Cade Reef 1500 S2

[midgaar]

So this week has been pretty exciting, my new tank arrived and it's big (for me at least). Coming in at a total of just over 800lbs (according to UPS) and a total system water capacity of 180 gallons is my new Cade Reef 1500 S2.

I purchased this from AlgeaBarn and the experience was fantastic. When I placed my deposit the rep made sure to answer all of the questions I had about the tank and sent me pictures on things she wasn't sure of. The tank took 4-5 weeks to arrive and I received a phone call from AB once it did, giving me the option to proceed with delivery, wait awhile longer, to refund altogether. I received a call from UPS freight that same day stating they would be picking up the tank from AB the next day and could have it to my house the day after that. My time table my be off a little but I know it was either 2 or 3 days after the first call from AB until it was delivered at my door. The UPS driver moved the two crates to my garage and even helped open them up in order to inspect for damage...there was none.

So now I had to figure out how to get the tank into the house. I called friends and family and trying to schedule a day everyone was available became a hassle so I called a local moving company, Two Men and a Truck and they said they would come out the next day and get it inside for me. Costed $188 for three guys for 1.5 hours.

Stay tuned for the plan, the equipment list, the time table, and the problems/concerns.

 

[kenchilada]

Nice! Man I’m in the same boat. I have a 215g coming and no idea how to get it inside the house. I bet if I told my wife it’s gonna cost $188 she would just move it in herself though.

Also you look just like my cousin’s husband so if you ever need a stunt double let me know.

 

[GoTakeANap]

that is awesome man! good looking tank.

 

[midgaar]

Nice! Man I’m in the same boat. I have a 215g coming and no idea how to get it inside the house. I bet if I told my wife it’s gonna cost $188 she would just move it in herself though.

Also you look just like my cousin’s husband so if you ever need a stunt double let me know.

Ha, I'll let you know!

 

[midgaar]

that is awesome man! good looking tank.

Thanks!

 

[mattgsa]

Nice tank.

 

[RVA REEF]

lookin sweet! what did you put on the leveling feet? What do you plan to use for lights and powerheads and are you going to use their screen lid?
here is the moving quote I got for the 1800 from same company you used lol
I spoke with my Operations Manager, we would send 4 Men @ $260.00 per hour, 2 Hour minimum $520.00, plus a fee of $200.00, excessive weight.

 

[Funston07]

Following along. I plan on getting the 1800 at the beginning of next year

 

[midgaar]

Nice tank.

Thanks

lookin sweet! what did you put on the leveling feet? What do you plan to use for lights and powerheads and are you going to use their screen lid?
here is the moving quote I got for the 1800 from same company you used lol
I spoke with my Operations Manager, we would send 4 Men @ $260.00 per hour, 2 Hour minimum $520.00, plus a fee of $200.00, excessive weight.

My wife had these little furniture pad things that she puts on EVERYTHING. I thinks she picks them up at the grocery store, along with Commander hooks. She seems to put them things everywhere too. I'll be posting the equipment list and plan in just a bit. I haven't decided on the lid yet. That quote is stupid expensive or I just got lucky. I was tempted to drive down to the local park and pick up 3-4 guys that play ball down there.... If you think it would help shot me a PM and I'll send you a picture of my bill and you can try to use that to negotiate a better price.

Following along. I plan on getting the 1800 at the beginning of next year

I found one of your posts awhile back that actually directed me to the Cade aquarium. So you could say that you are responsible for this build! Looking forward to seeing your build.

 

[Letterkenny]

Following along.

 

[midgaar]

Equipment

Neptune Apex - I will be moving my Apex and Trident over from my frag tank. I will be adding on flow monitoring and leak detection modules.
Vectra M2 - I'm going to go Ecotech for everything that I can just to keep things universal. I picked Ecotech because they have a pretty wide array of equipment and it's plug and play battery backup. For the return pump I picked the Vectra M2. I liked the 1" return line for ease of using the Apex flow monitor (comes with 1" flow and two 1/2" flow monitors).
Vortech MP40 - I will be using two Vortech MP40 powerhead, one on each end of the tank. According to Ecotech's calculator this should be plenty for a tank my size, in fact they suggested a single MP40.
Radion XR15 - So this is where I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to do. The working plan right now is three XR15s with one or two of them rocking the Reef Bright supplemental add-ons. Each light would be mounted with its own stand on the back of the tank. I want to keep it clean and I don't like hanging lights, nor do I like the look of lights mounted on a bar spanning end to end on the tank. I have a PAR meter so I will adjust if PAR is not where it needs to be or if I receive insightful feedback here.
Maxspect Aeraqua Duo AD600 - This is the skimmer I've chosen. I don't have a good reason why I picked this but it's DC pumps, got good reviews, looks sleek, and is fairly priced. I have ZERO experience with skimmers so I'm open to feedback on this.
Kessil H80 Tuna Flora - Refugium light on a gooseneck stand. I have ZERO experience with a refugium also.
Versa - 2-4 Versa pumps for dosing, adding as needed.

Plan

This will be a multi month build for a couple of reasons. Firstly, budget concerns. I had to dip into my savings to purchase this tank and with the list of equipment above I will easily double the cost of the tank in equipment. I'm hoping to have this coral ready by January/February. Secondly, nothing happens fast in a reef tank. I figure if I take my time I can look for good deals on pricing, get to learn the equipment with low to no risk, maintain stable water perms, and get a good population of bacteria and pods. All this without risking any fish or coral health.

I will be starting with live sand and dry rock, most likely Marco rock foundation and shelf but the STAX rock looks good too. I like the negative space aquascape to some degree but not to the extent of the BRS360. I'm thinking more like bonsai tree looking shelves, we'll see what I can come up with. I'd love some input on this as well.

