CADlights 39g Pro build thread

[marinetankdiver]

I thought I would try a polymer bead system before the ZEOvit system. That way I can hopefully avoid the daily dosing of nutrients. The polymer system seems a bit less expensive to start too.

My lights showed up today - much heavier duty than I thought they would be. I should be able to get them set up by this weekend, though that is going to mean that I have to drain a fair amount of water to move the tank, which means I need to make a fair amount of water.

While it is too late for me with the Cadlights LED's it will be interesting to see how they compare to the stock light output. The Cadlights LED system looks a lot like the Blue Moon Aquatics sold by Premium Aquatics.

 

[SPotter]

I bought the led and it's a great light. Blues are really blue and the whites are crisp. Unfortunately though, it was too bright for my setup and where the tank is located in my living room. When I sit on my couch I am looking up into the lights which doesn't go over well with the wife. I tried using egg crate to deflect the light down but the appearance didn't get the seal of approval. If I had a fully enclosed canopy for it I think it would have been better. I will say it's very strong and had to clean the glass daily. I am now selling or willing to trade it for corals. If anyone is interested pm me.

Truly is a great light for the price!!!

 

[ChrisBuono]

On another note, I was looking at the new CAdlights site to see about some replacement moonlights and noticed they have an LED fixture on the site for $399 with a stated 250 watt HQI rated par. The fixture looks clean but I'm going to see about the spread soon. I will have to stop by the shop and ask Eddie to show me one powered up. Doesn't look like it uses crees but still seems nice. If it looks good and PAR ratings check out, then $399 is a steal.

Please let us know how they look in person. Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[timdanger]

If you need any help with the LNS let me know.

On another note, I was looking at the new CAdlights site to see about some replacement moonlights and noticed they have an LED fixture on the site for $399 with a stated 250 watt HQI rated par. The fixture looks clean but I'm going to see about the spread soon. I will have to stop by the shop and ask Eddie to show me one powered up. Doesn't look like it uses crees but still seems nice.

If it looks good and PAR ratings check out, then $399 is a steal.

both my LED moonlights on the stock fixture burned out after like 8 months. i haven't bothered to replace them (if the jawfish were jumping around more at night, i might be more likely) because i've heard others having problems with these bulbs not lasting.

i'm interested in that LED fixture, though! Looks nice for the money.

 

[timdanger]

so my Bubble-Magus skimmer has been running for 10 months or so without me doing any real maintenance to it, and my production is very low (though my feeding/etc. is lower than usual, too) -- i doubt whether i could fill the skimmer cup up in less than a month, maybe longer. how often is everyone having to clean it out, and what do you to clean it? what about the pump? i ask because i'm getting ready to clean some of my equipment (return pump, powerheads, etc.) in muriatic acid and i figure while i'm doing that, i might as well clean the skimmer, too, if it might help performance.

 

[timdanger]

I thought I would try a polymer bead system before the ZEOvit system. That way I can hopefully avoid the daily dosing of nutrients. The polymer system seems a bit less expensive to start too.

i'd love to hear about it if you are going to try this out.

My lights showed up today - much heavier duty than I thought they would be. I should be able to get them set up by this weekend, though that is going to mean that I have to drain a fair amount of water to move the tank, which means I need to make a fair amount of water.

pics! :celeb3:

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

I'm giving up on the Bubble Magus skimmers (the skimmer is fine, but the Atman pumps are terrible.) It performs OK especially since modding it with a mesh wheel and larger venturi (I fill a 2 liter bottle every 3 weeks with tea colored skimmate) BUT... it usually will NOT restart without having to remove it and manually spin the impeller (RT's trick of blowing in the air intake doesn't work for me.)

I have 2 pumps/impellers that I swap out during cleaning, and both have the same problem.

I'm planning on purchasing a Tunze 9011 (as soon as my post in Tunze forum answers a few questions.) If their numbers are to be believed, it should provide about 3X the air as the BM skimmer.

I'm also looking for a ~1200 GPH replacement for the Hyperflow 20HF pump. While it runs well and is very efficient, it too frequently fails to restart without manual intervention.

