Giraffe's Red Sea Reefer 525XL Build

Giraffe0621

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I ordered my Red Sea Reefer 525XL last night & want to see if my equipment list looks reasonable. I am brand new to reef aquariums, so this is all still somewhat Greek to me! Feel free to point out where my attempt at logic may have failed already :p

Equipment List
-Tank
: Red Sea Reefer 525xL - white
-Lighting: Radion XR30W Pro G4 (x 3?)
-Return Pump: EcoTech Vectra M1 (or is this not a great choice as you can't link it to a Neptune controller?)
-Powerheads: EcoTech MP40wQD (x2)
-Wave Box: Tunze Comline 6208 (or is this unnecessary given the 2 powerheads? Or good to provide different types of movement in the tank?)
-Skimmer: Reef Octopus 150SSS
-Heaters: Cobalt Neo-Therm 300W (x2)
-ATO: Tunze Osmolator 3155
-Cover: Artfully Acrylic mesh cover
-Rock: ARC Reef or Tampa Bay Saltwater (any pros/cons of these 2? Other suggestions?)
-Substrate: Tropic Eden Live Reef Flakes? Caribsea Florida Crushed Coral? Is crushed coral ever used anymore?
-RO/DI: SpectraPure? Or are the Bulk Reef Supply or Marine Depot brands as good? 4 stage vs. 5?)
-Salt: Red Sea Coral Pro Salt Mix

Holding off for now ( I want to get the tank up & running first, or are these things it would be bad to wait on?)
-Reactor:
Aquamax? Korallin?
-Dosing: looking at Neptune DOS & maybe DDR?
-Controller: haven’t seen many people using anything other than Neptunes? Are there other popular ones or is this pretty much the crowd favorite?

Any ridiculous choices, overkill in terms of size, or missing items, etc. to get the tank up & running water (not adding any type of fish/coral -- just literally moving water)?

Thank you for any advice!
Amanda
 

Dilan Patel

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Just FWI the cobalt neo therms had used to blow up in tanks and release some black gooish thing into water. not sure what model but I stayed away frm them due to that problem. IDK if they fixed the problem. if you would like to cut some cost I use the jeabo dosing pumps comes with 4 heads on each I have 4 units dosing two tanks. Love them and they come with a spare head. I think they are like 60$ on amazon. I have the BRS rodi unit I like it and very easy to set up. I use Instant ocean sea salt and it works great and cheaper. But cant go wrong with red sea. Neptune is what I have love them There are a couple other brands but I am not sure if they have the same capabilities as the apex. Sounds like you thought of everything. Great job and hope everything turns out great for you.
 

brett_schn

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Lighting- perfect
Return pump- ecotech makes a pretty good pump but I recommend getting a reeflink so u can control the radions mp40s and the vectra via wifi
Wave box- imho I don’t think you need it. You could add them later on.
Skimmer- seems sufficient enough I would go with one that can handle a larger tank so u can have a heavy bio load if you want.
Heater- the Neo therms are pretty good.
Ato- pretty good but I would recommend the Neptune apex atk or whatever it’s called because it works with an apex
Cover- I heard the artfully acrylic are the best in the business for mesh tops
Rock- those are fine but I’m never using live rock again. Too many bad hitch hikers for me. I heard people got gorilla crabs when they got tbs rocks. I’m going with brs dry rock for my next tanks.
Substrate-Caribsea is the brand most people use and I use a mix of crushed coral
Rodi- spectra pure is decent. Many people use brs and it will probably the one I’m picking up
Salt- coral pro is good but I hear the h.w. Marine salt is the best and is the only epa approved salt for research Facilities
Reactor- both of those are fine but brs dual reactor is pretty cheap
Dosing- the dos is good but the ddr isn’t necessary but if you have the money u could go for it.
Controller- because u are going with Neptune’s other products u might as well go with the apex but another option is the reefkeeper but it is less common apex is more popular but more expensive. It looks good though good luck and great tank choice
 
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Giraffe0621

Giraffe0621

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Just FWI the cobalt neo therms had used to blow up in tanks and release some black gooish thing into water. not sure what model but I stayed away frm them due to that problem. IDK if they fixed the problem. if you would like to cut some cost I use the jeabo dosing pumps comes with 4 heads on each I have 4 units dosing two tanks. Love them and they come with a spare head. I think they are like 60$ on amazon. I have the BRS rodi unit I like it and very easy to set up. I use Instant ocean sea salt and it works great and cheaper. But cant go wrong with red sea. Neptune is what I have love them There are a couple other brands but I am not sure if they have the same capabilities as the apex. Sounds like you thought of everything. Great job and hope everything turns out great for you.

