seanoli's CAD Lights Mini II 8G Build

[seanoli]

Hello, everyone!

 

I’m going to go ahead and call myself “new to the hobby.” I had a 55G setup when I was a kid, but as I’ve discovered from reading these forums over the last few months, my parents and I really had no idea what we were doing.

 

I’ve spent a considerable amount of time researching nano AIO’s and eventually settled on the CAD Lights Mini II 8G. I was initially attracted to the IM Nuvo 8, its wide install base and the wide array of AquaGadgets but ultimately decided on the CAD Lights. I really liked the look of the clean base—and my love of modifying equipment (the $50 price different didn’t hurt, either).

 

My setup, tank and stand, arrived five days after I placed the order (CA to DC) and I was very pleased to see how well everything was packed—ie: nothing was broken. I rinsed out the flecks of Styrofoam and filled it up for a leak test. No leaks!

 

After staring at the empty tank full of freshwater, I noticed what appeared to be an air bubble on the glass. I ran my hand over it and much to my dismay it was actually inside the glass, the front panel, no less. Called CAD lights and they agreed to send a replacement.

 

In the meantime, I figured I would start cycling my rock and sand (I know, I know, it will likely restart when I transfer everything but I’m going out of town the last week of August so I’m not in a huge hurry).

 

Some thoughts on the tank:

Build threads are few and far between on this unit so I was a little surprised when the product that arrived was not exactly as I’d seen before. For starters, the rear chamber is not removable as it was in previous versions. Additionally, they have glued a piece of glass over the lower skimmer to block the flow from that section (unpolished glass, btw…sliced my finger open trying to figure out what it was).

 

The pump configuration is a little odd, too. It is mounted vertically and attached directly to return hole in the wall that creates the rear chamber. What’s odd/annoying is that the pump is almost completely exposed to the air when it’s turned on, leaving only enough water—about ¾”—actually covering the pump intake. The nozzle that points into the tank shoots straight at the front glass causing sand to evacuate the front right corner.

 

Another issue I noticed is that the top skimmer does not seem to let enough flow through and forces the water level almost over the dividing wall. I will address this when my ‘forever’ tank arrives by widening a few of the intake slots with my Dremel (I knew I’d find a use for it other than carving pumpkins).

 

I really wanted the pump to be completely submerged in the bottom of the rear chamber to make full use of the right hand section. To do this, I added an elbow with an adapter for the pump and a Loc Line NPT adapter through the hold in the dividing wall. Then I attached a flare nozzle to help evenly distribute the water in the display portion of the tank.

 

Overall Tank Rating: 9/10

 

The stand:

It didn’t come with any instructions but it wasn’t too difficult to figure outIt seems sturdy enough to support the tank so I have no complaints.

 

Overall Stand Rating: you-get-what-you-pay-for/10

 

New tank should be here next Friday (can’t wait). I’m also expecting some additional plumbing supplies and the AutoAqua Smart ATO. Does anyone have any suggestions on a reservoir?

 

 

I also plan on making a custom media basket out of acrylic—InTank doesn’t make them for this setup… I’d like to use filter floss, Purigen and Chemipure. Thoughts?

 

Here’s the SKP of the basket:

 

 

Here are my water parameters for the first week:

pH: 8.2

NO3: 0

NO2: 0

NH3/NH4: .5

 

And here's the photo dump:

 

Tank in shipping box:

 

Brooks checking out the stand packaging--very disappointed it wasn't a BarkBox.

 

Pieces of the stand:

 

RH side of tank:

 

Rear chamber of tank:

 

FTS, no water:

 

FTS w/ light, no water:

 

Leak test:

 

FTS w/ base rock:

 

FTS w/ added live rock:

 

Close up scape shot:

 

I look forward to hearing everyone's comments and suggestions! Thanks.

[smallreef]

Looks like a great start!

[YHSublime]

Looks great. Your cycle shouldn't restart if you move everything over, btw. Just my thoughts.

[pizzaguy]

Very nice.

[seanoli]

Looks like a great start!

Thank you! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Looks great. Your cycle shouldn't restart if you move everything over, btw. Just my thoughts.

I hope so. Thanks for the compliment.

 

Very nice.

Thanks!

 

Any ideas on a reservoir for the ATO? Space is limited and aesthetics are important because this is in my living room.

