22 Gal Cadlights RESURRECTED BUILD!!

[Aeb1419]

Hi. Ive been out of the game for quite a bit and am looking to get back in without hurting my pocket. I started with a 6 Gal JBJ and eventually upgraded to the 22 Gal Cad Lights. Since my wife wont let me get a new one Ill have to work with what I got. This will be a dominated LPS and softies with some hardy SPS. I am gonna push this tank to have at 4 nano fish. I know thats pushing it but I will be running a skimmer and media reactor with weekly water changes. I think I should be good. I will be using dry rock for the first time. Im tired of the pests Ive run into the past and Ive heard good things about the caribsea life rock.




My wife decorated the house white so the old black cabinet I have is gonna have to get a makeover.







BTW I have SC that I should resurrect as well if the wifey lets me!



Made a custom rack for the bottom sincer it never had one. Just glued some pipes together with eggcrate and VOILA!!!


Will be putting the tank right here. The cabinet came out really nice. Loooks brand new!! Saved alot not buying a new one. Sorry for the mess!!






I should be posting pics of my new toys soon! I swear the most exciting part is starting a new tank. Why is that the case?

I have my aquscape made and will be posting pics soon!! Stay Tuned!!!!

Can anyone help me out with this? Ive been scrubbing nd scrubbing but this wont seem to go away. I am not sure what it is. I also have some light scratches on the fornt of the tank from it sitting in the garage I presume. Any suggestions?

 

[Sponge]

First of all. Welcome back. Looks great. Excited for more pics of your progress. I don’t know if this will work for you but it did for me. I soaked paper towels in white vinegar and left the damp towel on the problem area for a few hours and wiped off with dry towel. Took three applications in my case.

 

[Aeb1419]

Thanks. I will try this out tonight.

 

[mnat]

If they are light scratches, once the tank is filled with water they will be hard to see. If you are going to have one tank, a Cad lights tank is a great tank to have and I think you are off to a good start. You can do 4 fish in there easy you just have to really plan out what you want and where they "live". For instance, a yasha goby lives in a burrow with a pistol shrimp in the sand and below your rock, a tail spot blenny lives in your rock work, and clowns would be swimming in the water column. So there you have 4 fish that would esasily fit in a 22 and would not really be aggressive towards each other because they don't really live in the same space (btw I would recommend all those fish and check out live aquaria, they have a nano fish section).

 

[Aeb1419]

I will definitely use live aquaria. I have used them in the past. The main problem I had in the past was a female clownfish that got big and fast and literally murdered 3 fish. I dont want to get a pair for that reason. I think I was just unlucky as many have not had that happen to them but I want 4 different species anyway.

 

[Aeb1419]

OK GOODIES UPDATE!!!!

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I installed the Sicce and I have to say, I am a little disappointed. It doesnt seem as quiet as I had hoped. It actually sounds a little loud too me. I can hear rattling. I will try to record video of how it sounds and you be the judge. I really wanted the quietest pump I could fit in the back.




It turns out this Shark ATO did not work for the back of my tank. I tried raising the height of the sensor and it just runs too low. Its better for a sump. I could modify it but it would mean cutting it and I dont want to damage the neat acrylic holder. =( It uses both a laser and sensor for precise topping off) Willing to trade it or sell. Will post in the selling forum later. It is brand new and only tested to make sure it works. Luckily I had a JBJ ATO on and to solve the problem.



It is filled and ready to go!!!

I want to speed up the cycling process without having to pay for supplements without having to pay. Any advice on what to do?



Okay two things. I need some critiquing on my rockscape. What is bothering me most if the rock on the right. I attached a rock on the top and it seems too high. I wont be able to put corals up there (SPS) because when I do water changes the water level will fall below. I just feel like its too high. Should I remove it?!?!?! Please any insight would help.



What is the best controls for your AI if you have one? I think I have a problem where I cant seem to find the right amount of light. Im constantly changing it every 20 minutes. My wife is going to kill me if I don't figure it out within the next day. The picture above is the current settings but I think it might be to strong. Let me know what you guys run. I am planning to do hardy SPS and leathers and softies. I really want the colors to POP!

 

[Aeb1419]

UPDATE:

It turns out the float sensor for the Shark ATO is a backup and the main sensor is the laser. It didnt come with instructions so maybe I will try it again when I get home.

 

[Aeb1419]

Update 08/16/2019

Finally started adding livestock. Slowly but surely. Patience is key this time around. I remember the first time I added 3 fish at the same time what a disaster.



Only fish I have is an Ice Clownfish.










Got this one from Feng. I used coral dip like crazy for this one. Feng had alot of flatworms in his tanks. They were the type that dont harm coral but definitely not a good look. Id be reluctant to go again. But the price was to good to pass up.







I will wait until the end of this month to add another fish. My daughter has her eyes set on a yellow clown goby. Will call him Br. Banana Man. Havent been able to find one on at the local shops around me. Thanks to @trio91 for hooking me up with good quality RO water and a free frag. Thanks!!!!!

 

[horseplay]

Just saw this thread. Kudos on the rockscape, very natural looking. I like rock scape going all the way up to the surface. You can have some nice stylo up by the surface and out of the water during water change is not a problem. I used to do that all the time.

I have a pair of primes on my 25 Lagoon. Great lamp. As a matter of fact I like it better than the Radions on my other tank. It has a buildin diffuser! I downloaded this program from Facebook page. It looks great and I have not adjusted except for intensity afterwards.

 

[Sponge]

I recently came in possession of an AI light. And very much like the visual appeal of its color spectrum. I don’t know enough yet to advise on a complete setup for your tank. But I can say one thing for sure. What ever you do dial in a little bit of the UV channel and you won’t be disappointed. It makes the corals POP like you read about. Almost feels like I’m cheating.

 

[Aeb1419]

Haha yes I did dial in the UV. I am actually using the recommended settings that BRS gave on their 25 minute video on the AI prime HD.
@horseplay you use very little UV. Is there a reason? Just curious

 

[Aeb1419]

On another note: has anyone ever ordered snails from reef cleaners?? I lost about 8 of then because they kept crawling out of the tank. Im not sure why. All the snails Ive gotten from stores before were always fine. Very strange

 

[horseplay]

Honestly the corals are doing fine and I liked the color so I didn’t mess with the UV. As for the snails, certain kind always escapes I used to have a lot of them all over the house. It’s the round looking kind so I don’t buy them anymore.