Black goo released into my water is not exactly what I was going for :( Do you know if others have had a similar problem with them? I've always used el-cheapo Aqueon heaters for my freshwater tanks & inevitably they end up going in 1-2 years. I keep an extra on hand just in case. Was trying to find something a little higher-end than that, but clearly I haven't found a winner yet. Finnex seems to get good reviews, but I think the 300W heaters are too long to fit my sump, and I don't really want to do 3 x 200W instead.

I will definitely look at the Jaebo dosing pumps & Instant Ocean salt -- thank you for the suggestions.

Good to hear your BRS RO/DI unit is working out well. I can't quite tell if BRS name-brand stuff is just as good, or if I'd be sacrificing some quality to save money. Do you have a 4 or 5 stage unit? Do you wish you had a larger/smaller one? For a 525, is there a reason to go with 180gpd instead of 90gpd? Obviously it will take >1 day to make enough water to start, but is there ever a time when you'd have to replace that much water quickly? If the tank breaks & is leaking all over the floor, I don't really need to make more water to fill it back up, now do I :eek:

Thanks -- I'm doing my best (and by that I mean shamelessly combining equipment from people's tank build threads with online reviews)!
A
 

brett_schn

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Just FWI the cobalt neo therms had used to blow up in tanks and release some black gooish thing into water. not sure what model but I stayed away frm them due to that problem. IDK if they fixed the problem. if you would like to cut some cost I use the jeabo dosing pumps comes with 4 heads on each I have 4 units dosing two tanks. Love them and they come with a spare head. I think they are like 60$ on amazon. I have the BRS rodi unit I like it and very easy to set up. I use Instant ocean sea salt and it works great and cheaper. But cant go wrong with red sea. Neptune is what I have love them There are a couple other brands but I am not sure if they have the same capabilities as the apex. Sounds like you thought of everything. Great job and hope everything turns out great for you.

The neo therm that blew up were the models from 2012 I believe.
 
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Giraffe0621

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Lighting- perfect
Return pump- ecotech makes a pretty good pump but I recommend getting a reeflink so u can control the radions mp40s and the vectra via wifi
Wave box- imho I don’t think you need it. You could add them later on.
Skimmer- seems sufficient enough I would go with one that can handle a larger tank so u can have a heavy bio load if you want.
Heater- the Neo therms are pretty good.
Ato- pretty good but I would recommend the Neptune apex atk or whatever it’s called because it works with an apex
Cover- I heard the artfully acrylic are the best in the business for mesh tops
Rock- those are fine but I’m never using live rock again. Too many bad hitch hikers for me. I heard people got gorilla crabs when they got tbs rocks. I’m going with brs dry rock for my next tanks.
Substrate-Caribsea is the brand most people use and I use a mix of crushed coral
Rodi- spectra pure is decent. Many people use brs and it will probably the one I’m picking up
Salt- coral pro is good but I hear the h.w. Marine salt is the best and is the only epa approved salt for research Facilities
Reactor- both of those are fine but brs dual reactor is pretty cheap
Dosing- the dos is good but the ddr isn’t necessary but if you have the money u could go for it.
Controller- because u are going with Neptune’s other products u might as well go with the apex but another option is the reefkeeper but it is less common apex is more popular but more expensive. It looks good though good luck and great tank choice

Brett

I was thinking liverock to get the biodiversity it offers. I'll be taking this tank SUPER slow, as it's all brand new to me. I understand hitchhikers are less than desirable (and could be disastrous), but wouldn't it be possible to grab gorilla crabs out as you see them? I'm not planning to add coral right at the start, as I want to make sure things are stable before sinking money into something that won't appreciate less than perfect water conditions. With dry rock, what are you going to use to get your cycle started?

