39 gal CADLIGHTS SIGNATURE BUILD

[PDXaquarist]

Intro:

This is my first marine tank attempt. I've been reading and researching for about 6 months in order to prepare myself as well as possible for this challenging, but incredible hobby. Still, no matter how well you prepare, you're probably going to run into some challenges along the way. So I thought I would share this build with the Reef Central community for everyone's help and enjoyment.


Specs:

39 gallon Cadlights "signature" tank -- all-in-one system with about 34 gallons of actual display volume. I thought an all-in-one would be better for a beginner in terms of setup and maintenance. Dimensions: 24x20x20.

Lighting:

150 watt 14k HQI (1)
24 watt actinics (2)
LED-HO moonlights (2)
Power compact refugium lamp (1)

Filtration:

75 gal Bubble-Magus NAC3+ protein skimmer
Overflow through filter floss
Refugium with 4" sand bed, live rock rubble, chaetomorpha macroalgae
Live rock / base rock (not sure weight, but enough to fill display)
2" Carib sea aragonite shallow sand bed

Flow:

500 gph return pump
750 gph Koralia Evolution powerhead


So here we go. Here are some pictures of the equipment and initial setup. The system has been on-line for about 1 week. Keeping my specific gravity at 1.022-1.023, temperature at 76. Bought an RO filter for brewing my own pure water due to the potential problems with using tap water. Post any suggestions/comments. Thanks everybody.

[Sisterlimonpot]

To Reef Central
Looks like you're off to a good start.

[Crustman]

Looks great but those arches make me nervous. How are they secured?

[THE JOEY]

love these tanks!

[Ron Popeil]

looks clean!

[PDXaquarist]

So it's week 2, and the algae is starting to do its thing (pictures below). Specific gravity is at 1.022. Checked calcium and alkalinity levels recently. They read 460 ppm and 9Dkh respectively. I have not done an ammonia or nitrite test yet. Will do this weekend.

I was a little concerned I had a desert on my hands since I used mostly super clean (bleached) base rock with only about 5-10 lbs of live rock. A book I read suggested dropping some flake food in everyday to help the nitrifying bacteria establish quicker. My LFS suggested putting a small piece of seafood in there. Not sure what I want to do. Please feel free to post some suggestions.

For the last week I've been running all my lights on a typical reef cycle. 150w HQI from 10am-6pm, 2 24w actinics from 9am-7pm, 9w refugium light on from 9am-7pm as well. I did so to actually start the algae cycle intentionally. But, now that the algae has established itself, I'm leaning toward not running the HQI anymore until the algae blooms run their course. I'd like to hear some suggestions on that as well if you guys get a chance.

Finally, water changes. LFS said don't worry about water changes during the cycle. Drs. Foster & Smith's reef aquarium setup video says to do 50% water changes weekly during cycling, and change your mechanical filter regularly, siphon debris, water test weekly, etc. Since my tank is setup a little differently than the Foster & Smith video, I'm thinking my best bet is to just water test, see where my parameters are, and water change appropriately.

[PDXaquarist]

Originally Posted by Crustman

Looks great but those arches make me nervous. How are they secured?

Crustman, I'd be lying if I said I weren't nervous too! The answer is I used Instant Ocean's marine epoxy. Used nice chunks of epoxy at all connection points between the rocks. I've tried to upload some side shots of the tank to better display how I built the scape. I think with my scape, the flow should be excellent in and around the rocks, which was my goal. Some people kind of just pile the rock in a seamount formation, but I've read that that can sometimes lead to dead spot problems.

As my rock is built currently, I think it would take a colossal turbo snail, or large coral hanging way off the side to topple anything. But I'm just an idiot newb, so what do I know? Haha. Crustman, let me know if you have suggestions. Thanks.

[muttley000]

Scaping job looks awesome! These tanks look supernice, I've never seen one in person. I don't think there's much difference in the flake method every couple days, or the uncooked shrimp in the tank, just make sure you test some ammonia presence and later zero so you know you cycled. I also personally would at least abbreviate the light cycle until you get that magic zero on the ammonia.

[PDXaquarist]

Thanks Muttley for the suggestions. This last weekend I went to one of my LFS and they were kind enough to give me a bag full of sand from an established tank along with an ammonia injection to help get things up and running. They advised me that I would have plenty of nitrifying bacteria to get started only 3-4 days after I add the sand, which I did this last weekend. However, they said to wait until the algae gets done with its cycle. It will be about 3 weeks or so after this week of having the tank online. I'm getting pretty fired up. Just need to stay patient and handle this algae.

Only issue that is kind of plagueing me right now are microbubbles. The protein skimmer is the cause, since if I shut the skimmer down, the bubbles dissappear. I was told the problem was a combination of the skimmer break-in period, and perhaps needing to use some floss and sponge under the last baffled before water enters the return pump chamber (to catch/pop the bubbles). Well, constructed a floss/sponge dam, and I'm still having microbubbles. I'm under the impression that you don't want microbubbles A) Because they look bad; and B) Because the bubbles irritate the animals.

