Cad lights 100g build

Phillyd1990 · Sep 9, 2017

well after what seemed like forever i recieved my cad lights artisan ii 100g. I have to say i was iffy about the purchase. Not because of the tank itself, but more for the condition it would arrive in and the nightmare of customer service i would have to deal with. Im basing that off of the many bad reviews cad lights has gotten due to its less than perfect packing and shipping plus not responding to angry customers. All that being said if i could get it to my house safely i knew i would love it plus save a ton of money over the red sea reefer.

Fortunately my packaged arrived in perfect condition. Tank looks amazing and the stand had no scratches. It got here in just under 2 weeks. I spent about 16 hours straight with no sleep putting it all together as i had been planning it for a little while so i wasnt going to stop until it was wet.

This is my first serious build, but not my first tank. I started a 55g with absolutely no understanding of the hobby (even though i thought i did). I spent a fortune buying useless equipment only to turn around and sell it for better equipment (especially lighting). I started with all crushed coral only to later find out that i despised it and how much of a pain it was. Also my stand was extremely narrow and impossible to find a good sump that was able fit (not much for diy). Overall the 55 was a lerning process and im ready for something bigger. Needless to say this time i was able to tackle everything with a basic understanding of the hobby ( just the tip of the ice berg).

Now that im done the first step i guess i can sit back have a beer and enjoy the view (time to cycle).

Mr.Rocc · Sep 9, 2017

Is you DT 100g or is the whole system.. It looks beautiful!

Phillyd1990 · Sep 9, 2017

Thanks! The dt is 100. 130 system. Extremely happy with the quality from cad lights.

Phillyd1990 · Sep 9, 2017

Looking to replace the supplied dc pump. Suggestions?

Mr.Rocc · Sep 10, 2017

Vortech has that s1, m1, v1 line i think thats the order. They are great!

Phillyd1990 · Sep 10, 2017

I was juat looking at the s-1. It was on pre-order for a while. I have to order the adapter kit from cad lights unfortunately because the hose they sent wont fit any of the sizes on american pumps

Antics · Sep 10, 2017

Love my vectra for what it's worth.

Phillyd1990 · Sep 10, 2017

Antics said:
Love my vectra for what it's worth.

Im definitely leaning towards one..ive heard nothing but good things.

Barrett · Sep 10, 2017

RO varios pumps are super quite, reliable and come with float switch for emergency shutoff

Daniel@R2R · Sep 11, 2017

Great-looking aquascape! I like it!!

Barrett · Sep 11, 2017

What are the dimensions of your tank?

Phillyd1990 · Sep 11, 2017

Barrett said:
What are the dimensions of your tank?

47.5x23.5x20

Phillyd1990 · Sep 15, 2017

Just a little update. Ive had my reef octopus 150 set up on my 55 and now on my 100 and its been skimming great but with my future plans and bioload I was thinking i would need something that could handle a little more. I decided to go with the bubble magus curve 7 which although has been only set up for a few days is already skimming quite well and im very pleased with it so far

Phillyd1990 · Sep 15, 2017

Phillyd1990 · Nov 10, 2017

Just figured id post a little update on the build. All is great so far! I have some new inhabitants and got a few new toys. I changed over my two little fishies reactor to carbon and am running rox .08 and added a new aquamaxx reactor running gfo in there. I was contemplating switching over to t5 for more growth but i couldnt part with my leds so I ordered the aquatic life hybrid fixture. Just put it up recently and am loving it so far.

Phillyd1990 · Nov 11, 2017

Looking to add another maxpect gyre xf230. Not sure how much to run them both at but i run my one now on %80 pulse. Id like a little more flow and the plan is to be packed full of sps.

Phillyd1990 · Jan 11, 2018

So another update. Ice changed a few things and decided to take a step back from sps after a disaster with carbon dosing. Ive stopped that and also stopped using kalk in my top off. Ive switched to two part over the past month and have kept a log on cal, alk, and mag. Mainly ive focused on alk. After feeling confident in the numbers i came up with ove decided to buy an automatic doser. I hooked it up today and am looking forward to the added stability it will bring. The lps and zoas in my tank are doing fantastic and i cant wait to get more sps back in once im confident things have become more stable. Ive finished my fish stocking and am loving how it turned out. Heres a list of all my inhabitants

Blue throat

Copperbanded

Hippo tang

Ebili tang

Foxface

Melanurus wrasse

Leopard wrasse

Maroon clown

2 clarki clowns

Hawkfish

Greenspot mandarin

Diamond goby

Pink spot goby

Phillyd1990 · Feb 13, 2018

Tank is maturing well..i think i finally figured out my sps problem but its a little too soon to tell so fingers crossed. I have a few small spa in now to monitor and see how they do. Lps are doing great and very happy. Having a minor cyano outbreak. Probably because i stopped gfo and added a fairly large desjardini tang. I put a little gfo back online and am letting my system catch up.

I was finally able to swap out my reefkeeper with an apex. I was torn between that and a ghl but in the end the user interface and the upcoming trident swayed me. Im loving my apex!! Its great to be able to see whats going on in my tank from work.

Hopefully a month from now my sps will be continuing to do great and ill be over this hump. More updates to come!