When you say a mix of crushed coral -- you mean mixing crushed coral with sand?
 

brett_schn

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As in they should be long off the market, right? Or best to go in another direction regardless? What brand of heater do you run?

No the new neo therms have been fixed. It happened to be one batch. I run a no brand name heater on my 10gallon. I’m getting neo therm tho
 

Dilan Patel

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Oh I just wanted to let him be aware of that issue in case it was not resolved :).

I have a 180gal and a 55gal and a 20gal reefs. So I use the BRS 150gallon a day 4 stage system. Works perfectly since my tap is only at 150 and my water supply uses chlorine instead of chloramines which is reccomend to have a 5stage if your water treatment center uses chloramines instead of chlorine. I think that is the right way or it is the opposite my young mind forgets things ive learned. Brs has a video out about there rodi systems so I would check that out. the 150gallon should be plenty. I always keep around 20gallons free(IDK why I have two reef available and a 10gallon) just for assurance if something goes wrong. 10 fresh and 10 salt. Also do not go with just one heater go with two smaller heaters because if you have two and one breaks the other can keep the temp for a little longer than not having an extra heater. If you only get one it is a lot quicker to overheat the tank if it breaks than to have two smaller heaters. any other questions I would love to help out.
 

Dilan Patel

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I run an inline heater on the 55gallon from hydor. A set petco brand called aqueon on the 20gallon and 2 glass ones on my 180 forgot the names.
 

brett_schn

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Brett

I was thinking liverock to get the biodiversity it offers. I'll be taking this tank SUPER slow, as it's all brand new to me. I understand hitchhikers are less than desirable (and could be disastrous), but wouldn't it be possible to grab gorilla crabs out as you see them? I'm not planning to add coral right at the start, as I want to make sure things are stable before sinking money into something that won't appreciate less than perfect water conditions. With dry rock, what are you going to use to get your cycle started?

When you say a mix of crushed coral -- you mean mixing crushed coral with sand?

No I bought a Carib sea mix. And gorrilla crabs are hard to catch and some guy got more than 30 on 10lb of rock and he is still catching them. U can just throw in a cube of food to start it and u have live sand.
 

Dilan Patel

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I agree with Brett I wish I did dead rock with live sand. I would still recommend live sand though my opinion. I have had mantis shrimp and aptasia battles and have started to finally take my tanks over again.
 

brett_schn

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I agree with Brett I wish I did dead rock with live sand. I would still recommend live sand though my opinion. I have had mantis shrimp and aptasia battles and have started to finally take my tanks over again.

Same with me but haven’t got a mantis shrimp yet. Key word yet lol. If u were doing an invert tank I would say go with live rock but with such and expensive and big tank I wouldn’t risk anything. Also with brs dry rock u will save more than a couple hundred bucks
 

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Responses below in red.

-Kris

I ordered my Red Sea Reefer 525XL last night & want to see if my equipment list looks reasonable. I am brand new to reef aquariums, so this is all still somewhat Greek to me! Feel free to point out where my attempt at logic may have failed already :p