[seanoli]

Boring, boring cycle... I wanted to see if anyone could help me with a could of questions. I'm currently cycling my tank with a piece of "cured" live rock from Premium Aquatics. I've been testing my water regularly and in the last two weeks and the ammonia hasn't gone above .5ppm, nitrites at .25ppm and no nitrates. Is that even enough ammonia to do anything? Is there something else I should be doing to get this process going?

 

Thanks for everyone's time and help!

[smallreef]

Ghost feeding....

You have to introduce a source of food for the bacteria to devour...

Usually just a few pellets or flakes a day for 2 weeks

[seanoli]

Ghost feeding....

You have to introduce a source of food for the bacteria to devour...

Usually just a few pellets or flakes a day for 2 weeks

 

Thanks, I will try that!

[seanoli]

Nothing exciting is happening but I did get my new tank of CAD Lights. It arrived packed very well and there are no bubbles—which is awesome. I also received some plumbing parts and an AutoAqua ATO.

 

The box:

 

Leak test:

 

Prepping the vinyl-wrapped back of the tank for the ATO:

 

It really is incredible how small this thing is.

 

I swapped everything between the tanks with very little issue.

 

New scape:

Edited August 17, 2014 by seanoli

[YHSublime]

Looks good!

[surf&turf]

Welcome, nice setup!

[MrSexyShrimp]

Nice. Did they make you ship back the old one?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[DuffyGeos]

Looking good! Second time around!

[jwalsh]

Where do you have your ATO mounted? I see it's optical, so curious if the back is brushed glass and it works there. And are you liking it so far?

[seanoli]

Thanks for the support, everyone.

 

Nice. Did they make you ship back the old one?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Yes, they made me send it back. The initially wanted to wait on shipping the new tank out until the old one was received by FedEx. That wouldn't work because I didn't notice the bubble until I had the tank filled with SW & LR. Bubbles in the glass are not specifically covered in the 'after-filled with water' portion of the warranty but it seems reasonable to cover it because most people wouldn't notice something like that until the tank had water in it. I convinced them to take my credit card # to hold as collateral, which seems a little silly to replace a defective product, IMO.

 

Other than that, service has been pretty good.

 

Where do you have your ATO mounted? I see it's optical, so curious if the back is brushed glass and it works there. And are you liking it so far?

 

 

The back of the tank is wrapped in black vinyl but the glass is clear underneath. I used a scraper knife to make a window in the chamber holding the pump (pics 2, 3 & 4 in my last post). 

 

I really like the ATO. I was seriously shocked at how small it was: the wet side is about 1" in diameter by 2/3"D--perfect for tight spaces. I wanted to avoid float switches because I didn't want to worry about them getting stuck. The pump is super small too. The only critique I have is that the setup instructions are not very clear. You basically just attach it to the glass above the water line then slide it down until the wet side is 1/2 submerged. Maybe I was confused because it was so easy, I don't know.

 

I would definitely recommend it.

Edited August 19, 2014 by seanoli

[seanoli]

A couple of questions:

 

I'm thinking about upgrading the light fixture and can't decide between the Radion XR15w Pro or the AI Hydra26. Any thoughts?

 

Q2:

I noticed that CAD Lights didn't seal the bottom of the divider separating the pump chamber. Does anyone know of any sealant I can use on this that will cure underwater and is also reef safe? I have standing water in the rear chamber because the pump is pulling from underneath the dividing wall.

 

My only other option is to completely drain the tank, dry it and let it cure for 24 hours...not gonna happen.

 

Thanks for your help!

[MrSexyShrimp]

A couple of questions:

 

I'm thinking about upgrading the light fixture and can't decide between the Radion XR15w Pro or the AI Hydra26. Any thoughts?

 

my thoughts are those are very expensive! this is going to be a very fancy 8g.

 

i know you mentioned to me that you're looking to grow LPS and softies, wouldn't those be overkill?

 

in my very limited research i've been doing, i see the name Evergrow tossed around as very good, especially for the money. a kessil 150 would also be less expensive and more than adequate, no?

 

edit:

It's hard to find a good comprehensive resource for the Evergrow product line. It looks to be a Chinese manufacturer. So I'm not sure if they make anything small enough.