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[reeftivo]

check out the mag 12 supreme. great stable head pressure! They are about $170 though.

The tunze 9011's are okay but you would be better off running an swc 120 at 9 inches in the stock cad sump. Only problem would be you would need to remove the wier dividing the skimmer chamber and the out flow chamber. If you had more room I can't recommend the tunze 9410 master DOC skimmer enough. It's pricy but worth every penny. Better than my BK 160 mini, ATB, Vertex In80, Octo 110, NAC6, SWC, Bermuda and on and on-LOL! My sump is 15 gallons and only has one divider which gives me more skimmer options and enables me to use the zeo reactor. Eddie could build you a sump but it would be glass and would need to be picked up at his shop because he doesn't ship them. That would be a problem for most unless you live close. Glass cages may be a better option but I don't know what their shipping restrictions are for custom items. Just a thought!

Good luck!

Happy Reefing

Tivo

 

[reeftivo]

so my Bubble-Magus skimmer has been running for 10 months or so without me doing any real maintenance to it, and my production is very low (though my feeding/etc. is lower than usual, too) -- i doubt whether i could fill the skimmer cup up in less than a month, maybe longer. how often is everyone having to clean it out, and what do you to clean it? what about the pump? i ask because i'm getting ready to clean some of my equipment (return pump, powerheads, etc.) in muriatic acid and i figure while i'm doing that, i might as well clean the skimmer, too, if it might help performance.

Just clean the pump by taking it off, disassembling and soaking in vinegar over night with a good scrub down. I would not clean the entire body of the skimmer unless it is covered in red algae from the fuge lighting. If the body is relatively clean then just clean the transition portion to the neck. Otherwise you will have an extended breakin period again. If you don't mind several days of break in then go ahead and clean the entire unit.

Happy Reefing!

Tivo

 

[ItsMee]

Skimmer replacement

Skimmer replacement

I'm replacing my NAC-3 with a NAC-6 so if anyone needs a NAC-3 replacement let me know. I've had this NAC-3 running since I got my tank in January and it still works fine, I'm just re-configuring my sump and getting rid of the refugium portion, in exchange for an ULN system, so thought I'd go with a bigger skimmer while I was at it.

The replacement NAC-6 should be in my hands on 9/27/10 so this will be available to ship a few days after that.

For those with a CADlights tank all I'm asking for is the cost of shipping.

If nobody here needs it I'll throw it up for sale on the general board.

I can use that! If it is not already gone tell me how much for shipping to 76901 and how to pay.

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

The SWC 120 looks good BUT - It looks like it's running the same garbage Atman 1100 pump that's in the BM (although they claim an additional 100 lph) and I've already modded the BM with the SWC venturi and mesh wheel.

What are the concerns about the 9011? (other than stable water height - I'm installing an Osmocontroller to manage that.) - if it really draws 600 lp/h - it seems like a huge improvement.

 

[ItsMee]

Update for anyone thinking of using "sound proofing foam" inside the cabinet.

Still working flawlessly!!

Absolutely no moisture buildup whatsoever when using a sufficient ventilation fan.

I never had to remove any hoses or wiring to install it. Just scissors and a small tube of super glue-then presto! Half the sound in cabinet as before.

Just a note!

Happy Reefing!

Tivo

I was thinking about doing this a long time ago but never got around to it and kinda forgot. Thanks for reminding me. What kind of sound proof foam did you use? Was it the same kind that audio engineers use?

 

[reeftivo]

The SWC 120 looks good BUT - It looks like it's running the same garbage Atman 1100 pump that's in the BM (although they claim an additional 100 lph) and I've already modded the BM with the SWC venturi and mesh wheel.

What are the concerns about the 9011? (other than stable water height - I'm installing an Osmocontroller to manage that.) - if it really draws 600 lp/h - it seems like a huge improvement.

The 9011 has had alot of noise issues and many generally don't like the build quality. They also report that they are difficult to clean and some say that they feel cheaply made. I was going to purchase one and almost pulled the trigger until I spoke with a couple of people in the skimmer Q & A thread. They still work good but you would have to weigh the pros and cons as in any other purchase. My 9410 is built great with the exception of the cup which seems to be an after thought. With that being said, the 9410 skims like a monster. Only draw back to my 9410 was the looonnng break in period (about 3 weeks for me) ouch!