I'm open to any suggestions you guys have. Thanks.

[PDXaquarist]

Just a quick update. Thought I might post a few pictures of the tank going through the algae cycle. Starting to get pretty nasty in there. Added ammonia and a nice layer of sand from an established system 4 days ago. Tonight I got the following readings:

Ph: 8.3
Ammonia: 1.0 ppm
Nitrite: .25 ppm
Nitrate: .0 ppm (understandably)
Calc: 460
Alk: 9dkh

[PDXaquarist]

Hey everyone:

BIG update coming soon complete with tank shots of my first inhabitants. I got the magical readings this last weekend and made some pretty classic beginner purchases. I also fried my light timer/power center during the acclimation process which cost me $65. Had my hands full with the animals and I splashed some water...huge bummer.

Here's what I picked up:

1) A few zoanthid frags
2) Sinularia
3) Xenia frag
4) Rose Bubble tip anemone paired with a Tomato Clown

I have a good story to tell about the anemone/clown too. More to come (with pics)...

[Ron Popeil]

you should also post a picture of your electrical wires....lets see if we cant get those a bit more protected/organized...

[PDXaquarist]

The first inhabitants are in.

- Sinularia
- Zoanthids
- Xenia
- Red Bubble Tip Anemone
- Tomato Clownfish

Here are the pics. Wish me luck.

[Ron Popeil]

has the anemone settled or is it wandering any?

[SPotter]

Hi PDX,
I just ordered a CAD Lights 39G setup and cant wait to get it. Can you tell me how many pounds of rock and sand you used? Can you also share with me your experience with the tank so far?

Steve

[PDXaquarist]

Originally Posted by Ron Popeil

has the anemone settled or is it wandering any?

I think the anemone has settled. It was an adventure acclimating it though. Difficult to deal with. The anemone is just so light and delicate. You CAN'T tell it where to settle. If it doesn't like that spot, it will detach. You can continue to place it different places, and hope it eventually settles. I got kind of lucky, because the current shot the RBTA under that arch. The RBTA actually righted itself if I remember corrently. It was on it's tentacles, and evenutally turned over, and settled in that spot. I read in The Saltwater Aquarium Handbook that once the anemone settles, it's best not to remove it unless absolutely necessary because the pedal disc really anchors down.

The main problem: TOO MUCH FLOW.

The crazy current that was whipping all over the place because of that 750gph Koralia Evolution powerhead kept ripping the anemone off the rockscape, and then sent the anemone into suspension before the anemone eventually got sucked into my overflow grates (that freaked me out). So I delicately pulled the anemone out of the grates, and immediately shut-off the powerhead. The powerhead has since been removed, washed, and set out to dry. I have no intention of putting that powerhead back in. I think the 500 gph return pump is absolutely fine for the corals/anemone I have.

Fortunatley, anemones in general are quite hardy. LFS even told me that they've seen anemones get sliced in powerheads, only to repair and survive. I'm a little concerned the anemone is underlit under my lights though. LiveAquaria says at least 6 watts per gallon for RBTAs. I'm just under 6 watts per gallon. However, the anemone has settled at the top of the tank, and gets blasted by that 150 watt HQI and those 2x24 wattt actinics. I'll continue to monitor the anemone, and if the tentacles begin to wither, fall off, discolor,etc. over the next few months, then the lighting may be insufficient, and it will need to be removed.

[PDXaquarist]

Originally Posted by SPotter

Hi PDX,
I just ordered a CAD Lights 39G setup and cant wait to get it. Can you tell me how many pounds of rock and sand you used? Can you also share with me your experience with the tank so far?

Steve

Sure Steve, no problem. 20lbs of Caribsea Aragonite sand. Not sure on the weight of the rock -- probably 5-10 lbs of live rock, and another 15-20 lbs of base rock. Most of the experienced people I've talk to said to concern yourself less with weight, and more with how you want your aquascape to look. I've seen some "minimalist" rockscapes out there that look incredible and have very little rock in the tank, I'm assuming they get away with that because they have an equally minimal bioload, or maybe a separate refugium.

So:
20lbs of "live" sand
25lbs of rock (approximately)


As far as share my experiences so far, that's somewhat what I'm trying to accomplish with this thread. Shoot me a private message though and I'll be more than happy to respond to specific questions and give you some advice specifically about this Cadlights tank that I've learned in my brief experience. For instance, did you get the Signature model (like mine), or the Professional model (with sump)? I can give you a lot of pointers about the Signature, but no so much on the Professional, aside from this: you will want to consider hanging the light fixture, otherwise it's a little difficult to open the glass canopy to feed. With the fixture legs, they prevent the front of the canopy from lifting up. So what I'm doing is CAREFULLY lifting the back section of the canopy, and pouring in thawed frozen food that way so I don't have to take the entire light fixture off and disturb the animals -- more natural that way. And it's amazing, when you mess with the lights, the corals/anemone respond immediately.

