CADlights 39g Pro build thread

[snowriderz]

i just found this pic on the CAD website. is this the sump you got with the package Art? or is it something that they are selling separately that is different than yours?

CAD Pro 12G sump

 

[jsnicholas]

Skimmer Deatil

Skimmer Deatil

Looking at your Skimmer detail, there seems to be a slight difference with what I got. MY wall is 9.8in high, it looks like you skimmer return would get over that.

One difference I can see with your skimmer is that it looks like the "legs" of the base are on the long side. So the motor is oriented front/back with the air hose out the back and the power cable out the front. Mine has the "legs" on the short side which means that the motor is oriented left/right. I am bringing the power cord and air out the right side. It does not fit really well and the air hose looks like it has a slight kink in it since it has to make a sharp turn.

To get my return high enough to get over the wall, I did not use the supplied elbow. I used a 1" hose bard elbow and 2 short lengths of 1" plastic tubing which has the same I.D. as the supplied elbow. My return is now at 10.5 - 10.75 inches which is a little more than it need be, but it works.

The picture of the sump on the CAD web site looks like what I have, but you can not tell which way the skimmers "legs" and motor are oriented. Also, I could not get the return tube over the wall like they show.

 

[ArtC]

As far as I can tell, that's my setup. The fan really goes up top, and I don't recall at this point whether the skimmer final elbow came with my system or if I just found it worked better without.

I'm also not sure what the black object between the skimmer and the cooling fan is. Maybe just a transformer block.

Eddie (CADlights) did say he was going to put up some pictures to help people along. That seemed the easiest way to go, rather than twelve pages of step by step instructions in case he got a buyer who hadn't done anything more complicated than a goldfish bowl. And he does check in on this thread from time to time, so if you point him to your question here he'll be able to sort it out for you. I think he prefers to keep the CADlights offical responses on the CADlights site where it's easier to keep things organized and updated.

He may still be tweaking the design, which is at least partially based on my feedback, and might eventually be based on yours too

My skimmer leg got broken off during shipping - could be that the design was changed because that was a common problem. (A good break - the acrylic broke before the joint did!) But the skimmer fits together pretty well with the legs on the long side of the base.

 

[jsnicholas]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13566058#post13566058 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ArtC
As far as I can tell, that's my setup. The fan really goes up top, and I don't recall at this point whether the skimmer final elbow came with my system or if I just found it worked better without.

I'm also not sure what the black object between the skimmer and the cooling fan is. Maybe just a transformer block.

I think the black object is the "air tube silencer". It attaches to the air intake if the skimmer to quiet it down.

 

[ArtC]

There wasn't an 'air tube silencer' in my kit. New and improved

What does it look like?

 

[jsnicholas]

Air Tube Silencer

Air Tube Silencer

Its 1" tube about 2 inches long sealed at both ends. One end has 2 nibbles, one for the air tube and one for the air intake. I can only guess what is inside, but in other ones I seem they have a filter floss type meterial to help dampen the noise.

 

[ArtC]

sorta fix for sorta leak

sorta fix for sorta leak

Noticed some water around the base plate of the tank this AM.

Once my panic subsided, I realized that I had the light fixture foot pushed all the way to the outside. That creates a flush surface between the side of the foot and the side of the tank, and I was getting capillary flow from the tank up to the top edge and then dripping.

I put a couple of small clear plastic bumpers on the inside face of the fixture feet (at the back where it's wide, and near the top.) Now the foot can't get close enough to the glass for capillary flow to occur.

I think that the bottom of the foot was only getting wet because I have a lot of surface turbulence from powerheads. If the surface is still, then the water sits below the bottom of the fixture feet and it's not a problem.

 

[ArtC]

Some skimmer air intakes have carbon filters to adsorb organics pollutants in the air being injected into the tank. (If somebody sprays their lawn for grubs...)

Which isn't a bad idea with me living in an apartment building still somewhat under construction - I'll start looking for parts!

 

[wabio]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Stand

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Stand

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13429773#post13429773 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jsnicholas
My stand seems different. Instead of "Z", I have a 2 3/4"x27" (about) peice of wood the goes from the top to the bottom in the front. I will try to add a picture.

I'm thinking of going CAD too. Is the cherry stand solid hardwood? Or is it only hardwood in certain places.....cheap wood in others?

 

[jsnicholas]

All the wood parts look to be the same, but I can only see the cross section of the top where they modified it for the sump. The top is solid wood. I am not sure what type of wood. You need to confirm with CAD Lights I guess. All in all though I am very happy with the stand and I think it is a very good value. There is not much extra room in there though. The sump takes up nearly the whole thing. I have my controller suspended from the top and some outlet mounted up high on the inside and outside of the back. I had to set my ATO tank behind the stand.

 

[ArtC]

Yeah, even a really big nano is a nano. You could get a really big stand and then put your nano on top of it, but what's the point of that?

