CAD Lights 28 gallon build

[Littorina]

Well, I finally bought my first saltwater tank!  Picked up my CAD 28 gallon tank and stand, and a used 120w Maxspec Razor LED at Aquamania this weekend, and then picked up enough supplies to start cycling!  Will attempt to aquascape in the next day or two, and hopefully have water in by the weekend!  I am very excited!   

    I'll post more pics as the build progresses!

[Got Fish?]

Water in it yet??

[Littorina]

NO David, no water yet.......

[NjOyRiD]

NO David, no water yet.......

[Herstead]

Don't worry mine sat empty for over a year before I got water in it! Don't listen to those trying to rush you!

- Jonathan

[Stussi613]

Mines been empty since August - but it won't be for long!

[Littorina]

I did some aquascaping tonight!!  Too tired to finish, 2 more pieces to put in.   The shape looks good!

[Greatwhite]

That light you bought pumps out A LOT of light...  You'll want to experiment and probably turn it down to about 75% at most.  I have 2 of those units on my 90G and run at 80% at mid-day.

Running it full power can irritate corals.

Also, be aware that the fans are programmed only to turn on when they are running at over 80%.  Under that magic number, they just use the heat sinks for radiant cooling.  I was afraid that mine were defective and was searching for a solution and came upon that tidbit of information.

[Littorina]

Hi Great White!

   Yep, I had been reading up on the Razor, and knew it was intense...some people were even running it at only 40% in the beginning.  I didn't realize I'd possibly be cranking them up to 75%!  Will have to play around for sure...might ask your advice from time to time on them then, since now I know you have them too!   

And the really efficient heat sink is another reason I was attracted to them.  Plus they're so slim and unobtrusive, and I really like the programmable feature.   

[Greatwhite]

Hi Great White!

   Yep, I had been reading up on the Razor, and knew it was intense...some people were even running it at only 40% in the beginning.  I didn't realize I'd possibly be cranking them up to 75%!  Will have to play around for sure...might ask your advice from time to time on them then, since now I know you have them too!   

And the really efficient heat sink is another reason I was attracted to them.  Plus they're so slim and unobtrusive, and I really like the programmable feature.   

They are very nice lights.  I was a little apprehensive about them because they didn't have all the color capabilities of other LEDs - but then I read that the red lights can damage coral.  I like the crisp white light with a hint of blue, personally.  I think I posted my lighting schedule somewhere, I'll find it and PM you.

[Littorina]

Here it is!!  No water yet, but rockwork is finished, and aragonite is in! 

My bed is ranging between 1.5" and 1.75" deep....that's ok, right?  I can put 2" in, if it's better.......thoughts?

[Littorina]

Here it is!  Water has been in about 24 hours now and has cleared pretty well (specific gravity 1.025, temp. approx 76-77, initial pH is around 8 or 8.1, but it's just a color test strip kit, so not overly accurate). 

I applied marine epoxy putty to my marco rock, and I have about a little over an inch of aragonite as the sand bed. 

Just have a Fluval sponge in the overflow compartment for now......I plan on going and buying 1-2 pieces of live rock to sit in the refugium to seed the cycle.  It would be great if I could put some cheato in the refugium also after cycling, and some copepods. Future plans!   

And eventually, I'll put the Tunze 9002 in the back sump too.  Will have to figure out what I'm going to do for chemical filtration....

I am very happy with this tank!  The shape and size is perfect - lots of room to aquascape, and still room in the sand bed. The tank build itself is really nice quality.  Silicone job is fantastic, sump is big enough for my newbie plans, and although it's not starfire glass like the other CAD's, the glass is still very nice.  The return pump is providing nice flow so far.....might not need a powerhead right away....

     I just HAD to turn the Razor on tonight to see the full effect!  It's dimmed quite a bit, but wow, still gorgeous!  The shimmer on my ceiling is so calming  :-) 

[Littorina]

Forgot to attach the picture in my excitement!  Whoops!

[az]

looks good.

[Littorina]

Thanks Az! I am very please with it.  Let's hope I can keep it healthy and happy! 

[Littorina]

     I have my first hitchhikers!!!!  I picked up a couple of small pieces of live rock yesterday to add to my refugium, to seed my tank and start cycling...about an hour and a half later, found 3 little Asternia starfish!  So cute to watch, although I was warned to keep an eye on them, as they can quickly overrun a tank!  They're the only thing living in my tank at the moment, so I think I'll keep them and enjoy!  :-)

[AdamN]

Looks good! .. Hitchhikers can be fun. As for your sand bed, its plenty, unless you have a specific critter you plan to add later that wants a deeper one. You would be pretty safe with 2" in that case. 

[Littorina]

Well, ammonia is pretty much zero, nitrite is 0.01ppm, nitrate is less than 5ppm.....diatoms are EVERYWHERE, so I added a fighting conch, an elegance coral, and a green mushroom.   I also added 2 percula clowns.   Will add more snails soon.  Stocking for fish is enough for now, will keep that part on the slow side, but I couldn't resist purchasing a few LPS's!  :-)   

[Littorina]

Here are my green mushrooms!  Color from my camera phone is aweful - they're a beautiful lime green in person.  :-)

[Stussi613]

Looking good!!