Show Off and Discuss Your Red Sea Reefer Series

[Broadfield]

Huge shoutout to @Broadfield this manifold is awesome!!! Thank you so much!!!

Your are very welcome Thomas! I'm happy someone else can get some use out of it and keep it in the "family".

 

[Rory's Reef]

Looks really good man! Well thought out and organized. I like the plumbed in fuge, green piping etc.

Thanks man! That means a lot to me coming from you. I didn't have any big plans for the tank when I first decided to start it, but then I found this thread and got some inspiration. Then I found your build and got seriously inspired! Now if only I had your skill set

 

[Chrisfish]

Well I haven't said too much in this thread yet, mostly just following along and gathering ideas for my Reefer build. This has been an awesome thread to be a part of as I attempt my first true build (current tank is an RSM130d). I finally got my tank far enough along to get it cycling so I figured I'd share a piece of it here. Please feel free to let me know if there's anything you guys see that you don't think will work out so well. Thanks

(not a huge fan of those brackets, currently trying to think of a way to hide them)

Really nice rock scape

 

[Rory's Reef]

Really nice rock scape

Thanks! It was no easy task to get it that way so I appreciate your comment

 

[JustAnt]

Well I haven't said too much in this thread yet, mostly just following along and gathering ideas for my Reefer build. This has been an awesome thread to be a part of as I attempt my first true build (current tank is an RSM130d). I finally got my tank far enough along to get it cycling so I figured I'd share a piece of it here. Please feel free to let me know if there's anything you guys see that you don't think will work out so well. Thanks

(not a huge fan of those brackets, currently trying to think of a way to hide them)

@Rory's Reef. Your sump looks great. Come do mine, please!

 

[T-Bucket]

Your are very welcome Thomas! I'm happy someone else can get some use out of it and keep it in the "family".

My sump looks 1000x cooler now. Now I'm already trying to figure out what to do next lol.

 

[Rory's Reef]

@Rory's Reef. Your sump looks great. Come do mine, please!

Haha thanks! I really enjoyed doing it, although I think my girlfriend was concerned for my mental health as my frustration levels skyrocketed while working on it

 

[Rory's Reef]

Huge shoutout to @Broadfield this manifold is awesome!!! Thank you so much!!!

Looks like an early present from broadfield to you!

Looks great too!

 

[Broadfield]

I really need to get out the good camera and stop with these cell phone pics.

IMG_8019 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr

 

[dirtysock]

Slowly but surely plumbing almost complete!

Hi guys,

Can someone list down a list of parts that I need to hard plumb the vectra M1 to the return ? (Like the one in the quote)

I'm new to plumbing, getting confused by all the parts. It would be nice if someone can tell me the entire list and where to purchase (preferably online)

Btw I'm using the reefer 350 with vectra M1.

Thanks.

 

[cmcoker]

Hey guys,
Just finished reading this entire thread, lots of great ideas and inspiring setups.
Ordered my 250 last week and it will arrive next Saturday, so excited!

For the return nozzle mod, has anyone used just the locline Y with no attachments or maybe 1 piece of extension? If so, Did it break up the flow enough to leave the sandbed in place?

Thanks

 

[fightingfish]

Future aquarium hobbyist here...I was originally looking into the Max E series, though many have suggested that I skip and go to the Reefer series right off the bat.

I've since been looking into the Reefer Deluxe with the LED lighting, either 170 or 250.

If you had to put together a shopping cart of budget-conscious, yet quality components to get a 170 or 250 up and running, what would you get?

Are there problems with the Reefer Deluxe with regards to power...i.e., do the LED lights have a European plug?

Once again, I have no experience with aquariums, but I'd like to do it right. Thanks!

 

[Rory's Reef]

Future aquarium hobbyist here...I was originally looking into the Max E series, though many have suggested that I skip and go to the Reefer series right off the bat.

I've since been looking into the Reefer Deluxe with the LED lighting, either 170 or 250.

If you had to put together a shopping cart of budget-conscious, yet quality components to get a 170 or 250 up and running, what would you get?

Are there problems with the Reefer Deluxe with regards to power...i.e., do the LED lights have a European plug?

Once again, I have no experience with aquariums, but I'd like to do it right. Thanks!

You've certainly come to the right place. I'm sure many people will pitch in and be happy to help. But here's my 2 cents for what it's worth.

If you have the space and the budget allows for it, bigger is definitely better. I went with a RSM130D (34g) my first go and that lasted 6 months before I want to upgrade lol.

I would recommend skipping the deluxe and really researching lighting and putting that money towards some lighting that you really want. If in the end you decide that you like the lighting it comes with (I believe its the Hydra 26 if my memory serves me right) then the deluxe is a good option.

For the return pump (I can't remember if the deluxe includes this or not) I am using a RO VarioS-6. I hard plumbed my return so I could build a manifold and have my return pump feed several things. Many others have also gone this route. If you think it is at all a possibility that you may want to do this in the future I would get a larger dc pump so you can allow for this option in the future and just run it at slower speeds until you're ready. I know the Ecotech Vectra series is pretty popular here too, but slightly more expensive.

