Ghost Reefer's Red Sea Reefer-S 1000 Mixed Reef Build

[Ghost Reefer]

Welcome and thank you for following along!

Current Status: Online

12/7/21

10/10/21

10/08/21

Tank Specs
Model: Reefer-S 1000
Size: 82.7"l x 26.75"w x 25.6"h
Volume: 210g display / 55g sump
Glass: 3/4 inch Ultra-clear
Rock: 150lb Real Reef Rock / Shelf
Sand: 200lb CaribSea Special Grade
Salt: Instant Ocean

Equipment (as of 5/28/22)
- EcoTech Vectra L2 return pump
- EcoTech MP40QD x 4
- Kessil AP9X LED x 3
- Tunze 3155 ATO
- Adaptive Reef Controller Cabinet
- American DJ PC-100 A Power Strip
- BRS 900w heater with Inkbird
- BRS 7 Stage RO/DI with TDS
- Clear Water CW-200 Algae Turf Scrubber

Fish (as of 12/7/21)
- Powder Blue Tang
- Spotbreast Angelfish
- Red Spot Hawkfish
- Starry Blenny
- Tailspot Blenny
- Bicolor Dottyback
- Platinum Clownfish x 2
- Yellow & Purple Wrasse

The Journey

Our new Reefer-S 1000 has arrived and this tank is a beast! I'd never seen a large Red Sea tank in person before so I was a bit anxious about investing in such a large purchase sight unseen.. but so far I'm really glad I did.

We ordered the tank through our LFS on August 26 and it was delivered on October 7.. so just about six weeks. Their team came out the next day and setup the tank and stand and did a fantastic job. It took six guys but they got it done with no damage or scuffs and we could not be more grateful to Zack and his team!

The freight company also did a great job. They had accurate updates and gave me a 2 hour window which they made which I was not expecting. The driver was very pleasant and patient while we opened the crate for a quick check. No damage!

Tank arriving:

 

[flagg37]

They could have damaged it anywhere on that huge box and the did it right next to the fragile sticker.

 

[Ghost Reefer]

Haha yeah I thought the same thing when I saw it. Pretty funny since there was no internal damage otherwise I would be crying.

 

[Ghost Reefer]

They did a nice job packaging the tank for transport. The crate is made out of MDF (I think) and it's wrapped in shrink wrap and styrofoam for protection. Both the main sump and additional sump (or ATO reservoir) come packaged separately and sit inside the main tank. The aluminum stand is underneath the tank and the doors came shipped in another box sitting on top of the main crate.

First look:

 

[Ghost Reefer]

My first impression is that this tank definitely met my expectations. My second impression is that I'm super happy I hired someone to move it.

The 3/4" glass is immediately apparent and I really like the black euro bracing along the top and bottom. The overflow box is not horrendous and the extra width of the tank should help with the aquascaping. Overall I was really happy with the quality.

The reveal:

 

[Ghost Reefer]

I don't have many photos of the stand build but here are a few photos from the rest of the day. Overall it took about six hours for everything including a very patient team answering all of my questions and going over the Red Sea features.

 

[Ghost Reefer]

Because I wanted to put this tank in the same spot as my old tank I had to move all of my fish and corals to holding tanks. Here are a couple of photos.

Scrambled Eggs

Fruit Loops

Blondies and a Scoly

Zoa Garden

Frogspawn

Torch

Rainbow Acans

Open Brain

Open Brain

 

[Just a Wrasse.]

They could have damaged it anywhere on that huge box and the did it right next to the fragile sticker.

I know right?!?

 

[Just a Wrasse.]

I don't have many photos of the stand build but here are a few photos from the rest of the day. Overall it took about six hours for everything including a very patient team answering all of my questions and going over the Red Sea features.

Cool tank! Filter or sump?

 

[Ghost Reefer]

Thanks! It's got a 55g sump.

 

[flagg37]

Does that model naturally come eurobraced? I thought Red Sea only did rimless.

 

[exnisstech]

Thanks for posting. I have 2 6ft tanks that I have been wanting to combine into one tank and this is very tempting. I have a reefer 170 in my bedroom and love the quality and ease of set up. The plumbing etc is so much nicer than my diy job on my other tanks. Now to try and pry my wallet open lol. Curios also as to whether the euro bracing is standard?

 

[Ghost Reefer]

Lol yeah they are not cheap! Much better quality IMO than any other tank I've had (never had a custom tank tho).

Yes the euro bracing is standard. At first I thought it was going to be a problem but the Red Sea guy said it would not block light which was my main concern.. but after seeing it in person I like it much better than my previous clear euro braces tank.

 

[Ghost Reefer]

Does that model naturally come eurobraced? I thought Red Sea only did rimless.

Yes it does. I had no option to remove it when purchased. Its along the front and sides on the top and bottom but not on the back wall.

 

[ScottB]

Looking real nice. I think Red Sea should build the aluminum stands for ALL their models.

 

[Biglex]

Awesome tank can’t wait to see it all up. I have a Red Sea 450. Hopefully when we move I wana get the 1000

 

[Ghost Reefer]

Looking real nice. I think Red Sea should build the aluminum stands for ALL their models.

Thanks! Yea that would be nice if they did.

 

[Ghost Reefer]

Awesome tank can’t wait to see it all up. I have a Red Sea 450. Hopefully when we move I wana get the 1000

Thank you! Yea I would definitely recommend waiting to not have to move this tank twice haha.

 

[Ghost Reefer]

We decided to go with Real Reef Rock and CaribSea Arag-Alive Special Grade reef sand.

Our first experience with Real Reef Rock was a disaster. There is not much selection locally for live rock and the one store that had a lot to look at only carried RRR so we decided to go look. It was very nice in person but they wanted over $10lb with no discount on a bulk purchase. Not wanting to spend $1,500 on live rock we left.

After debating our options we decided to roll the dice and ordered a 55lb mixed box from a large online retailer.

As soon as we opened the box we knew it wasn't going to be good. The top layer was covered in rubble and the box was bone dry. After pulling the first few pieces out we were pretty disappointed. In all we got 40lb of average rock with one nice piece and 15lb of...

Yup. 15lb of rubble. We were expecting some of course but this was crazy. They did credit us for the rubble but after receiving this box we knew we wouldn't be able to order more from them.

After debating our options again we reached out to Premium Aquatics to see what they could offer. We explained what we were looking for and they said they would do their best. So we decided to roll the dice again and ordered two 55lb boxes and one 40lb shelf box.

The order arrived in perfect condition. They hand selected and individually wrapped each piece in tons of packaging and in total there was less than 1lb of rubble. Thank you @premiumaquatics .

 

[Ghost Reefer]

It took us a couple of hours to add the rock and sand. I tried to create lots of caves and ledges for the fish to enjoy while leaving enough space for corals.

There is approximately 150lb of rock/shelf and 200lb of sand. We started filling with RO/DI tonight and I will update with more photos once its complete and the glass is cleaned.