CAD Lights Artisan II - 50g Long Build Thread

[ReachTheSky]

After much consideration, I have decided to take down my 90g long tank made by Glass Cages in favor of a smaller, more efficient and more modern design. Being my first real reef, it has been a fantastic learning experience and made me a true addict in this hobby. It will surely be missed but will not be the last.

I did a lot of research on tank manufacturers. It was a pretty big toss up between Elos and their gorgeous Concept 80 and CAD Lights with their beautiful Artisan II. I ultimately chose CAD Lights. Their pricing (1/3 the price) and proximity (30 minute drive) won me over.

Setup (Mixed reef with an SPS focus):
- 50g Rimless DT (36 x 18 x 18) w/ Starphire front + sides
- Custom sump, reservoir and dosing containers that I will fabricate.
- White MDF stand with acrylic covering
- 30-40 pounds of Marco rocks
- 2-2.5 inch sandbed with Tropic Eden Reeflakes. (Sugarfine was a flippin' nightmare with high flow. Mistake noted!)
- Controller - Apex Lite (reusing because it's AWESOME!)
- Return - Eheim 1260 (635 gph)
- Water flow - Two Vortech MP40's are sitting in my closet, begging to be reused. lol
- Lighting - 2x AI Vega Color LED fixtures (white) suspended over the tank
- Heating/Cooling - 150w Jager heater and a 600 CFM Apex-controlled fan in the sump. NO CHILLER THIS TIME!
- Auto Top Off - Will reuse the JBJ ATO w/ an Aqualifter pump.
- Skimmer - Reusing the old Reef Octopus XS160.
- Media - BRS Dual Reactor with ROX Carbon and GFO.
- Bacteria - Super Reef Octopus BR-70 Biopellet Reactor (Mag Drive 3) w/ BRS Biopellets
- Chemistry - Will reuse two BRS perilastic pumps for 2-part dosing. Will be controlled by the Apex.

Of course, nothing is set in stone at this time. Please express your thoughts and opinions. I am still fairly new to this hobby and would appreciate all feedback.

I did some calculations on power draw. The lighting alone on the old tank used more energy than the new tank will in it's entirety. LOL! It comes out to a bit less than 1/3rd all together. Not bad.

Cheers!

[ReachTheSky]

Here's the sump that I plan on building:




It's roughly 27" x 12" x 13" and will be fabricated with 1/4" thick acrylic. I thought Vivid's sump design with the filter socks was genius and very convenient so I decided to use it. I hope they wont mind! lol

The fuge will house some rubble rocks and a bit of Chaeto to promote pod populations and will be lit by focused Cool White LED's. The baffles for the fuge will likely be made with black acrylic. Looking to prevent light from reaching the other chambers and promoting coralline growth on the skimmer/return pump.

Leaving plenty of room up front for the reactors. The remainder of the room beside it will be used to house the RO/DI water and Calcium/Alkalinity containers, all of which I will also fabricate with acrylic.

I will hang a 600 CFM cooling fan that's roughly 10" in diameter above the sump tank. It will be controlled by the Apex and turn on when temperatures reach 82.

So, what do you guys think? Any suggestions as to what I can modify, add or delete?

[BigAl07]

Sounds like a GREAT idea

I can only imagine how amazing this tank will look in just a few months from now

[ReachTheSky]

Thank you Al! I'm very excited. I'm looking forward to doing things right the first time this time around.

[may2024]

Nice sump plans look forward to the build.

[ReachTheSky]

Thank you Larry.

I'm in the process of selling the old tank and equipment right now.

[theplantman]

looks like an amazing build on the way. Will be following this thread. I have been considering an artisan II 100gl. I am interested to learn about the quality of the tank. Good luck on the build.

[ReachTheSky]

Thank you.

My good friend has had his CAD Lights cube for about two years now. For the price you pay, the build quality is fantastic. I especially liked how clean the black silicone was applied. Worlds better than the eye soar of a smearfest on my old Glass Cages tank. -_-

[theplantman]

My original idea was to go glass cages, but a bunch of the people in the Atlanta Reef club had bad experiences with them revolving around customer service and the delivery method seems very cumbersome. So now i am looking at Cad lights and clear diamond.

[BigAl07]

Van I'm SOOOOOO glad you avoided GC (I wont even give them the benefit of a plug by mentioning their whole name here). I was one of the people who has given them a HORRIBLE review and anyone who will listen to me gets to hear the whole story.

I can't wait to watch this system come to life! You are a very talented reefer for sure

[ReachTheSky]

Thank you so much Al! With your guys help, I'm sure this tank will look amazing.

Yeah, I would definitely not buy from GC again. The overflow was HUGE and ugly, the bulkheads did not line up with their own stand which forced me to go to town on it with a saw, the silicone job was horrendous and.... ugh. I'd rather not get into it. The sooner I sell it, the better.

[ReachTheSky]

Minor update. Haven't purchased anything just yet but I did sell the old 90g setup to a local reef enthusiast. I won't set anything up until after the holidays. On the bright side, this gives me plenty of time to thoroughly research everything.

Speaking of research, I've been reading up on LED's quite a bit. I'm sorely disappointed after discovering that neither the AI Sol, Vega nor Ecotech's Radion fixtures have anything below the 453nm spectrum. Why on Earth did they leave this out?! Aren't the Violets supposed to bring out some of the best coral colorations?

Whelp, there goes that idea. I've been digging up dirt on the Maxspect Razor and honestly I like what I see. Stylish, powerful, controllable, nicely priced and a bold spectrum to boot. Well, it does lack reds but better reds than violets... I think. lol