CADE REEF 600 S2 Build Thread

[trevorhiller]

I started back into the hobby 4 months ago and forgot how much patience is required. My nano tank is still pretty new, but I decided I want a little bit more space and a cleaner setup for the long term. So....instead of keeping my little practice WaterBox for a year and then starting a new tank from scratch, I decided to use some tax refund money to just buy the dream tank now. I'll be moving over my existing Marcos Rocks so I hopefully don't have to repeat the waiting game.

Tank: CADE Reef 600 Series 2
Sump: CADE sump included w/tank
Stand: CADE Stand included w/ tank
Lid: OEM CADE lid
Lights: Kessil A360X w/ 2 ReefBrite XHO-X360 LED bars
Return Pump: Sicce SDC 6.0
Skimmer: Ultra Reef Akula UKS-160
Chaeto Reactor: Ultra Reef UAF-003 Chaeto Reactor
ATO: Built-in gravity ATO
Live Rock: Marcos Rocks, Live rock from GulfLiveRock.com
Heaters: Eheim Jager 100 watt heater (x2 for redundancy) connected to an Inkbird ITC-306A Heater Controller
Dosing Pump: Kamoer X1 Pro from my existing tank
Substrate: Two Little Fishies Reborn Calcium Reactor Media. I originally wanted the original Reborn (larger substrate pieces) but it's no longer available. However, if you're reading this and have some, hit me up!
Salt: Tropic Marin Pro Reef Salt
RO/DI: BRS 4 Stage Unit w/water saver upgrade, auto flush valve and booster pump
Bio Media: Brightwell XPort Brick, Marine Pure Spheres & Gems from previous tank
UV Sterilizer: Aqua Ultraviolet Advantage 15 Watt
Reactor: Bulk Reef Supply 5" Canister reactor

I'm probably going to keep my current Waterbox 15 Gallon as a spare tank for the future. In the meantime, I've crammed some extra rock in it to get it populated while I wait for delivery of the new tank (on back-order until May per Algae Barn - bummer!).

I will definitely be posting pictures once the tank gets here and the build is more than a pile of aquarium gadgets. In the meantime if anyone has any tips or tricks for upgrading an existing tank I'd love to hear them. My biggest concern with this tank is the volume of water, so I'm going to be researching how to make sure I have bomb-proof plumbing that has the lowest possible chance of overflowing or leaking.

 

[blaxsun]

I love Cade builds.

 

[TriggersAmuck]

Nice size tank! Just take your time for things to settle once you make the transfer as that is definitely a sizable change volume wise (in terms of nutrient/bacterial equilibriums). You might be wise to add a few pieces of true live rock (not dry rock) to speed up things and give greater diversity, though of course you want to make sure to not introduce any truly nasty pests.

 

[trevorhiller]

I haven’t gotten a chance to update the equipment list, but I received an Ultra Reef chaeto reactor today and I’m too excited not to make a post. I’ve got lots of pieces to this build accumulating in my closet.

I originally wanted to order their media reactor, but apparently both have been discontinued and this was the only one available, so I jumped on what I could. From what I understand theirs only like 10 of these in the U.S. since the manufacturer isn’t mass producing them.

I love the idea of matching components and I already have the Ultra Reef skimmer. I’ll probably end up just using the built in media baskets in the sump or maybe a BRS reactor for carbon and GFO, but this thing looks pretty nice and I think it’ll grow chaeto in the sump no problem.

The construction of the Ultra Reef UAF-003 reactor seems nice (just like their skimmers) and it has a Hydor DC pump below to up flow water through the divided chaeto holding discs in the tube with a LED strip running through the middle clear tube. The whole thing comes apart pretty easily for maintenance and pruning the chaeto.

 

[trevorhiller]

I was looking for the sump specs the other day on Algae Barn's website and noticed that the tanks are listed as in stock, ready to ship in 4-5 days. I emailed Algae Barn to clarify if this was accurate and sure enough it is!

My new tank is supposed to ship by the end of this week! It wasn't originally supposed to be in stock until May 15th, so this is a nice surprise! Can't wait to get it here and start putting all these components I've accumulated to good use!

 

[Reefer825]

Excited to see your build. The Ultra Reef skimmer's are great! I have one on my 900 and love it as well as the ReefBrite XHO-X360 LED bars. I just added a set to each of my XR15's and was stoked to how much light and needed shimmer they provide. You'll have great lighting paring them up with your kessil A360X!

 

[AlgaeBarn]

Let us know if you have any questions about your CADE and we are excited to see the build!

 

[bnord]

top drawer tank and equipment list.

Have 2 Cades (90 lagoon and 180) and the only thing better than their CS is the fit and finish of the stands

hope to see with water soon..

 

[AlgaeBarn]

top drawer tank and equipment list.

Have 2 Cades (90 lagoon and 180) and the only thing better than their CS is the fit and finish of the stands

hope to see with water soon..

