Broadfield's Red Sea Reefer 450 Build - OCD Inspired... Going Back To a Reef

[Broadfield]

In the mean time could you provide a picture of your sumps manifold design or layout? (Or where I can find them) I’ve seen your pictures almost everywhere lol but I haven’t seen much on how the manifold was plumbed. Thanks!

You can also find all of my images on my Flickr account:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/132432358@N04/albums/72157659875125326

 

[revhtree]

Nice frags! How are they doing?

 

[Broadfield]

Nice frags! How are they doing?

So far so good! I just moved them up a couple of nights ago, so hopefully they start to encrust and take off.

 

[revhtree]

So far so good! I just moved them up a couple of nights ago, so hopefully they start to encrust and take off.

Nice can't wait to see them!

 

[Thoax]

Hey Broadfield, I was just wondering what type of hindge did you use for the center section? Sorry if its been answered i cant seem to find it.

Once there, the middle section hinges up to a 90 degree position and locks into place. T

 

[Broadfield]

Hey Broadfield, I was just wondering what type of hindge did you use for the center section? Sorry if its been answered i cant seem to find it.

This is what I used:

http://www.rockler.com/175-fully-concealed-hinges

 

[PiscesPower]

I know you have probably addressed this but I'm going to ask. Looking at your first pics it looks like the backing was still on.Was your tank full when you removed the backing? If so how much space do you have behind the tank?

 

[Broadfield]

I know you have probably addressed this but I'm going to ask. Looking at your first pics it looks like the backing was still on.Was your tank full when you removed the backing? If so how much space do you have behind the tank?

My tank is 4" off of the wall. Any less or if the tank was a tad longer... probably a no go. It was tough to get the middle off the way it is.

 

[CWR24]

Hey there Broadfield......looking to get some lights now over my Reefer 350 build.

Strongly considering the Giesemann Spectra you are using and saw it on eBay today thru CoralVue for $975 which seems a bit cheaper than the other big name reef supply places we're all familiar with.
Had a couple questions though for you in regards to it and hope you can give some feedback.......
1) Price.....do you know of anywhere I can find it cheaper?
2) Ballast......is it ok to just go with the 250 or is 400 necessary......Luxcore....or do you recommend different and why?
3) As mentioned I have the 350 which is 48" and same length as the Giesemann. I know you bought this for your aquarium that is larger than mine so there's no light spill and such. I don't think they produce this in a 36". Do you think having the same length light will be an issue? And also at what height is it safe to mount so you aren't sitting in living room and getting blinded?
4) Bulbs.......any solid thoughts on halides and T5
5) Lastly I really like the ramp up/down I presently have using LED. Do you use anything to achieve that look, especially at night? I love having the nighttime glow, but don't want to be adding a lot to detract from the great look of the fixture.

Appreciate your time and any insight you can give.......thanks, Craig

BTW.......if any other members take a look at this and have any ideas/advice please comment. Thanks

 

[Manny Tavan]

My tank is 4" off of the wall. Any less or if the tank was a tad longer... probably a no go. It was tough to get the middle off the way it is.

Quick questionn. How do these pieces separate? They seem to be glued on. I’m trying to replace the drain pipes like you did

Thanks

 

[Broadfield]

Quick questionn. How do these pieces separate? They seem to be glued on. I’m trying to replace the drain pipes like you did

Thanks

You have to order two of these from Red Sea, then unscrew the barbed fitting.

 

[Manny Tavan]

That makes sense. Thanks!

 

[Broadfield]

Hey there Broadfield......looking to get some lights now over my Reefer 350 build.

Strongly considering the Giesemann Spectra you are using and saw it on eBay today thru CoralVue for $975 which seems a bit cheaper than the other big name reef supply places we're all familiar with.
Had a couple questions though for you in regards to it and hope you can give some feedback.......
1) Price.....do you know of anywhere I can find it cheaper?
2) Ballast......is it ok to just go with the 250 or is 400 necessary......Luxcore....or do you recommend different and why?
3) As mentioned I have the 350 which is 48" and same length as the Giesemann. I know you bought this for your aquarium that is larger than mine so there's no light spill and such. I don't think they produce this in a 36". Do you think having the same length light will be an issue? And also at what height is it safe to mount so you aren't sitting in living room and getting blinded?
4) Bulbs.......any solid thoughts on halides and T5
5) Lastly I really like the ramp up/down I presently have using LED. Do you use anything to achieve that look, especially at night? I love having the nighttime glow, but don't want to be adding a lot to detract from the great look of the fixture.