Equipment List
-Tank
: Red Sea Reefer 525xL - white Excellent choice - this will come in a big crate. The tank is in the crate, there is a large box with the sump in it and the plumbing, and then two large boxes that contain the stand. Only some parts will come in white - the stand will all be white when you are done, so dont sweat it. I just spazzed a little when half my parts were black! Check the tank to make sure its not cracked when they drop it off and make sure to fill out the Red Sea warranty card.
-Lighting: Radion XR30W Pro G4 (x 3?) Three would be the minimum for a tank this size. I dont know what kind of corals you plan to keep, but three Radions should give you plenty of coverage without too much shadowing. 4 is likely a better number if you are planning to do all SPS, but you can always add more later if you choose to.
-Return Pump: EcoTech Vectra M1 (or is this not a great choice as you can't link it to a Neptune controller?) I run an M1 on my 525 with no issues - without a manifold, at 100%, Im getting 1450+ gph to the return. I never understood why people need their pumps to interface with the Apex, but if thats something you want, you are out of luck with the Apex and the Vectra "talking". The Ecotech Reeflink would be an option as it will let the Radions, Vortechs and Vectra all talk to one another and be synced. If you plan on running a manifold to power reactors and such, then the L1 is probably a better long term choice.
-Powerheads: EcoTech MP40wQD (x2) These are nice pumps - as I recall these are at the threshold of the glass thickness allowable for the MP40s - that would be something to double check before ordering. I run the Neptune WAVs and like them, though they are large and can only be run with the Neptune Apex. Tunze has lots of nice pumps that will work, and the Gyre style pumps are unobtrusive and can move a lot of water. Really, it comes down to what kind of livestock you plan on putting in there. SPS need more flow, but if its a softie tank, then you can get away with less powerful pumps.
-Wave Box: Tunze Comline 6208 (or is this unnecessary given the 2 powerheads? Or good to provide different types of movement in the tank?) A wavebox isnt something that you would generally run on this style of tank. Powerheads on opposite sides of the tank will give you alternating flow patterns, so the wavebox is not necessary.
-Skimmer: Reef Octopus 150SSS I would step up the skimmer. This 150 is rated for 110 at medium bioload, and thats running full blast. Generally I would recommend upsizing a little bit, so you have a bit more room for heavy fish and coral loads in the tank. The 200SSS should be right in the sweet spot. I run a Deltec 1456 skimmer right now, but its turned down slightly, as its a bit oversized for my system. Vertex and Nysos make nice skimmers, but most of the cost difference is the quality of the material, and not the function of the skimmer itself. Reef Octopus puts out a good product too though.
-Heaters: Cobalt Neo-Therm 300W (x2) Ive never run the Cobalt heaters, so I cant speak to their function, but the ones that had the issues were older units (2011-ish?) and were isolated to the 200w models. I prefer the eheim jager heaters, as they are highly recommended and very durable. They are, however, much longer than other heaters, and some people dont like them for that reason. I run a 300w jager and a 500w finnex titanium heater tube in my tank, but its in the basement and its generally colder down there all the time (plus I had them from my last build!) 2x300w should be more than enough.
-ATO: Tunze Osmolator 3155 The stock ATO will work fine, but it is generally a pain to fill the reservoir. The issue will be where to put the ATO water reservoir.
-Cover: Artfully Acrylic mesh cover I like mine quite well. You'll need to provide the cut-out areas for them, if you have cords going into the tank (powerheads) or if you have light mounts that bolt onto the tank.
-Rock: ARC Reef or Tampa Bay Saltwater (any pros/cons of these 2? Other suggestions?) I've started my tanks with "dead" dry rock from Macro Rocks and Pukani from bulkreefsupply. Dry rock will likely give you more algae issues from the start, as the rock needs to bleed off nutrients that will fuel growth while it "cures". Those that have used Tampa Bay Saltwater find there is little to no cycling the tank, and the amount of live on the rock is immense. There can be some creatures that arent desirable (gorilla crabs, mantis shrimp, ball/glass anemones) but there are hundreds of stars, urchins, snails, sponges, and sometimes even fish that come along for the ride. If you opt for "The Package" you will get both sand and rock (which takes care of the next bulletpoint) and is generally recommended. I know several individuals that have used TBS with fantastic results.
-Substrate: Tropic Eden Live Reef Flakes? Caribsea Florida Crushed Coral? Is crushed coral ever used anymore? Finer substrate is required if you have burrowing fish, and more coarse substrate is desirable if you have tunneling shrimp, but mostly is what you think looks nice. If you go with Tampa Bay Saltwater for rock, then get the package and your sand will be provided. If you want "dry" sand, I prefer Tropic Eden to Carribsea because the Tropic Eden is much cleaner out of the bag, and a more uniform grain size. The Carribsea has more options that Tropic Eden, so if you are willing to rinse/wash the sand more, then it comes down to aesthetic.
-RO/DI: SpectraPure? Or are the Bulk Reef Supply or Marine Depot brands as good? 4 stage vs. 5? Figure out if your water source uses chlorine or chloramines for water treatment (should just be a call to the city hall or water treatment plant) to find out what type of treatment blocks you will need. If you just have to deal with chlorine, then the 4 stage will work. Chloramines mean that you need to address that specifically and will likely need an additional stage. I would think about how often you plan on using the unit and how much water you plan on keeping on hand. If you are doing small infrequent water changes, and/or are storing 100+ gallons of RO/DI at a time, the GPH of the unit doesnt matter as much, but if you have to change water frequently or dont have the option to store much water for top off and water changes, then the faster you can make water, the better. I've had my BRS 4 stage for 8ish years now, and with the addition of the booster pump, and because I store 100ish gallons at a time, I only run my unit about once a month, and the 75 gpd unit works just fine for my purposes.
-Salt: Red Sea Coral Pro Salt Mix Again, I would decide what you are going to be keeping and what parameter numbers you are trying to maintain. Using RSCP would not be a good idea if you are trying to keep your alkalinity at 8 dKH, as the salt mixes up at 12-13dKH. Red Sea blue bucket salt has a much lower alkalinity (7.5dKH) but wouldnt be appropriate for a tank trying to maintain 10+dKH. There are several charts that show which salts mix at which parameters, and I would match the salt to what closely matches your intended parameters.