The sump - I've never had a sump before but I'm thinking I will use the media filter section for the skimmer. I'd use the skimmer/reactor section for macro algae, Cheeto. I'm open to ideas or suggestions on this.

Live Stock - For sure I will have a pair of clowns, a goby, mandarin, and a tang gang. Keeping as much SPS and I can make light for at the top half of the tank and LSP/Soft corals near the bottom. Mixed reef all the way. Anything else will be at will with the goal of trying to keep it diverse but peaceful.

Timeline

The goal here is to spend no more than $1000 per month. October is special because I have an extra paycheck so I can kick start the tank into a cycle with the extra money. I'm not a wealthy person and want to make it clear that this tank is a real commitment. I will be trimming up the budget pretty tight to make this goal. No fast food, no video games, no date nights, etc. I will also be putting in overtime at work whenever I can. Lucky for me, the wife enjoys this nearly as much as I do so she's on board 100%, at least that what she tells me.

October - Purchase pumps, salt, bio blocks, bacteria, and Coraline seed. Get water in the tank and cycle started via dosing Ammonia. No fish.
November - Skimmer. Light fish stock towards the end of the month.
December - Lights. Adding a tang or two.
January - Apex modules (flow and leak). Dosing pumps. Corals!
February - Misc, anything needed to finish up the build.

Problems/Concerns

I'll go into this in more detail at a later date but this tank will weigh approximately 3000 lbs and I'm not confident the floor can support the weight.

 

[Funston07]

I found one of your posts awhile back that actually directed me to the Cade aquarium. So you could say that you are responsible for this build! Looking forward to seeing your build.

That's awesome, I hope you like it. They are nice tanks. Im really glad people are starting to get these more and more before mine gets delivered so I can see what equipment others get and implement into their system that work well so I can make a decent selection on equipment.

 

[AlgaeBarn]

@midgaar I'm super happy that everything went well. I'm excited to see this tank come to life!

 

[BillReef71]

I have a few freshwater tanks, but my dream has been saltwater. So I am a saltwater noob. I had a water box on top of my tank list until I learned about CADE! This update answers so many of my initial questions. So nice it comes with a jump guard wondering how easy it is to modify if, for example, you want to add an auto feeder? Was delivery to the inside of your garage, or did you need to pay extra?

More updates and pics! - Congrats

 

[midgaar]

I have a few freshwater tanks, but my dream has been saltwater. So I am a saltwater noob. I had a water box on top of my tank list until I learned about CADE! This update answers so many of my initial questions. So nice it comes with a jump guard wondering how easy it is to modify if, for example, you want to add an auto feeder? Was delivery to the inside of your garage, or did you need to pay extra?

More updates and pics! - Congrats

It was delivered inside my garage. That was probably at the discretion of the delivery driver however.

I have an update on the build coming in the next few days, things have been crazy busy at work and my off days were cancelled this week so I haven’t had much time to post. There was a problem with the tank but I think we got it sorted out. Got the rock delivered and the return pump. Stay tuned for the details!

 

[fc2989]

Very nice, I have an older version.

 

[midgaar]

Very nice, I have an older version.

Looks great! I love the white. I wish the new versions came in white. Did you do anything to reinforce your floor?

 

[MERKEY]

Looks really good,

Sounds like you have a solid plan moving forward. Can't wait to see it full and thriving!

 

[midgaar]

Update 10-14-2020

Since the last update I have made some progress and some set backs. I was able to get all the plumbing in place and started filling with water to check for leaks. I'm glad I did this because my ATO reservoir had a small leak into the return section of the back of the tank. I went to the LFS to pick up some rock and silicone to patch the leak. I also ordered an EcoTech return pump which has since been delivered. The silicone made quick work of the leak and the tank holds water pretty well....who would have though.

I used the shipping crate the tank came in to put together my rock work. The rock work is progressing slowly. I'm using Marco Rock mortar to secure everything together.

I also ran into another small problem with the tank. I noticed a defect in the white paint on the bottom of the tank. There is an oval shape in the paint, like someone placed an object on the glass while the paint was drying. I plan on covering it with sand so it's not the end of the world, but for the premium price tag of this tank I wouldn't expect these kinds of quality control issues. I'm a little disappointed but I've reached out to @AlgaeBarn so let's see what can be done.

On a positive note, I have received my Sand, Salt, Brightwell Xport BIO Brick and bacteria. Soon as the rock work is done we will begin the cycle!! I'm hoping to have this done by the end of the week.

 

[terraincognita]

Update 10-14-2020

Since the last update I have made some progress and some set backs. I was able to get all the plumbing in place and started filling with water to check for leaks. I'm glad I did this because my ATO reservoir had a small leak into the return section of the back of the tank. I went to the LFS to pick up some rock and silicone to patch the leak. I also ordered an EcoTech return pump which has since been delivered. The silicone made quick work of the leak and the tank holds water pretty well....who would have though.

I used the shipping crate the tank came in to put together my rock work. The rock work is progressing slowly. I'm using Marco Rock mortar to secure everything together.

I also ran into another small problem with the tank. I noticed a defect in the white paint on the bottom of the tank. There is an oval shape in the paint, like someone placed an object on the glass while the paint was drying. I plan on covering it with sand so it's not the end of the world, but for the premium price tag of this tank I wouldn't expect these kinds of quality control issues. I'm a little disappointed but I've reached out to @AlgaeBarn so let's see what can be done.

On a positive note, I have received my Sand, Salt, Brightwell Xport BIO Brick and bacteria. Soon as the rock work is done we will begin the cycle!! I'm hoping to have this done by the end of the week.

At Least it's on the bottom and you'll most likely never see it right???

Awesome tank!

You're a brave brave man putting more than a ton on your 2nd floor I'd be scared ****less regardless of my weight rating for my walls and floor.