Little things like this I can certainly help with, and make the experience easier for other people. One more thing that troubled me - if you do have the signature also, you will have microbubbles for 3-5 weeks. Don't sweat it. That's from the protein skimmer break-in period. I didn't know about that and I was in a panic, messing with sponges/floss, etc. Just give that some time.

[jefathome]

Nice build.. I have a custom 150g Cadlight tank on the way which is how I found this thread. (when I clicked on a PM from Clay, your PM to him came up for some reason. I tried it again and the PM from him to me appeard the second time... Musta been an RC bug.)

Love the RBTA/clown combo.
I have a pair of black and White clowns and Im going to purchase an OBTA (Orange) as soon as one is available at the LFS I am getting my tank from.

[PDXaquarist]

Thanks Jefathome. Good luck with your new tank -- really like the idea of black/white clowns with an orange bubble tip anemone. Very cool.

Anemone/clown relationships are really amazing. Definitely the star of the show in my tank. I didn't intend on it, but I think my tank will basically be a "must-have species" type build due to how territorial tomato clowns can be. I mean, my tomato clown attacked my arm, which is obviously much, much larger than the fish. A pretty fearless animal I guess.

What I'm going to do is be very careful about which fish I add from here on out, paying close attention to compatability charts, etc., and do the usual aggression reduction things when introducing the animals into the display. Hopefully everything will go OK.

[SPotter]

PDX,
How's the water temp holding up? Are you using a chiller?

[PDXaquarist]

Originally Posted by SPotter

PDX,
How's the water temp holding up? Are you using a chiller?

Water temp stays between 76-78 degrees, and that's without using the monster fan that came with the tank. When I used the fan, I just found it to be pretty noisy, create more evaporation, and increase the amount of salts that accumulate on the glass canopy. So I just stopped using the fan, and my temperature has been just fine. It has been a cold summer in Portland, Oregon though. I'm not sure how it will go if we have a heat wave. Obviously I'm trying to avoid having to purchase a chiller for the two weeks a year it gets to 90 degrees in Portland.

I'm just using a 150w Marineland stealth heater. I have the 24w actinics on from 10am-8pm. And I have the 150w HQI on from 11am-7pm. Peak temperature the tank reaches is 78 degrees.

[SPotter]

Originally Posted by PDXaquarist

Water temp stays between 76-78 degrees, and that's without using the monster fan that came with the tank. When I used the fan, I just found it to be pretty noisy, create more evaporation, and increase the amount of salts that accumulate on the glass canopy. So I just stopped using the fan, and my temperature has been just fine. It has been a cold summer in Portland, Oregon though. I'm not sure how it will go if we have a heat wave. Obviously I'm trying to avoid having to purchase a chiller for the two weeks a year it gets to 90 degrees in Portland.

I'm just using a 150w Marineland stealth heater. I have the 24w actinics on from 10am-8pm. And I have the 150w HQI on from 11am-7pm. Peak temperature the tank reaches is 78 degrees.

Yeah the weather here in NJ is a little different. My wife likes to open the windows during the day and the temp in the house can get up to 77 degrees. I've also decided to set the tank up in a corner/built in wall unit. There is a cabinet that has enough room for the sump but I am concerned about the heat building up there. My tank should arrive on Wed...so excited. I have been ordering all of my other equipment so hopefully by the end of the month I will have water in it and the cycle will begin.

[jefathome]

PDX, I just picked up my CadLights tank:
It is a little bit bigger than some of their more standard sizes...
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...1844592&page=3

[SPotter]

Originally Posted by jefathome

PDX, I just picked up my CadLights tank:
It is a little bit bigger than some of their more standard sizes...
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...1844592&page=3

Wow...thats looks like it is going to be nice! I already want a bigger one and I wont have my CADlights tank until Wed.

Keep us posted on the build...cant wait to see the pics.

[PDXaquarist]

It's about week 8 (approximately).

Had a bout with red slime "algae" (I've read it's actually cyano bacteria). LFS recommended I try using that Koralia Evolution again (750 gph). I tried a couple different places and angles so as not to blow that rose bubble tip anemone around too much, and I think I've found a spot.

Since putting the powerhead back in the tank, the red slime reduced dramatically. Now only a small portion remains, and I'm hoping it continues to dissappear. LFS said red slime has two friends: lack of flow and nutrients. So I addressed the flow problem with that powerhead, and I also added 5 hermit crabs to attack my detritus. In only two days, the rock and sand looks much cleaner.

Along with the 5 hermit crabs, I also added a great looking Blood Red Fire Shrimp. I like the "bug" stuff.