Holding off for now ( I want to get the tank up & running first, or are these things it would be bad to wait on?)
-Reactor:
Aquamax? Korallin? These can wait. Really, it comes down to what media you are planning to run, what space is available, and if you are running off of a seperate pump or a manifold.
-Dosing: looking at Neptune DOS & maybe DDR? If you are dosing 2 part, the DOS is a nice pump, but it only works with an Apex. There are several stand alone units that can provide you reliable dosing for less cost. In general, cheaper units work just as well, but they have a tendency to use flimsy plastic rollers that can lose traction on the tubing and cause the pump to wander with regards to calibrated dosages.
-Controller: haven’t seen many people using anything other than Neptunes? Are there other popular ones or is this pretty much the crowd favorite? GHL makes a nice controller that has a good following. It seems like the Apex is more plug and play, but I havent used a GHL before. Vertex Cerebra maybe coming out in a more refined unit shortly, so that might be something to watch for, as they had a really slick touch pad unit that seemed user friendly. Tunze also has a controller out. I dont know much about it, but Tunze quality is top notch and the support in the States is great.

Any ridiculous choices, overkill in terms of size, or missing items, etc. to get the tank up & running water (not adding any type of fish/coral -- just literally moving water)? Just curious, what are your thoughts on your nutrient management system? Generally people have to run some form of media to manage nitrates and phosphates whether it is biopellets, GFO, algae reactors, or something else. If you go GFO route, you would need a general reactor, but biopellets require a specialized reactor. I would start giving this thought now, moreso so you dont spend money on something you dont need and are ready when you need to address it.

Thank you for any advice!
Amanda​
 
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Derek

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Nice. I run a store in Canada and I have the 450 white as a display tank. Love the tank!! As soon mine came in, Red Sea announce the 525, I wasn't impressed.. haha. All of my rock are on acrylic Shelves which they look like they are floating on the back wall. The full bottom is open to put LPS corals and Zoas.

Here's what I run on mine.

2 Radion G3Pro, and one XR15Pro
Skimmer is a Bubble Magus Curve 9
Flow, I have a M1 Vectra and 2 MP40QD, all on Battery Backup
I use a GHL Doser 2 for dosing Cal, Alk, Mg and NOPOX

I use all Fauna Marin for dosing

As for the top, I made an acrylic rim around the tank about 10" to stop any fish of jumping over.

Here's a pic of the tank.

RSR450.jpg
 

BlennyKravitz

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Everything you said but I vote for two Kessils. They cover our tank size so nicely and they look slicker than Radions.

Also... perhaps

I would maybe do a different dosing system. I'm using seven channels which gets pricey with Neptune.

I just got Apex' new ATO kit so I can lose the Reefer ATO tank and add a Thieling roller mat.

I also run a 20G refugium outside (I'm on an exterior wall) which handles all the input/output from a Genesis auto water change system.

