Rod’sReef
New Member
About 15 months ago, I picked up a used Red Sea Reefer 625 G2 complete system for $2,000. It included the tank, stand, protein skimmer, ReefMat, (2) ReefWaves, Red Sea ATO, 4-part dosing system, circulation pump, heater, custom mesh lid, and (2) Red Sea LED lights. Basically an entire running reef system for $2k. It was a heck of a deal.
I eventually replaced the Red Sea lights with (3) AI Hydra 32HDs, but everything else is still being used today.
Unfortunately, I recently noticed what appeared to be delamination/separation along the front glass of the display. (See pictures.) The display itself was the only thing that failed. With this much water in my living room and two young kids in the house, I wasn't willing to take the chance, so I bought a brand-new Reefer 625 G3.
The transfer turned into a full two-day project.
Day 1: Tore down the G2 and moved all the fish, corals and rock into a temporary holding tank. Then came getting the new G3 onto the stand. Holy ****, this tank was a ***** to move even with shoulder dollies. My brother and I legitimately didn't think we could lift it high enough. We were about ready to give up, but I needed that tank on the stand so I could get my fish back into the display. We gave it one last shot and basically deadlifted that SOB from the floor onto the cabinet. We were both shocked we actually did it lol.
My brother left after that and I spent the rest of the day transferring everything back and getting the basics running.
Day 2: Reinstalled all the equipment, dialed everything back in, and cleaned up the absolute spaghetti factory of wiring behind the tank lol.
I reused my established rock and most of the original water but went with all new sand.
Thankfully everything made the transfer successfully and the G3 is officially up and running. Best part is I'm still using essentially all of the equipment from that original $2,000 purchase. The display was the only thing I had to replace.
While this was definitely an unfortunate situation, there was a silver lining. Because of the tank's location, accessing anything behind it is nearly impossible once it's filled. This swap gave me the rare opportunity to completely redo the wiring, power outlets and equipment layout while I actually had full access to everything.
With everything I've learned since I originally installed the tank, I knew exactly what I wanted to change and what needed to be done differently this time around. I was able to clean up the spaghetti factory, better organize the power and equipment, and basically set everything up the way I wish I had done it the first time.
Definitely not how I planned on spending my weekend, but the new setup is cleaner, better organized and much more dialed in than before. That's the silver lining in this whole story.
I eventually replaced the Red Sea lights with (3) AI Hydra 32HDs, but everything else is still being used today.
Unfortunately, I recently noticed what appeared to be delamination/separation along the front glass of the display. (See pictures.) The display itself was the only thing that failed. With this much water in my living room and two young kids in the house, I wasn't willing to take the chance, so I bought a brand-new Reefer 625 G3.
The transfer turned into a full two-day project.
Day 1: Tore down the G2 and moved all the fish, corals and rock into a temporary holding tank. Then came getting the new G3 onto the stand. Holy ****, this tank was a ***** to move even with shoulder dollies. My brother and I legitimately didn't think we could lift it high enough. We were about ready to give up, but I needed that tank on the stand so I could get my fish back into the display. We gave it one last shot and basically deadlifted that SOB from the floor onto the cabinet. We were both shocked we actually did it lol.
My brother left after that and I spent the rest of the day transferring everything back and getting the basics running.
Day 2: Reinstalled all the equipment, dialed everything back in, and cleaned up the absolute spaghetti factory of wiring behind the tank lol.
I reused my established rock and most of the original water but went with all new sand.
Thankfully everything made the transfer successfully and the G3 is officially up and running. Best part is I'm still using essentially all of the equipment from that original $2,000 purchase. The display was the only thing I had to replace.
While this was definitely an unfortunate situation, there was a silver lining. Because of the tank's location, accessing anything behind it is nearly impossible once it's filled. This swap gave me the rare opportunity to completely redo the wiring, power outlets and equipment layout while I actually had full access to everything.
With everything I've learned since I originally installed the tank, I knew exactly what I wanted to change and what needed to be done differently this time around. I was able to clean up the spaghetti factory, better organize the power and equipment, and basically set everything up the way I wish I had done it the first time.
Definitely not how I planned on spending my weekend, but the new setup is cleaner, better organized and much more dialed in than before. That's the silver lining in this whole story.