 

[reeftivo]

I was thinking about doing this a long time ago but never got around to it and kinda forgot. Thanks for reminding me. What kind of sound proof foam did you use? Was it the same kind that audio engineers use?

http://www.foambymail.com/Products.html

here a go!

 

[reeftivo]

calm seas quest,

The SWC 120 looks good BUT - It looks like it's running the same garbage Atman 1100 pump that's in the BM (although they claim an additional 100 lph) and I've already modded the BM with the SWC venturi and mesh wheel.

Right about the atman. Sorry but I haven't used mine in a while and I forgot. I ran mine for a couple months with really good results and never had a start up issue like with the NAC3. The reason they get an additional 100lph out of it is because of the cone. Less work on the pump with the cone transition. It's a solid little skimmer but I like to skim dry and it was too finicky for me at the dry setting. It did however kick booty at med to wet with good production. You however would be better off skimming dry.

Check out all the reviews on MD for the 9011 before you make a decision.

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

Thanks RT - I've reviewed the comments on MD, and I'm going to give the 9011 a try. *If* it performs anywhere close to its advertised numbers, it's the most powerful skimmer that will fit in the Cadlights sump...time will tell.

I decided to add a few more Tunze bells and whistles as well. An Osmolater to keep the sump levels steady for the 9011 and their 5074 Kalk dispenser.

I've had very good success with adding vinegar to my ATO/Kalk as both a carbon source and a way to increase the amount of free calcium. To date I've just been dumping extra Kalk into my 7 gallon ATO bucket to make up for the losses due to exposure to air. The 5074 will eliminate the degradation problem and should provide an increase in saturation due to the higher flow of the Osmolator vs my BRS top off pump.

Despite the great comments about the Osmolater, I still don't trust sensors or floats (no matter how many you have) when it comes to scary stuff like Kalk saturated ATO. I'm going to tie it into my Apex both with pH and run-time limiting.

 

[reeftivo]

You will "love" the osmollator. I've had mine for three years and never ever had any issues with the sensor or pump. The pinnacle of ATO's IMO. It holds my sump level to 1/8th of an inch! Much better than my old float sensor (1/2in).

How are your phosphates with the Kalk? I stopped using kalk a while back because while I was getting zeros from my test kits, I was still getting cyano and gha. The census is that over time the kalk will precipitate out phosphates and distribute them to rocks and substrate and I think that was happening to me. Even though I ran Rowaphos it still didn't help. Thank god for zeo in my case.

Peace!

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

How are your phosphates with the Kalk? I stopped using kalk a while back because while I was getting zeros from my test kits, I was still getting cyano and gha. The census is that over time the kalk will precipitate out phosphates and distribute them to rocks and substrate and I think that was happening to me. Even though I ran Rowaphos it still didn't help. Thank god for zeo in my case.

Peace!

I measure 0 phosphate (Hanna) and have no GHA or Cyano. I got a bit of cyano while figuring out the Vinegar dosing, but since resolved - it's been great. I've stopped running GFO as it just not needed. My understanding of the phosphate precipitation theory is, if true - the Phosphates are supposedly bound in such a manner they should not leach out.

 

[reeftivo]

+1 on the Hanna. Nice unit but I hate the little reagent pouches.

That theory may be true but I guess we can't discount the fact that surface algae on rocks and sand may still be able to utilize it if present. Even with proper lighting, routine water changes and stable chemistry, some people still have nightmares with that stuff.

I believe my issues at times over the years were a combination of things. Depth of my substrate, lack of sufficient stirrers, flow and lighting perameters.

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

+1 on the Hanna. Nice unit but I hate the little reagent pouches.

I agree, they're a PITA. You'd think they would have come up with some simple vial measuring method - especially as it's mixed to saturation anyway.

I think a lot of phosphate confusion comes from those that measure zero phosphate failing to understand it's being taken up by the nuisance algae, leaving little if any in the water column. Bottom line is - if there's algae growth, there is phosphate present, regardless of what your test kit says.