift the tank out pretty easily. The tank comes with a plastic film on the glass to protect any scratching and the light and protein skimmer are in boxes inside the tank and these boxes are double side taped to the inside glass panels which stops them from shifting around during shipping.
The tank is shown here with all of the wooden panels removed. The brown box contains the LED light and the white box has the protein skimmer.
The LED light that comes supplied looks to be purpose built for this tank and fits perfectly on the edges of the tank. The stand is made from acrylic and has a Cade logo engraved in it. The light fitting also has a heat sink on top which seems to work well so far.
The protein skimmer comes packed neatly in this white box.
The protein skimmer parts can be seen below. The skimmer cup has an o-ring seal which fits snug into the body, and there is a bracket which allows the skimmer to be adjusted up or down in its own dedicated chamber in the rear filter compartment. The neck of the skimmer can also be twisted which increases or decreases the outflow from the skimmer chamber. The pump supplied is an Atman (which i think is the same as Bubble Magus skimmers) and has a flow rate of 1100l/h.
Here is the skimmer next to the tank once it has been assembled. In comparison to the tank, this skimmer is quite a big unit, and I don't think you will find a more made to fit skimmer for this tank. Once in its compartment, the skimmer has very little space around it where water could miss the inlet of the skimmer pump.
Here you can see the rear compartment which is where all filter media, the skimmer and return pump are. The water flows in from the right hand side in the picture below from a surface skimmer and inlet near the bottom of the tank. In this chamber is where the protein skimmer goes and the bracket is mounted on the outside edge. The water then flows up and over the first baffle where it passes through removable plastic media baskets. The water then goes up a small section that acts as a bubble trap and then into the second last chamber which houses some more removable plastic media baskets. Once the water has gone down the second last chamber it reaches the far left chamber which has the 1500 l/hour return pump.
The last pic for this post shows the whole tank with the protein skimmer in and the light switched on. The white bits on the sides are just the remaining bits of the double sided tape which came off pretty easily using a cloth.
First impressions
This little tank has really blown me away. I have owned a Boyu tl550, Red Sea Max 130, Red Sea Max 250, 4 custom tanks and currently have a Red Sea Reefer 350 and the workmanship and quality of this tank easily competes (if not beats) the Red Sea tanks. The glass is 6mm and is opti-clear and it is very easy to see how this adds to the quality of this tank even at this thickness. It also gives off a very crisp glow on the edges which is pretty cool. The lighting unit gives off a good amount of light and i'm sure softies, LPS and some lower maintenance SPS would do just fine. The skimmer looks like it will do the job quite well and the return pump seems to give enough flow that a wavemaker wont be needed. In my opinion, if you're looking for a high quality nano then give this tank a look.
Unboxing
The tank came in a paneled box that was reinforced with aluminium on each edge and corner and I would be more than comfortable if I had to get it shipped to me as this box is solid as a rock and took a good 20 minutes just to get open.
Once I managed to get the top panel off I found the tank in an incredibly snug fit, with foam protection on each of the 8 corners of the tank. This made it impossible for any each or side of the glass to ever come into contact with the wooden panels surrounding it.
Once then metal tabs were bent open on the aluminium edging I was able to open the four side panels enough that I could lift the tank out pretty easily. The tank comes with a plastic film on the glass to protect any scratching and the light and protein skimmer are in boxes inside the tank and these boxes are double side taped to the inside glass panels which stops them from shifting around during shipping.
The tank is shown here with all of the wooden panels removed. The brown box contains the LED light and the white box has the protein skimmer.
The LED light that comes supplied looks to be purpose built for this tank and fits perfectly on the edges of the tank. The stand is made from acrylic and has a Cade logo engraved in it. The light fitting also has a heat sink on top which seems to work well so far.
The protein skimmer comes packed neatly in this white box.
The protein skimmer parts can be seen below. The skimmer cup has an o-ring seal which fits snug into the body, and there is a bracket which allows the skimmer to be adjusted up or down in its own dedicated chamber in the rear filter compartment. The neck of the skimmer can also be twisted which increases or decreases the outflow from the skimmer chamber. The pump supplied is an Atman (which i think is the same as Bubble Magus skimmers) and has a flow rate of 1100l/h.
Here is the skimmer next to the tank once it has been assembled. In comparison to the tank, this skimmer is quite a big unit, and I don't think you will find a more made to fit skimmer for this tank. Once in its compartment, the skimmer has very little space around it where water could miss the inlet of the skimmer pump.
Here you can see the rear compartment which is where all filter media, the skimmer and return pump are. The water flows in from the right hand side in the picture below from a surface skimmer and inlet near the bottom of the tank. In this chamber is where the protein skimmer goes and the bracket is mounted on the outside edge. The water then flows up and over the first baffle where it passes through removable plastic media baskets. The water then goes up a small section that acts as a bubble trap and then into the second last chamber which houses some more removable plastic media baskets. Once the water has gone down the second last chamber it reaches the far left chamber which has the 1500 l/hour return pump.
The last pic for this post shows the whole tank with the protein skimmer in and the light switched on. The white bits on the sides are just the remaining bits of the double sided tape which came off pretty easily using a cloth.
