Ivy's RSR 525XL Build --first Saltwater tank

[missgoofyx24]

Following this one. It will be fun to watch the progression.

Welcome to the show hopefully it doesn't disappoint lol please chime in if you think I'm going into a rabbit hole or endangering my ecosystem ;Nailbiting

 

[Lukas75]

I may be a bit late but welcome!!

 

[Kevin Duprey]

I'll probably take your advice about the Macro rocks. I just heard back from John at Reef Cleaners and it looks like the rock I originally wanted isn't going to be available for a few months. With the Macro rocks, did you cure those for a set amount of time or just add them to the tank?

I don't know why I thought that fixture was the right length. Probably another reason why I should probably stop staying up so late doing my research lol. No sense in making a wishlist while your brain is giving up on you and asking for sleep Question though, with the 48" fixture, do you think I should stickto the 3 Kessils or can I get away with doing two? Is it possible to shift the LEDs after they are mounted; for ex...Can I put up two for now and then if the PAR isn't working out then take the fixture down and adjust the LED mounts to fit three?

Again, thanks!

I didn't cure the Marco rocks. Curing is for formerly live rock that has potentially decaying organic matter in it. Marco Rock is as dead as it gets. It will be nearly white when you first place it in your tank. It won't leach anything nasty into your tank. I went this route because I wanted to be able to build an aqua-scape at my leisure, and I was seeding the tank with live rock from my old system (in the sump). If I was starting a brand new system, I'd probably still go with the Marco Rock for the display, but I'd see if I could acquire some good cured live rock from a trusted source. Either a LFS that I trusted to not have nasty hitch-hikers or from a local reefer that was willing to part with some. Another option if you have time and know a local reefer with an established system is to give them a few pieces of the Marco rock that you're not using for the scape and let them season it in their tank. After about a month it will pick up some good biodiversity you can transfer to your tank. Put these pieces in your sump to seed the tank.

As for the aquatic life fixture, it's very flexible. When I first started the new tank, I only had one Radion in the center, because the other 2 were on my old tank. I added the other 2 when I broke down the old tank and transferred the coral. Whether you can get away with just 2 Kessils will depend upon what you want to grow coral-wise in your tank, and how high above the tank you can place the fixture. The higher you can go, the better the spread on the Kessils, but also the less PAR they will produce. FWIW, when the T5s are on, my Radions are running at ~70% intensity on the AB+ spectrum and I'm getting ~400 PAR at the top of my rock structure. My fixture is ~10" above the water surface. If I could raise it higher, I would just have to raise the intensity of the Radions, but I'd get better overall distribution. I'm successfully growing SPS with great color with my setup. Kessils should do well also if you want to grow SPS. Since you hopefully won't be experimenting with SPS for a while, you could definitely get 2 Kessils to start, and add another later when the SPS bug bites. Also, another plug for the Seneye is that it doubles as a PAR meter. It's not super accurate, but it's reasonable, and gives you a decent gauge of whether you have hot spots / shadowing and good ballpark of where your PAR is.

 

[missgoofyx24]

The sump is now in place and the stand is complete. I'm happy I added the contact paper to the back of the sump. If I need to remove it for some reason then that'll be simple, but I think it's addition will help me see everything in the sump more clearly.

I've been pondering on the build plan for a couple days. I've been trying to decide what to do with the ATO reservoir. I think I may just use silicone to plug the drainage and use the tank as my QT ... just not sure if that's a good size or not. I'm only adding one fish at a time, so I think that's enough space, but I'm going to do some more research first. There are some great threads on this, so I just have to start digging through them and taking notes.

Yesterday I ordered the Seneye Reef Monitor since I found it on sale, and today I ordered 100lbs of Marco rock along with a cheap powerhead and heater for my RO/DI set up. Tomorrow I'm picking up the 2 brute cans w/ lids and a pressure treated 2x4 to mount the system to since my studs are inconveniently placed. This weekend I'll be establishing my set up in the Reefing Closet that my husband has finally agreed to give up to me [emoji119]

I'll post pictures of the set up at the end of the weekend. It'll probably be the last major step I take until June since I have to use the next few paychecks to purchase the return pump, skimmer, heater, and gyre pump w/ controller. In the meantime, I'll make sure to post aquascape attempts!

