Red Sea Max S400

Gtinnel · Jul 28, 2022

I just finally put the lights on the tank and did my first water tests since it’s been up for about a month. I still need to add the trim but I’ll do it later.
It is partially cycled, the ammonia was 0 but nitrites were still present. There were some nitrates although I don’t know how much exactly because I used my crappy API test kit.
I’ve never understood how a tank cycles without adding anything that would add bacteria. I didn’t add any live rock, bacteria additive or seeded media and it still started cycling. Where does the bacteria come from?

Digitalfirex · Jul 29, 2022

Gtinnel said:
I just finally put the lights on the tank and did my first water tests since it’s been up for about a month. I still need to add the trim but I’ll do it later.
It is partially cycled, the ammonia was 0 but nitrites were still present. There were some nitrates although I don’t know how much exactly because I used my crappy API test kit.
I’ve never understood how a tank cycles without adding anything that would add bacteria. I didn’t add any live rock, bacteria additive or seeded media and it still started cycling. Where does the bacteria come from?

There is bacteria fairies that leave bacteria for you when you leave a tank full of water out!

Gtinnel · Aug 8, 2022

After about 6 weeks I’ve finally gotten around to sliding the trim on. I still haven’t figured out how I’m going to keep the sand in place, but other than that it seems to be cycled and ready for a fish. I will probably pick up a couple of basic clownfish once my qt tank is freed up.

MECOMI · Oct 20, 2022

Gtinnel said:
I have the tank set in place and leveled. I have added most of the water but I’m waiting until I build and add the aqua scape before I finish filling it up and add all of the equipment and trim pieces.

I spent a while cleaning on the sump and I would’ve said it was relatively clean, until I took this picture and can see it’s not all that clean, but it won’t matter once it’s up and running.

Oh man, i also bought a used RSM and am very familiar with the 'dirty' sump. At least it looks like you got to use the original. I ultimately had to buy a whole new sump because after a very heavy cleaning job that took three or four days. My wife and i went to dump some water out, and it slipped out of our hands onto the asphalt of our driveway....doh

Gtinnel · Oct 20, 2022

MECOMI said:
Oh man, i also bought a used RSM and am very familiar with the 'dirty' sump. At least it looks like you got to use the original. I ultimately had to buy a whole new sump because after a very heavy cleaning job that took three or four days. My wife and i went to dump some water out, and it slipped out of our hands onto the asphalt of our driveway....doh

Mine is the smaller model so it’s not quite as heavy as yours was. I spent days with a razor blade and muriatic acid. I asked the original owner and he said that he left it as a reminder to not over dose macro elements.

MECOMI · Oct 20, 2022

Gtinnel said:
Mine is the smaller model so it’s not quite as heavy as yours was. I spent days with a razor blade and muriatic acid. I asked the original owner and he said that he left it as a reminder to not over dose macro elements.

Razor blades, vinegar, pumps, canned air (i was not lying about the massive amount of cobwebs found lol), towels, more towels, kitchen bowls, chisel and hammer, replacement screws, door hinges, and a brand new sparkling sump. You know all the essentials

I had to park outside the garage for a while.

Gtinnel · Oct 20, 2022

MECOMI said:
Razor blades, vinegar, pumps, canned air (i was not lying about the massive amount of cobwebs found lol), towels, more towels, kitchen bowls, chisel and hammer, replacement screws, door hinges, and a brand new sparkling sump. You know all the essentials I had to park outside the garage for a while.

If you ever have to do it again diluted muriatic acid does much better than vinegar. On the inside of the tank I just had to spray it on and the build up essentially ran off. The sump took some extra work.

Digitalfirex · Oct 20, 2022

Gtinnel said:
Mine is the smaller model so it’s not quite as heavy as yours was. I spent days with a razor blade and muriatic acid. I asked the original owner and he said that he left it as a reminder to not over dose macro elements.

I did the same. Cracked the red sea glass sump when I picked up the tank and drove it over, unloaded in my driveway. I'm assuming when I put the sump IN the cabinet to make it fit in my car... it hit a screw in the cabinet when it slid like in a turn or something. Put flex tape, still in use now.

Digitalfirex · Oct 20, 2022

Ps. Tank doesn't like like that now... that was when I first transfered everything over from 20g aqueon to the rs250

Gtinnel · Oct 20, 2022

Digitalfirex said:
I did the same. Cracked the red sea glass sump when I picked up the tank and drove it over, unloaded in my driveway. I'm assuming when I put the sump IN the cabinet to make it fit in my car... it hit a screw in the cabinet when it slid like in a turn or something. Put flex tape, still in use now.

I put mine in the stand while bringing it home to save space, I may have just got lucky that everything made it okay.

Digitalfirex · Oct 20, 2022

Gtinnel said:
I put mine in the stand also to save space, I may have just got lucky that everything made it okay.

Yes and no. I didn't realize the previous owner had screwed things into the cabinet.... so there were metal screws sticking out that it hit...

MECOMI · Oct 21, 2022

Digitalfirex said:
I did the same. Cracked the red sea glass sump when I picked up the tank and drove it over, unloaded in my driveway. I'm assuming when I put the sump IN the cabinet to make it fit in my car... it hit a screw in the cabinet when it slid like in a turn or something. Put flex tape, still in use now.

That is great to hear! the crack in mine was terrifying and right up the joint so i had no confidence in it, always nice to find a DIY option,

Sincerely,

B-Kind

MECOMI · Oct 21, 2022

Gtinnel said:
I put mine in the stand while bringing it home to save space, I may have just got lucky that everything made it okay.

You just never know, they are one huge hunk of glass. Luckily and im not saying this is cheap especially after getting a good deal used but a brand new sump for the S500 was $300 from Red Sea.

tbrown · Oct 24, 2022

Greg, those WiFi plugs you told me get are awesome! I can turn my flow off without having to crawl under the tank. I had considered building a power center with switches on the outside and plugs on the inside so I could slip switches on and off to control whatever I desired but ... This is way easier and less chance of electrocuting myself on a metal tank stand.

Gtinnel · Oct 24, 2022

tbrown3589 said:
Greg, those WiFi plugs you told me get are awesome! I can turn my flow off without having to crawl under the tank. I had considered building a power center with switches on the outside and plugs on the inside so I could slip switches on and off to control whatever I desired but ... This is way easier and less chance of electrocuting myself on a metal tank stand.

I don’t remember recommending any but I’m guessing the Kasa smart plugs? I have them scattered throughout my house for a bunch of things. The power strips are nice too and allow for showing energy consumption.

Mschmidt · Oct 24, 2022

Gtinnel said:
I don’t remember recommending any but I’m guessing the Kasa smart plugs? I have them scattered throughout my house for a bunch of things. The power strips are nice too and allow for showing energy consumption.

I'm in your thread stealing your ideas.

Gtinnel · Oct 24, 2022

Mschmidt said:
I'm in your thread stealing your ideas.

Good luck finding any ideas I had worth stealing. Anything I did that looks right I probably stole from someone else anyway.

tbrown · Oct 24, 2022

Gtinnel said:
I don’t remember recommending any but I’m guessing the Kasa smart plugs? I have them scattered throughout my house for a bunch of things. The power strips are nice too and allow for showing energy consumption.

That's the ones! Early on in my build thread you told me to get some. I used the individual plugs.