Custom Cade S21200 build journey

[Corals4Reef]

Sorry everyone for a long hiatus. I appreciate the comments. Life happens and I moved to Florida, so the tank was on hold for long time. But I have finally had time over the last couple of months to do some work.
Catching up on the build, my first GEO sump came broke. I contacted GEO and he was great and quickly got me an new sump. It looked great and as expected. Now came the plumbing challenge.

 

[Corals4Reef]

I had to really play with plumbing as the sump was built for 1.5in return so I had to convert the Cade metric plumbing to the sump. I also removed the board from the stand that originally separated the original sump from the chiller/electronics area. I wanted a blue theme, so I ordered blue pvc board from Home Depot and cut to install in areas of the stand and used blue PVC.

I had to get different bulkheads for the return and then transition them to standard.

 

[Corals4Reef]

One of the most challenging parts of plumbing was actually the gravity ATO. I was able to use the chamber before the return. I transitioned the original plumbing to 1/2 inch PVC and connected to a union. I had to slightly drill the sump hole larger to accommodate 1/2 inch PVC. I was then able to use a PVC slip/threaded coupling to connect to a threaded 1/2 inch float valve from Amazon. I have it up and running and it is working great, no issues. I have extra float valves and if needed I can unscrew and replace.

 

[Corals4Reef]

I have had water in the tank cycling, so while I am waiting there remains a lot of computer work and still setting up and organizing. One the customization was to add sound proofing to the Cade stand doors. They are great doors, but thin glass, so I ordered thin acoustic absorbing panels. I used double sided tape and installed them on the doors. They made the doors a little more solid and fit perfectly in the depth so they did not affect opening/closing and helped reduce overall sound. The overall tank/sump are dead quiet.

 

[ReefStash Verified Sponsor]

I have had water in the tank cycling, so while I am waiting there remains a lot of computer work and still setting up and organizing. One the customization was to add sound proofing to the Cade stand doors. They are great doors, but thin glass, so I ordered thin acoustic absorbing panels. I used double sided tape and installed them on the doors. They made the doors a little more solid and fit perfectly in the depth so they did not affect opening/closing and helped reduce overall sound. The overall tank/sump are dead quiet.

Very cool. Might have to do something similar eventually. I have 5 kiddos and this would make me feel better about the glass doors. 100

 

[blaxsun]

I love the soundproofing idea - something I have to look into!

 

[Projects with Sam]

Very clean setup. Looks great!

 

[Corals4Reef]

Very clean setup. Looks great!

Thanks, a lot of learning, thinking, and trying left to do.

 

[Corals4Reef]

I have been working on how and where to set up my GHL equipment (ProfiLux, Doser, KH Director, and pending ION Director -1.5 years and still waiting). I could not figure out how to get a neat set-up in the Cade cabinet with the custom sump. I decided to use an IKEA cabinet that had the smoked glass to match the Cade stand. I had to cut out back slots so the probes and plugs could fit with the door shut, which will not be visible when the equipment is aligned. I installed using a 1.5” square wood board at the top and the bottom, which gave me about 1/2 inch to get cables through the side.
Still working on getting it organized and cleaned up. I placed cable raceways for the doser tubes. I am thinking I will paint those black and touch up the inside with some black, but I wanted to see how it looked first.

 

[AlgaeBarn Verified Sponsor]

This looks magnificent!! I like that you have the Ikea cabinet suspended so that you can still access the sump on that side :-)

 

[Corals4Reef]

This looks magnificent!! I like that you have the Ikea cabinet suspended so that you can still access the sump on that side :)

thank you. The 3 door access is one of my favorite features on the Cade stand so I needed to make sure I could still access.

 

[AlgaeBarn Verified Sponsor]

Can't wait to see updates when you start to add coral! :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

 

[Corals4Reef]

In the process of setting up the Profilux and realized I now need to downgrade the firmware on the MP40s or considering switching. I was thinking of changing to the to Octo Pulse 4, good flow, connects with Profilux, cord in the tank is the con. Debating on whether to change or downgrade the firmware, which I assume my MP40s were manufactured before December 2021 and can be downgraded. MP40s to Octo Pulse 4?

 

[reaper93]

Looking good! Can't wait to see how this tank progresses

 

[Wingzinco]

I have had water in the tank cycling, so while I am waiting there remains a lot of computer work and still setting up and organizing. One the customization was to add sound proofing to the Cade stand doors. They are great doors, but thin glass, so I ordered thin acoustic absorbing panels. I used double sided tape and installed them on the doors. They made the doors a little more solid and fit perfectly in the depth so they did not affect opening/closing and helped reduce overall sound. The overall tank/sump are dead quiet.

Great idea! Would you mind sharing a link to these panels? They look more dense than typical foam sound baffles that I use for music. Are they solid enough to wipe down to deal with splashing or salt creep? I'm in the process of building out my 1200 as well. Thanks!

 

[Corals4Reef]

Thanks, happy to share, I got them off Amazon. Absorption panels. I was not sure what to look for, just trying to find something to make the doors more sound proof and solid and I was looking for something that fit in the door depth and these worked well. Not sure about longevity yet, they are a fabric material so I figured any water would absorb some. Attaching them with double sided tape also allows me to remove them if they do not work. Since I replaced the original sump, the GEO sump has covers over the sections, so there is very little evaporation / salt creep at this point. Looking forward to reading about your build. The Cade tanks are great tanks.

 

[xxoczukxx]

Continuing my build with my light setup.

I had decided to go with 2 Mitras Lx7. I originally ordered the flex mount light brackets from GHL that attach to the stand. The challenge faced was there was no way to attach them to the CADE aluminum stand. They were made to bolt/attach to the back of the stand, but I could not locate a good spot to attach them on the left or right.

I decided to go the 8020 route and credit to Vinny’s build as he outlined the needed pieces. I was able to attach it to the center of the stand in the PVC board.

I used components from the GHL flex mount to attach it. I then created a t-mount for the Mitras.

Using the clear PVC holders from the flex mount, I cut them and rounded so they would be symmetrical. I drilled the center hole larger to accommodate the bolt for mounting to the 8020.

I ran the cables in the 8020 with clip holders and plugged in the lights to test.

When I get the water going, I will run a par test. Next up is to work on a water mixing station and I need to determine equipment layout. The GHL dosers and Profilux will not fit into the CADE electrical area.

Can you point me in the direction of instructions for the light stand?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

How is the tank coming along?