Hi everyone,
I finally finished my build for my Cade 600 Reef S2 last night and I am ready to post my build thread. I upgraded my IM 20 gallon AIO to this beauty. I always wanted a Cade, the clarity of the glass is breathtaking in person.
Aquascape: I had built my aquascape 1 week prior. I should have waited for the actual tank because I used the dimensions online to build the aquascape. I didn't take into account the back panel and made the aquascape too long. I was able to pivot last minute to make it work. I used (maybe 30 lb?) Real Reef Rock and Marco's Coralline Mortar to make it. I had zero luck with the super glue and activator, they make it look easy on BRS but I couldn't get it to work for me.
Cade arrived! Unboxed and filled with water to start the cycling process. It was very heavy!! I was not a huge fan of the lid, it is a little flimsy. The doors are very handy and convenient to get to the sump. I just had return pump (Jebao MDP-5000) installed with some MarinePure Bioballs in the sump during the cycling process. I like using Tims All in one and ammonia for cycling (took around 16 days). I used 50 lbs Caribsea Arag-alive special-grade sand.
Once cycling was complete I finished my sump setup.
Equipment in sump:
- Jebao Return Pump MDP-5000
- Bubble Magus Curve Elite 5
- 125 Watt Eheim Jager x 2 (with Inkbird controller, Yolink Smart temp data logger and mounted with Icecap dual magnetic heater holder)
- Custom 3D printed refugium basket with chaeto
- Innovative Marine Chaetomax Refugium Light 9 watt
- 4 inch 150 Micron Honeycomb Filter Sock
- Media: MarinePure 1.5 in Biofilter Media Spheres, Carbon, Biofilter Media Foam Sponges (generic)
The magnets that came with the Icecap heater holder were not strong enough to hold it up, so I purchased some generic magnets online to add some extra power to hold it up. My husband 3D printed the filter basket for me to hold my chaeto. Here is the link we used and he resized it for me if anyone is interested in printing one too https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4863924. I was hard to find the right size filter basket. (And the ones for sale on Etsy were incredibly overpriced IMHO). I mounted my skimmer on some eggcrate because it is still overflowing, I have it at around 7 in depth right now and will keep watching it/breaking it in.
Now, on to the main tank. The custom lid took several days and was a nightmare!
Tank equipment:
- HMS Multi Light Mount Kit w/ 24" (25.5" inch rail)
- Red Sea Led50 (x 2) with custom rail mounts
- D-D the aquarium solution lid kit with custom 3D parts
- Jebao SLW 20 Wavemaker (x2)
- Penn-plax silent air B11 (x3) for power outages (1 in sump and 2 in main tank)
My husband helped me with the lid and light mount.
Lid: The D-D solutions kit makes you cut all the rails with a saw. The pieces it came with did not allow me to make a close fit around the light mounting feet. He designed and 3D printed me some custom z connections to make it go around the light mount perfectly. I found this hinge print file (https://www.printables.com/model/133434-acryliclexan-hinge-small-glue-on) and made the front open/hinge for easy feeding/access. I think it came out slick but it took A LOT of extra effort. (*Side note: the D-D feeding portal kind of sucks, I bought it but did not use it, the lid just sits on top, a breath of wind knocks it off)
Light Mount: Husband had to cut HMS side rails to make it shorter and not obstruct the view. He made me 3D printed rail mounts to make the Red Sea Lights fit onto the rails. (I already had 1 RedSea Light for my old tank and I could no longer return it, so I wanted to utlize it for my new build)
RedSea Led 50 Settings: I have softies and LPS - Blue 45%, White 5% - Par readings: Sand Bed 80-100, Lower 3rd Tank 100, Lower Half 110-120, Top 130-150
On to the side panel and accessories!
I bought some broom holders on Amazon to hold my long tools. I also got some shark magnet cable holders to hold my cables to the side to have easy access to the doors on the back top panels.
Side panel (Left to Right): Jebao wavemakers x2, Jebao Return Pump, Inkbird temp controller, Yolink smart data temp logger
Some pics from this morning, my fav little guy, cleaner shrimp Jacques. I only have two corals right now (GSP and toadstool). I have 9 corals in QT, can't wait to put them in! This will be a softies/LPS tank. I plan to mount the GSP to the back wall (but I can't get it to stick! Tried epoxy and superglue already) I plan on getting a tail spot blenny and fire goby in the future.
Current Stock:
- Cleaner shrimp
- 2 Cerith Snails
- 1 Nassarius
- 1 Margarita Snail
- 1 Scarlet Reef Hermit
- 2 Blue Leg Hermits
- 1 Toadstool Leather
- 1 Sm Colony green star polyp
Currently in QT:
- 2 Snowflake clownfish
- 5 Trochus Snails
- Frogspawn
- Blue Hammer
- Cotton Candy Acan
- Halle Berry Zoas
- Mandarin Zoas
- Yellow Finger Gorgonian
- 2 Rhodactis Mushroom (1 purple, 1 white)
- 5 Mint Moon Duncans
Thank you for looking at my build. I put a lot of love into it <3. Thanks to my husband for putting up with me and helping me 3D print so many custom parts. I couldn't have finished it without him.

