Brent's Cade 500 (38g)

[LBCBJ]

Day 80 Update

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! New fish in the tank, and first acros on the way!

I've been looking to add a new fish or two to my tank after watching my nitrates and phosphates steadily decline to the dreaded 'double 0' over the last month. Not the worst problem to have . My plan was to add an Azure or Springeri Damsel and Orchid Dotty fully quarantined from TSM, but between the $70 shipping fee and really frigid weather recently I've been unable to pull the trigger.

Nitrates and Phosphates have bottomed out

Well Black Friday got the better of me and I grabbed a Springeri Damsel and Royal Gramma (they had just sold their last Orchid Dotty) from a LFS, Under the Sea. In doing so, I broke three themes I had been planning for this tank which was: only captive bred, only pre-QT'd, and only Indo-Pacific (the Gramma is from the Atlantic) . I've definitely taken a big risk in adding non-QT'd fish, so my fingers and toes are crossed that they are healthy. They certainly add a beautiful pop of color to complement my clowns. Good on fish for a while!

I also took advantage of a Black Friday deal with @Battlecorals and picked up a 6 piece 'Battle box' for a sweet price! These will be my first acros in the tank, but I'm honestly giddy to see what arrives after hearing so much buzz for Adam's corals.

My First Battlebox

Will be watching my new fish closely to make sure they are settling in and eating well. Quick pic of the tank after my weekly water change, maintenance, and sandbed vacuum.

 

[LBCBJ]

Day 92 Update

I have good news and not so great news, so this will be a longer post.

Good news:

• My @Battlecorals Battlebox arrived Tuesday! To say I"m impressed with Adam's product is an understatement. It was truly an early Christmas opening my Battlebox, and I will be adding a mini-unboxing post shortly.
  
  
• The new resident Springeri Damsel and Royal Gramma have settled in nicely and are eating great. The Gramma took a few days to take to pellets and frozen mysis/LRS, but is now the biggest pig in the tank.
  
  
• Baby Trochus snails! So my Trochus snails have been getting down for the past 2 months, but little did I think anything would come of it. Well, what would you know I'm seeing a bunch of the little guys in my sump. If my tank crashes and I have to tear it all down, at least I know the snails had a good time!

BattleBox on my doorstep

Frags mounted on my new Slide-Loc rack

The bad:

• I've lost the Blue Lagoon tort. After 48 hours in the tank, I woke up to tissue peeling off the stem. I gave it another 2 days, and this morning decided to toss it in the event it could spread. This is my first trip with Acros, so I expected I could lose some, but when it actually happens to you, the feeling sucks. Especially when I test every few days, and outside of lower alk (7.0-7.2) and low PO4 and NO3 (0.02 and 0.0 at the time of the event), I can't figure out why this thing would RTN...sigh. Rest of the pieces look great, great PE and color, so hopefully this is a one-off.
  
  
• After almost 90 days of smooth sailing (outside of a mini diatom outbreak around the 1 month mark that cleared within 2 weeks), the tank seems to have entered an 'ugly phase' starting almost on the nose of my last post and coincidentally the addition of the new fish, which also coincided with a 2 week run of 0 PO4 and 0 NO3.
  
  • What I'm dealing with I can't yet ID as I don't have a microscope, but it's frustrating. Every few days the sand is covered in a brown mat. It's not red, so I don't think it's cyano, it could be diatoms but without an ICP to show silicates I can't imagine that's coming in through my RODI. I think it could be dinos. I've been vacuuming the sandbed every 3 days, but it comes back within 24 hours.
    
    
  • My rock also has various growth on it which could be some mix of brown hair algae, diatoms, or dinos. Interestingly, the stuff seems to like the highest flow areas of the tank, growing on my powerhead and wiers thicker than anywhere. There's almost nothing growing on the glass so I'm only having to clean the glass 2x week.
    
    
  • So here's what I've been doing and plan to do, all experimental of course until I can ID what all this stuff is:
    
    
    • Vacuuming sand weekly during my WC. The amount of pods that are being siphoned out is insane, hopefully this doesn't crash their numbers.
    • Have began dosing Nyos Nitrate + and Phosphate +. As of yesterday, I've added Nyos Nitrate + to get my nitrates off of 0, and are currently sitting at 3.9ppm (I dosed 4ppm)
    • Phosphate has drifted up to 0.02ppm on its own as I have increased feeding. Dosing nitrates/phosphates seems absolutely insane to me, but this is my understanding of current thinking based on everything I've read.
    • Adding more CUC! I'll be placing an order with ReefCleaners this week for more Trochus, Florida Ceriths, and a Conch since these have been hard to find at any LFS.
    • Watch the response to maintaining non-zero NO3 and PO4 for a bit and adjust. Next stop could unfortunately be some sort of algaecide but I need to be patient.

