RedSea 625 XXL New Tank Build - "The Whitquarium"

[whitcory]

So...I have been a stalker and viewed this website for so long. I have learned a TON from you all. My turn to contribute and chronicle. First of all, I currently own a unique 60 gallon cylinder tank called the Pro-Clear 80. It is very unique, contemporary, and fits neatly in a corner. It grew to be too much though internally and difficult to manage due to its configuration.

So...I convinced the wife to "let" me upgrade. I can't wait to plunge into a more traditional configuration. I am going to attempt 3 things in this rebuild:


1. Salvage and transfer as much material as possible from my old tank to the new one.
2. Design a new, superior, contemporary rocks cape that will fit my aesthetic style.
3. Build a new water mixing station in the basement and figure out a way to automate it to the tank as much as possible.

My current equipment list are as follows:

-Tank Red Sea 625 XXL - Picked this one as it fits my dimensions perfectly in my living room area.

-2 EcoTech Marine Radion Lights and arm stands (should be enough to light up the whole system). I know others have used 3. I think 2 will do the job. Thoughts?

-1 EcoTech Vectra M2 Pump

-2 Redsea Reefwave 45 Powerheads

-2 Inbird Heaters and Wireless Controllers

-Apex Wi-Fi Controller system (Yikes that wasn't cheap)

-NYOS Quantum 160 Protein Skimmer

-1 Redsea Reefdose Dosing Pump

I think that is it for now. I am pumped about this. The Tank is ordered and now for the hard part. Time to plan out the transfer and install. I will be using Caribsea Life Rock to scape the tank. Now on to the next and hard part...Saltwater Mixing Station. Stay tuned!

 

[CrazyDuck959]

Looks like it’s gonna turn out great!

 

[whitcory]

So..Picked up 2 of these water storage containers from tractor supply company to build out the mixing station. There is a whole section on this site about that process. I wanted a good, high quality mixing set-up to help make my water changing as easy as possible. Especially going to a tank more than double my current size. I saw these units on sale and made the plunge. Tough to get in my car but got the job done!

Once I got them in I went to Home depot about 100 times to get all sorts of plumbing supplies. Who knew that you need a plumbing degree to be in the aquarium hobby. I am not going to lie...I stole a bunch of design ideas for this system from the following reefer - https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/suncrestreefs-red-sea-reefer-xl-425-build.358990/

Here is the schematic he designed which I used to copy and make my system.

I followed his thread and simply copied a similar design for my system. I went with a RODI system which I plumbed in my basement from my washer room upstairs. I just did plumbing from the sink in the washer room, and drug the 1/4 inch plumbing down to the basement into the RODI which I drilled into the wall. I hope the wifed doesn't mind the hole to the basement!

I ran the plumbing from the RODI into the "clean" non salt Bin with the corresponding float auto shut off valve. Then have plumbing into the "salt" bin via a pump. I went with a heavy duty pump which broke down so I then went with my old smaller pump from my old tank. Was a pain to re-plumb it but it gets the job done. Not as strong as the old generic one I had. I wish it was stronger.

Here is the pic with the new pump. The whole system came out great with only 1 minor leak. This was more work and time than I thought it would be but I am so happy with it.

I also stole from somewhere, the concept of a hose that retracts to take upstairs to the tank. I plumbed the bins to the pump with an option to pipe to this hose. Great great concept. I love it and it works well. Here is the picture.

Here we go. I'm happy with it. Now on to the rock work and the tank itself.

 

[whitcory]

OK, tank is on the way. Been working on rocks cape. I am using Caribsea Liferock. I used it in my old tank and it was great. I like that it has a color to it right away and it held up over time. So I will use it again. A combination of new rocks and old ones I had. I want a clean, contemporary look. I like Arches. I used a lot of things for inspiration that I found on Reef to Reef as well as other sites. I want some hiding spaces, that 3d depth and I love the look of arches. Here is what I sort of came up with thus far. I used a thin glue and (wait for it) purple sand I ordered off Amazon. This is essentially 4 big pieces glued together for the look. I think it is a bit empty but I want plenty of swimming space. I will get a few more island pieces. I would love your comments.

 

[whitcory]

I also ordered about 1 million bags of sand. I decided to go with Caribsea Bahamas OooLite. It is super white and fine grain. Looks good. I know it is risky but in keeping with the contemporary feel, I felt it was the best choice. Cant wait to see how it looks. I know it may blow around some but will see. Have any of you out there used this sand before?

 

[benmed]

OK, tank is on the way. Been working on rocks cape. I am using Caribsea Liferock. I used it in my old tank and it was great. I like that it has a color to it right away and it held up over time. So I will use it again. A combination of new rocks and old ones I had. I want a clean, contemporary look. I like Arches. I used a lot of things for inspiration that I found on Reef to Reef as well as other sites. I want some hiding spaces, that 3d depth and I love the look of arches. Here is what I sort of came up with thus far. I used a thin glue and (wait for it) purple sand I ordered off Amazon. This is essentially 4 big pieces glued together for the look. I think it is a bit empty but I want plenty of swimming space. I will get a few more island pieces. I would love your comments.

definitely add some hiding places for the little homies! They need walls to feel protected

 

[Lavey29]

I'm guessing you will need 3 XR30 lights for that size tank depending on what type of coral you intend to stock.

 

[Jeffcb]

Looks like a great build. Following.

