Scratched up 90G to Red Sea Reefer 750 XXL G2

[tjbarnes]

Hey everyone! First build thread but I really want to document my progress this time around. I have been in and out of the hobby for about 8-10 years and have always purchased used tanks. I finally decided to splurge and go all in on a new Red Sea Reefer 750 XXL G2 which will be here tomorrow (12/9/2022)!

Current tank:
- 90G 48x18x24
- 2 MP40s
- 2 Radion XR15 Pro
- Vectra S2 return pump
- Sump with skimmer and refugium
- Recently added a Kamoer dosing pump and started adding All-for-Reef

Current stock list:
- Foxface Rabbitfish
- 2 green chromis
- 3 Ocellaris Clowns (I know, I know - but I have had them for a year and they have been fine together)
- Blue hippo tang
- Purple tang
- Melanurus wrasse
- Goby and pistol shrimp pair
- Lamarck's Angel



New tank plan:
- Red Sea Reefer 750 XXL G2
- Adding another XR15 for now - Will have 3 XR15s
- Vectra L2 return pump
- 2 MP40s (maybe adding a gyre? Haven't decided yet)
- Reef Octopus INT 150 skimmer
- Refugium with Kessil H160 Tuna
- Reefmat 1200
- New Special grade sand 80-100 lbs. With a cup or so added of old sand to seed the new sand.

I'll be adding a few more pieces of live rock but really want to get away from the wall of rock look that my previous tank has.

Current plan is to remove all rock, livestock and water from the 90g and place into a 100 gallon stock tank and then move the new 750 into it's spot. Since I have to use the same spot the old tank is in, I think this is the best option to get it done without a huge rush or stressing out about it. I plan to have 120+gallons of new saltwater ready to add on top of my current water in the new tank. I will also add a bottle of either Fritz Turbo start or Dr. Tim's One and Only to help with any cycle that might happen.

I would LOVE thoughts and tips on the transfer or going to such a big tank - I really don't want to lose anything in the transfer process. I plan to make sure I have everything ready to swap and the stand/sump put together before I attempt to start the transfer process.

More pictures and/or videos to come as the new tank gets here tomorrow!

 

[nuxx]

Sounds exciting

Also thinking of doing something new!

 

[blaxsun]

Welcome to the Red Sea club!

 

[dstockwell]

Welcome to the Reef

 

[Petcrazyson]

Welcome! Excited to see your progress! Don’t forget to add your build badge

 

[Manny’s Reef]

Glad to have another 750 XXL member. They're nice looking tanks.

 

[tjbarnes]

Glad to have another 750 XXL member. They're nice looking tanks.

Thanks! Super excited.

A little bit of a shipping snafu where the shipping company tried to deliver part of my stand and a stand for a 170G2 but no aquarium or sump… but I think we got it sorted and it should be here later this week now.

 

[tjbarnes]

The Delivery:

After the initial failed delivery, the second time around was great. The tank and crate were in perfect shape. I will say Red Sea got the replacement crate that was lost (who loses a 6 foot aquarium!?) shipped out really quick after I was able to get a hold of them.

The Transfer:

The tank was in perfect shape after opening and inspecting! After putting together the stand myself, which was not nearly as bad as I anticipated, I had some amazing friends come over to help put the tank on the stand and do the transfer. The tank was HEAVY. We had 5 of us to move it about 15 feet and I wish we had 1 more person. But we made it without too much issue. After getting it on the stand and leveled, we started the transfer.

We spent about 4 hours with 4 of us working to get everything transferred over from the old 90 gallon to the new Red Sea Reefer 750. Everything went super smooth for the most part. I had enough saltwater made up (which I was a bit nervous about). The only thing that could have went better is having my water closer to temperature. I was trying to switch around heaters to keep all the different water totes warm but didn't have luck with that. I also should have upgraded heaters ahead of time for the new tank as they were having trouble keeping up at first. I have since upgraded.

We initially just got all the rock in and placed in the sand bed and I did a bit of scaping the next day after the cloudiness went away. I am still not crazy about it and I think I am going to add another decent sized rock or two for height. Would love some thoughts on this!

All the coral and fish have transferred over really well despite the temperature swing that I was hoping to avoid. Finally got the doors on today and I am in love so far.

Thoughts so far:

The tank is incredible - definitely my dream tank. I am impressed with the quality and sturdiness of the stand. The armored seems on the inside of the tank are amazing and I am excited to have those. I loved having the plumbing precut and assembled and ready to install - plumbing was one of the biggest headaches on my previous tank. I love the extra room and depth compared to my 90 gallon. And the view looking length ways from one end of the tank to the far side is my favorite so far.

I plan to type up a current stock list and future plans tomorrow/this weekend. Also planning on DIYing a controller board for the section on the far right of the cabinet if anyone has any tips/tricks!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Tank looks really good!!

 

[tjbarnes]

Quick Update:

Tank has been doing really well! I have been pleased with how well everything transferred over. No losses of coral or livestock so far. I am still not thrilled with my rockscape and I am acquiring and slowly curing some new dead rock to incorporate. And because of that I still haven’t glued all my corals yet.

One thing I didn’t really think about before getting such a big tank was how you have to upgrade pretty much all your gear. I am not talking about the heater and the pumps, I had planned for those. But the little things I forgot about like a larger and stronger magnet scraper and a larger ATO reservoir I had kind of spaced. So I have slowly been upgrading that stuff.

I finished the DIY controller board and I am pretty pleased with it. It hides a lot of the cables and makes the controllers more accessible and easy to read. I just need to finish routing some of the cables and mounting some of the controllers. I ran out of time today when working on it.

So far my favorite thing about the new tank (other than the size) is the armored corners/seams and the new Reefmat 1200. I can already tell I am going to love that thing and don’t miss filter socks at all.

 

[Petcrazyson]

I see your goby made a nice cave. What’s the name of that Goni? How does your Maroon Clown behave?

 

[tjbarnes]

I see your goby made a nice cave. What’s the name of that Goni? How does your Maroon Clown behave?

Yes the Gobi has settled in with his shrimp buddy and is back to making messes in the tank like they do best! Lol.

The goni was a bit of an impulse buy from my LFS. I am not sure the name but I think just a pretty generic green Goni. I love it.

The maroon clown is actually not bad. It’s the ocellaris that is a bit of a jerk sometimes.

 

[lubeck]

Any updates on the tank.

 

[NeveSSL]

Any updates?

 

[Petcrazyson]

How’s the tank doing? Update time like others have said. Awaiting some nice pics. Hope the tank is alright