 

[trevorhiller]

My tank arrived Monday, unfortunately the carrier couldn't get to my house with the tractor trailer, so I had to have the tank redirected to a nearby family member's business. Subsequently, I didn't get the tank inside until Wednesday. I spent the better part of Wednesday and Thursday dismantling my old tank, servicing the equipment and setting up the new tank.

Tonight I got the fish and inverts moved over to the new tank successfully. It's not done yet and I'm still tweaking the aquascape since my original marcos rock scape from my Waterbox tank broke during the move over. I kind of threw them in there while I regroup and decide how I want the aquascape to look. It does look a little weird because I have several year old ocean rock, 6 month old rock, 3 month old rocks and brand new marcos rock. Although, it's kind of cool to be able to see the progression all right next to each other. I wanted to update the thread with some real pictures of the new setup, so here you go! More/better pictures to come soon after I get some sleep--it's been a busy two days!

 

[bnord]

My tank arrived Monday, unfortunately the carrier couldn't get to my house with the tractor trailer, so I had to have the tank redirected to a nearby family member's business. Subsequently, I didn't get the tank inside until Wednesday. I spent the better part of Wednesday and Thursday dismantling my old tank, servicing the equipment and setting up the new tank.

Tonight I got the fish and inverts moved over to the new tank successfully. It's not done yet and I'm still tweaking the aquascape since my original marcos rock scape from my Waterbox tank broke during the move over. I kind of threw them in there while I regroup and decide how I want the aquascape to look. It does look a little weird because I have several year old ocean rock, 6 month old rock, 3 month old rocks and brand new marcos rock. Although, it's kind of cool to be able to see the progression all right next to each other. I wanted to update the thread with some real pictures of the new setup, so here you go! More/better pictures to come soon after I get some sleep--it's been a busy two days!

dictionary definition of an upgrade

excited for you

 

[trevorhiller]

Update:
I was able to get my UV sterilizer hooked up. I used the Sicce 1.5 pump that came w/the BRS reactor kit to feed it. I'm planning to run the reactor off of one of the manifold connections once I can source the appropriate adapters and tubing to connect it. The CADE plumbing is a little challenging to adapt to the BRS reactor.

I'm also DIYing a 5 gallon bucket dosing container to place behind the stand so that I can dose Kalk on this tank since I don't want to mix it in the gravity ATO reservoir. I'm also hoping that it will make the ATO last a little longer because the ATO only got me through the first 2-3 days before needing refilled.

I still have some cable management to do and I'd like to find a better way to mount the AquaUV Advantage UV Sterilizer. Right now I'm using zip ties to hang it from the cable storage tray. It works, but because the inlet and outlet are barbs on opposite sides, it makes it hard to plumb. I wish I would have paid more and bought the slightly larger classic model, but if it keeps the glass clean and helps keep Dinos/Parasites at bay, it is worth it.

I'm expecting a delivery of some frags from FishofHex tomorrow, fingers crossed they arrive okay. Also looking at some more fish. Some that interest me are:

Tail spot blenny
Mandarin dragonet
Yellow watchman goby
Tomini tang
Purple Fire Fish
Purple Dottyback

If you have and fish recommendations or personal favorites, I'm all ears! I had a fire fish and watchman goby in the past and enjoyed them both.

 

[blaxsun]

Flame hawkfish.

 

[trevorhiller]

Flame hawkfish.

I've heard these have pretty cool personality, but may eat inverts. Have you had that problem?

 

[blaxsun]

I've heard these have pretty cool personality, but may eat inverts. Have you had that problem?

Never seen him touch an invert, so if he’s eating any he’s doing it late at night.

 

[trevorhiller]

Another update...

I was finally able to find plumbing that would fit the manifold barb and an adapter to connect into my BRS mini reactor and get my Kalkwasser dosing container finished and connected. I'm starting off dosing 100 mL a day divided into 12 doses and will work my up over the next few weeks. I was able to get my Alk pretty stable in the old tank with saturated Kalk in the ATO alone, hoping I can do the same in this tank.

Frags I received yesterday are looking good, I accidentally broke one of them cutting the plug off but was able to glue the three individual pieces down. Polyps are out, I'm hoping the colors brighten up over the next few weeks.

A little note about the CADE 600 plumbing specifications....

The tubing that ended up fitting over the Cade barb was 5/8" internal diameter tubing. I was able to remove the inlet John Guest fitting from the BRS mini reactor and find a compatible barb for the 5/8" ID tubing at Lowe's. It's very simple, but I ordered a lot of wrong components trying to get this and the UV sterilizer plumbed correctly. I'm attaching pictures of the glue-in threaded barb adapters for anyone searching in the future. The smooth end (see picture) that inserts/glues into the true union ball valve is apparently 20 mm OD according to Adam f/Cade. I'm not sure the purpose of the threads or what size they are. I assume you could saw the barb off and hard plumb something to it, but I opted for soft hose due to space constraints in the sump. He also told me that the drain line is 40 mm external diameter and the barbs on the manifold suit 19 mm hose --I found 3/4" ID tubing to be too large myself. He also mentioned the pump outlet plumbing is 25 mm external diameter if that helps anyone. When planning this tank, I had a really difficult time finding all these specifications, so I hope this information is useful to someone in the future.

