SuncrestReef's Red Sea Reefer XL 425 build

[nycfishy]

Awesome tank.
What sand did you use?
Like the Nyos skimmer? If you did again would you make same choice instead of a something dc pump powered?
Similar questions with lights, love em and would go with same again or something else?

 

[SuncrestReef]

I added a new Cyphastrea today:

 

[SuncrestReef]

Awesome tank.
What sand did you use?
Like the Nyos skimmer? If you did again would you make same choice instead of a something dc pump powered?
Similar questions with lights, love em and would go with same again or something else?

Thanks! I used Tropic Eden Reef Flakes, and really like it. The 3mm grain size keeps it from blowing around, but it's still small enough for my snails and shrimp to burrow into.

I really like the Nyos Quantum 160 skimmer, though it is a bit louder than I expected. Many people report it being nearly silent, but I don't know if mine is different because it does make a gurgling/bubbling sound. But aside from that, it's a workhorse and pulls out a lot of skimmate. I modified mine by adding the Avast Marine Swabbie to automate cleaning the skimmer neck, and added the Avast Marine skimmate locker so I don't need to empty the skimmer cup. That's made life a lot more convenient since I only need to empty the locker about every 2 weeks.

I absolutely love the Radion XR30 Pro lights and the RMS mounting arms. I've posted recently some example photos of my coral growth and coloration, so it's obvious the corals like the lighting.

 

[SuncrestReef]

My refugium was looking pretty gross with film algae everywhere, so I completely drained it and gave it a thorough cleaning. I found that a flat razor blade was the most effective tool to clean the glass. Now it looks like new!

Before:




After:

 

[mta_morrow]

I added a new Cyphastrea today:

Meteor Shower?

 

[SuncrestReef]

Meteor Shower?

Yes, I think it's a meteor shower.

 

[mta_morrow]

Yes, I think it's a meteor shower.

Very nice piece! Looks like it has already encrusted the frag plug!

 

[SuncrestReef]

I added a couple of beautiful mushrooms:

 

[Reefland503]

Awesome build suncrest! I missed your build thread on pnwmas but looks awesome!

 

[OffTopic]

Umm... well, this tank is absolutely beautiful! Great pictures keep it up!

 

[SuncrestReef]

Umm... well, this tank is absolutely beautiful! Great pictures keep it up!

Glad you like it! Yes, I'm having fun taking photos with the new macro lens.

Awesome build suncrest! I missed your build thread on pnwmas but looks awesome!

Thanks! I started this build thread on R2R long before I knew about the PNWMAS forum, so I didn't bother creating a new build thread there. I do cross-post photos of new corals and videos on both forums now.

 

[SuncrestReef]

Several weeks ago my anemone decided to move behind a rock where I couldn't see it. I'm glad to see it finally returned to the front! Nice to see it again.

 

[SuncrestReef]

It seems I can't go more than one day without adding another coral...

Here's the latest:

 

[NY_Caveman]

It seems I can't go more than one day without adding another coral...

Here's the latest:

Wow! Beautiful piece!!!

 

[mta_morrow]

It seems I can't go more than one day without adding another coral...

Here's the latest:

WOW! Very nice piece for sure!

 

[Reefland503]

It seems I can't go more than one day without adding another coral...

Here's the latest:

Very nice! Where’d you score that from?!

 

[SuncrestReef]

Very nice! Where’d you score that from?!

I picked it up locally at Cuttlefish & Corals. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it is. Jorge didn't know the name when I bought it, and Jeff replied to my post on PNWMAS but just said it's a wild specimen they've had for some time.

 

[Reefland503]

I picked it up locally at Cuttlefish & Corals. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it is. Jorge didn't know the name when I bought it, and Jeff replied to my post on PNWMAS but just said it's a wild specimen they've had for some time.

I figured it was cuttle fish they are killing it I’m surprised all the other stores haven’t been taking notes on how to be the best! Jorge and Jeff and the best!

 

[Hulley]

Gorgeous piece!

 

[nim6us]

Here's an update on my previous post about switching from filter socks to filter cups:

So far I have mixed feelings about the filter cups. After the first two days, I noticed water was overflowing the filters. The filter fiber wasn't particularly clogged, but there just wasn't enough flow through the cup to handle the volume of water. I ended up removing the sponge filters from the bottom of each cup and just leaving the filter fiber in place. That allowed the water flow to pass completely through the cup and stopped overflowing.

I've found the filter fiber needs to be replaced about every 3 days. Again, the cups started overflowing once the fiber was clogged. Changing out the fiber is a simple process, and the convenience of just throwing it away is nice. But I'm not convinced that the fiber is as effective as a traditional filter sock. I've noticed my skimmer is filling up faster than normal, so I'm guessing more detritus is making its way into the skimmer chamber than before.

Just to give you some feedback about the cups, I switched myself because the socks just weren't doing it for me. Mine aren't the official Red Sea cups, but the premise is the same. What I've done is instead of using sponge at the bottom I put in 5-6 bio balls. This keeps the filter floss from touching the bottom and really increases the flow through the cups. I change my floss about once a week (from the pic you can see their about due) but I never have problems with the floss getting clogged. Hope this helps! Nice build btw