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Innovative Marine Aquariums

Jay's Cad Lights Artisan II 70g


Jay Wee

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Hey guys,

 

I took the plunge and joined the big boys club. Got myself the Cad Lights Artisan II 70 Gallon. So far so good. Tank arrived in one piece.

 

Warning: Fedex Freight shipping was horrible though. They pass the tank off to a 3rd party dispatch company and they were such a nightmare to deal with. So I urge anyone who's in NY/NJ area NOT to use Atlantic Central. Consult with fedex if you ever use them for freight shipping and request them to use a different company.

 

 

I've had experience with AIO and canisters but I'm a virgin when it comes to plumbing and sump. Can't be that hard right? Prime the pipe, jerk the hose and stick it in the sock? :) Any pointers from you experienced reefers on my plumbing and sump setup will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
*Disregard the Rock scape. I just dumped those 2 tongas in there. Need to get more rocks.
Below is a review of the tank and some setup pictures.
FTS: 091513
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The low iron glass is top notch quality. Ultra clear glass and super thick. I'm very pleased with it. The black silicon sealing job is quite decent. Could have been better in some areas but I'm not fussy. Overall looks good to me.
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Unfortunately the cabinet did not arrived pristine. There were some scratches and scuff marks. Might have been dinged during shipping. Well, a little touch up paint job should do the trick.
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The doors could have been aligned a little better. Should be an easy fix with some adjustment to the hinges.
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Like I said, I'm a newbie to plumbing. Does this look right to you guys?
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The sump design is great. Nice quality glass. Very pleased with it. And the included LED fuge light is quite awesome.
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I've been seriously considering a custom Artisan 2 from cadlights, but every time I look at pictures of their craftsmanship, I always seem to find something else that bothers me. The rough cut on the right hand door is pretty amateurish, and I would expect better from a $500 piece of furniture. And, are the doors actually bowing, or is that a lighting illusion?

 

More things to add to my quality control checklist once I get a quote from Eddie.

 

Looking nice though... more pictures!

 

 

FTS: 091513

IMG_0974_zpsbff9f865.jpg

 

 

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I've been seriously considering a custom Artisan 2 from cadlights, but every time I look at pictures of their craftsmanship, I always seem to find something else that bothers me. The rough cut on the right hand door is pretty amateurish, and I would expect better from a $500 piece of furniture. And, are the doors actually bowing, or is that a lighting illusion?

 

More things to add to my quality control checklist once I get a quote from Eddie.

 

Looking nice though... more pictures!

Yeah they could have done a better job with the cabinet. No the door isn't bowing. I think it's my wide angle lens doing the distortion. Were you thinking of the 100gallon Artisan?

 

NICE tank! cant wait to see it running and with corals. you did a great job with the plumbing btw.

Thanks man! I guess I did get it right then.

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I was given a few options for my primary drain/overflow. One is the Durso (I believe that's the 90 degree elbow going down and a small hole on top of the cap?) and a Herbie (I assume that's the exposed pipe?). Which one would you guys recommend. Right now I have the Durso fixed. As for secondary I was only given a herbie (the smaller pipe that is significantly higher on the left).

IMG_0994_zps8ab3a9c8.jpg

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i have Herbie in my 180G and its pretty quiet and fast. i havent had any problems with it for all these years. i havent used a Herbie before though. dont people usually use Herbies in larger tanks? i remember my tank maker asking me to choose between herbie or Durso. i chose Durso cause its more familiar to me. my LFS uses Herbie in one of the display tanks and its super quiet though.

 

If CAD makes the cabinets, then why dont you request for a new door? i dont think itll be too hard for them to send you a new one.

 

ive been looking at the Shallow Reef Artisan. i seen one here that someone posted and the dimensions look really cool. i never seen something like that before.

 

either that or i was gonna put together my own.

 

GR Moore, those dimensions are pretty awesome too. love the shallow look.

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The Durso is the primary overflow. The Herbie is the secondary/emergency overflow. It will only kick in if the Durso flow is reduced, thus raising the water level in the tank. The Herbie should be routed to your 2nd chamber to make a splashing noise should it start draining the tank, thus alerting you to a problem. They work together.

 

I was given a few options for my primary drain/overflow. One is the Durso (I believe that's the 90 degree elbow going down and a small hole on top of the cap?) and a Herbie (I assume that's the exposed pipe?). Which one would you guys recommend. Right now I have the Durso fixed. As for secondary I was only given a herbie (the smaller pipe that is significantly higher on the left).

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The Durso is the primary overflow. The Herbie is the secondary/emergency overflow. It will only kick in if the Durso flow is reduced, thus raising the water level in the tank. The Herbie should be routed to your 2nd chamber to make a splashing noise should it start draining the tank, thus alerting you to a problem. They work together.

Sweet! Thanks so much for the tip.

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i have Herbie in my 180G and its pretty quiet and fast. i havent had any problems with it for all these years. i havent used a Herbie before though. dont people usually use Herbies in larger tanks? i remember my tank maker asking me to choose between herbie or Durso. i chose Durso cause its more familiar to me. my LFS uses Herbie in one of the display tanks and its super quiet though.

 

If CAD makes the cabinets, then why dont you request for a new door? i dont think itll be too hard for them to send you a new one.

 

ive been looking at the Shallow Reef Artisan. i seen one here that someone posted and the dimensions look really cool. i never seen something like that before.

 

either that or i was gonna put together my own.

 

GR Moore, those dimensions are pretty awesome too. love the shallow look.

thanks for the tip CharlesHend25. Contacted Cadlights and they are sending me a new set of doors. So far I'm very pleased with their customer service.

 

Go Jay go! What are your thoughts so far on the tank?

 

Thanks! So far so good man. Very please with the tank and sump. It's quality stuff. The cabinet could have been better but Cadlights gonna send me a new set of replacement doors so everything will be perfect.

 

Between that tank and your attention to detail this is an amazing setup. Well done!

Thanks Reef Suds. I'm in support of your cause!

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Anyone has experience with a Shallow Sand Bed? This is my current sand level. Slightly less than an inch. Is there a specific rule of thumb? 1 inch? 2 inch?

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And what's everyone's take on DSB in the sump? My initial plan was to just stock it up with Live Rock and Chaeto.

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A corded planer will set the door straight.

Thanks for the tip. I wish I have a corded planer. Not gonna spend $$$ to buy one just for this purpose. I'll see if I can rent one from Home Depot.

 

Hope the new doors will fix the problem. However, most likely the problem is with the hinges. If they are adjustable, you might have to fiddle with them a bit.

I've tried adjusting the hinges. Can't seem to find the sweet spot. The doors keep overlapping each other. I'll try again tonight.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Time for an update. So I've been tapping my feet everyday waiting for the tanks to cycle. I'm using Dr Tim's One & Only Live Nitrifying bacteria. I'm doing the fishless cycle by adding Ammonia chloride.

 

It's 2 weeks in and Ammonia's at 0ppm, Nitrite at 1ppm and Nitrate at 4ppm. I'm gonna add ammonia to 3ppm and test every day. When the water is able to process ammonia and nitrite to 0 ppm within 24 hours, I know I'm good to slowly transfer my CUC and fishes from my Nuvo 24 to this bad boy.

 

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While waiting for the tank to cycle I've fiddled around with my rockscape and I've finally net out on something I'm semi-happy with. I know I'm gonna change it again tomorrow.

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The Sump!

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Beyond Sah-weet! Bravo! Definitely following!

Thanks! Damn u got one sick stand for your tank. Kinda like the mac daddy version of my nuvo24's stand.

 

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