Red Sea Reefer 425 XL Build/ Upgrade and Tank Move
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tritonpower
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The garage frag tank is coming along. There are only a few frags but between them and the chaeto in the sump it is starting to use alk and calcium. I started dosing today by hand once a week with the BRS 2 part and also added TM part C since that also maintains magnesium/trace elements. I also started using my water change water in the frag tank. I take 4 gallons out of my display tank and use that for the 4 gallon water change in my 20 gallon long frag tank (with 10 gallon sump). I then dump the rest of the total 11 gallons from the display since I vacuum the gravel after I take those 4 gallons out.
The light I have is a little weak so I ordered a Kessil A80. We'll see how that works. My frag rack is only 18 inches long so the coverage should be ok.
The light I have is a little weak so I ordered a Kessil A80. We'll see how that works. My frag rack is only 18 inches long so the coverage should be ok.
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tritonpower
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Thx. Not sure on the name. Bought it from a local reefer. It's super bright green.
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So I am close to filling up my tank. I picked up my 2nd order from Abe at coral euphoria today. That makes 6 acro in addition to my easy sps (bird of paradise and plating and digi montis). The SPS are pictured below. Back row from left to right back are Oregon tort, Pink Floyd, pink Cadillac, bubblegum digi, septic shock, and vivid rainbow delight. Front left is red devil nasuta.
After seeing Abe's tanks today, I can't wait to see them grow. He has me thinking about a hybrid MH/LED or T5/LED setup after seeing how beautiful it looks in his tanks. It clearly works well for the growth of his SPS. I would need to find a hybrid system that I could mount my Red Sea LED50s to. Not sure that exists.
After seeing Abe's tanks today, I can't wait to see them grow. He has me thinking about a hybrid MH/LED or T5/LED setup after seeing how beautiful it looks in his tanks. It clearly works well for the growth of his SPS. I would need to find a hybrid system that I could mount my Red Sea LED50s to. Not sure that exists.
Rudzbrewski
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Things are looking really good! How are the SPS along the top doing and when you first moved them up there did they look angry for a little while until they settled in?
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Most of them have done well. They were all added at the one year mark (including transfer from my old tank). The septic shock died and the red devil is struggling. The rest are doing well. They are spreading past the frag plugs well. Up top they get lots of light and flow. I have been trying to keep alk and calcium Up (8.5 and 440 as goal). I've been increasing my soda ash and calcium chloride every week. I've had high nitrates and phosphates at times so I backed off feeding some and increased the refugium light time. Trying to maintain stability. Easier said than done. Here's picks of them up close.
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Thanks. They work great. I have them on simple gosund wifi plugs as timers. I am up to 40 minutes or 80ish ml per day of calcium and alk. Getting to be a lot but manageable for now. I'm using BRS soda ash and calcium chloride with TM A/K trace elements in the dosers. TM part C by hand once a week. So far so good. Keeping alk at 9 and calcium at 440 and mag 1350 pretty well. Can't wait to see your tank progress with time.
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1.5 year update. Corals are doing well overall. I tried 2 dragon soul favias and they both died. I had a couple acros die and a purple Goni. Pink Goni is finally doing well after over a year in my tank. LFS told me the favia liked low light. Researching more they seem to like medium light. I replaced them with a pink platypus platygyra from Tidal Gardens (1st order from them, love their videos). They said it does well in low light, time will tell. I also ordered from top shelf aquatics. Their stuff was nice. Ultra rainbow acan is doing ok. TSA pineapple juice acro has good polyp extension. Red planet acro does not look good. I moved it to higher light but not sure it will make it-getting pale. My torches, bird's nest, montis (plating and digi), hammers, frogspawn, and leathers are getting huge.
I added a mccoskers wrasse. The neon lines in the LED lights are beautiful. Also, my lawnmower blenny starved to death. I noticed too late. I think the tangs out competed him for algae. He never ate pellets. I had a lawnmower blenny (different species-larger with a spot on the back) in the garage tank that eats pellets and frozen food so I moved him the the house tank.
Dealing with aiptasia. I kill 2 or 3 a week with aiptasia-X. Some in the sump I have been killing. Aiptasia-X also works well for palys growing where you don't want.
Still loving the hobby. I have been growing lazy with water changes doing it once a month or less. Sometimes changed filter socks in 2 weeks instead of one. Nitrates are stable around 2 but phosphate crept up to 0.2. I added a bag of chemicals-pure elite that has GFO. I also turned up refuge light 12 to 13 hours and ordered some chaetogro. And I guess I'll have to change socks weekly and water changes Q 2 weeks...maybe.
Video update below.
I added a mccoskers wrasse. The neon lines in the LED lights are beautiful. Also, my lawnmower blenny starved to death. I noticed too late. I think the tangs out competed him for algae. He never ate pellets. I had a lawnmower blenny (different species-larger with a spot on the back) in the garage tank that eats pellets and frozen food so I moved him the the house tank.