 

But here's another value option for a nano: http://reefbreeders.com/shop/nano-lite/

 

Or do you need something both controllable and dimmable?

Edited August 19, 2014 by MrSexyShrimp

[YHSublime]

Those are both expensive options as mentioned above. Both good suggestions above as well. Talk to ERC if you want to get the Evergrows, they have a good relationship with that a distributor, and warranty them for up to 3 years. One of the new D120's would do fine (I think it's called a D2040 or something, I can't remember), or a Kessil would work great as well, the 150. If you're gong to do a radion, you could probably find one used for sale cheaper than one of the G3 series. You could also DIY for an 8 gallon really easy, or use a par 38. Lots of options.

[MrSexyShrimp]

One of the new D120's would do fine (I think it's called a D2040 or something, I can't remember

 

The 8g Cadlights is 12" x 12" x 13" and all of the Evergrows I looked at were > 15" long. So that might not be the most elegant solution... Maybe they have a smaller version I couldn't find?

[seanoli]

Thanks for the suggestions. I was looking at the AI and Radion because of their Apex integration and the potential to use them on a larger tank down the road. I'm not in a particular hurry to get a new light so I'm interested in saving to buy something that will work as I inevitably upgrade to a larger setup. 

 

I checked out the Kessels yesterday and they didn't seem to have the same level of control as the AI/Radion but they are sick looking lights. I'll check out the Evergrows and look into a used Radion too.

 

Aesthetics are very important for me on this project as I have an SO who's opinion will weigh heavily on future upgrades. ;-)

 

What do you guys think about the NanoBox w/ storm controller?

 

Also: underwater curing sealant? Bueller?

 

Thanks again, for your help and suggestions.

[DCReefer1964]

Nano Box is the Cat's Meow in the Nano World. AI /Radions are excellent choices as well . I happen to have (2) Hydras just sitting here. If interested LMK. 

[MrSexyShrimp]

Also: underwater curing sealant? Bueller?

 

Just throwing this out there, but maybe the same types of epoxy people use to glue frags? http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/vertex-v-colla-voila-reef-safe-epoxy.html

[seanoli]

Nano Box is the Cat's Meow in the Nano World. AI /Radions are excellent choices as well . I happen to have (2) Hydras just sitting here. If interested LMK. 

 

I really dig the form factor on the Nano Box. I'll shoot you a PM about your Hydra's. I have plenty of time before I will need to upgrade so this stuff will help with my research. Thanks for the note!

 

 

Just throwing this out there, but maybe the same types of epoxy people use to glue frags? http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/vertex-v-colla-voila-reef-safe-epoxy.html

 

Thanks! Unfortunately, that stuff doesn't bond glass (I don't think I mentioned that the wall is glass. I'm not really having much luck finding anything. I'm afraid I might have to tear the whole thing down (again) and take care of this before my cycle is over. Wah wah wah. 

[MrSexyShrimp]

Sounds like a quality control issue, maybe? Did you email them about it?

 

So this bond is acrylic to glass, you want to do it underwater, and it needs to be water tight, but doesn't necessarily need to be structural.... 

 

http://www.marinedepot.com/Mr._Sticky%60s_Underwater_Glue_30_grams_1.06oz_Reef_Glue_Epoxy_Putty_for_Saltwater_Aquariums-Mr_Sticky%60s-AH1111-FIMTEP-vi.html

 

Maybe?

[seanoli]

Sounds like a quality control issue, maybe? Did you email them about it?

 

So this bond is acrylic to glass, you want to do it underwater, and it needs to be water tight, but doesn't necessarily need to be structural.... 

 

http://www.marinedepot.com/Mr._Sticky%60s_Underwater_Glue_30_grams_1.06oz_Reef_Glue_Epoxy_Putty_for_Saltwater_Aquariums-Mr_Sticky%60s-AH1111-FIMTEP-vi.html

 

Maybe?

Sorry about the confusion, it is glass to glass, water tight but not structural. I was thinking about just jamming some epoxy putty in there. It wouldn't be the most elegant solution but it's in the back, so who cares.

 

I think I'll grab some of that stuff you linked and see what happens. What do you think I could use to apply it once mixed? I won't be able to get the whole tube into the rear chamber to apply directly.

 

Thanks for the suggestion!