 

[Kevin Duprey]

If you have the space and the funds, I highly suggest creating a water mixing station. I followed the plans in this link and created one with 35 gallon containers available at Tractor Supply, some PVC plumbing and a cheap pump. One of the best things I ever did for tank maintenance.

 

[Kevin Duprey]

The sump is now in place and the stand is complete. I'm happy I added the contact paper to the back of the sump. If I need to remove it for some reason then that'll be simple, but I think it's addition will help me see everything in the sump more clearly.

I've been pondering on the build plan for a couple days. I've been trying to decide what to do with the ATO reservoir. I think I may just use silicone to plug the drainage and use the tank as my QT ... just not sure if that's a good size or not. I'm only adding one fish at a time, so I think that's enough space, but I'm going to do some more research first. There are some great threads on this, so I just have to start digging through them and taking notes.

Yesterday I ordered the Seneye Reef Monitor since I found it on sale, and today I ordered 100lbs of Marco rock along with a cheap powerhead and heater for my RO/DI set up. Tomorrow I'm picking up the 2 brute cans w/ lids and a pressure treated 2x4 to mount the system to since my studs are inconveniently placed. This weekend I'll be establishing my set up in the Reefing Closet that my husband has finally agreed to give up to me [emoji119]

I'll post pictures of the set up at the end of the weekend. It'll probably be the last major step I take until June since I have to use the next few paychecks to purchase the return pump, skimmer, heater, and gyre pump w/ controller. In the meantime, I'll make sure to post aquascape attempts!

Looking forward to the aquascape attempts. There are some great threads on this site that can give you some ideas. Look at other build threads as well. Probably the most important thing is deciding on an open structure or the traditional wall of rocks. I went with a more open structure with 2 "islands" of rock. It provides more swimming space for fish, but it can be limiting for coral placement and also reduces hiding spots for the fish. Just some things to consider while waiting for the rock to arrive.

 

[missgoofyx24]

If you have the space and the funds, I highly suggest creating a water mixing station. I followed the plans in this link and created one with 35 gallon containers available at Tractor Supply, some PVC plumbing and a cheap pump. One of the best things I ever did for tank maintenance.

This comment basically stopped me from my previous very simple plan that would have still involved buckets being carried. I was sick this weekend so I didn't get to go out to get parts, but I'm planning to take your advice. Thanks for the info! It adds a little time to the plan and takes money from the budget, but my patience makes up for it. Now I get to play with rock for a little while longer!

 

[missgoofyx24]

Time to start playing interior tank decorator... which I already think I'll be bad at. I'll post photos as I make some attempts.

 

[missgoofyx24]

I've been playing with the rock during the toddler's naptimes and I'm at the point where I have a design I feel is worth sharing.

The rock on the left had a lot of areas that can accommodate caves underneath and I like the tunnels that are created by placing the rocks in between the arches.

I was thinking of adding rock over the center to make a bridge the connects the entire aquascape. The picture below shows where I'd add the rock to join everything. I'd also place rock at the bottom of the right arch top make it a passageway in the rock instead of an arch, but I'm not sold on that part yet.

Would that be overkill?

Any input is appreciated. I'd like a good amount of surface area, but I also want the fish to have enough places to hide so they don't start fighting over territory at night.

 

[Kevin Duprey]

I've been playing with the rock during the toddler's naptimes and I'm at the point where I have a design I feel is worth sharing.

The rock on the left had a lot of areas that can accommodate caves underneath and I like the tunnels that are created by placing the rocks in between the arches.

I was thinking of adding rock over the center to make a bridge the connects the entire aquascape. The picture below shows where I'd add the rock to join everything. I'd also place rock at the bottom of the right arch top make it a passageway in the rock instead of an arch, but I'm not sold on that part yet.

Would that be overkill?

Any input is appreciated. I'd like a good amount of surface area, but I also want the fish to have enough places to hide so they don't start fighting over territory at night.

I like it.

A couple thoughts. I wouldn't advocate tieing all the rocks together. If you ever contemplate having xenia or green start polyps, it's ideal to be able to place them on their own island, separate from all the other rocks, otherwise they will overtake the entire aquascape. Also, assuming the structure will be glued before you place it in the tank, it will be very difficult to lower such a large structure into the tank.

