Mandarins Cade

DHill6 · Jul 28, 2025

This is the last one…

Cade 600 S2 with Cade polycarbonate lid
RE Bubble King Double Cone 130
Syncra SDC 6.0
Helio 200w x2 heater (winter only)
ITC (auto fan control)
GHL fan (sump)
MP 40QD
Anker Solix Backup (rtn & mp40)
Kessil 500x (mounted on wall using oak designed holder)
Yeti 500x with solar panel (xtra if needed)
Hydros X4

This time LPS w some softy
Tank is almost running itself, TBS live rock in display and sump. Reef diapers and 4 g water change weekly. The plumbing on this tank out does every other tank I’ve had, it’s silent with the syncra 6.0
I was going to go with a small tank but I had a pair of mandarins. They’re both Biota. They’re fed LRF nano and TDO pellets. I use Tropic Marin Phos Feed 1-2x weekly.
AFR dosed as needed along with TMPro salt are keeping this tank at 8.5 I wanted less gadgets to mess with. This is definitely working for me.
DKH 8.5
N03 .0
P04 .03
CA 440-450 (I don’t test regularly since it’s always this)

Tank Inhabitants at this time:

Mandarin pair

Yellow banded shrimp
Bumblebees
Red Banded Trochius
Florida Certh
Juju bee snail
Stars TBS rock

Assorted gorgorians and corals

TBS live rock: 18 lbs.

DHill6 · Jul 28, 2025

This tank was set up 4/24/25. The occupants were held in a brute trash can for over 2 months awaiting the Cade. That was absolutely no fun, algae cleaning chore. Lost a couple corals and snails. Using live rock there was minimal dirty time and algae. Best move I’ve made over 15 yrs of different dry rocks, ceramics, sand

Delly · May 25, 2026

DHill6 said:
This tank was set up 4/24/25. The occupants were held in a brute trash can for over 2 months awaiting the Cade. That was absolutely no fun, algae cleaning chore. Lost a couple corals and snails. Using live rock there was minimal dirty time and algae. Best move I’ve made over 15 yrs of different dry rocks, ceramics, sand

Hey thanks for the post, I just got one of these well still waiting for it. But it was nice to see the electronics part of this tank to see what i'm getting myself into.

I did not understand your post 100% did you say that using live rock was your best move in 15 years? and you would not recommend dry rock?

DHill6 · May 25, 2026

Yes, Using live rock, mine came from TBS, Nuisance algae wasn’t nearly as much as when using dry and ceramic rock. You get the bio diversity of the ocean, the ugly stage as people refer to us much less in my experience. I didn’t have to fight the algae’s. That’s the main reason. This is my fourth tank and it has been much easier with the live rock.
Plus you get free macros and coral, sometimes invertebrates. The grape macro just showed up a couple months ago, the anemones, sponges, starfish were there from the beginning. The photos, first one is white anemone and grape colored macro. The second is a yellow green