Careful with the outlets inside the sump - I dunked one transformer already. Put the internal outlets on right side (w/pump) and you can put some eggcrate over the sump to keep the electronics out of it.

 

[lemec]

Any updates? I am getting ready to pull the trigger on the same set up...

 

[ArtC]

No pictures, I'm at the office on a telecon

hair algae started to kick in so I'm running GFO and chaeto. Got a few snails, seed sand from a couple of guys. Probably pick up a sea hare or something to get the algae under control while it's still tender shoots. But a nano won't support that kind of algae eater in the long run.

Pods are breeding well. Ammonia, nitrite zero, nitrate less than 5. pH 7.95-8.15 using two-part (before chaeto). Per Calfo's book and seminars, I'm trying some calcium gluconate to accelerate coraline growth - supposedly microalgae can't utilize the gluconate (~sugar)

I'm running an old Mag 5 (or 7?) for the return pump to slow flow through the sump to reduce bubbles and noise. Also gives enough space in the chamber for heater and GFO.

Tried using 1/8" (RO) hose in Durso to kill cavitation near bottom of drain hose and reduce noise, but the line was too small. Will try again with 1/4". (well, the 1/8 may work with the smaller pump.)

As mentioned in another thread, the fuge light is starting to show some rust. Probably get a unit from ThatPetPlace http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/215657/product.web

There's another thread talking about a fuge light and microbubble control for the Signature model (sump in back) using parts from Target.

 

[Brad Villeggiante]

Sounds great Art. Shoot us some pics when you get a chance. I talked to Ken via e-mail yesterday to see if some type of canopy could be constructed to cover the light. He said probably not due to the fans on the lighting. Can't wait to get this tank. Probably about 2 months or so.

 

[lemec]

I had a sea hare in my nanocube 24...the thing powered through my hair algae in less than a week...there after I never had another problem...I traded it off on here after I was done with it for a couple of small zoa frags, lol.
Have you stocked your aquarium yet or is it still cycling?

 

[ArtC]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13636131#post13636131 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Brad Villeggiante
Sounds great Art. Shoot us some pics when you get a chance. I talked to Ken via e-mail yesterday to see if some type of canopy could be constructed to cover the light. He said probably not due to the fans on the lighting. Can't wait to get this tank. Probably about 2 months or so.

With a little planning, a canopy is certainly possible. You don't want to cover the fans, but everthing else is fair game.

You might try just a 'skirt' hung around the edge of the fixture, either hanging straight down or extending to the front/back edges of the tank.

Or if you wanted a full canopy you could use the kit provided for hanging the fixture from the ceiling to attach it inside a canopy. Just make sure you have holes where the fans are, and probably some ventilation on top - the fixture also cools passively by heat rising from the case.

 

[ArtC]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13636208#post13636208 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lemec
I had a sea hare in my nanocube 24...the thing powered through my hair algae in less than a week...there after I never had another problem...I traded it off on here after I was done with it for a couple of small zoa frags, lol.
Have you stocked your aquarium yet or is it still cycling?

Yeah, there's always somebody with algae. We used to have a sea hare in my club's loaner pool, along with the books and PAR meters.

Not stocking yet. Want to deal with the algae without having to worry about other critters, and give the microfauna a chance to get going. So if something doesn't eat algae, it isn't getting admitted. I'm an oceanographer, so I can stay amused with the fan worms, bristle worms, pods, micro stars, etc for a while.

 

[blureef1]

I also changed return pumps. I had a oceanrunner 2500 sitting around. Much quieter, a little less flow which has helped on the micro bubbles getting back to the tank.

 

[ArtC]

Power out!

Power out!

My power was out for 25 hours. Reminded me that a nano doesn't hold heat like a big tank. And that I didn't have a backup plan.

Had to toss a sleeping bag over the tank, go to Walmart and get an inverter, carry my car battery up five flights, and reset the inverter every hour or so when it cut out for no reason. All night long.

I had two uncharged trolling batteries in the closet, and hadn't purchased a new inverter when the old one went bad. So nobody to blame for the lost sleep but me. The snails don't seem too upset - the temperature only got down to mid 60s. So I didn't have to sit in the tank all night to serve as a biological heater :eek2: Somehow I suspect the hair algae will come through it all just fine.

So I'm charging the trollers, bought a slightly less cheap inverter, and trying to figure out how to automate recovery without buying a $350 automatic inverter/charger.

Hints: If you buy a small inverter, make sure you have a small heater to run. Took me an hour in the closet with the flashlight to find a heater the thing could drive. Also one low-wattage powerhead (a high-heat powerhead might work in the winter, but in the summer...)

And test your backup system out (with a barrel, not your tank) so you know how long it will last before you get hit by the 2AM ice storm/earthquake/hurricane.

 

[lemec]

any updates?