SuncrestReef's Red Sea Reefer XL 425 build

[SuncrestReef]

Another quick question(s) for you... Is the discharge of your ATO below the reservoir? If so, what did you do to reliably prevent siphoning.

I have the same water storage tanks, in the garage, directly behind the tank. When the tanks are full, the water level will be above the highest point in my tank, and I would prefer to add water to the sump anyways.

The Neptune ATK includes a 1/4” siphon break fitting. It’s installed on the tubing at the very top inside my RO/DI storage tank above the highest water level.

 

[OceanDiver]

What they said lol.
the first time I set up my ATK I didnt use the Union...... almost an epic fail

but I caught it in time

 

[SuncrestReef]

My new goniopora isn’t extending much during the day, but seems pretty happy at night:

 

[mstgkillr]

After waiting around all day for the delivery truck that didn't show up, I called the shipping company back and they said "I'm not sure who you spoke with, but it hasn't even reached our warehouse yet". Now they're saying it will be delivered on Monday, so my plans to start the build this weekend just went out the window.

In the meantime a few more of the PVC fittings have arrived so I'm mocking up some design ideas for my manifold. I think I have a couple ways I can easily fit the 3 AquaMaxx reactors and the UV sterilizer without interfering with the skimmer inside the cabinet. 3-way wye fittings save a lot of space over traditional T-fittings and elbows.

Are these 3-Way Wye fittings rated for plumbing? All I can find is furniture grade? Where did you purchase them from?

 

[JumboShrimp]

5-Stars! *****

 

[Jeto2004]

What a thread! Well done. Quick question sorry if it was addressed earlier. Do you leave the small power head you use to disperse dosing liquids on all the time or do you control it with apex to go on when dos go on?

 

[SuncrestReef]

Are these 3-Way Wye fittings rated for plumbing? All I can find is furniture grade? Where did you purchase them from?

Yes, they work fine for aquarium plumbing. "Furniture grade" simply means the outer surfaces have no blemishes, markings, or burrs. I got mine at https://formufit.com/collections/3-way-pvc-corner-elbow

 

[SuncrestReef]

What a thread! Well done. Quick question sorry if it was addressed earlier. Do you leave the small power head you use to disperse dosing liquids on all the time or do you control it with apex to go on when dos go on?

The powerhead runs continuously. Unfortunately there's no programmatic way to determine when the DOS will pump or be idle. When the DOS slider is set to AUTO, it reports as "ON" regardless of what the pump head is actually doing. This has been a complaint for many years but Neptune has never implemented any way to check the status.

 

[Jeto2004]

The powerhead runs continuously. Unfortunately there's no programmatic way to determine when the DOS will pump or be idle. When the DOS slider is set to AUTO, it reports as "ON" regardless of what the pump head is actually doing. This has been a complaint for many years but Neptune has never implemented any way to check the status.

Bummer, hoped to reduce the run time of my cheap little but noisy power head that I wanted to use to deal with precipitation issues to reduce noise level when not needed....

 

[damaneice]

I get a lot of questions about my mixing station, so I'll provide some detail here and a parts list:

A. (qty 2) Norwesco 75 gallon storage tanks with 1.25" threaded bulkheads
B. (qty 1) Mixing pump with 1" male threaded input and output
C. (qty 2) 1.25" threaded male to 1" slip adapters
D. (qty 2) 1" threaded female to 1" slip adapters
E. (qty 5) 1" slip unions
F. (qty 3) 3-way Y fittings
G. (qty 3) 1" T fittings
H. (qty 7) 1" ball valves
I. (qty 4) 1" 90 degree elbow fittings
J. (qty 3) 1" slip bulkheads
K. (qty 2) 1" male slip to 3/4" female threaded adapter
L. (qty 1) 3/4" male threaded to 3/4" camlock female coupler
M. (qty 1) 3/4" camlock male to 3/4" barbed hose adapter
N. (qty 1) 3/4" braided hose
O. (qty 2) Hose clamps
P. (qty 1) 3/4” male threaded to 3/4” barbed hose adapter

Optional parts for Apex automation:
Q. (qty 3) Neptune optical water sensors
R. (qty 2) Magnet mount for optical sensors
S. (qty 1) FMM
T. (qty 1) PM2
U. (qty 1) EB4
V. (qty 1) Heater
W. (qty 1) Temperature probe
X. (qty 1) Salinity probe
Y. (qty 1) DOS
Z. (qty 1) Long AquaBus cable to Apex (if in a different room)

Here are the parts annotated in photos:

Thank you for sharing your awesome mixing station. Where did you get the stand/shelf that the mixing station is sitting on?

 

[SuncrestReef]

Thank you for sharing your awesome mixing station. Where did you get the stand/shelf that the mixing station is sitting on?

I got the metal shelf system from Home Depot, though I do not recommend it because it started to bend under the weight once I filled the water storage tanks, so I had to add wood supports under the shelves to prevent it from collapsing. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-7...-in-D-5-Shelf-Steel-Unit-MR482478W5/203828250

 

[jk1151]

I posted these same photos on the Red Sea Owners group on Facebook, and (as frequently happens on social media) several people posted harsh comments that the generator should not be installed near a window. For the record, this window is on my garage, not a living space in my home, and is perfectly acceptable in my local building code guidelines.

