Red Sea 425XL upgrade

[RJKain-777]

Figured I’d post my upgrade here.

I’ve had a biocube 29 for a while now, and have been wanting to upgrade for the past 6 months, but could never come to terms with my wife on the right size, I wanted 200+ gallons, she wanted under 100. Well as you can see, she won the debate (happy wife, happy life? Right?)

Onto the build, I picked up a Red Sea reefer 425xl with a black stand on Friday, alone with a full apex system, gyre xf350 powerheads and hydra 52 HD lights.
The plan is to be SPS dominant, so the more light and flow the better right?

I’ve had about 300 lbs of rock cycling in brute cans for the last few months, in anticipation of winning the debate with my wife, so the transfer was easy.

I’m waiting on a skimmer ( didn’t use one on my biocube) and learning towards the reef octopus 110int. I’ll be relying mainly on the refugium for nutrient export, and that’s being lit by a kessil H380.

Dosing will be handing by a Precision Marine CR622 calcium reactor, controlled by the apex. I will also be dosing phyto along with Acro power via Neptune DOS.

For fish stocking, I currently have :
- 2 Darwin clowns
- 1 diamond goby
- 1 azure damsel
- 1 solar wrasse
- 1 yellow eye kole tang.

Future stocking I’m thinking of adding:
- 1 tang (undecided between Achilles, powder blue or yellow. I know my tanks on the small end, but the upgrade will happen one day)
- 1 more fairy wrasse (maybe 2)
- mandarin dragonet
- 5-6 blue green chromis.

 

[siggy]

Welcome to the club! Nice set up! I too went with the 425 for similar reasons;Blackeye. You might consider bumping up the skimmer, if you remove the fuge some day (I did ) or upgrade. Check out Dana's article on Phyto reducing nutrients.
Best of Luck

learning towards the reef octopus 110int. I’ll be relying mainly on the refugium for nutrient export

I will also be dosing phyto

but the upgrade will happen one day)

 

[RJKain-777]

Thanks for the info on the skimmer! Maybe I’ll look into the 150 then!

When I upgrade I have a skimz monster skimmer rated for 500 gallons ( I bought everything, including the tank for my upgrade , then the wife saw the tank and said no )

 

[siggy]

@RJKain-777 Why not post a greeting in the Meet and Greet forum and say hello to everyone, and get your build thread going with a spiffy Badge

 

[RJKain-777]

So the tank is already producing challenges.

I’m currently out of town working, but my wife is cleaning the glass 5-6 times a day.

I have my lights on at 20% for 6 hours a day, rock has been cycled and cured for a year (was in my 180 then in a brute can)...

 

[RJKain-777]

Well, I’m home from working away for the next week, ironically , my new skimmer came in the mail yesterday! I decided to go with the bubble Magnus curve 5 elite. I also hooked up my UV sterilizer today as well.

I also added a tail spot blend, and a hippo tang ( give the wife the fish she wants, then she can’t say no to a future upgrade ) ...

The algae has take a turn for the better as my wife added chemipure elite and carbon, while also reducing the light schedule.

Threads are worthless with out pictures, so here’s a few photos !

Next on my to do list, is set up my calcium reactor!

 

[RJKain-777]

Today I went and got a bunch of corals from a local reefer, as well as got my calcium reactor going , we will see how this goes!

 

[RJKain-777]

Mounted my orphek OR2 blue plus bars today, the colour these things give the corals is amazing! May need to switch to orphek Atlantiks.

 

[RJKain-777]

One thing I haven’t done is posted an update regarding my levels within my tank, so here goes.

Currently my major and minor elements are controlled VIA calcium reactor.

My Alk is at 9.0
Calcium 420
Magnesium 1320

Phosphates are 0 (ULR Hanna checker)
Nitrates are 2ppm

I use a mix of salifert and Hanna testers

I also sold my hydra 52 lights and added a 2nd 26Hd. Having so much light over the tank , running at 20% seemed like a waste of lights.

 

[RJKain-777]

Yesterday I picked up a 60 gallon hex tank, I’m thinking of turning this into a mangrove tank, and having a few nano fish in there, Mainly bangaii cardinals. I’m sure I could plumb this into the Red Sea some how?

 

[RJKain-777]

Well unfortunately Ich managed it’s way in to my system. Lost all the tangs, one clown, a tail spot blenny and a royal gamma.

Currently the remainder of the fish are in QT being treated with cupramine.

Living in Canada makes medicating fish hard as we can’t get 90% of the medications needed for proper QT. If I didn’t have cupramine from my last time doing this 2 years ago, I don’t know what I’d be doing right now as it’s not possible to get with out a vet prescription

 

[RJKain-777]

Decided to some wire management and build a controller board today, it’s nothing pretty, but it serves the purpose it wasn’t intended for.

First photo is before.
Second 2 photos are after.

 

[Jon Fishman]

Following

 

[RJKain-777]

I think my coral growth has stalled, haven’t noticed much of anything in the past 2 weeks...

Nitrates 2ppm salifert
Phosphates 0 Hanna
Alk 8.5 hanna
Calcium 465 Hanna
Magnesium 1300 salifert

Light schedule is 12 hours a day, as shown in the image below.

Calcium reactor controls the major and minor trace elements. Doing bi weekly 15 gallon water changes to replenish the rest.

Dosing 5 ml of Acro power a day.

What can I do to boost growth? Currently my tank is fishless due to an ich outbreak.

Tanks SPS dominant (22 SPS frags) , with some LPS and zoas.

 

[RJKain-777]

Well, today’s every reefers worst nightmare... 100 gallons of water on my floors. Buckled the hardwood and wrecked the baseboards.

No, my tank didn’t bust, my dog knocked over my quarantine tank while I was in the hospital with my daughter.

What’s best? I fly back to work tomorrow morning ....

 

[DMG Reef]

Well, today’s every reefers worst nightmare... 100 gallons of water on my floors. Buckled the hardwood and wrecked the baseboards.

No, my tank didn’t bust, my dog knocked over my quarantine tank while I was in the hospital with my daughter.

What’s best? I fly back to work tomorrow morning ....

I've been following your build thread since I also have a RSR 425. However, I thought I'd mention that when you have tank issues, you'll get a lot more people advising you if you start a new thread in the appropriate forum. For example, in the Tank Emergency Forum, more people will see your post and help you out. Good luck! ;Cat

 

[RJKain-777]

I've been following your build thread since I also have a RSR 425. However, I thought I'd mention that when you have tank issues, you'll get a lot more people advising you if you start a new thread in the appropriate forum. For example, in the Tank Emergency Forum, more people will see your post and help you out. Good luck! ;Cat

Oh, I’m not looking for help! I cleaned the mess up and moving on with it. I just update my thread with events that happen with my tank.

 

[DMG Reef]

Oh, I’m not looking for help! I cleaned the mess up and moving on with it. I just update my thread with events that happen with my tank.

I thought you had real problems, water spills and stalled coral growth. Just rhetorical questions, huh? Sounds good.

 

[RJKain-777]

Haven’t updated the thread in a while. Tanks STILL fishless but coral growth is getting better, and coloration is amazing.
Hopefully I don’t mess it up to bad when I move next weekend!

Oh, and my lfs called, I’m next on the list for the trident, which will be here first week of December!

 

[RJKain-777]

Favorite section of my tank, hammer/zoa garden. Want to add a few more hammers to this area