Many options are out there for skimmers and many people have found success using a variety. I personally have a Deltech SC1351 set up on my 250 and have high hopes, but have not yet had a chance to get real use out of it as my tank is cycling currently . Theres several people in here I believe running a Nyos on their 250, hopefully some of them can let you know how those are working for them.

In my tank I'm running 2 Vortech MP40's. The purpose for such high flow in my 250 is for a couple reasons. I like SPS so I need higher flow. Also, the MP10's are only rated to 3/8" glass and the Reefer 250 is 1/2" glass. These are a popular brand but pricey. If you plan on keeping SPS, high flow is needed, but there are lots of good options out there. If you only think you'll keep LPS and Softies or maybe FOWLR then you won't need to spend quite as much on your wave makers, but I would still recommend a good quality that others have had success with.

I used 40 lbs of sand for my reefer 250 and it was perfect for a shallow sand bed. I also used about 40 lbs of Marco dry rock for a fairly minimal rock scape. (my build thread in my signature will show you what this looks like in my tank to give you and idea)

If you plan on mixing your own Saltwater, an RODI system is also necessary.

Also, some good test kits.

That's everything I can think of to really get up and running. There's plenty of additional things that can be added on which always requires some research.

I would also recommend a controller of some sort (like the Apex), but these can be pricey and maybe something to be saved up for and added later.

Anyways, hope this helps a little

 

[JustAnt]

Also, the MP10's are only rated to 3/8" glass and the Reefer 250 is 3/4" glass.

The RSR 250 is 1/2" glass not 3/4"

 

[Rory's Reef]

The RSR 250 is 1/2" glass not 3/4"

You are correct... I'm not sure what I was thinking when I said 3/4". I fixed it though.

Thanks for catching that

 

[JustAnt]

You are correct... I'm not sure what I was thinking when I said 3/4". I fixed it though.

Thanks for catching that

Imagine if it was 3/4" how much heavier it would be... yikes!

 

[Rory's Reef]

Imagine if it was 3/4" how much heavier it would be... yikes!

haha way to heavy for me to get up 3 flights of stairs lol

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Bump for more pics!

 

[JustAnt]

Bump for more pics!

 

[fightingfish]

You've certainly come to the right place. I'm sure many people will pitch in and be happy to help. But here's my 2 cents for what it's worth.

If you have the space and the budget allows for it, bigger is definitely better. I went with a RSM130D (34g) my first go and that lasted 6 months before I want to upgrade lol.

I would recommend skipping the deluxe and really researching lighting and putting that money towards some lighting that you really want. If in the end you decide that you like the lighting it comes with (I believe its the Hydra 26 if my memory serves me right) then the deluxe is a good option.

For the return pump (I can't remember if the deluxe includes this or not) I am using a RO VarioS-6. I hard plumbed my return so I could build a manifold and have my return pump feed several things. Many others have also gone this route. If you think it is at all a possibility that you may want to do this in the future I would get a larger dc pump so you can allow for this option in the future and just run it at slower speeds until you're ready. I know the Ecotech Vectra series is pretty popular here too, but slightly more expensive.

Many options are out there for skimmers and many people have found success using a variety. I personally have a Deltech SC1351 set up on my 250 and have high hopes, but have not yet had a chance to get real use out of it as my tank is cycling currently . Theres several people in here I believe running a Nyos on their 250, hopefully some of them can let you know how those are working for them.

In my tank I'm running 2 Vortech MP40's. The purpose for such high flow in my 250 is for a couple reasons. I like SPS so I need higher flow. Also, the MP10's are only rated to 3/8" glass and the Reefer 250 is 1/2" glass. These are a popular brand but pricey. If you plan on keeping SPS, high flow is needed, but there are lots of good options out there. If you only think you'll keep LPS and Softies or maybe FOWLR then you won't need to spend quite as much on your wave makers, but I would still recommend a good quality that others have had success with.

I used 40 lbs of sand for my reefer 250 and it was perfect for a shallow sand bed. I also used about 40 lbs of Marco dry rock for a fairly minimal rock scape. (my build thread in my signature will show you what this looks like in my tank to give you and idea)

If you plan on mixing your own Saltwater, an RODI system is also necessary.

Also, some good test kits.

That's everything I can think of to really get up and running. There's plenty of additional things that can be added on which always requires some research.

I would also recommend a controller of some sort (like the Apex), but these can be pricey and maybe something to be saved up for and added later.

Anyways, hope this helps a little

Thanks! I'm actually digging the light setup the deluxe comes with, so I don't likely stick with that if possible. I understand the point of going big right off the bat, but I'm still tentative. I have a few months to sit on this before I can even think about it becoming s reality, so I'm in rush...but I do love window shopping