CADlights 39g Pro build thread
- Thread starter ArtC
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meinestrasse
New member
Question on the AI LEDs:
Would one AI unit be sufficient for the CAD 39G? With the newer CREES and all these stories of coral bleaching and running two units at 50-75% intensity, I'd think that the spread and PAR intensity of one unit would be sufficient.
Would one AI unit be sufficient for the CAD 39G? With the newer CREES and all these stories of coral bleaching and running two units at 50-75% intensity, I'd think that the spread and PAR intensity of one unit would be sufficient.
CalmSeasQuest
Active member
Yes, I think it might. Simply hang the light turned 90 degrees (so the long end runs parallel to the tank) and raise it to 18"-24". In fact, I'm planning on doing exactly that so I can gather PAR and coverage data to add to the AquaIllumination PAR Thread.
The AIs are so powerful that on tanks up to 24" wide with substrate at 24" or less, I believe one would easily outperform anything else in the space at comparable prices.
The only downside would be the less blue output at higher power settings. This is presently being solved by AI as they are releasing new pucks that contain a white, blue and Royal blue LED that will produce a far bluer result at higher PAR settings.
coolcorals
New member
Great idea - Stealin itThanks RT!
Thanks for the feedback on glass cleaners. My MagFloat works well on BC14, but just wanted to be sure it's right for CAD. Will be picking up one soon - right now just letting the glass be dirty - snack for the clean up crew (they've done a great job cleaning the rocks).
reeftivo
Skim junkie
FWIW,
Picked up some 1" charcoal sound proofing wedge foam online and installed it on the cabinet walls and doors. WOW! what a difference! I thought it was quiet before. The look is very clean and the foam was super easy to cut and place. I used dabs of super glue to adhere it instantly.
heres the link I used
http://foambymail.com/
I'll post pics soon.
Picked up some 1" charcoal sound proofing wedge foam online and installed it on the cabinet walls and doors. WOW! what a difference! I thought it was quiet before. The look is very clean and the foam was super easy to cut and place. I used dabs of super glue to adhere it instantly.
heres the link I used
http://foambymail.com/
I'll post pics soon.
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that's pretty smart. i've been using a Super Nimble Nano "prototype"... it has ended up scratching my glass in several places when sand gets caught in the velcro.
i've heard that a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is also very effective.
Maybe I need to try this out.
foam pic
I thought about this myself. my concern was, once that foam gets wet from evaporated water/splashing, will it ever dry? and, if not, won't it mold/mildew? a major difference may be the exhaust fan you have installed in your cabinet wall. i don't have that.
on a related note, this is the same reasoning i used when i decided not to install a 2x4 in my sump to support my new bulk reef supply dual reactor and air king clip-on fan. i just thought it would get wet and mold.
reeftivo
Skim junkie
I hear ya!
Solid concern!
There is a ton of air moving in my cabinet! My fan is 4 1/4 inch.
I actually had two of the fans installed like the one on the right but one was enough. I don't have any splashing in my sump because of the depth I run my drain tube into the filtersock. The surface of my sump is freakishly calm. I've never had any visible surface condensation in my stand and with the fan running at about 1500 rpm , it works great. I have an adjustable transformer block on that fan so I can ramp it up to 2600 rpm if I feel the need to.
So far so good!
Happy Reefing!
Tivo
Solid concern!
There is a ton of air moving in my cabinet! My fan is 4 1/4 inch.
I actually had two of the fans installed like the one on the right but one was enough. I don't have any splashing in my sump because of the depth I run my drain tube into the filtersock. The surface of my sump is freakishly calm. I've never had any visible surface condensation in my stand and with the fan running at about 1500 rpm , it works great. I have an adjustable transformer block on that fan so I can ramp it up to 2600 rpm if I feel the need to.
So far so good!
Happy Reefing!