At the end of day, hopefully this is a temporary blip as the tank continues to mature, and it certainly could be MUCH worse. To my chagrin, my wife says the tank looks fine and that I'm crazy .

Pic of the tank after today's WC

 

[LBCBJ]

Day 102 Update

A review of my experience with @Battlecorals! Mostly pics from the unboxing, as I felt like a kid in a candy store and wanted to share the experience with you all.

After hearing so much hype for Adam's corals, I picked up a 6 piece Battlebox on Black Friday. Not usually the type for a mystery box, but trying to pick from the unreal selection on Adam's website was just impossible, so I decided to leave it to the SPS gods . These are my first ever acros, so it's an exciting big step in husbandry for me and my 90 day old tank.

Here's how it went down:

Adam reached out to me to confirm shipping date and any preferences for my Battlebox - super communicative and great first impression. My Battlebox arrived right on time, around 11am on 12/4.

The packing was immaculate, the best I've seen. Thick styrofoam container with heat packs and packing peanuts.

Adam includes a super cool welcome pamphlet with acclimation info, coral names, and the famous battle brush!

Frags are individually double-vacuumed sealed, and all wrapped in a stapled back, so no leaks.

Each frag has info about the colony and care. All the frags were super clean, and I will make an admission, I did not dip them (GASP). Yes, I committed sin #1 and did not dip these, but just hearing so much positive feedback and not wanting to further stress them, I decide to temp acclimate and throw 'em in.

Last but not least, the frags on my rack, as you can see Adam threw in a couple extras!

Frags are two weeks in, and all are looking fabulous with the exception of the Blue Lagoon which RTN'd within 48 hours. A head scratcher, but with my inexperience with acros, after letting it peel from the stem for a couple days, I decided to toss it. As for the other 7, they've colored up nicely and look great. If I had to pick a favorite, it'd have to be the Thanksgiving Milli, this one has unreal PE and unique coloring.

So there you go, my first Battlebox was a true treat that made me giddy inside, without a doubt would recommend and hope to experience again in the near future. You can tell Adam takes a lot of pride in his craft, and I like to support that. Thanks @Battlecorals, and @d2mini for the recommendation!

 

[d2mini]

Congrats!!! Nothing like a battle box showing up at your door!

I don't dip them either. Adam's frags are all super clean! I just float and then in the tank they go.
oh and I LOVE that brush! lol

 

[LBCBJ]

5 Month Update

Life got a little busy and just like that it's been nearly 2 months since my last update! And that's ok, as things have been quiet with the tank as I've let it try to 'stabilize' and also let the financial sting of the holidays pass over.

Tank is looking great, algae is non-existent. Coralline algae has started to pop up all over the tank which is awesome to see.

I've had a rough go with my Battle Corals. Out of the 8 I began with in early Dec., only 4 remain. All have suffered through a slow STN and eventually bleached or I pulled the plug. Those that remain look great, however the source of the decline has really been irking me.

So I sent in my first ICP test through ATI. 88% water quality score, params are great! Iodine was low, Zinc was high, but everything else checked out great. On top of that, my params have been SUPER stable, so I really can't imagine it's a water quality issue.

My theories are:

• Pest? Have yet to spot anything. I did find some 'black bugs' during my last water change, but I suspect they are ostracods.
• Not enough light? I'm running my XR15 at 60%, would be shocked if that's too much PAR. Next step is to rent a PAR meter and see what my PAR really is.
• Pathogen of some sort? If this is the case, no idea what the next steps would be.

So I'm in a bit of a holding period on any new corals while I try to get to the bottom of this. At the same time, I'm craving more color in the tank, so maybe I'll pivot to some softies like shrooms and LPS while we work these SPS kinks out.

In good news, at least my Monti is growing! Has totally encrusted the plug and is now growing on the rock.

 

[LBCBJ]

5 Month Update

..........

So I'm in a bit of a holding period on any new corals while I try to get to the bottom of this. At the same time, I'm craving more color in the tank, so maybe I'll pivot to some softies like shrooms and LPS while we work these SPS kinks out.

Well, this didn't age well .

Was at my LFS Nemo's Reef last weekend picking up salt and two really nice LPS pieces caught my eye. So I swung by yesterday and grabbed 'em.

Really nice looking Gold Tip Branch Hammer and Roma Acan Lord. First corals I've picked up from Nemo's - both looked freshly fragged on brand new plugs. Tiny, but just the right size for my Cade. Once home, I noticed the Acan has some tissue recession from the base but otherwise looks healthy.

I gotta say, my confidence is a bit shaken after the recent losses of my Battle Coral frags and my first and only LPS, a Frogspawn (was down to skeleton after my return from a week leave over Christmas).

These are the first corals I've added since early December, so I'm really hoping these thrive to get some good mojo back to the tank. If not, I have a serious, serious problem (pest or bacterial..?)