Dealing with aiptasia. I kill 2 or 3 a week with aiptasia-X. Some in the sump I have been killing. Aiptasia-X also works well for palys growing where you don't want.
Still loving the hobby. I have been growing lazy with water changes doing it once a month or less. Sometimes changed filter socks in 2 weeks instead of one. Nitrates are stable around 2 but phosphate crept up to 0.2. I added a bag of chemicals-pure elite that has GFO. I also turned up refuge light 12 to 13 hours and ordered some chaetogro. And I guess I'll have to change socks weekly and water changes Q 2 weeks...maybe.
Video update below.
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Garage update. Garage tank is doing well. I made through the hot SoCal summer with no major issues. For anyone wanting a garage tank in SoCal or similar hot weather, temp control is key. I have a bank of 3 fans over the tank and 1 fan over the sump. They are hooked up to an inkbird temp controller with both heat and cool. It kicks the fans on when the water temp is 81 degrees. It never went above 82. The main reason, however, was the garage fan I have. I am lucky to have a garage window and I ran my garage fan at night for 10 hours. As a result, my garage temp never went much above 90 despite outside daytime temps over 100. Still impressive that those little fans could drop the tank temp almost 10 degrees below air temp. Without a garage fan a chiller would be needed.
Garage tank did struggle for a while. I made a lot of frags from Monti digi, plating montis, palys, GPS. Most struggled except the GPS. I was dosing only once or twice a week. I recently starting dosing every day (since it is only 6 mL or so daily a dropper of soda ash and calcium chloride daily when feeding works well). Since then, everything is doing well. I mostly started this because I got a green bubble tip anemone I wanted to keep alive. It is doing well thus far. The clowns hosted it within a day or so. That is fun to watch.
The tank is 20 gallons with a 10 gallon homemade sump. I wanted more total volume so I got a 20 gallon long with a Fiji cube 20 gallon sump kit. With closer to 40 total gallons I am hoping for more stability.
Garage tank did struggle for a while. I made a lot of frags from Monti digi, plating montis, palys, GPS. Most struggled except the GPS. I was dosing only once or twice a week. I recently starting dosing every day (since it is only 6 mL or so daily a dropper of soda ash and calcium chloride daily when feeding works well). Since then, everything is doing well. I mostly started this because I got a green bubble tip anemone I wanted to keep alive. It is doing well thus far. The clowns hosted it within a day or so. That is fun to watch.
The tank is 20 gallons with a 10 gallon homemade sump. I wanted more total volume so I got a 20 gallon long with a Fiji cube 20 gallon sump kit. With closer to 40 total gallons I am hoping for more stability.
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Final fish update. I added what should be my last fish to the 425 (famous last words!). I moved the following from the garage tank to the 425xl in the house after "quarantining" them for 2 months. No meds I just watch them for disease for 2 months. I added the yellow coris wrasse, 2 purple Firefish, 2 springer blue damsels. They are all doing great. I also added a red dragonet directly from my LFS. Hopefully no disease on that guy.
Thinking of selling my purple and bright green montis and replacing with acros. My acros pictured are doing ok but not great. I have 3 led50s and I may need more light so I'm replacing the middle led50 with a led90. We'll see if that makes a difference.
Thinking of selling my purple and bright green montis and replacing with acros. My acros pictured are doing ok but not great. I have 3 led50s and I may need more light so I'm replacing the middle led50 with a led90. We'll see if that makes a difference.
Great colorful reef of yours. I am also starting a new tank with redsea reefer 425 xl - Which heaters would you recommend ? Is it advisable to use a inkbird controller or can directly use with apex energy bar ? Any suggestions ?
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Thanks. I use an inkbird controller since I do not have an apex. I am not sure if the apex can do the same as the inkbird. I use the inkbird with both heat and cool and have fans connected to the cool part. I use 2 of the hygger 200 watt titanium heaters connected to the inkbird. one in the refugium and one in the skimmer chamber. Good luck with the 425XL. Great tank. I will be posting an update soon.
Rudzbrewski
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If you’re referring to setting auto shut off of heaters and/or getting alerts when temperatures are either too high or too low the apex can do both of those.
I would not recommend using the apex on/off to control the heaters power directly since it’s so frequent and could lead to burn out. You combat this by getting one of the heaters with a built in temperature controller then setting the apex a few degrees different to act as a redundancy.
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Here's an updated video on the tank. I sold the purple and green montipora to a guy in LA. I added a few acros in its place. I added a flasher wrasse. Otherwise tank is doing well except for aiptasia. I still kill 4 or 5 per week. I added 2 peppermint shrimp but not sure they are alive. I can't find them and the aiptasia persists. Still enjoying reefing after 2 full years.
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