Despite the relatively small sump, I feel like I was able to get everything I wanted in it and maximize the use of the space without too much clutter. The wire/cable organizer shelf is soooooo convenient. I do wish they would have included a second switched power bar on this tank like they do the bigger ones because 8 outlets wasn't enough for me. Although, it would probably be easy enough to buy a second one and install it if you could source them. I just threw a second power strip into the shelf and daisy chained it into the power bar for now. Some pictures of the latest projects attached. Lights were on blue by the time I finished, so in tank shots coming soon.

Absolutely loving this tank so far!

 

[bnord]

I've heard these have pretty cool personality, but may eat inverts. Have you had that problem?

Right many fish, it all comes down to individuals. I have been warned off of red spot hawk fish but I have one that’s a perfect gentleman. And even with a dottyback in place I still think a royal Gramma presents a good splash of color and well not pugnacious will hold its ground against most bullying. If you’re able to find a black capped basslet give that a try as well

 

[bnord]

Another update...

I was finally able to find plumbing that would fit the manifold barb and an adapter to connect into my BRS mini reactor and get my Kalkwasser dosing container finished and connected. I'm starting off dosing 100 mL a day divided into 12 doses and will work my up over the next few weeks. I was able to get my Alk pretty stable in the old tank with saturated Kalk in the ATO alone, hoping I can do the same in this tank.

Frags I received yesterday are looking good, I accidentally broke one of them cutting the plug off but was able to glue the three individual pieces down. Polyps are out, I'm hoping the colors brighten up over the next few weeks.

A little note about the CADE 600 plumbing specifications....

The tubing that ended up fitting over the Cade barb was 5/8" internal diameter tubing. I was able to remove the inlet John Guest fitting from the BRS mini reactor and find a compatible barb for the 5/8" ID tubing at Lowe's. It's very simple, but I ordered a lot of wrong components trying to get this and the UV sterilizer plumbed correctly. I'm attaching pictures of the glue-in threaded barb adapters for anyone searching in the future. The smooth end (see picture) that inserts/glues into the true union ball valve is apparently 20 mm OD according to Adam f/Cade. I'm not sure the purpose of the threads or what size they are. I assume you could saw the barb off and hard plumb something to it, but I opted for soft hose due to space constraints in the sump. He also told me that the drain line is 40 mm external diameter and the barbs on the manifold suit 19 mm hose --I found 3/4" ID tubing to be too large myself. He also mentioned the pump outlet plumbing is 25 mm external diameter if that helps anyone. When planning this tank, I had a really difficult time finding all these specifications, so I hope this information is useful to someone in the future.

Despite the relatively small sump, I feel like I was able to get everything I wanted in it and maximize the use of the space without too much clutter. The wire/cable organizer shelf is soooooo convenient. I do wish they would have included a second switched power bar on this tank like they do the bigger ones because 8 outlets wasn't enough for me. Although, it would probably be easy enough to buy a second one and install it if you could source them. I just threw a second power strip into the shelf and daisy chained it into the power bar for now. Some pictures of the latest projects attached. Lights were on blue by the time I finished, so in tank shots coming soon.

Absolutely loving this tank so far!

Great detail - thanks

 

[trevorhiller]

Tank Update, Day 12
My new frags are still looking good. Fish and inverts have adapted to the new tank nicely as well. I hooked up my reactor w/some Rowaphos since I saw a spike to 0.6+ and despite running it until clear into a bucket it dumped brown particles all over my sump and into my skimmer. So today I vacuumed out the sump and tore the skimmer down to clear out all the Rowaphos. I added an extra piece of plumbing to route the rowaphos output into my filter floss/filter sock chamber to hopefully contain some of the particulate. It's working great at reducing my phosphate level, but man is it messy!

I am awaiting the delivery of a yellow watchman goby and a tomini tang from Dr. Reef's Quarantined Fish. I'm pretty excited for both of them to get here!

I began dosing Kalkwasser from my DIY 5 gallon bucket and it's up to 400 mL/day. I've been checking my alk, nitrate and phosphate daily so I can keep an eye on things while the tank settles into its new glass box. I also started dosing some All For Reef as well, just 2 mL/day, but I am going for Alk stability between the Kalk and AFR.

In the old waterbox I noticed a massive growth of coralline algae once I started dosing the All for Reef and it slowed down when I stopped. So while I think the Kalk is probably sufficient for Alk supplementation at this point, my plan is to use both. Kalk for the pH boost and All For Reef for some trace element supplementation.

A picture of my parameters to date and a poorly shot portrait-video tour of my aquascape for those following along (Always forget to hold the darn phone sideways!)

 

[blaxsun]

Out of curiosity, what are you using to track your parameters?