Gold Tip Branch Hammer

Roma Acan Lord

Which reminds me, gotta grab a blue light lens for my iPhone . Open to recommendations if anyone has one!

 

[canjosh]

Well, this didn't age well .

Was at my LFS Nemo's Reef last weekend picking up salt and two really nice LPS pieces caught my eye. So I swung by yesterday and grabbed 'em.

Really nice looking Gold Tip Branch Hammer and Roma Acan Lord. First corals I've picked up from Nemo's - both looked freshly fragged on brand new plugs. Tiny, but just the right size for my Cade.

I gotta say, my confidence is a bit shaken after the recent losses of my Battle Coral frags and my first and only LPS, a Frogspawn (was down to skeleton after my return from a week leave over Christmas).

These are the first corals I've added since early December, so I'm really hoping these thrive to get some good mojo back to the tank. If not, I have a serious, serious problem (pest or pathogen..?).


Gold Tip Branch Hammer

Roma Acan Lord

Which reminds me, gotta grab a blue light lens for my iPhone . Open to recommendations if anyone has one!

I use the orphek kit, seems to work pretty well.
Amazon:

https://a.co/d/5ODlAfE

 

[LBCBJ]

I use the orphek kit, seems to work pretty well.
Amazon:

https://a.co/d/5ODlAfE

Thanks! I’ve heard this one mentioned many times, will check it out!

 

[LBCBJ]

Some small equipment updates for the Cade along with a couple friendly PSAs.

1. Added a 2nd Nero 3 and now have one on each side on anti-sync, pulsing at 55% at 2 sec on/off. I was feeling that only one was causing a very unilateral flow pattern, so looking forward to seeing how I can tweak these for a more natural, random flow.

2. Replaced my 5 month old Eheim eThermos with 2x BRS 100w titanium heaters which I caught on sale over President’s weekend. I had noticed moisture accumulating in my Eheims and did a pre-emptive strike. On closer inspection, the Eheim's had noticeable water in the ends of the heaters, so I don't regret it.

PSA to regularly inspect your heaters!

Curious how the BRS heaters pan out, as a free perk I’ve read they can act as a ground probe. Compared to the Eheims these things have some weight and are solid. Rather than have them float around I’ve also ordered a double heater mag mount from @cromag27 and will post a quick review once recieved.

3. I use a pinpoint PH probe via my Hydros that had gone 5 months since calibration - should be doing it monthly. Got a nice surprise when it re-calibrated .22 lower. I’ve watched my PH drift from 7.8 to 8.3 over the last few months and assumed it was the tank ‘maturing’…NOT! In fact my PH has been in the 7.9-8.1 range all along.

PSA to frequently re-calibrate your PH and salinty probes!

 

[LBCBJ]

Tank is 6 months old today!

Had to celebrate by grabbing some new pieces yesterday at Nemo's Reef. I think these are my favorite yet (under actinic this morning).

From left-right:

• Meteor Shower Cyphastrea
• Space Invader Chalice
• Cactus Pavona

All in all, things have been looking great lately. Almost 0 nuisance algae, although a few patches of hair algae popped up in the last week (likely off a recent frag). Have also noticed some small clusters of bubble algae, which I've been manually removing so far..

I'm finding nutrients are hard to keep elevated, especially nitrate. I'm going to bump my feeding up to 2x/day for a week or two and see how things react.

Figured I'd take a minute to share my maintenance schedule, if for nothing more than a journal to revisit in the next 6 months to see how my routine has evolved.

Daily

• Check temp, PH and other vitals from my Hydros app couple times/day
• Visually inspect sump level, filter sock, skimmer cup, and tank to make sure nothing’s looking off
• Feed fish 1-2x/day (mostly pellets during the week, and LRS on the weekends)

Every Few Days

• Clean glass every 2-3 days
• Fill ATO every 2-3 days
• Replace Reef Diapers every 3-4 days

Weekly (Saturday/Sunday)

• 10% water change (I've yet to miss a week on this, and strongly believe this enforces discipline with the tank). Every 2-3 water changes I'll siphon the sandbed, but otherwise the WCs are done from the sump.
• Clean skimmer cup
• Wipe down the sump, cabinet and display
• Make 10g RODI for the week
• Check all parameters - salinty, alk, nitrate, phosphate

Misc

• Test Calcium monthly
• Clean powerheads monthly, taking them out for a scrub and citric acid bath
• Just did a 6 month cleaning of my skimmer and return pump, and will intend to do this every 3-6 months. I was surprised how much gunk was deep in the skimmer. Got that sucker nice and clean!

Cheers!

 

[LBCBJ]

Posted a day early! Got a magnetic double heater holder for my new BRS heaters and also a nori clip from @cromag27 and wanted to share since they arrived this morning.

Let me tell you, these magnets are no joke! Wow! Zero concern about this thing budging.