Appreciate your time and any insight you can give.......thanks, Craig

BTW.......if any other members take a look at this and have any ideas/advice please comment. Thanks

1) Price.....do you know of anywhere I can find it cheaper?
That's pretty cheap! I can also get them... not sure about that cheap though lol.

2) Ballast......is it ok to just go with the 250 or is 400 necessary......Luxcore....or do you recommend different and why?
I would just run the Luxcore 250/400 watt selectable. That way if you ever want to switch to a 400 watt bulb, you can simply turn the dial!

3) As mentioned I have the 350 which is 48" and same length as the Giesemann. I know you bought this for your aquarium that is larger than mine so there's no light spill and such. I don't think they produce this in a 36". Do you think having the same length light will be an issue? And also at what height is it safe to mount so you aren't sitting in living room and getting blinded?
I can get you a 36" model... it would be a special order from Germany. It will still utilize two MH sockets. I can also get you other colors besides the standard textured charcoal grey. Like mine, I have the smooth, gloss charcoal grey... which they actually call black. Mine is right at 9" AWL. If I run it at 14" for example, I definitely get much more spill.

4) Bulbs.......any solid thoughts on halides and T5
I'm currently running two 250 watt Radium 20k, two Giesemann Actinic Blue, one Giesemann Super Purple and one Gieseman Super Actinic... I absolutely love this combo.

5) Lastly I really like the ramp up/down I presently have using LED. Do you use anything to achieve that look, especially at night? I love having the nighttime glow, but don't want to be adding a lot to detract from the great look of the fixture.
I run the T5s for an hour, then turn on the MH for 6 hours and then just the T5s again for an hour. But I don't have anything like moon lights or just blues. The Radium 20k do just fine on their own. So you could run some LED T5 bulbs to get that blue pop at night. However, there are none on the market yet that will consistently work with the Giesemann T5 ballasts. I tried the BioTek Marine LED T5 retrofit lamps and they were nice. But they burn up in about 2 months on the Giesemann ballasts. From what I know, they are working on a 2nd generation that will also be compatible with the Giesemann ballasts. You could also retrofit some Reefbrites in place of the T5 sections... I have contemplated doing this myself. Reefbrite will make them in any custom length you want.

 

[CWR24]

1) Price.....do you know of anywhere I can find it cheaper?
That's pretty cheap! I can also get them... not sure about that cheap though lol.

2) Ballast......is it ok to just go with the 250 or is 400 necessary......Luxcore....or do you recommend different and why?
I would just run the Luxcore 250/400 watt selectable. That way if you ever want to switch to a 400 watt bulb, you can simply turn the dial!

3) As mentioned I have the 350 which is 48" and same length as the Giesemann. I know you bought this for your aquarium that is larger than mine so there's no light spill and such. I don't think they produce this in a 36". Do you think having the same length light will be an issue? And also at what height is it safe to mount so you aren't sitting in living room and getting blinded?
I can get you a 36" model... it would be a special order from Germany. It will still utilize two MH sockets. I can also get you other colors besides the standard textured charcoal grey. Like mine, I have the smooth, gloss charcoal grey... which they actually call black. Mine is right at 9" AWL. If I run it at 14" for example, I definitely get much more spill.

4) Bulbs.......any solid thoughts on halides and T5
I'm currently running two 250 watt Radium 20k, two Giesemann Actinic Blue, one Giesemann Super Purple and one Gieseman Super Actinic... I absolutely love this combo.

5) Lastly I really like the ramp up/down I presently have using LED. Do you use anything to achieve that look, especially at night? I love having the nighttime glow, but don't want to be adding a lot to detract from the great look of the fixture.
I run the T5s for an hour, then turn on the MH for 6 hours and then just the T5s again for an hour. But I don't have anything like moon lights or just blues. The Radium 20k do just fine on their own. So you could run some LED T5 bulbs to get that blue pop at night. However, there are none on the market yet that will consistently work with the Giesemann T5 ballasts. I tried the BioTek Marine LED T5 retrofit lamps and they were nice. But they burn up in about 2 months on the Giesemann ballasts. From what I know, they are working on a 2nd generation that will also be compatible with the Giesemann ballasts. You could also retrofit some Reefbrites in place of the T5 sections... I have contemplated doing this myself. Reefbrite will make them in any custom length you want.

Thanks much my friend for all the various details and experience with this......helps a lot.