IMG_6730.JPG
 
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Giraffe0621

Giraffe0621

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Kris -- you are THE MAN! Responses in blue

Responses below in red.

-Kris

I ordered my Red Sea Reefer 525XL last night & want to see if my equipment list looks reasonable. I am brand new to reef aquariums, so this is all still somewhat Greek to me! Feel free to point out where my attempt at logic may have failed already :p

Equipment List
-Tank
: Red Sea Reefer 525xL - white Excellent choice - this will come in a big crate. The tank is in the crate, there is a large box with the sump in it and the plumbing, and then two large boxes that contain the stand. Only some parts will come in white - the stand will all be white when you are done, so dont sweat it. I just spazzed a little when half my parts were black! Check the tank to make sure its not cracked when they drop it off and make sure to fill out the Red Sea warranty card. I have been reading your build thread & got to the part where you nearly had a heart attack about the stand color. I would probably have done the same thing honestly! It's nice to have a heads up, so thank you!
-Lighting: Radion XR30W Pro G4 (x 3?) Three would be the minimum for a tank this size. I dont know what kind of corals you plan to keep, but three Radions should give you plenty of coverage without too much shadowing. 4 is likely a better number if you are planning to do all SPS, but you can always add more later if you choose to. I am still trying to get my head around all of the different types of coral out there, but SPS seems to draw my attention the most. It's the hardest to take care of, so of course I like it. I will put it on the list to add a 4th before going crazy with SPS, if that's where the tank ends up heading.
-Return Pump: EcoTech Vectra M1 (or is this not a great choice as you can't link it to a Neptune controller?) I run an M1 on my 525 with no issues - without a manifold, at 100%, Im getting 1450+ gph to the return. I never understood why people need their pumps to interface with the Apex, but if thats something you want, you are out of luck with the Apex and the Vectra "talking". The Ecotech Reeflink would be an option as it will let the Radions, Vortechs and Vectra all talk to one another and be synced. If you plan on running a manifold to power reactors and such, then the L1 is probably a better long term choice. Once you have the pump up & running, you shouldn't need to adjust a lot of things, right? So yeah, I'm not quite understanding the advantage of having it on the controller either. Would the L1 be overkill if run for the 525 without the manifold? Or can it be turned down enough that it's not creating problems?
-Powerheads: EcoTech MP40wQD (x2) These are nice pumps - as I recall these are at the threshold of the glass thickness allowable for the MP40s - that would be something to double check before ordering. I run the Neptune WAVs and like them, though they are large and can only be run with the Neptune Apex. Tunze has lots of nice pumps that will work, and the Gyre style pumps are unobtrusive and can move a lot of water. Really, it comes down to what kind of livestock you plan on putting in there. SPS need more flow, but if its a softie tank, then you can get away with less powerful pumps. By allowable glass thickness, you mean they might not be strong enough to hold together given the glass thickness? Will check out the Tunze, Gyre & WAVs
-Wave Box: Tunze Comline 6208 (or is this unnecessary given the 2 powerheads? Or good to provide different types of movement in the tank?) A wavebox isnt something that you would generally run on this style of tank. Powerheads on opposite sides of the tank will give you alternating flow patterns, so the wavebox is not necessary. Perfect, something to cross OFF the list, instead of add to it!
-Skimmer: Reef Octopus 150SSS I would step up the skimmer. This 150 is rated for 110 at medium bioload, and thats running full blast. Generally I would recommend upsizing a little bit, so you have a bit more room for heavy fish and coral loads in the tank. The 200SSS should be right in the sweet spot. I run a Deltec 1456 skimmer right now, but its turned down slightly, as its a bit oversized for my system. Vertex and Nysos make nice skimmers, but most of the cost difference is the quality of the material, and not the function of the skimmer itself. Reef Octopus puts out a good product too though. I'll be researching a larger skimmer -- definitely not something I want to skimp on or push the limits of!
-Heaters: Cobalt Neo-Therm 300W (x2) Ive never run the Cobalt heaters, so I cant speak to their function, but the ones that had the issues were older units (2011-ish?) and were isolated to the 200w models. I prefer the eheim jager heaters, as they are highly recommended and very durable. They are, however, much longer than other heaters, and some people dont like them for that reason. I run a 300w jager and a 500w finnex titanium heater tube in my tank, but its in the basement and its generally colder down there all the time (plus I had them from my last build!) 2x300w should be more than enough. Heaters seem to bring out strong opinions in people. I've tried a bunch of different brands in the last 15 years with freshwater, and the only thing I've found is they're universally NOT impressive. But I'll definitely do 2 smaller heaters so there's some built-in protection if/when one of them goes.
