JoeSchmo45
Community Member
Hello R2R!
I introduced myself in the intro forum yesterday. Thank you all again for the warm welcome, I really do appreciate it. I took a long drive to pick up the reefer 170 today and couldn't be happier with it. When I say picked it up, I really mean that. The friendly, not-so-local fish store employee was rather disinterested in helping me load this sucker onto my truck. They were more than happy to watch me do it, though. There's a good chance I won't be able to stand up tomorrow. After another long drive and a considerable dose of Aleve, I was ready to go!
I've put together plenty of furniture in my day, so this cabinet had me very nervous. I figured there would be holes that refused to line up and plenty of language my mom wouldn't approve of, but there was no such thing. The cabinet is extremely well built and a breeze to put together. Maybe I just got lucky, but I was very impressed. It sits perfectly level as well.
The sump and tank appear to be in great condition. I don't see any scratches or imperfections, so that was a relief. I went ahead and just set the plumbing where it should go to make sure I had everything. I've never had a sump before, so I'm a bit apprehensive about all that moving water and plumbing.
The next step was getting the Red Sea LED 90 on the tank, which was probably the most difficult part of the entire project. The app gave me plenty of trouble, and I somehow managed to mount the bracket on backward. I eventually got it figured out and cranked it up. Talk about a beautiful light. If I run that thing at 100% I'll wake the neighbors. Then, I did what everybody does after setting up a new tank - stood back and admired it. (Insert choir of angels sound here...)
When I had my Biocube (RIP), this was the tank I dreamed about. I'm thrilled to actually have it. I do have a few questions that I'm hoping someone can help me with. Should I do a leak check on the tank before adding any rocks and sand? If so, do I need to use RODI water or can I use tap water and then drain and dry it when I'm done? Or do I put everything in and hope for the best? What's the best way of doing that? Red Sea says the plumbing can simply be hand tightened. I'm wondering if that is true or if I should be using plumber's tape on the connections. I don't want to use tape if I really shouldn't be using it. Does anyone have experience with that?
My biggest concern right now is the plumbing and wire management. There is not a lot of room in the cabinet. I'm going to really take my time and get the wire management as clean as I can. I suffer from a mild case of severe OCD when it comes to wires. My RODI unit won't be here until the end of the week, so there is no rush. Those are my questions right now, the first of many more I'm sure.
Once again, I appreciate the warm welcome and any advice that can be offered.
Cheers!
Joe
I introduced myself in the intro forum yesterday. Thank you all again for the warm welcome, I really do appreciate it. I took a long drive to pick up the reefer 170 today and couldn't be happier with it. When I say picked it up, I really mean that. The friendly, not-so-local fish store employee was rather disinterested in helping me load this sucker onto my truck. They were more than happy to watch me do it, though. There's a good chance I won't be able to stand up tomorrow. After another long drive and a considerable dose of Aleve, I was ready to go!
I've put together plenty of furniture in my day, so this cabinet had me very nervous. I figured there would be holes that refused to line up and plenty of language my mom wouldn't approve of, but there was no such thing. The cabinet is extremely well built and a breeze to put together. Maybe I just got lucky, but I was very impressed. It sits perfectly level as well.
The sump and tank appear to be in great condition. I don't see any scratches or imperfections, so that was a relief. I went ahead and just set the plumbing where it should go to make sure I had everything. I've never had a sump before, so I'm a bit apprehensive about all that moving water and plumbing.
The next step was getting the Red Sea LED 90 on the tank, which was probably the most difficult part of the entire project. The app gave me plenty of trouble, and I somehow managed to mount the bracket on backward. I eventually got it figured out and cranked it up. Talk about a beautiful light. If I run that thing at 100% I'll wake the neighbors. Then, I did what everybody does after setting up a new tank - stood back and admired it. (Insert choir of angels sound here...)
When I had my Biocube (RIP), this was the tank I dreamed about. I'm thrilled to actually have it. I do have a few questions that I'm hoping someone can help me with. Should I do a leak check on the tank before adding any rocks and sand? If so, do I need to use RODI water or can I use tap water and then drain and dry it when I'm done? Or do I put everything in and hope for the best? What's the best way of doing that? Red Sea says the plumbing can simply be hand tightened. I'm wondering if that is true or if I should be using plumber's tape on the connections. I don't want to use tape if I really shouldn't be using it. Does anyone have experience with that?
My biggest concern right now is the plumbing and wire management. There is not a lot of room in the cabinet. I'm going to really take my time and get the wire management as clean as I can. I suffer from a mild case of severe OCD when it comes to wires. My RODI unit won't be here until the end of the week, so there is no rush. Those are my questions right now, the first of many more I'm sure.
Once again, I appreciate the warm welcome and any advice that can be offered.
Cheers!
Joe