I also had several people challenging my decision to get a 22 kW generator, saying it's way too much capacity for a single family dwelling and a waste of money. At first I made an effort to explain my decision process and the power needs I anticipated, but these people were adamant that they were right and I was wrong. It got to the point where I had to disable comments on my posting, and then just deleted the whole thread to rid myself of the unwanted debate.

Sometimes I really question whether the Internet is a good thing or bad thing for mankind. Why can't we just post something we're excited and proud of, only to have it shot down by hateful people? :mad:

I totally agree! Hopefully you were able to focus on the positive people. I started reading this whole thread and can’t stop! I’m just cycling my new 425xl. I’d give anything to be as organized and well thought as you! Don’t let others get you down. What you’ve created is amazing!

 

[jk1151]

I'm writing up a series of tutorials on Apex programming here on R2R. The first article was published yesterday, and there will be a new topic published each Friday for the next 7 weeks. Check it out:

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/apex-neptune-programming-tutorials-part-1.685/

• Week 1 - Introduction and programming basics
• Week 2 - Timers: OSC, If Time, DOW, Defer, When, and Min Time
• Week 3 - ATK programming and troubleshooting
• Week 4 - Power Monitoring
• Week 5 - Virtual Outputs
• Week 6 - Alarms
• Week 7 - Feed Modes
• Week 8 - Lunar Schedule and Lighting Profiles

Thank you!

 

[SuncrestReef]

I've been doing auto water changes with my DOS and Apex for almost 2 years. Over the past couple of weeks, I've started noticing a steady decline in salinity, so I assumed my DOS heads were wearing out and ready for replacement. But after replacing the heads and running the calibration, I saw the Fill head was only pumping about 75% as much as the Drain head. Closer examination of the tube revealed it's caked on the inside with sediment, similar to the gunk that builds up in my mixing station tank over time.

I'm thinking about using string trimmer line with a small brush head attached to shove it through the tube.

It's funny, for all the complaints I hear from people about the Apex salinity probe being worthless, it alerted me about this issue right away!

 

[SuncrestReef]

I just picked up a used Apex Classic along with (2) EB8's , (2) PM2's, (1) PM1, (1) VDM, (1) WXM, (1) ATK, (1) breakout box, (1) display module, and 4 probes which have been stored wet (so they're still usable) from a local reefer for only $300! All my Apex Programming Tutorials were written for the Apex 2016 or Apex-EL, but now I'll finally be able to get some first-hand experience with the older Apex model so I can better answer questions that come up from reefers who haven't yet upgraded.

 

[SuncrestReef]

I decided to try flushing out my 1/4" AWC tubing with citric acid. So far it seems to be working well. This is after only 5 minutes circulating in a loop using a PMUP:

 

[SuncrestReef]

Wow, after one hour of pumping citric acid, it's sparkly clean again! That was pretty simple.

 

[SuncrestReef]

One year ago I posted about planning an addition on our house including a fish room and larger new aquarium.

It's been a long negotiation process, but I finally convinced my wife to agree to this project! I have made several revisions to my original plans, but here's the latest design. The addition will add a large 35'x20' room (700 sq feet) onto the back of the house with a large triangular multi-level deck, a built-in BBQ, and a hot tub. Inside the addition will be a 6-seat bar, a full 9' pool table, a half bathroom, a dedicated fish room, and a 8'x3' 360 gallon display tank! The fish room will be roughly 70 sq feet.

I need to finalize a few design details, then contract with a builder. I have no idea on the timeframe for construction yet, but I hope to have things in place for the summer! I'll start a new build thread once construction begins.

Here are some renderings:

 

[SPR1968]

One year ago I posted about planning an addition on our house including a fish room and larger new aquarium.

It's been a long negotiation process, but I finally convinced my wife to agree to this project! I have made several revisions to my original plans, but here's the latest design. The addition will add a large 35'x20' room (700 sq feet) onto the back of the house with a large triangular multi-level deck, a built-in BBQ, and a hot tub. Inside the addition will be a 6-seat bar, a full 9' pool table, a half bathroom, a dedicated fish room, and a 8'x3' 360 gallon display tank! The fish room will be roughly 70 sq feet.

I need to finalize a few design details, then contract with a builder. I have no idea on the timeframe for construction yet, but I hope to have things in place for the summer! I'll start a new build thread once construction begins.

Here are some renderings:

That looks like a fantastic project and it must be very exciting planning the new house.

And what a great idea with the citric acid and DOS hose, I might steal that! Lol

 

[SuncrestReef]

I made a few changes to improve the fish room position so it's now directly behind the tank.



For those of you wondering why I didn't choose an in-wall aquarium, the reason I settled on my current design was due to negotiations with my wife. Since this is going to be a very expensive project, she is concerned about the resale value of the house and return on investment. After consulting with our realtor we decided to have the aquarium free standing so it could be removed easily without requiring major reconstruction. The small bathroom was also a requirement which is why I reduced the original size of the fish room.

Beyond the overall architecture, I haven't yet started the official design process of the fish room. I'm going to leave my mixing station in the garage and run plumbing through the attic into the new fish room for auto water changes and ATO. I also plan to have the sump in the fish room rather than under the tank, along with a frag tank, utility sink, storage cabinets, and a desk for my microscope and where I can do water tests. Of course it will have a floor drain, mildew-resistant drywall, and maybe a dehumidifier. I'll reach out for input once I have a basic plan for the fish room equipment.

Here's a walkthrough video: