Eric's Red Sea Reefer 525XL Build

Reefer525XL

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Well here we go again. I feellike I've been down this road a couple of times now . It's time for anotherupgrade. If we are looking at number of gallons this is a downgrade/downsize,however in a few minutes you will find out why I’m calling this anupgrade.

Some of you know the story behind this new buildand some don't but to keep things short my 300g reef tank crashed a little overa month ago and I didn't have the desire to start back up from scratch withsuch a big system (500g system split between 3 tanks) so I made the decision tosell off everything and start fresh with a smaller and simpler system thatwould be easier to maintain and with a modern look.

I’m a DIY person and love building things. Whilethis saves me a lot of money it also takes a lot of time from me and my familyand time is money, therefore; the decision was made to stop the DIY projects(to an extend lol) and get a tank that was ready for water as soon as itarrived. No more building stands, light racks or drilling holes. Based on whatI wanted the options I had were ELOS, Red Sea or CadLight. That quickly wentdown to two options since ELOS was way over what I wanted to spend on thetank itself. I didn't want to have a custom tank made because that would mean Ihad to find a tank builder, someone to build a stand (remember no more big DIYprojects) and a sump.

Ok, back to my two options... I first began toconsider CadLight. They had an appealing price and I had the option to opt outfrom some of the equipment included with the tank which would bring the priceeven lower. However, I wanted a rimless tank. I know the euro bracing comes inhandy when working in the tank but this wasn't a major concern for me. Whatsteered me away from (spoiler alert) CadLight was the reviews I found online. Alot of complains about customer service and a handful of tank failures. Anotherissue I had with the CadLight systems is the size of their sump. I think we canall agree that when choosing a sump, the bigger the better. The CadLight sumpstake up the entire length of the stand or at least the model I wanted did. Thiswould leave no room to place equipment/electronics away from the water,everything would need to be mounted above the sump. I wanted a dry space awayfrom the sump to keep all the electronics far from the water and to keepeverything neat and organized.

By now I’m sure some of you have guessed I wentwith Red Sea.... The Reefer series is the obvious choice. I get a tank, stand,sump and plumbing, everything I wanted, rimless with 5/8" Low Iron Glassand a dry space in the stand for electronics.

Equipment List:

Red Sea Reefer 525XL - 139-gallon Total System Volume - White cabinet.
48" Giesemann Spectra w/ dual ReefBrite Blue XHO.
Royal Exclusiv RD3 Speedy 80w Return pump.
Bubble King Double Cone 180 w/ RD3 Speedy 50w Skimmer.
AquaDriver SkimClean Helix 180 Self Cleaning Head.
Ecotech MP40wQD x4.
Apex 2016 model w/ WXM and Breakout box (more to come soon).
GHL 2.1 4-Head Stand Alone Doser.
Aquamaxx Media Reactor x3 (GFO/Carbon/BioPellets)
Artfully Acrylic Clearview Tank Lid.
80lbs of BRS Pukani Dry Rock
90lbs of Tropic Eden Reeflake (Bare bottom as of 06/01/2017)

I'll leave you guys with a few pictures. More are coming soon!


Reefer 525XL -2-18-2017-12
by Reefer525XL, on Flickr


Reefer 525XL -2-18-2017-13
by Reefer525XL, on Flickr


Reefer 525XL -2-18-2017-14
by Reefer525XL, on Flickr


By the way the Low Iron Glass on this tank is AMAZING!!!
 
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Reefer525XL

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Jason mack

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Well here we go again. I feellike I've been down this road a couple of times now . It's time for anotherupgrade. If we are looking at number of gallons this is a downgrade/downsize,however in a few minutes you will find out why I’m calling this anupgrade.

Some of you know the story behind this new buildand some don't but to keep things short my 300g reef tank crashed a little overa month ago and I didn't have the desire to start back up from scratch withsuch a big system (500g system split between 3 tanks) so I made the decision tosell off everything and start fresh with a smaller and simpler system thatwould be easier to maintain and with a modern look.