I posted a few weeks ago about how my Jagers had already began to leak, and I had also had a few occasions where a suction cup came loose and a heater was floating. Wanted to nip that issue in the bud with a mag holder and came across @cromag27 on this forum.

The holder fits perfectly even in my tiny Cade 500 sump. I have a 2nd heater I’ll be adding today which will act as an emergency backup run off my Hydros in the event my Inkbird were to fail.

Very pleased with these accessories and I can tell they were made with pride. Would recommend!

 

[cromag27]

thank you!

 

[Wtyson254]

I just got one of these to upgrade my Red Sea max nano, do you happen to know the dimensions of the return chamber, I’m looking for return pumps

 

[LBCBJ]

I just got one of these to upgrade my Red Sea max nano, do you happen to know the dimensions of the return chamber, I’m looking for return pumps

Nice upgrade! The return chamber is 8.5”x16”x6.5”. Cade has a diagram of the dims on their site if you scroll through the images:

Reef S2/N 500 Black | CADE Australia

CADE Reef S2/N is a brand new professional AIO Nano Reef Aquarium.The CADE Reef S2/N sets a new standard in Nano Reef keeping by providing important functionality that you'd expect to only find on larger systems. The S2/N 500 sets a new benchmark in Nano Reef Aquariums, there's really no limit...

www.cadeaustralia.com.au

The chamber is large enough that you could run essentially any pump you want. I originally purchased a Vectra S2 but realized I’d have to plumb a custom adapter for it to fit the Cade return line. Switched to a Sicce Syncra SDC 6.0 and its been great.

That said I’m at 5x turnover running the pump at only 20%, so you can save some $$ and go with the 3.0 - that would be my recommendation for this tank.

The main watchout for this sump will actually be the heaters, make sure they’re not too long.

 

[Wtyson254]

Also, I’m looking at the hydros model you have, were you able to easily mount it? Happen to have any pictures? Also pics of your sump and controller board?

 

[LBCBJ]

Also, I’m looking at the hydros model you have, were you able to easily mount it? Happen to have any pictures? Also pics of your sump and controller board?

Both the Hydros and Apex are too thick to mount on the controller board. The Cade has a small enclosed shelf inside the cabinet where I have the Hydros X4 and XP8 sitting side-by-side and they fit perfectly.

I'm a big fan of the Hydros so far and would recommend.

I have pics of the sump and controller board at the bottom of page 1, but here are some current ones.

Sump

Controller Cabinet

One of these days I'll take another go at wire management, but that will be a very painful day!

 

[Rjukan]

Great build! As someone who has a 24" cube I can truly appreciate a lot of what you've done. The scape looks great, and wow.. the stand is amazing!! I'm so envious of it lol.

Hopefully things are progressing as you had expected, and you will update again soon. Did you happen to get the filter clips for your phone camera yet? They are great, I went with polyp labs back several years ago. But before that, I was able to use an app called Snapseed that really worked well with dialing down the blues in a pic. It's under the "warmth" setting iirc.

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Great build! As someone who has a 24" cube I can truly appreciate a lot of what you've done. The scape looks great, and wow.. the stand is amazing!! I'm so envious of it lol.

Hopefully things are progressing as you had expected, and you will update again soon. Did you happen to get the filter clips for your phone camera yet? They are great, I went with polyp labs back several years ago. But before that, I was able to use an app called Snapseed that really worked well with dialing down the blues in a pic. It's under the "warmth" setting iirc.

I just picked up a set of orphek lenses I have been very happy with.

 

[LBCBJ]

Great build! As someone who has a 24" cube I can truly appreciate a lot of what you've done. The scape looks great, and wow.. the stand is amazing!! I'm so envious of it lol.

Hopefully things are progressing as you had expected, and you will update again soon. Did you happen to get the filter clips for your phone camera yet? They are great, I went with polyp labs back several years ago. But before that, I was able to use an app called Snapseed that really worked well with dialing down the blues in a pic. It's under the "warmth" setting iirc.

Appreciate the kind words! And thanks for the nudge on the camera lense - time to stop posting crappy washed out photos

Just passed the 7 month mark and things have been going well. Picking up the pace of adding more coral as I’ve probably played it a bit too safe and that’s left a lot of open space in the tank.

The main issue I’m currently dealing with is bubble algae of all things. A single piece made it in on an early frag and has really exploded over the last month…like really bad. Have been manually removing and also added an emerald crab.

Added three new pieces over the weekend. Will be adding the hammers next to my existing peach hammer to make a small hammer garden.

• Gummy bear favia
• Green stem hammer
• Rose purple hammer

Here’s a quick walkaround video of the tank after a water change over the weekend.

 

[LBCBJ]

I just picked up a set of orphek lenses I have been very happy with.

Good to hear! Everyone seems to recommend Orphek or Polylab…grabbing one of them today