Tivo
reeftivo
Skim junkie
I used to use mine without the pad but found that the coarse but cushioning effect of the pad cleaned great without the pressure that causes scratches if sand or shells get lodged between the pad and glass. It's just more forgiving and helps conform better to the modest curves of the Cad tank. After mine gets matted down a bit, I just cut a new piece and lay it on the magnet (it holds fine). If you dust the panes every night (whether needed or not), you wont ever get the heavy build up that requires scraping.
reeftivo
Skim junkie
Get a fan in there buddy! I won't run a sump without one. The evaporation is increased and yes, you'll need a bit more top off water but the positives outweigh the negatives.
benefits: increased air=better off gasing, less Co2 buildup=more stable pH, higher dissolved O2,drier environment, no swelling of exposed cabinet surfaces over time.
negatives: a little more noise unless dampened, a little more electricity, another thing to clean.
If you decide to go that route then just pick up a hole saw at the hardware store and cover the sump with a towel then punch a hole (outside to inside) in one or both sides. I chose both sides because I wanted a direct flow through the cabinet. After I did mine, I used black silicone to seal the exposed particle board so that swelling would not occur if the fans quit for any length of time. Worked like a charm!
got my BRS dual reactor installed last week -- still haven't figured out how i want to install the air king fan, which is gigantic (but pretty quiet). here's what it looks like with everything crammed in -- what a mess!:
in other sump/cabinet-related news, the hinge on the doors has gotten so rusty that it's actually managed to break the door away from the cabinet. i don't think the hinge is salvageable, so i might need to come up with an alternative plan. i might replace the doors altogether.
in other sump/cabinet-related news, the hinge on the doors has gotten so rusty that it's actually managed to break the door away from the cabinet. i don't think the hinge is salvageable, so i might need to come up with an alternative plan. i might replace the doors altogether.
reeftivo
Skim junkie
I'm thinking about picking up some plexi and spray painting it flat or eggshell black, then mounting it with two large magnets at the horizontal support beneath the tank at the front.
Should work fine and with a couple of small black knobs, it would be easily removable. It would allow me easier access instead of working between those narrow doors all the time.
I may also try and figure out mounting some plastic hinges as well.
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=732
Should work fine and with a couple of small black knobs, it would be easily removable. It would allow me easier access instead of working between those narrow doors all the time.
I may also try and figure out mounting some plastic hinges as well.
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=732
ya, i like both of those ideas. i think a plate would be nice, because those doors really are limiting. i'd love to be able to just get it out of the way for maintenance. i guess the trade-off is that you have to take it off every time you even want to look at the sump. may still be worth it, just to get garbage out of the way.
coolcorals
New member
Haven't posted an update in a while. First, I'd like to thank reeftivo for hooking me up with his BM skimmer - it works great! Within a few days, it was producing nice skim, and is easy to tune.
Is anyone using the stock cooling fan (2 fan unit)? If so, does it work for you? Where do you have it mounted (overflow or sump chamber)?
I've hooked mine up pointing into overflow and it seems ineffective. Set to turn on at 80 deg. Once on, temps kept rising - up to nearly 81 before MH turned off. Room temp was 76-78 deg. I'm not sure it's doing anything. Is there a better place/way to use it?
Is anyone using the stock cooling fan (2 fan unit)? If so, does it work for you? Where do you have it mounted (overflow or sump chamber)?
I've hooked mine up pointing into overflow and it seems ineffective. Set to turn on at 80 deg. Once on, temps kept rising - up to nearly 81 before MH turned off. Room temp was 76-78 deg. I'm not sure it's doing anything. Is there a better place/way to use it?
reeftivo
Skim junkie
Glad to hear it's working well buddy!
The overflow is the best spot for the fan.
If your still getting high temps and don't have the $$ for a chiller then you should get a fan installed off one or both sides of the cabinet. The equipment in sump sounds like it's building too much heat. A fan off the side blowing either in or out would work well. I have a chiller but it rarely comes on because of the fan I have in cabinet. My fan doesn't blow down into the sump for cooling, but actually moves the warm air out.
Works great. My temp is 77-78 consistantly. I live in the So Cal Inland area and summer temps get faily warm.
Good luck!!
Happy Reefing
Tivo
The overflow is the best spot for the fan.
If your still getting high temps and don't have the $$ for a chiller then you should get a fan installed off one or both sides of the cabinet. The equipment in sump sounds like it's building too much heat. A fan off the side blowing either in or out would work well. I have a chiller but it rarely comes on because of the fan I have in cabinet. My fan doesn't blow down into the sump for cooling, but actually moves the warm air out.