I’m a DIY person and love building things. Whilethis saves me a lot of money it also takes a lot of time from me and my familyand time is money, therefore; the decision was made to stop the DIY projects(to an extend lol) and get a tank that was ready for water as soon as itarrived. No more building stands, light racks or drilling holes. Based on whatI wanted the options I had were ELOS, Red Sea or CadLight. That quickly wentdown to two options since ELOS was way over what I wanted to spend on thetank itself. I didn't want to have a custom tank made because that would mean Ihad to find a tank builder, someone to build a stand (remember no more big DIYprojects) and a sump.

Ok, back to my two options... I first began toconsider CadLight. They had an appealing price and I had the option to opt outfrom some of the equipment included with the tank which would bring the priceeven lower. However, I wanted a rimless tank. I know the euro bracing comes inhandy when working in the tank but this wasn't a major concern for me. Whatsteered me away from (spoiler alert) CadLight was the reviews I found online. Alot of complains about customer service and a handful of tank failures. Anotherissue I had with the CadLight systems is the size of their sump. I think we canall agree that when choosing a sump, the bigger the better. The CadLight sumpstake up the entire length of the stand or at least the model I wanted did. Thiswould leave no room to place equipment/electronics away from the water,everything would need to be mounted above the sump. I wanted a dry space awayfrom the sump to keep all the electronics far from the water and to keepeverything neat and organized.

By now I’m sure some of you have guessed I wentwith Red Sea.... The Reefer series is the obvious choice. I get a tank, stand,sump and plumbing, everything I wanted, rimless with 5/8" Low Iron Glassand a dry space in the stand for electronics.

Equipment List:

Red Sea Reefer 525XL - 139-gallon Total System Volume - White cabinet.
48" ATI 3x75w 8x54w T5 Powermodule.
Royal Exclusiv RD3 Speedy 80w Return pump.
Bubble King Double Cone 180 w/ RD3 Speedy 50w Skimmer.
AquaDriver SkimClean Helix 180 Self Cleaning Head.
Ecotech MP40wQD x2.
GHL Profilux 4 Ultimate Set w/ Vortech and Royal Exclusiv Controller Module + Flow meter.
GHL 2.1 4-Head Stand Alone Doser.
Aquamaxx Media Reactor x3 (GFO/Carbon/BioPellets)
Artfully Acrylic Clearview Tank Lid.
80lbs of BRS Pukani Dry Rock
90lbs of Tropic Eden Reeflake

I'll leave you guys with a few pictures. More are coming soon!


Reefer 525XL -2-18-2017-12
by Reefer525XL, on Flickr


Reefer 525XL -2-18-2017-13
by Reefer525XL, on Flickr


Reefer 525XL -2-18-2017-14
by Reefer525XL, on Flickr


By the way the Low Iron Glass on this tank is AMAZING!!!
Nice tank and nice aquascape ..!!!
 

jsker

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I really like the Red Sea tanks and also great scape. What are you going to do with yourself with all the time you have now, not DIYing the system:rolleyes::D
 
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Reefer525XL

Reefer525XL

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I really like the Red Sea tanks and also great scape. What are you going to do with yourself with all the time you have now, not DIYing the system:rolleyes::D

Well the sump area and dry/electronic area will take some time and DIYing as everything will be hard plumbed.
 
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Reefer525XL

Reefer525XL

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Well I hung the ATI Powermodule last night. That sucker is heavy. Of course I missed the stud (bottom chord) on both sides by a couple of inches so I had to crawl into the attic and reinforce the ceiling/drywall to hold the light. Took about an hour but got the light perfectly centered over the tank.


Reefer 525XL -2-19-2017
by Reefer525XL, on Flickr


Reefer 525XL -2-19-2017-2
by Reefer525XL, on Flickr
 

Broadfield

Red Sea Reefer Consultant... Non Affiliated
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Uhhh yeah, I'm here to see a tank full of coral and fish... what's the hold up!?!:D:D:D:D

I'm glad to see you started a build thread. The tank looks awesome in that location! I look forward to seeing it progress!!!
 
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Reefer525XL

Reefer525XL

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Uhhh yeah, I'm here to see a tank full of coral and fish... what's the hold up!?!:D:D:D:D

I'm glad to see you started a build thread. The tank looks awesome in that location! I look forward to seeing it progress!!!

The guys from TANKED are coming tomorrow to fully stock the tank hahaha jk :D
 

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Will the humidity and heat from the tank affect your thermostat readings being that the tank is right by it?
 
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