I finally finished my build for my Cade 600 Reef S2 last night and I am ready to post my build thread. I upgraded my IM 20 gallon AIO to this beauty. I always wanted a Cade, the clarity of the glass is breathtaking in person.
Aquascape: I had built my aquascape 1 week prior. I should have waited for the actual tank because I used the dimensions online to build the aquascape. I didn't take into account the back panel and made the aquascape too long. I was able to pivot last minute to make it work. I used (maybe 30 lb?) Real Reef Rock and Marco's Coralline Mortar to make it. I had zero luck with the super glue and activator, they make it look easy on BRS but I couldn't get it to work for me.


Cade arrived! Unboxed and filled with water to start the cycling process. It was very heavy!! I was not a huge fan of the lid, it is a little flimsy. The doors are very handy and convenient to get to the sump. I just had return pump (Jebao MDP-5000) installed with some MarinePure Bioballs in the sump during the cycling process. I like using Tims All in one and ammonia for cycling (took around 16 days). I used 50 lbs Caribsea Arag-alive special-grade sand.


Once cycling was complete I finished my sump setup.
Equipment in sump:
- Jebao Return Pump MDP-5000
- Bubble Magus Curve Elite 5
- 125 Watt Eheim Jager x 2 (with Inkbird controller, Yolink Smart temp data logger and mounted with Icecap dual magnetic heater holder)
- Custom 3D printed refugium basket with chaeto
- Innovative Marine Chaetomax Refugium Light 9 watt
- 4 inch 150 Micron Honeycomb Filter Sock
- Media: MarinePure 1.5 in Biofilter Media Spheres, Carbon, Biofilter Media Foam Sponges (generic)



The magnets that came with the Icecap heater holder were not strong enough to hold it up, so I purchased some generic magnets online to add some extra power to hold it up. My husband 3D printed the filter basket for me to hold my chaeto. Here is the link we used and he resized it for me if anyone is interested in printing one too https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4863924. I was hard to find the right size filter basket. (And the ones for sale on Etsy were incredibly overpriced IMHO). I mounted my skimmer on some eggcrate because it is still overflowing, I have it at around 7 in depth right now and will keep watching it/breaking it in.
Now, on to the main tank. The custom lid took several days and was a nightmare!



Tank equipment:
- HMS Multi Light Mount Kit w/ 24" (25.5" inch rail)
- Red Sea Led50 (x 2) with custom rail mounts
- D-D the aquarium solution lid kit with custom 3D parts
- Jebao SLW 20 Wavemaker (x2)
- Penn-plax silent air B11 (x3) for power outages (1 in sump and 2 in main tank)



My husband helped me with the lid and light mount.
Lid: The D-D solutions kit makes you cut all the rails with a saw. The pieces it came with did not allow me to make a close fit around the light mounting feet. He designed and 3D printed me some custom z connections to make it go around the light mount perfectly. I found this hinge print file (https://www.printables.com/model/133434-acryliclexan-hinge-small-glue-on) and made the front open/hinge for easy feeding/access. I think it came out slick but it took A LOT of extra effort. (*Side note: the D-D feeding portal kind of sucks, I bought it but did not use it, the lid just sits on top, a breath of wind knocks it off)
Light Mount: Husband had to cut HMS side rails to make it shorter and not obstruct the view. He made me 3D printed rail mounts to make the Red Sea Lights fit onto the rails. (I already had 1 RedSea Light for my old tank and I could no longer return it, so I wanted to utlize it for my new build)
RedSea Led 50 Settings: I have softies and LPS - Blue 45%, White 5% - Par readings: Sand Bed 80-100, Lower 3rd Tank 100, Lower Half 110-120, Top 130-150
On to the side panel and accessories!



I bought some broom holders on Amazon to hold my long tools. I also got some shark magnet cable holders to hold my cables to the side to have easy access to the doors on the back top panels.
Side panel (Left to Right): Jebao wavemakers x2, Jebao Return Pump, Inkbird temp controller, Yolink smart data temp logger
Some pics from this morning, my fav little guy, cleaner shrimp Jacques. I only have two corals right now (GSP and toadstool). I have 9 corals in QT, can't wait to put them in! This will be a softies/LPS tank. I plan to mount the GSP to the back wall (but I can't get it to stick! Tried epoxy and superglue already) I plan on getting a tail spot blenny and fire goby in the future.



Current Stock:
- Cleaner shrimp
- 2 Cerith Snails
- 1 Nassarius
- 1 Margarita Snail
- 1 Scarlet Reef Hermit
- 2 Blue Leg Hermits
- 1 Toadstool Leather
- 1 Sm Colony green star polyp
Currently in QT:
- 2 Snowflake clownfish
- 5 Trochus Snails
- Frogspawn
- Blue Hammer
- Cotton Candy Acan
- Halle Berry Zoas
- Mandarin Zoas
- Yellow Finger Gorgonian
- 2 Rhodactis Mushroom (1 purple, 1 white)
- 5 Mint Moon Duncans
Thank you for looking at my build. I put a lot of love into it <3. Thanks to my husband for putting up with me and helping me 3D print so many custom parts. I couldn't have finished it without him.

