LBCBJ
Active Member
Intro
I’m returning to the hobby after a nearly 20 year hiatus and excited for round two
.
I built my first reef tank at 16 years old, a 75g mixed reef and kept it going all the way through my freshman year of college. Unfortunately, the weekend trips home to manage the tank came to an end, and I had to shut the tank down in 2005.
After years of apartment and condo living not so conducive to reef tanks, I recently bought a townhome, and decided it was time to give reefing another go. I happened across a nano series from Jake Adams (RIP), and it really inspired me that I could have success with a small tank as I work my way back into the hobby. I also have a 2 year old son who I think will immensely enjoy the process.
That being said, boy have a lot of things have changed over the years! From LED lights, not so live rock, and designer corals, it feels like I have a lot to pick up as I jump back in.
My build is nearly complete, except for the tank which is in transit.
Build
Tank
Cade Reef S2 500
38 gallons = 30.3 gallon display with an 8 gallon sump
Dimensions are 20"x22"x20"
Lighting
Radion XR15 Blue
Water Movement
Vectra S2 (Update: this was sold for a Sicce Syncra SDC 6.0 due to plumbing challenges with the Vectra)
1x Nero 3
Skimmer
Ultra Reef Borie UKB-120
ATO
2.6g gravity-fed with a float valve, built into the rear of the tank display
Controller
Hydros X4
Hydros XP8
Other
Heater: 2x Eheim eThermocontrol 100w paired with an Inkbird
Backup Power: Ecoflow Delta Pro generator. Will likely add a dedicated backup for the return and powerhead for continuity. This is capable of running my entire tank for upwards of 72 hours.
RODI: Spectrapure Maxcap 90
Aquascape and Substrate
20lbs CaribSea Life Rock
20lbs Caribsea Special Grade dry sand
Filtration and Supplements
Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt
Tropic Marin All for Reef (manual dosing to start)
Quantum USA activated carbon
1500ml Sera Siporax biomedia
Fritz Turbostart 900 and IO Bio-Spira for cycling
Testing
Red Sea ammonia
API nitrite
Hanna salinity and temperature monitor
Hanna alkalinity
Hanna ULR phosphate
Hanna HR nitrate
Hanna calcium
Pinpoint pH probe for the Hydros X4
Temperature probe for the Hydros X4
Livestock Plans
3-4 small fish with a mixed reef, leaning more SPS
I plan to use only aquacultured fish and corals with an Indo-Pacific theme.
The Goods
Picked up essentially all of my dry goods from @AquariumSpecialty in Columbia, SC. Also ordered the tank through them via @AlgaeBarn. Shout out to Nathan at @AquariumSpecialty for great service and suggestions!
And what would you know, this fella arrived in the mail today. Totally experimental purchase.
And finally a sneak peak of the tank ready to ship out
I'd be remiss to not give a bit of background on the tank and how I landed on a Cade S2 500. In short, I needed a small footprint for our main living area with limited wall space. I also wanted something self-contained with great asthetics. I took a hard look at all the options out there (mainly Red Sea and Waterbox), even considered a custom tank, but came across a Cade and was instantly intrigued by the build quality and features, it seems really well thought out. All that said, I could find not a single thread on this tank, so hey, here's to the internet’s first Cade 500 build!
Also a shout out to @d2mini for his awesome thread on his Cade 600 and inspiration for this one. With so little available on these tanks in the US, his build really allowed me a closer look at the tank and gave me the confidence to pull the trigger.
Cheers!
Brent
I’m returning to the hobby after a nearly 20 year hiatus and excited for round two
. I built my first reef tank at 16 years old, a 75g mixed reef and kept it going all the way through my freshman year of college. Unfortunately, the weekend trips home to manage the tank came to an end, and I had to shut the tank down in 2005.
After years of apartment and condo living not so conducive to reef tanks, I recently bought a townhome, and decided it was time to give reefing another go. I happened across a nano series from Jake Adams (RIP), and it really inspired me that I could have success with a small tank as I work my way back into the hobby. I also have a 2 year old son who I think will immensely enjoy the process.
That being said, boy have a lot of things have changed over the years! From LED lights, not so live rock, and designer corals, it feels like I have a lot to pick up as I jump back in.
My build is nearly complete, except for the tank which is in transit.
Build
Tank
Cade Reef S2 500
38 gallons = 30.3 gallon display with an 8 gallon sump
Dimensions are 20"x22"x20"
Lighting
Radion XR15 Blue
Water Movement
Vectra S2 (Update: this was sold for a Sicce Syncra SDC 6.0 due to plumbing challenges with the Vectra)
1x Nero 3
Skimmer
Ultra Reef Borie UKB-120
ATO
2.6g gravity-fed with a float valve, built into the rear of the tank display
Controller
Hydros X4
Hydros XP8
Other
Heater: 2x Eheim eThermocontrol 100w paired with an Inkbird
Backup Power: Ecoflow Delta Pro generator. Will likely add a dedicated backup for the return and powerhead for continuity. This is capable of running my entire tank for upwards of 72 hours.
RODI: Spectrapure Maxcap 90
Aquascape and Substrate
20lbs CaribSea Life Rock
20lbs Caribsea Special Grade dry sand
Filtration and Supplements
Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt
Tropic Marin All for Reef (manual dosing to start)
Quantum USA activated carbon
1500ml Sera Siporax biomedia
Fritz Turbostart 900 and IO Bio-Spira for cycling
Testing
Red Sea ammonia
API nitrite
Hanna salinity and temperature monitor
Hanna alkalinity
Hanna ULR phosphate
Hanna HR nitrate
Hanna calcium
Pinpoint pH probe for the Hydros X4
Temperature probe for the Hydros X4
Livestock Plans
3-4 small fish with a mixed reef, leaning more SPS
I plan to use only aquacultured fish and corals with an Indo-Pacific theme.
The Goods
Picked up essentially all of my dry goods from @AquariumSpecialty in Columbia, SC. Also ordered the tank through them via @AlgaeBarn. Shout out to Nathan at @AquariumSpecialty for great service and suggestions!
And what would you know, this fella arrived in the mail today. Totally experimental purchase
.And finally a sneak peak of the tank ready to ship out
I'd be remiss to not give a bit of background on the tank and how I landed on a Cade S2 500. In short, I needed a small footprint for our main living area with limited wall space. I also wanted something self-contained with great asthetics. I took a hard look at all the options out there (mainly Red Sea and Waterbox), even considered a custom tank, but came across a Cade and was instantly intrigued by the build quality and features, it seems really well thought out. All that said, I could find not a single thread on this tank, so hey, here's to the internet’s first Cade 500 build!
Also a shout out to @d2mini for his awesome thread on his Cade 600 and inspiration for this one. With so little available on these tanks in the US, his build really allowed me a closer look at the tank and gave me the confidence to pull the trigger.
Cheers!
Brent
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