-ATO: Tunze Osmolator 3155 The stock ATO will work fine, but it is generally a pain to fill the reservoir. The issue will be where to put the ATO water reservoir. Removed from list :)
-Cover: Artfully Acrylic mesh cover I like mine quite well. You'll need to provide the cut-out areas for them, if you have cords going into the tank (powerheads) or if you have light mounts that bolt onto the tank. Slightly terrifying having to pick the cut-out areas ahead of time instead of doing it myself, so definitely going to wait until I'm sure nothing is moving. Which inevitably means I'll want to move something the next week ;)
-Rock: ARC Reef or Tampa Bay Saltwater (any pros/cons of these 2? Other suggestions?) I've started my tanks with "dead" dry rock from Macro Rocks and Pukani from bulkreefsupply. Dry rock will likely give you more algae issues from the start, as the rock needs to bleed off nutrients that will fuel growth while it "cures". Those that have used Tampa Bay Saltwater find there is little to no cycling the tank, and the amount of live on the rock is immense. There can be some creatures that arent desirable (gorilla crabs, mantis shrimp, ball/glass anemones) but there are hundreds of stars, urchins, snails, sponges, and sometimes even fish that come along for the ride. If you opt for "The Package" you will get both sand and rock (which takes care of the next bulletpoint) and is generally recommended. I know several individuals that have used TBS with fantastic results. This is one I'm having a little trouble with. As much as I understand the horrible consequences of undesirable hitch hikers and other undesirables, I also am intrigued by having that much amazing bio-diversity in my reef. When I've been diving, it's the small things that most often catch my attention. I love the idea of having dozens of different types of stars, snails, urchins, pods, etc. within that small of an area. Yes, of course I can purchase CUC members individually, but it would never quite be the same as seeing what arrives in a more natural way. I'll definitely have to give this one a lot more thought, and keep doing my reading, as there are significant risks associated with going this way.
-Substrate: Tropic Eden Live Reef Flakes? Caribsea Florida Crushed Coral? Is crushed coral ever used anymore? Finer substrate is required if you have burrowing fish, and more coarse substrate is desirable if you have tunneling shrimp, but mostly is what you think looks nice. If you go with Tampa Bay Saltwater for rock, then get the package and your sand will be provided. If you want "dry" sand, I prefer Tropic Eden to Carribsea because the Tropic Eden is much cleaner out of the bag, and a more uniform grain size. The Carribsea has more options that Tropic Eden, so if you are willing to rinse/wash the sand more, then it comes down to aesthetic. All good to know -- thank you!
-RO/DI: SpectraPure? Or are the Bulk Reef Supply or Marine Depot brands as good? 4 stage vs. 5? Figure out if your water source uses chlorine or chloramines for water treatment (should just be a call to the city hall or water treatment plant) to find out what type of treatment blocks you will need. If you just have to deal with chlorine, then the 4 stage will work. Chloramines mean that you need to address that specifically and will likely need an additional stage. I would think about how often you plan on using the unit and how much water you plan on keeping on hand. If you are doing small infrequent water changes, and/or are storing 100+ gallons of RO/DI at a time, the GPH of the unit doesnt matter as much, but if you have to change water frequently or dont have the option to store much water for top off and water changes, then the faster you can make water, the better. I've had my BRS 4 stage for 8ish years now, and with the addition of the booster pump, and because I store 100ish gallons at a time, I only run my unit about once a month, and the 75 gpd unit works just fine for my purposes. Will call city hall later today to figure out what our water is treated with. Thank you for all of the explanation on size/use. It's this type of stuff that doesn't show up in product descriptions that is really what kind of information I'm looking for.
-Salt: Red Sea Coral Pro Salt Mix Again, I would decide what you are going to be keeping and what parameter numbers you are trying to maintain. Using RSCP would not be a good idea if you are trying to keep your alkalinity at 8 dKH, as the salt mixes up at 12-13dKH. Red Sea blue bucket salt has a much lower alkalinity (7.5dKH) but wouldnt be appropriate for a tank trying to maintain 10+dKH. There are several charts that show which salts mix at which parameters, and I would match the salt to what closely matches your intended parameters. Yikes, even salt is complicated. Was hoping this would be one straightforward thing! Guess not :p

