Toast to new journey - RSR 3XL 900

[InfamousRozay]

Background: After settling into out new home here in beautiful Las Vegas Nv, my wife surprised me with a RSR 3XL 900 Deluxe, but due to work it has been sitting in my garage. (but no longer)

Well finally the past Thanksgiving holiday gave me a little time off work so I was finally able to move the RSR 3XL 900 from the garage to its resting spot inside of the home. I wasn't going to start this build thread until, I had all the parts I am looking for, but I changed my mind and so here I am. My goal is to make this tank as automated and maintenance friendly as possible so that wife can easily understand what is going on because I travel all the time.

During the black Friday weekend I was able to pick up a few equipment items
Apex
Ecotech Vectra M2
Red Sea wave 45 x2
Aquauv 45 watt sterilizer
Clariasea SK-5000
6ooW Titanium heaters x2

I have a few more things left to pick up, but they will have to wait till after the holidays. I got to make sure the family is taken care of first. I plan on making the additional sump area a nice size refugium. I am not in a rush so this will be a slow and detailed build for me, but I will try my best to add to this post as I progress.

I also was able to pick up a few pounds of dry rock. Hopefully I will start designing this weekend.

As for plumbing, I would like to plumb the sterilizer in-line with one of the returns. I am thinking about using 100% acetone to release the the 90 degree bend in the turn before it heads back to the tank. I would then extend the 25mm plumbing out a few more inches, connect a 25mm x 3/4 union and run 3/4 pvc into the sterilizer. For the output I would do the same but in reverse. Does this seems reasonable?

 

[Rhoads238]

Congrats on the new setup! looks like its going to be an awesome one. I'm not an expert on plumbing but the uv sterilizer looks like its being setup the right way. The only thing i would say, is maybe consider putting it just outside the stand in back that way you have plenty of headroom to remove bulbs when they need to be changed. Its hard to tell how tall your stand is but it may be too short to pull the bulb straight out which would mean you would have to remove the entire sterilizer to change the bulb.

 

[ID-Reefer]

I have the same tank and stand. You will need to add a pump in the separate sump for flow as very little water moves between the two sumps. I’m using mine as a frag tank.

Rhoads238 makes a good point about the UV. You will want easy access. I Built a control cabinet which fills up my space to the right of the separate sump so I located my trident, dos containers, ATO reservoir and UV unit in a cabinet on the back side of my tank (through the wall). Not everyone can do that obviously however. If I didn’t have that space I would have just removed the separate sump for more space. Anyway nice build you have started. My build if interested is linked below. I’m not much further ahead of you. Just started adding coral frags a couple weeks ago. Will follow along.

 

[ImaFlippinDolphin]

I have my uv behind the stand for access to the bulb, and id reefer is right the sump flow is slow which is a blessing and a curse. Longer filtration contact time with skimmer and filtration, sponges grow like mad also kinda cool. Detritus will build up quickly unless you add a pump. I haven't yet, but also rethinking the configuration of my sump

 

[InfamousRozay]

I have my uv behind the stand for access to the bulb, and id reefer is right the sump flow is slow which is a blessing and a curse. Longer filtration contact time with skimmer and filtration, sponges grow like mad also kinda cool. Detritus will build up quickly unless you add a pump. I haven't yet, but also rethinking the configuration of my sump

I ordered the plumbing to put it behind the stand. I will also find a small pump to in the small sump

 

[ID-Reefer]

Look forward to seeing it when done. Today I ran an outside airline to my skimmer to hopefully bring up my PH. Two hours after connecting its the highest it’s ever been at 8.05 and climbing. Ran the air line through the back wall then into a cabinet then down to the crawl space Then out a vent. Several things like UV and that airline would have been so much easier to install before filling the tank. Oh well.

do yourself a favor and think ahead more than I did about what you might want to do in the future.

 

[InfamousRozay]

Look forward to seeing it when done. Today I ran an outside airline to my skimmer to hopefully bring up my PH. Two hours after connecting its the highest it’s ever been at 8.05 and climbing. Ran the air line through the back wall then into a cabinet then down to the crawl space Then out a vent. Several things like UV and that airline would have been so much easier to install before filling the tank. Oh well.

do yourself a favor and think ahead more than I did about what you might want to do in the future.

That is why I am taking it as slow as possible. I am trying to stay patient and get everything I want before filling her up

 

[metzer]

Just following along, nice seeing more of the RS 900's coming along.

 

[Jeffcb]

Following. My 3XL 900 should be here mid Jan.

 

[revhtree]

How's the progress? Looks like it's going to be a good one!

 

[InfamousRozay]

How's the progress? Looks like it's going to be a good one!

It’s going. I am waiting on my plumbing parts and more rocks to come in for my aquascape. After they arrive I will update with progress

 

[InfamousRozay]

I finally took the some of the weekend to start working on the scape. The right side still needs some work, I am not very pleased with the shapes of the works, but I really dont want to spend the money for anymore. My wife and son made the center piece , and I must say I kind of like it. My plumbing should be in next week

 

[Jeffcb]

Your tank is looking great. I like the aqua scape. I looks good.

I have a RS 3XL 900 being shipped right now. I bought all the Red Sea equipment offered and they shipped it last year. They sent everything but the Light mounts. I also have had a RS Reefer 250 for a few months. I did ask the LFS I am buying it from how the lights would be evenly centered across the tank with the mounts knowing how my RS 250 mounts were. I showed him a pic of the 900 with the light mounts straddling the overflow box. I don't have it yet but the rep told him there are knock outs in the over flow box cover and new light mounts. They just sent these. You may check into that if you want your lights to me centered evenly across the back of the tank.

 

[InfamousRozay]

Your tank is looking great. I like the aqua scape. I looks good.

I have a RS 3XL 900 being shipped right now. I bought all the Red Sea equipment offered and they shipped it last year. They sent everything but the Light mounts. I also have had a RS Reefer 250 for a few months. I did ask the LFS I am buying it from how the lights would be evenly centered across the tank with the mounts knowing how my RS 250 mounts were. I showed him a pic of the 900 with the light mounts straddling the overflow box. I don't have it yet but the rep told him there are knock outs in the over flow box cover and new light mounts. They just sent these. You may check into that if you want your lights to me centered evenly across the back of the tank.

Thanks, I will look and see if my overflow box cover has knockouts

 

[Juniorh2r]

Nice aquascape ! Patience is good especially in this hobby in the end its rewarding but who am I kidding this hobby is never ending lol ! Good luck!

 

[WirelessMike]

That is a dope setup! Wow. How do I drop the hint that my wife needs to order me one of those? Lol can’t wait to see it progress!

 

[Mike1970]

Nice!!

 

[InfamousRozay]

I found some cheap led motion lights. They work great

 

[InfamousRozay]

I finally had the time to do some plumbing. I decided to go with two Vectra M2s to pump the tank. I connected the sterilizer inline with the return. I hate the red sea factory gate valve, so I modified the OEM plumbing to fit the spears gate valve and then reduced that to fit the Sk-500. After hearing that the flow in the additional sump is kind of low, I added a Sicce Voyager Nano pump, this should also help push the heated water to the return. I now to need to work some more cable management and perform the leak check.

 

[ID-Reefer]

Nice progress! Im really starting to consider going with a Sk-500. Im getting tired of filter socks and have only had my 900 set up for a couple months lol.