Hulley's RSR 350 v3. W/Clarisea Filter Roller.

[Hulley]

Hey Hulley, so I just setup my H160 on a little refugium under my Red Sea 250 and I'm struggling to get chaeto to grow. I saw you run yours 12 hours at 65-75%, what spectrum do you have it set on, "Grow"? Thanks. Wish I could get growth like that.

Yep, I have the dial pointed at the "W" on the word grow, doesn't look as purple as in the pic but that's where I've had it set.

 

[pwilliaml]

Thanks Hulley. May I ask, what salt do you use, and do you use any additives for your tank or add anything other than saltwater to it? I'm trying to figure out why I can't grow chaeto. Thanks.

 

[Hulley]

Thanks Hulley. May I ask, what salt do you use, and do you use any additives for your tank or add anything other than saltwater to it? I'm trying to figure out why I can't grow chaeto. Thanks.

I filled the tank with Instant Ocean reef crystals from my LFS but will be using Red Sea Blue bucket soon. I only have plans for softies and LPS so basic salt mix is fine for now.

Keep in mind, I do not have a skimmer so the refugium is getting all the nutrients from the system, if I did have a skimmer, I would probably have to feed a ton more. I feed the tank 2 cubes of mysis shrimp per day and a decent amount Formula two pellets in the morning.

 

[Hulley]

Major update! I was very unhappy with my tank and the direction it was going. In the beginning the Chaeto grew like hotcakes and then it starting melting away. The fish looked healthy and honestly the corals looked good too but the water was dirty and had particles floating everywhere and honestly, I was embarrassed. I only ran filter floss in the media cups and really, I was too lazy to change it every few days, especially after I started catching the roller filters in action. I knew I wanted one. I did some research, knew what I had to do to mod the sump and made a plan.
I bought the Clarisea SK-5000 from my LFS and ordered all new plumbing from BRS. I made up the plumbing a few days before to leave time for the glue to dry and went to work this morning.
Clarisea SK-5000

The sump getting ready to be pulled out.

Keep the probes wet while sump is out, not sure if really necessary though.

Here is the sump after cutting out the filer sock area. All I used was a retractable razor knife from Home Depot and a straight edge to clean up the glass.

Dunkin is less than thrilled.

I needed to make a stand for the Clarisea to get it to the correct water level.

 

[Hulley]

And here is the sump back in place, water running and everything going smooth!

All in all, removing the sump, cutting out the baffles, getting everything back in and filled with water took about 2.5hrs. Now I did let the water heat up for about an hour before turning the pump back on and honestly reprogramming the ATO sensor took me a little longer than I would have liked, but I've been watching it for the last few hours and everything is working as it should, I've even seen the roller move as the paper got dirty and ATO top off as needed. I installed a nice gate valve to use instead of the RS valve and it's all quiet now! I can even tell that the water is a little clearer now, should be much better by tomorrow. I'm very pleased!

 

[Hulley]

After 2 days, water is super clear compared to before install and you can see lots of nasty stuff on the roll. Very pleased so far!

 

[erichuyn]

Do you still use the Red Sea valve? Are you getting fluctuation in height and thus drain noise because of the back pressure from the clogging filter material?
Looks ace btw!

 

[Hulley]

Do you still use the Red Sea valve? Are you getting fluctuation in height and thus drain noise because of the back pressure from the clogging filter material?
Looks ace btw!

I'm using a gate valve I got from BRS and can easily control flow, however the water level in the Clarisea is not affected by the water level in the sump and actually has an overflow in case of clogged material. The Clarisea float level is about 3.0" above the sump water level.

 

[robjrussell]

I decided to go with the Reef Octo VarioS 6 return pump. I like that it was Apex ready and RO seems to have a good reputaion, it has done great so far, very quiet!

I went with the Red Sea adaptors for the hard plumbing. I only hard plumbed the return for now but I plan on doing all three.

Will you share how the varios6 works with your apex? I have a v6 before I got an apex and didn’t even realize they can work together..

 

[Hulley]

Will you share how the varios6 works with your apex? I have a v6 before I got an apex and didn’t even realize they can work together..

I actually don't control the Varios-6 through the Apex, I do have it plugged in so that I can turn it on/off when I want and control the feed cycle, but I do not use the Apex to control the flow. I just found a flow setting that the tank is happy with and leave it be.

 

[robjrussell]

I actually don't control the Varios-6 through the Apex, I do have it plugged in so that I can turn it on/off when I want and control the feed cycle, but I do not use the Apex to control the flow. I just found a flow setting that the tank is happy with and leave it be.

Gotcha. Just spent some time on YT - looks like you can manage flow and set a schedule throughout the day. Doesn’t really look like something too beneficial for me & it would irritate me having to adjust the overflow water level.

What pump speed do you run your 350 at? I’m at 4 and have been liking it since turning up from 3.

 

[Hulley]

Gotcha. Just spent some time on YT - looks like you can manage flow and set a schedule throughout the day. Doesn’t really look like something too beneficial for me & it would irritate me having to adjust the overflow water level.

What pump speed do you run your 350 at? I’m at 4 and have been liking it since turning up from 3.

I’m at speed 4 also, cranked it up little by little and now it’s settled in nicely. Much easier to mange the return valve and noise with the pump constant.

 

[jonnyeatworld]

How easy it is to change the filter paper? do you have to take the whole clarisea out to do it?

 

[Hulley]

How easy it is to change the filter paper? do you have to take the whole clarisea out to do it?

I haven't had to change the filter roll yet but should only take me about 10 minutes. The unit will have to come out, so, I install a coupling on the down pipe for that very reason. Considering how a roll should last 4-6 weeks or more, that's pretty low maintenance.

 

[Hulley]

Quick update.

I get asked a fair amount on how long the filter roll lasts and how is it to change.

I just changed the filter roll yesterday and it lasted 26 days with the flow valve completely closed, which means max filtration, changing the roll took me 12 minutes and I did not have to remove the unit from the sump and I didn't even turn the return pump off.

Overall, extremely pleased with the filter roller and consider it a necessary component.

 

[jonnyeatworld]

What size pipe is your over flow into the clarisea? did you have to use any special fittings?

 

[Hulley]

The return line is 3/4" and the two drains are 1".
Honestly I would just go with 3/4" for all three, the return connectors (see in post #3) chokes it down to 3/4", however you would need to size it to 1" at the end to fit the Clarisea. If you google flow rates for 3/4" pvc, there's more than enough flow available for the system. 1" pvc is overkill.

 

[Bunglesreef]

Nice build you have there, now my bank balance is going to be alot worse thanks lol!

is the clarisea worth the money?

thanks

 

[Hulley]

Nice build you have there, now my bank balance is going to be alot worse thanks lol!

is the clarisea worth the money?

thanks

Absolutely! I consider the filter roller a necessary piece of equipment now. The filter roll is pulling out some nasty junk and my water looks very clear, plus the water parameters are great and I still do not have a skimmer!

 

[Bunglesreef]

What's the inlet size on the clarisea? I have a 350 reefer I think it 32mm on return pipe?