Secondly, will you have viewing access to both ends of the tank? If not, be aware that you might not be able to see something that takes up residence behind one of the current structures, like an anemone or other invert. Make sure there are a variety of cave and hole sizes for different sized fish and critters.

Finally, if you place the rock structure on the bare bottomof the tank then add sand around it, which I'd highly recommend because it makes the structures more stable, realize that some of the caves near the bottom of the structure may get buried or reduced significantly in size.

 

[Raege]

I like the look. Personally I wouldn’t tie them all together with bridges maybe one connection. One other note just check you have space between glass/overflow to rock to do any cleaning/ scraping you want. I didn’t and was a minor pain shifting it around. Look forward to seeing what you go with and getting it wet.

 

[Kevin Duprey]

Any updates? Hoping to see it get wet soon...

 

[missgoofyx24]

Thank you to everyone that provided me with help in the past. I took a step back from the tank when I realized I was pouring money into it before taking care of other things that I should've been prioritizing at the time. We got a bunch of dangerous trees removed from the property, paid off debt, and saved up money. Just in time considering the pandemic hit and we benefitted from making those decisions in that order. Anyway…let’s talk reefing!

I'm so happy to be back on here since you were all so informative and supportive last time around The tank is wet and mostly cycled! I really kicked into gear when the new year arrived, getting water in by the first weekend of the year. I spent my downtime during 2020 doing a TON of research and I’m hoping I made good decisions!

Here is a quick (probably not so quick) summary of what I have running.

In the sump:

• Octo Regal 150 INT protein skimmer
• Syncra Silent Sicce return pump
• (2) 300W finnex heaters

In the DT: (2) Maxspect Gyre XF330 running a custom program I developed from the BRS video that explains how they did the flow through the APEX monitor. I definitely got help from a forum, just can’t remember which one. I also installed the RSR net top, but I'm not happy with my netting job so I'm still thinking of re-doing that part. I have to install my Neat Aquatics feeding hole, too.

In the side cabinet: Trigger 10g ATO reservoir w/ Tunze ATO running to the sump return area. I want to move my controllers in there, but I haven't done that yet.

Other:

• Hydros controller
  • w/ 2 temp monitors (1 In sump return & 1 in weir)
  • water leak rope detector (haven’t installed yet, but will likely go around the sump)
  • ph probe, currently in the sump, skimmer section

I also have a QT up and running. I didn’t seed it properly so I’m struggling with the ammonia induced water changes. I have (2) snowflake clownfish in there right now. They are on Day 2 of therapeutic copper levels (more on that later). I basically lived on the humble fish forums for like 2 weeks in December. I realized that if I introduced an organism to my tank that harmed my livestock and I could have prevented it I would be really mad at myself. This led to the promise to always quarantine my livestock or purchase from someone who pre-QTs fish to my preferred level of QT. Someone posted their QT plan to the forum, so I took it and made it my own based on follow up comments made by humblefish and dierks.

Current QT Process:

I’m still considering placing them in the dumb 2.5g tank the RSR525xl comes with. If I put them in there for some time, then I’ll be able to move them into there for 24 hours while I sanitize my 10g QT tank. Then I can do the two-week copper treatment instead of 30 day and start observation earlier. I'm also planning on putting some black mollies in my sump when I build my refug so I have a constant monitor of marine illnesses and can also use them during observation periods..

As of now, I’m just tracking their progress, feeding and dosing as timers indicate and constantly testing the parameters. On the DT I’m using my Hanna checkers on even days and Red Sea on odd days, doing all of them on Sundays. Here are the tests I currently have:

Hanna: Temp, Alkalinity, Calcium, Phosphate

Red Sea: pH, Nh3/Nh4, No2, No3, Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium

Here is my current snapshot of parameters since I began dosing/testing:

That’s all I can think of writing for now. I’m currently doing a lot of fish research to build up a realistic tank stocking plan. I have no algae in my tank so far, but it hasn’t been that long yet. I have no life in there that you can see with the human eye. I hope the bacteria are finding that tank hospitable with the lower salinity and higher temps.