Works great. My temp is 77-78 consistantly. I live in the So Cal Inland area and summer temps get faily warm.
Good luck!!
Happy Reefing
Tivo
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stanger50lx92
New member
CADlights 39g Pro build thread
Hey guys, just finished reading the whole thread. Very good read. Wish I had come about it a lot sooner. I have had my 39g pro since the begining of April. So far so good I think. Just a little run down of what I got inside. A clown, a fire fish, and a cardinal. I also have a blood red shrimp. I have a purple anemone, a feather duster, a hammer coral, some frog spawn, some green star polyps, ORA red planet table, some candy canes, some blue mushrooms, acanthastria lordhowensis (highlight ausie), as for zoas, some tubs blues, and some purple hornets, and nuke greens polys. Some kind of brown acro that was givin to me, and a clam.
I have a question for timdanger, I see that you have the BRS dual reactor. I noticed the amount of carbon and GFO in the pic. How much do you use? I may be using way too much. I'm using about 15 tbs of each. At first I used less and then half of that but now I use 15 tbs. This is how it looked once I installed it in.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hey guys, just finished reading the whole thread. Very good read. Wish I had come about it a lot sooner. I have had my 39g pro since the begining of April. So far so good I think. Just a little run down of what I got inside. A clown, a fire fish, and a cardinal. I also have a blood red shrimp. I have a purple anemone, a feather duster, a hammer coral, some frog spawn, some green star polyps, ORA red planet table, some candy canes, some blue mushrooms, acanthastria lordhowensis (highlight ausie), as for zoas, some tubs blues, and some purple hornets, and nuke greens polys. Some kind of brown acro that was givin to me, and a clam.
I have a question for timdanger, I see that you have the BRS dual reactor. I noticed the amount of carbon and GFO in the pic. How much do you use? I may be using way too much. I'm using about 15 tbs of each. At first I used less and then half of that but now I use 15 tbs. This is how it looked once I installed it in.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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coolcorals
New member
Your BM skimmer saved me lots of frustration and cash - I really do appreciate all your help!
I have an Azoo 2 fan unit mounted on back of cabinet for exhaust. I've been running it at 30 min intervals every couple hrs, but now just am going to leave it running. Cabinet doesn't seem warmer than room. So far fan is keeping mositure from building up in cabinet - have normal rust on the fuge lamp.
Two quick questions: (1) What time during day is your photo period? and (2) How long are the Actinics and MH on?
Trying to avoid a chiller, but I think it's my old light fixture with ballast inside and a fairly weak exhaust fan.
reeftivo
Skim junkie
Probably is the excess radiant heat from the older fixture like you mention. What you might try doing is to pick up a cheap 4 inch jebo fan and put that on the overflow. The two fan units are insanely underpowered. I tried mine for about an hour and threw it back in the garage, then replaced it with an old single 4 inch jebo I had and it was night and day.
What I did with my jebo was to direct it right at the overflow wier so it would blow right on the water fall. The fan also would flow over the DT surface. The reason I dont use the jebo now is because it was loud. However, the fan housing can be taken apart to accomodate a more quiet fan.
coolcorals
New member
I'm pretty sure it's the light fixture too - it runs hot. My pumps are a Tunze and two new Koralia Evos, which all seem to run fairly cool. Actually, I've been running a table fan pointed over the fixture, and that seems to have helped a lot, but is not a permanent solution.
I have a 2 fan Azoo, which seems weaker than the CAD stock cooling fan. Was thinking of buying the Azoo 4 fan unit, but not sure it'll have enough CFMs. Thanks for the Jebo suggestion - will try to track one down.
So far, my stock fan seem more effective blowing over the fixture than into the overflow - will try positioning as you suggest to see if that works better.
When and how long do you run your lights? I've shifted mine to a shorter period (8.5 hrs to 7.5 hrs) and shifted the light period to later in the day - MH come on at 3pm - to run when temps are cooler. Hasn't been really warm here yet, so worried that once it goes into the 90s, temp control will become difficult.
