joro's Red Sea Reefer 170 Build

[joro]

I found a great deal on a Red Sea Reefer 170 this past weekend which I couldn't pass up and so the journey begins! My wife and I have always loved the look of the Red Sea Reefers and this is a great size that fits perfectly into a corner of our living room. We're excited to share the progression with the R2R community and just to provide a little background, this is our second DT - if you don't count the two QTs we have setup in my office - with the other one being a much larger 90G reef which is still in the earlier stages of stocking/development. For that tank my primary goal was stocking with more challenging fish species - e.g. Copperband Butterfly, a Blue Star Leopard Wrasse harem, etc - and I'm looking forward to the challenge of applying this methodology to a smaller nano tank.

So here's the first "raw" shot of the tank from earlier this week when we first moved it into place. I have a number of shipments coming in the next few days and looking forward to sharing the progression with you all! As always, we appreciate the feedback from the R2R community!

 

[alonso24k]

Love the reefers. Subscribed!

 

[Matze]

Subscribed! Those things are awesome :)

 

[joro]

So got a little work done today and perhaps, most importantly, replaced the standard outlet with a GFCI. Safety first :cool:



Today was also what I'll call "New Build Christmas!" Most of my gear arrived including my rocks (which I'll cover when I unbox them) but I still have a few items left to unpack/receive in the coming week! Here's a list of the key equipment I selected for my build:

• Lighting: AI Hydra 26 HD (along with AI mounting kit)
• Skimmer: Reef Octopus Classic 110SSS
• Return Pump: Sicce Syncra 2.0
  
• Powerhead: Vortech MP10WQD (I only bought one for now to see how I like the flow but may buy a second down the road if needed)
• Heater: 125W Eheim Jager
• Controller: Apex Jr w/additional EB4

This is also the first time I'm going to run the Red Sea Reef Mature Pro program which I've heard great things about. My rocks are dry and my sand is live, so hopefully we'll get this tank cycled in the next 3-4 weeks with the addition of the Red Sea program.

 

[joro]

I got quite a bit done today between installing the Apex, wireless adapter, sump, etc; however, my big project was getting the rocks ready for installation. This is the first time I've used Marco Rocks (@Marco67) - actually dry rocks in general - and I must say I am very impressed. I choose one of the "Cherry Picked" formations which was around 51 pounds which was overkill for what I needed but I liked the size rocks vs one of the smaller formations.

I put together an aquascape which is below and tried Marco's cement (E-400); however, I honestly didn't have good results - after a few hours of curing the rock basically tipped over with little pressure. After watching a number of videos on the subject, I think I made the mix too "wet" and that's what caused the issue, I'm going to re-group tomorrow and try a thicker mix to cement these pieces together. On the bright side, it looks like I might have a few pounds to sell back locally once all is said and done :)

 

[joro]

On a separate note, I mounted the AI Hydra EXT Rail System today and must say I'm a bit disappointed. I didn't realize that you could only mount the Hydra 26 HD in a perpendicular format vs. parallel to the front of the tank which is what I intended. I know the lights are supposed to cover a 24x24 area (which is good for my tank); however, any feedback on mounting these lights perpendicular vs parallel?

 

[joro]

Round dos of mortar and much better results. As I suspected, I made the prior mix to "wet" and when I re-did it this time, the mortar applied much easier and held. Looking at it now it may be a little overkill on some joints but I figured eventually it will be all coralline right? :cool:

 

[revhtree]

Looking good!

 

[joro]

Making some progress today! I got all the wiring done for the Apex and cable management installed for the light as well as the back of tank. Tomorrow will be cable management inside the stand as well as putting in the live sand!

 

[cpllongjk]

Great Start, keep it up.

 

[joro]

Been waiting patiently for the delivery of salt - I realized I ran out on our last water change downstairs - and finally got it in yesterday. So the sand went in last night to start settling, depending on what it looks like later today I may be able to fill it all the way up and turn on the pumps! :cool:

On a sort of unrelated note, I have been having the hardest time getting anything to stick on the inside of the Reefer cabinet (e.g. velcro tabs, cable management tabs) whereas on my other tanks they just worked. Does anyone know if the inside treated with something perhaps that's causing it not to adhere very well? I wanted to avoid screwing everything in but looks like I may have to.

 

[revhtree]

Nice scape!

 

[joro]

Nice scape!

Thanks, just took a few times figuring out how to mix the mortar correctly and now everything's solid! :D

 

[joro]

Unfortunately had a bit of setback today. The sand had settled in nicely and I proceeded to fill in the remaining tank (e.g. overflow / sump areas). When I did that, I noticed a leak in the primary drain pipe which started as just a slow drip but progressively increased as I turned on the return pump. After a number of calls today with Red Sea's Customer Support, they think it's either a cracked pipe or a bad O-Ring (neither of which are visible on inspection). A replacement pipe will be here mid next-week so final build out is on hold pending receipt and correction of said issue. :(

On a brighter note, I decided to pull the trigger and buy a second MP10 to ensure there was plenty of flow in the tank. I've got both linked up and running in reefcrest mode right now just to test. If there's anything "good" about having fine particles still in the water column it's that you get a very nice view of flow in the tank!

Also, to one of my earlier posts, does anybody know why I can't get anything to stick to the inside of the cabinet in the Reefer? The Apex display fell down today, it just makes absolutely no sense!?!? o_O

 

[LParker480]

Looks good! That's going to be a great looking tank!

 

[ReefQueen]

Great start! That's a bummer about the pipe, but better now then when it is fully stocked I say:) I don't have a reefer, but what if you scuffed up the stand with sandpaper a little, in the places you need things to stick? Not ideal, but better then drilling holes lol

 

[joro]

Great start! That's a bummer about the pipe, but better now then when it is fully stocked I say:) I don't have a reefer, but what if you scuffed up the stand with sandpaper a little, in the places you need things to stick? Not ideal, but better then drilling holes lol

That's a great idea, let me see if that works tomorrow! It's almost like this thing was coated in vegetable oil before it was sold because I haven't been able to get anything to stick. :eek:

 

[joro]

Sand has settled out and MP10s have been paired! Need to do some more cable management this weekend then it's a waiting game until I get the new pipe in.

 

[joro]

Got the new pipe in mid-week; however, I have been traveling and just got around to installing it on Friday. Great news, no leak! :D I've had everything up since then running a normal schedule including the 2x MP10s, Since Return, and Lights. I just started the Red Sea Reef Mature Kit today which had very good reviews from a number of individuals and hopefully we'll start to see some action in the next few weeks. I still haven't conquered the cable management completely and I also bought the Advanced Leak Detection (ALD) module this weekend with a few sensors just because I'm still a bit shaken from the leaking pipe earlier. This tank is on a second floor with hardwoods, so definitely could do a lot more damage than the 90 downstairs :eek:

One quick question for everyone, I've noticed the Sicce 2.0 definitely has a noticeable hum to it while running. I've tried isolating the return lines and putting the suction cups on to dampen the noise but it's definitely still noticeable even from the third story (which overlooks the tank). Any suggestions? This pump seemed to have great reviews from everything I've seen?

 

[Joey waid]

It's looking really good.. Nice pile of parts too. It's going to be nice.