Red Sea Reefer 525XL Build

[Joseph76]

Hello and welcome to my build thread.

After having been out of the hobby for 2 years, I have decieded it was time to start a new tank. So far, I have the following plans for the tank:

Red Sea Reefer 525XL
ReefLed90 x 3
Vortech MP40 x 2
100 lbs Reef Saver Rock
80 lbs Aragonite Fiji Pink Dry Sane

I thought about going bare bottom but I really want some critters that utilize a sand bottom. In paticular I like the interaction between Watchman Gobys and Pistol Shrimp.

For the sump I will be using the sump that comes with the reefer plus the following:

Neptune Apex Controller
Vortech Vectra S2 return pump
RSK 600
Kessil H80 refugium light
Tunze Osmolator 3155 ATO
Heater x 2 (Undecided on the type currently)

I have an idea of how I want to stock the tank, aside from corals. Some of the choices are picks by my wife and children.

Clown Pair
Yellow Tang x 2
Powder Blue Tang
Yellow Watchman Goby x 2
Sixline Wrasse x 2
Scooter Blenny x 2
Bangaii Cardinal x 5

I believe these can all coexist, but feel free to correct me or make suggestions. Also, my son would really like an eel in the tank. Are there any eels that are reef safe that get along with the fish above?

 

[SPR1968]

I’m no expert on eels Joseph but the other equipment and tank sounds great.

We need lots of pictures as well

And welcome to R2R as well by the way!

 

[Joedubyk]

I have pret much the same setup as you but the sump is all custom. Honesty, I would do a smaller tang. Like a bristle tooth or pbt... They're going to be overly aggressive in a 108g

 

[Joseph76]

I’m no expert on eels Joseph but the other equipment and tank sounds great.

We need lots of pictures as well

And welcome to R2R as well by the way!

Thanks for the welcome!

I have pret much the same setup as you but the sump is all custom. Honesty, I would do a smaller tang. Like a bristle tooth or pbt... They're going to be overly aggressive in a 108g

The list was supposed to have a powder blue tang in it. I've updated the original post with the correction. Thanks!

 

[Joseph76]

I've already started working on the layout for the rock. This is what I've come up with so far. Not sure if I'll use this layout yet or not.

View from the front:

View from the left side:

View from the right side:

View from the top left:

View from the top right:

I'm open to any suggestions for for the layout. Rock work is not my strong point.

 

[Joseph76]

I picked up my tank Friday and got it setup. Had to carry the tank up a large flight of stairs, which pretty much sucked. We got it in place though without breaking anything.

I spent Saturday finalizing the rock layout and got it epoxied and moved up. Also rinsed my sand and put it in the tank. Ended up using about 60 lbs of sand. I didn't want a deep bed.

Currently in the process of making RODI water and filling the tank. I'll update this afternoon when all leak tests are complete and the tank is filled and running.

 

[Joseph76]

Tank is wet and leak tested.

Next step is to get the cycle jump started with some bottled bacteria.

I also need to clean up all the cords. I just wanted to get the tank wet and start the cycle, so I didn't do anything about cord management. Currently have a spaghetti ball of cords.

 

[ShaggyRS6]

How you are you supporting that beast upstairs Joseph?

 

[Joseph76]

How you are you supporting that beast upstairs Joseph?

My entire upper level is constructed on 4 x 6 beams with 2 x 4 slats over the beams. Those beams are supported by 6 x 6 beams in the center of the house and 8 x 8 tongue and groove exterior beams.

That is the room directly below the tank.

 

[ShaggyRS6]

I wish I had that in my house Nice!!

 

[Joseph76]

I wish I had that in my house Nice!!

One of the benefits of living in a log cabin style house!

Also just noticed you are in TN. I am about 2 hours east of you.

 

[ReefLab]

Looks awesome. Following along!

 

[Peach02]

Looks great so far!
What % is your s2 running at?

For reef safe eels you can get garden eels but if your looking for somthing bigger snowflakes are your best bet but they often go after crustations

Your scape looks great, personally I would of added some arches though

Two yellow tangs might fight but three the aggression is split up and you MIGHT have success what do you think @4FordFamily

The gobies, wrasse and blennies might fight but Some have various temperaments with the wrasse and blennies id reccomend getting a different type if you want two

Following along

 

[Joseph76]

Looks great so far!
What % is your s2 running at?

For reef safe eels you can get garden eels but if your looking for somthing bigger snowflakes are your best bet but they often go after crustations

Your scape looks great, personally I would of added some arches though

Two yellow tangs might fight but three the aggression is split up and you MIGHT have success what do you think @4FordFamily

The gobies, wrasse and blennies might fight but Some have various temperaments with the wrasse and blennies id reccomend getting a different type if you want two

Following along

I was running the S2 @ 80%, but I had to turn it down for now. A single outlet creates too strong of flow, pushing all the sand out from the front of the display. I'm going to grab some supplies next time I'm at the LFS and change it to a dual outlet.

For the scape, I need to rearrange a few things. The far right is an arch, but I need to turn it better. I'm also going to remove the front rock on the left and arch the two back pieces together. I'm going to slice the rock I remove with a tile saw and get some magnets to create a few floating shelves for the back wall.

I'm fairly clueless on the stocking. I was using AqAdvisor to assist with stocking and they suggested adding pairs for some of the fish. I figured I would create a post in the fish discussion forum when it came closer to stocking time.

 

[4FordFamily]

Looks great so far!
What % is your s2 running at?

For reef safe eels you can get garden eels but if your looking for somthing bigger snowflakes are your best bet but they often go after crustations

Your scape looks great, personally I would of added some arches though

Two yellow tangs might fight but three the aggression is split up and you MIGHT have success what do you think @4FordFamily

The gobies, wrasse and blennies might fight but Some have various temperaments with the wrasse and blennies id reccomend getting a different type if you want two

Following along

I agree with this. Better chances still if you add a scopas, purple, and yellow tang instead of 3 conspecifics. Or a black, gem, etc.

 

[Joseph76]

I agree with this. Better chances still if you add a scopas, purple, and yellow tang instead of 3 conspecifics. Or a black, gem, etc.

If I were to stock a purple, scopas, and yellow, would I add them all at the same time, or would I need to stock them in a specific order?

 

[4FordFamily]

If I were to stock a purple, scopas, and yellow, would I add them all at the same time, or would I need to stock them in a specific order?

At the same time would maximize your chances for success, and similarly-sized fish would be ideal.

 

[Joseph76]

I changed my scape slightly, pointing the arches forward so they stood out more. Also freed up a bit more space in the from middle section. Here is how it looks now:

I also added Dr. Tim's One and Only to get my cycle started. Let the waiting game begin.

 

[Peach02]

I changed my scape slightly, pointing the arches forward so they stood out more. Also freed up a bit more space in the from middle section. Here is how it looks now:

I also added Dr. Tim's One and Only to get my cycle started. Let the waiting game begin.

Looking great!! What did you use to secure those rocks?
Once this game begins there's no stopping haha

 

[Joseph76]

Looking great!! What did you use to secure those rocks?
Once this game begins there's no stopping haha

I used 2-part epoxy putty. I also smashed up a rock into smaller pieces to slide under the larger pieces and epoxied them there, to prevent anything from being able to rock at all or tip. Since I plan on having sand sifting critters in the tank, I didn't want sand supporting any weight or providing any balance.