Please feel free to ask or critique ANYTHING about my plans, whether it has to do with livestock, testing, dosing, equipment… anything! I love to have people challenge my current thought process too, so if you think I can be doing something differently, please bring that up! Sorry for the long wait. I promise I won’t disappear again.

 

[missgoofyx24]

Any updates? Hoping to see it get wet soon...

I'd happy to say that after more than a year, this project is FINALLY getting the attention it deserves from me. Thank you for checking in, albeit almost a year ago lol.

 

[missgoofyx24]

After doing some initial fish research, I'm pretty sure this is my first draft of a fish plan. I'm prepared for many changes and I know the end result may be nothing like the initial list...but here it is in order of addition:

(2) Snowflake Clownfish

(4) Blue-Green Chromis

(1) Lawnmower Blenny

(1) Six-line Wrasse

(1) Yellow Tang

(1) Yellow Watchman Goby & (1) Pistol Shrimp

(4) Firefish

(1) Royal Gramma

(1) Raccoon Butterfly

Blue-Green Chromis

• peaceful damsel for peaceful tank
• school well, shimmer in the light
• stay small and swim at every level of aquarium

Lawnmower Blenny

• perch on sand/rocks
• really peaceful to all but blenny
• grazes on macroalgae/hair algae
• may nip on SPS corals

Six-line wrasse

• add last to the aquarium
• only add one
• may eat crabs and shrimp

Yellow Tang
Place AFTER you have other fish in the tank to avoid territorial activity

Yellow Watchman or Diamond Goby

• sifts the sand to eat
• may need to spot clean
• burrows under sand
• can be territorial if kept with other gobies

Firefish

• 3-4 in a school, peaceful
• need caves and coverage

Royal Gramma

• Keep only one, don’t like each other
• needs a cave/territory of its own

Raccoon Butterfly

• No other of same species
• keep away from aggressive fish
• need an established tank

The plan is to QT these myself if I buy from a LFS, or to buy them from sites like FisHotel and Dr. Reef's when I know the fish is sensitive to treatments and I need experienced people to do it (or I'm busy and can't QT myself at that time).

 

[missgoofyx24]

I have to admit, so far this little cart is my favorite thing I've done since I started the tank. The idea came from a BRSTv video about organization. Thomas, one of the BRSTv Hosts, shows off his reef cart and how he uses it to easily maintain his equipment. I ordered a cart from amazon and as soon as it arrived I realized just how much I didn't realize I needed it.

I keep my test kits on the bottom shelf (Hanna Cal, Phos, & Alk; Red Sea Marine Care & Foundation Pro) with a bottle of RODI, testing beakers & syringes, and scissors & a microfiber glass cleaner for the hanna checker packets. I also tuck my DT and QT notebooks in there.
On the middle shelf I store my food and tank maintenance dose bottles. You can also see my measuring spoons and cups hanging off the side.
On the top shelf I have the tank magnet and a role of paper towels. I usually use the top as a table to use while testing if I want to test right next to the tank. For testing, I usually role the cart to the tank, fill a beaker with tank water, then to the bathroom where I fill a beaker with RODI water, and then to the table where I sit down and start doing each test. It makes it all so much easier.

Are there any tips or tricks you found that really made things easier for you?

 

[Fudsey]

Good idea ! !

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Looking great so far

 

[missgoofyx24]

One of the main reasons for my hiatus from building my tank last year was a string of negative experiences I had on facebook pages dedicated to reefing. It happened again last night. I'm not going to let it derail my current experience like I did last time, but I think I need to take a moment to say something.

What is wrong with people on facebook pages? Why am I not allowed to offer advice or ask a question without basically being harassed for doing so? At first it was random groups in Virginia or that I had been linked to, so I just left the groups and started sticking to more well known groups. Even in those, in the Red Sea Reefer group and in the AskBRSTv group... its like some people are there just to stir the pot and get mad at people.

I think I'm just going to stick to Reef2Reef now and avoid facebook groups. It's a shame because they're so good for quick responses for information, but its just not worth the constant belittling and nasty comments.

Sorry for my rant. I just expected more from this hobby. I guess there is nowhere left to run where only decent individuals exist.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

This is the best place for reefers across the internet, welcome back @missgoofyx24