Holding off for now ( I want to get the tank up & running first, or are these things it would be bad to wait on?)
-Reactor:
Aquamax? Korallin? These can wait. Really, it comes down to what media you are planning to run, what space is available, and if you are running off of a seperate pump or a manifold. Perfect -- I think I've got enough to tackle already ;) But, will keep as a reference for later when I do pursue these next steps.
-Dosing: looking at Neptune DOS & maybe DDR? If you are dosing 2 part, the DOS is a nice pump, but it only works with an Apex. There are several stand alone units that can provide you reliable dosing for less cost. In general, cheaper units work just as well, but they have a tendency to use flimsy plastic rollers that can lose traction on the tubing and cause the pump to wander with regards to calibrated dosages.
-Controller: haven’t seen many people using anything other than Neptunes? Are there other popular ones or is this pretty much the crowd favorite? GHL makes a nice controller that has a good following. It seems like the Apex is more plug and play, but I havent used a GHL before. Vertex Cerebra maybe coming out in a more refined unit shortly, so that might be something to watch for, as they had a really slick touch pad unit that seemed user friendly. Tunze also has a controller out. I dont know much about it, but Tunze quality is top notch and the support in the States is great.

Any ridiculous choices, overkill in terms of size, or missing items, etc. to get the tank up & running water (not adding any type of fish/coral -- just literally moving water)? Just curious, what are your thoughts on your nutrient management system? Generally people have to run some form of media to manage nitrates and phosphates whether it is biopellets, GFO, algae reactors, or something else. If you go GFO route, you would need a general reactor, but biopellets require a specialized reactor. I would start giving this thought now, moreso so you dont spend money on something you dont need and are ready when you need to address it.

Thank you for any advice!
Amanda​
 
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Giraffe0621

Giraffe0621

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Everything you said but I vote for two Kessils. They cover our tank size so nicely and they look slicker than Radions.

Also... perhaps

I would maybe do a different dosing system. I'm using seven channels which gets pricey with Neptune.

I just got Apex' new ATO kit so I can lose the Reefer ATO tank and add a Thieling roller mat.

I also run a 20G refugium outside (I'm on an exterior wall) which handles all the input/output from a Genesis auto water change system.

IMG_6730.JPG
Blenny, thanks for the photo -- beautiful tank by the way! Are those Kessils that you're running on the tank above? A
 
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Nice. I run a store in Canada and I have the 450 white as a display tank. Love the tank!! As soon mine came in, Red Sea announce the 525, I wasn't impressed.. haha. All of my rock are on acrylic Shelves which they look like they are floating on the back wall. The full bottom is open to put LPS corals and Zoas.

Here's what I run on mine.

2 Radion G3Pro, and one XR15Pro
Skimmer is a Bubble Magus Curve 9
Flow, I have a M1 Vectra and 2 MP40QD, all on Battery Backup
I use a GHL Doser 2 for dosing Cal, Alk, Mg and NOPOX

I use all Fauna Marin for dosing

As for the top, I made an acrylic rim around the tank about 10" to stop any fish of jumping over.

Here's a pic of the tank.

RSR450.jpg
Derek, thanks for the info -- quick question -- have you had any issue with the MP40QD's on your Red Sea 450? Looks like both the 450 and 525 have 5/8" thick glass. Kris had pointed out that this may be close to the MP40's limits for thickness. Have yours been working out ok?

10" acrylic rim? You have some athletic fish :eek:
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 65 37.1%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 33.7%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 14.3%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 26 14.9%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
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