jlbrew3
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2022
- Messages
- 22
- Reaction score
- 18
- Location
- Lake Forest, IL
- What state or country do you live in
- Illinois
Hey everyone,
Long-time lurker, first-time poster. Excited to be able to share my new RSR 425 G2 build that is kicking off as we speak.
This is an upgrade from a Reefer 250 that I had running for about 2 years in Boston before a move to Chicago this summer presented a compelling opportunity to upgrade. I was able to sell back my 250 to my LFS for ~50% of its value in credit and then used them to order the new tank. I had no idea I’d be able to get that much for it and it was great to be able to support a local business.
The new 425 just arrived and I’ve gotten as far as checking it for damage (all good). Impressed with the way that Red Sea packs those pallets!
Thankfully a lot of the gear from my 250 will move over nicely to the new tank; I’ve just had to upgrade in a couple of areas and may upgrade things like my skimmer depending on how it all starts to go. To start I’ll be running:
- 3x Radion XR15 Pros (G5)
- 2x MP40s
- Vectra M2 return pump
- Reef Octopus Essence S-130 skimmer (this may prove to be undersized but maybe not given the roller)
- (New) Reefmat 500 roller
- Ordered a new CaribSea Plateau and Reef Forest to serve as the core of my scape. Excited to try both of those out after seeing them at MACNA.
In terms of a stocking plan, I‘m still a bit torn. On the coral side I’ll try for a mix of pretty much anything other than SPS. Still new enough to the hobby that the extra demands and sensitivity of those just doesn’t seem like a good fit. Maybe that’ll change over time.
Here’s the purest form of a “before” picture and I look forward to sharing more as the build gets underway!
PS - anyone have any recommendations on a great LFS north of Chicago? I’ve heard good things about Wojtek’s Reef and Tank it Easy but haven’t made it down to either yet.
Long-time lurker, first-time poster. Excited to be able to share my new RSR 425 G2 build that is kicking off as we speak.
This is an upgrade from a Reefer 250 that I had running for about 2 years in Boston before a move to Chicago this summer presented a compelling opportunity to upgrade. I was able to sell back my 250 to my LFS for ~50% of its value in credit and then used them to order the new tank. I had no idea I’d be able to get that much for it and it was great to be able to support a local business.
The new 425 just arrived and I’ve gotten as far as checking it for damage (all good). Impressed with the way that Red Sea packs those pallets!
Thankfully a lot of the gear from my 250 will move over nicely to the new tank; I’ve just had to upgrade in a couple of areas and may upgrade things like my skimmer depending on how it all starts to go. To start I’ll be running:
- 3x Radion XR15 Pros (G5)
- 2x MP40s
- Vectra M2 return pump
- Reef Octopus Essence S-130 skimmer (this may prove to be undersized but maybe not given the roller)
- (New) Reefmat 500 roller
- Ordered a new CaribSea Plateau and Reef Forest to serve as the core of my scape. Excited to try both of those out after seeing them at MACNA.
In terms of a stocking plan, I‘m still a bit torn. On the coral side I’ll try for a mix of pretty much anything other than SPS. Still new enough to the hobby that the extra demands and sensitivity of those just doesn’t seem like a good fit. Maybe that’ll change over time.
Here’s the purest form of a “before” picture and I look forward to sharing more as the build gets underway!
PS - anyone have any recommendations on a great LFS north of Chicago? I’ve heard good things about Wojtek’s Reef and Tank it Easy but haven’t made it down to either yet.