 

[whitcory]

The tank just arrived. It is in a huge

I'm guessing you will need 3 XR30 lights for that size tank depending on what type of coral you intend to stock.

Mixed SPS & LPS. I will try the 2 lights and see if it does the job. I would hope so. I have researched this all over the place and think that it could be OK. At best I would add the smaller light and see if it works and provides coverage.

 

[whitcory]

definitely add some hiding places for the little homies! They need walls to feel protected

Yeah I have made some tweaks and will post a pic when I get it done. I like the basic structure. Am thring to think of what else I can do. There are actually 3 caves in the design. Kind of hard to see on the pics.

 

[Lavey29]

The tank just arrived. It is in a huge

Mixed SPS & LPS. I will try the 2 lights and see if it does the job. I would hope so. I have researched this all over the place and think that it could be OK. At best I would add the smaller light and see if it works and provides coverage.

You will end up with shadowing and non usable interior space for LPS and SPS but never hurts to try and learn from it. Congrats on the new tank. Love my Red Sea.

 

[flashsmith]

You should be fine with 2 xr30s. I have a 625xxl running just 2 G5 xr15s with reef brite add ons which I have actually taken off now. Growing SPS LPS all types of nems and clams no issues. Running at 70%. Good luck with your build.

 

[reaper93]

Looking good!

 

[whitcory]

You should be fine with 2 xr30s. I have a 625xxl running just 2 G5 xr15s with reef brite add ons which I have actually taken off now. Growing SPS LPS all types of nems and clams no issues. Running at 70%. Good luck with your build.

I would hope so. I have had one of these on my old tank which I am retro-fitting and it has worked really well and been strong. I hope to combine the 2 and see if it is sufficient for this tank. How do you like the 625 xxl? It is a beast compared to what I have and am so looking forward to it. I got the tank in my garage in a large wooden crate and am trying to get some help to bring in. I will post soon as I can get some pics.

 

[whitcory]

OK so I forgot to add that I placed a customer order a while ago from this place:

ClearView Lids - The Difference is Clear and the answer is here!

ClearView Lids are designed specifically for your aquarium. Our polycarbonate aquarium lids feature a much more durable design than can be found with acrylic fish tank lids or aluminum frame lids. ClearView Lids are available for popular tanks such as those made by Red Sea, WaterBox, Innovative...

www.clearviewlids.com

So...They are pricey. I was a little concerned about the price and online it looked sort of machine produced. They asked me for dimensions which I provided for my model. They then produced and ordered the unit. I customized it for my 2 lights and feeding areas. They said they were backed up and had a delay. I spoke to someone about needing it and they really worked with me. I cannot say enough about them and the final product. It is huge and came well packed. Here is the final product. I cannot wait to see it on my tank which is currently in the garage awaiting my brother to help me somehow muscle it into the house. Meanwhile, here is the lid. Do any of you guys have one? Seems to be awesome. Much better than the DIY one. Will see how it holds up over time...

d

 

[Lavey29]

I have one on mine. They are great.

 

[flashsmith]

I would hope so. I have had one of these on my old tank which I am retro-fitting and it has worked really well and been strong. I hope to combine the 2 and see if it is sufficient for this tank. How do you like the 625 xxl? It is a beast compared to what I have and am so looking forward to it. I got the tank in my garage in a large wooden crate and am trying to get some help to bring in. I will post soon as I can get some pics.

Yea I've had mine for a little less than a year and was glad I paid my dealer a couple hundred bucks to set it up. Well worth it to me. Took three big dudes with suction cups to get it in place and they still struggled. The xr15s I had on another system were going to be temporary on the 625 I had 2 different LFS owners tell me they would get me by so nearly a year later they're growing coral. Like you I ordered a Clearview and had it measured to work with the lights I had.

 

[Jeffcb]

OK so I forgot to add that I placed a customer order a while ago from this place:

ClearView Lids - The Difference is Clear and the answer is here!

ClearView Lids are designed specifically for your aquarium. Our polycarbonate aquarium lids feature a much more durable design than can be found with acrylic fish tank lids or aluminum frame lids. ClearView Lids are available for popular tanks such as those made by Red Sea, WaterBox, Innovative...

www.clearviewlids.com

So...They are pricey. I was a little concerned about the price and online it looked sort of machine produced. They asked me for dimensions which I provided for my model. They then produced and ordered the unit. I customized it for my 2 lights and feeding areas. They said they were backed up and had a delay. I spoke to someone about needing it and they really worked with me. I cannot say enough about them and the final product. It is huge and came well packed. Here is the final product. I cannot wait to see it on my tank which is currently in the garage awaiting my brother to help me somehow muscle it into the house. Meanwhile, here is the lid. Do any of you guys have one? Seems to be awesome. Much better than the DIY one. Will see how it holds up over time...

d

1 piece. That's cool. I didnt know they did that. My ClearView is 3 pieces.

 

[whitcory]

1 piece. That's cool. I didnt know they did that. My ClearView is 3 pieces.

Yes 1 giant piece. I didn't know they had separate piece varieties. Perhaps you have a bigger tank. It got pricey adding the separate doors. I worry that if I want to add another light, this setup won't work. I love mine though. It looks like a slick custom piece.

 

[Soilworker]

Looking awesome, I'm running two XR30s but might add a XR15 to the middle in the future.

I'm going to be ordering one of those ClearView lids that you got. They look really well built!

Congrats on the new tank!