As for ballast yes I should give myself that flexibility to turn it up.

Getting the 36" from Germany would be great.....but any idea on shipping charges? I have 30+ years in as a driver at UPS and I know with that size and weight it might be quite expensive.
And as for color/finish I definitely prefer the sleek finish of the one you have. I'm curious and will have to take a look at that one I mentioned was on eBay. And sometimes what's pictured isn't exact anyway.

Appreciate all the info on lighting. The LED T5 retrofit fit sounds great and hopefully they come out with an improved lamp.
But as for me retrofitting anything on that beautiful fixture brother......NO WAY am I screwing that thing up and being a hack!! I am pretty good at some stuff in life and being capable.......but I and many others don't have your mindset nor skill set for what you've displayed in this hobby. My goofy butt will be lucky to get the return pump and skimmer hooked up properly and running right.
I'd rather drive the 2 hours or so each way to you and line your pockets some to have things done right than torment myself doing some of this stuff!!


Ahhhh......another important thing I thought of to ask. I'm probably gonna be getting this scaped and loaded with water soon. I'm really on the fence about taking that black film off of the back as you did before this beast is not able to be moved.
So what I was thinking is taking my utility knife before filling and lightly scoring the black backing.......on the 2 sides of the overflow. That way if I decide to do it later it'll be easier to peel off, as it sounds like you had a little trouble with that doing after the fact. I'm assuming if I do it carefully down the proper area behind the left and right sides of overflow it shouldn't show any scratches. Sound good??

Don't mind conversing on here at all, but if you feel the need to comment on something or share some pricing on lights/shipping and want to take it off board then feel free to PM.

Regards..........Craig.

 

[boozeman27]

I think scoring the black is a good idea. Then peeling it off later will be super easy. It’s just vinyl wrap. I did mine after seeing @Broadfield ‘s and LOVE IT!!

 

[boozeman27]

Oh and I got the Giesemann from Toby too and love it! I have the 48” Aurora (T5’s/LED). MY TANK IS A 525xl and 60” wide. The 48” covers nicely however after seeing a tank on YouTube with the 60” Giesemann I’m a bit envious (look up DutchReefer). If it were me I would get the 48” and go edge to edge rather than the 36. Just thought I would add my 2cents to the conversation.

 

[Broadfield]

Oh and I got the Giesemann from Toby too and love it! I have the 48” Aurora (T5’s/LED). MY TANK IS A 525xl and 60” wide. The 48” covers nicely however after seeing a tank on YouTube with the 60” Giesemann I’m a bit envious (look up DutchReefer). If it were me I would get the 48” and go edge to edge rather than the 36. Just thought I would add my 2cents to the conversation.

Keep in mind, the 48" Spectra covers completely different than the 48" Aurora. Some of my LPS thank me for not having a 60" fixture lol.... they live at the ends of the tank. However, it wouldn't really matter too much, as the 36", 48" and 60" Spectra all use two metal halide bulbs. So the only difference would be the longer T5 bulbs. Now obviously the MH reflectors are spaced slightly different for each of the three sizes, but it's not enough of a difference to fret about... the MH reflectors do a wonderful job of spread.

 

[CWR24]

Oh and I got the Giesemann from Toby too and love it! I have the 48” Aurora (T5’s/LED). MY TANK IS A 525xl and 60” wide. The 48” covers nicely however after seeing a tank on YouTube with the 60” Giesemann I’m a bit envious (look up DutchReefer). If it were me I would get the 48” and go edge to edge rather than the 36. Just thought I would add my 2cents to the conversation.

Great looking setup buddy........and I appreciate the input.

 

[CWR24]

I think scoring the black is a good idea. Then peeling it off later will be super easy. It’s just vinyl wrap. I did mine after seeing @Broadfield ‘s and LOVE IT!!

Definitely gives it a very nice look and different perspective.

Keep in mind, the 48" Spectra covers completely different than the 48" Aurora. Some of my LPS thank me for not having a 60" fixture lol.... they live at the ends of the tank. However, it wouldn't really matter too much, as the 36", 48" and 60" Spectra all use two metal halide bulbs. So the only difference would be the longer T5 bulbs. Now obviously the MH reflectors are spaced slightly differently for each of the three sizes, but it's not enough of a difference to fret about... the MH reflectors do a wonderful job of spread.

Hey Toby, I am gonna send you a message off board now. Let me know if it comes thru when you have a chance......thanks.

 

[Broadfield]

IMG_1660 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr