Wacky Red Sea Reefer 525xl Build

[wackyreefer]

Welcome to my 525xl v3 build thread!

History
In 2016 I had a 60l high-tech planted tank but once it was set up I felt there was nothing to it, nothing further to do or learn, it was trim plants, water change. Rinse and repeat.
Not too long after, I converted the planted tank to a nano reef, which served as a good introduction to reef keeping.
In 2017 I bought a used Red Sea Reefer 170. Great tank, solid! I stocked it with mainly SPS, running the Zeovit methodology with a 6-bulb T5 fixture and really enjoyed this tank.
Work and life got too busy and I took a break from the hobby.

Today
Had missed the hobby and it's challenges, the community and the wealth of different ways and methodologies to approach it. Spoke to the wife (who was very supportive about the idea and missed having a tank in the house!! Best wife a man can ask for.). Off I wen't this week and bought a brand new Red Sea Reefer 525xl V3.

Equipment List post cycle:
Tank: Red Sea Reefer 525XL v3 - White
Return Pump: Jebao DCT8000
Skimmer: Bubble Magus Curve 7
Heaters: Eheim 300w x2
Lighting: G2 Hybrid T5 HO Light Fixture - White- 48" running ATI bulbs, 3 x White Hydra 32
Powerheads: Maxpect Gyre 330 x2
Controller: Neptunes APEX Full
Calcium/Alk: Marine Sources DCR120, Marine Sources AOC-90 secondary chamber, EcoTech VERSA VX-1 Single Versa Peristaltic Pump
Nutrient Management System: Refugium with PAR38 LED bulb, Two Little Fishes PhosBan Reactor 150 running AF Aquaforest Carbon


Fish:
2x Black Onyx Percula Clown fish
1x Hippo Tang
1x Sleeper Banded Goby
1x Bristle tooth Tang
1x Yellow Tang
1x Exquisite Fairy Wrasse
1x Lubbocks Fairy Wrasse
1x Carpenters Wrasse
2x Green Cromi

Inverts:
10x Snails
1x Cleaner Shrimp
1x Peppermint Shrimp

Thanks for stopping by.

 

[wackyreefer]

Had a structural engineer review my flooring and joists. Engineer was happy with a 1 ton wet loading (it's more like 900kg realistically) but according to him my floors will probably do double and more as it's standing right on 2 supporting piles against a load bearing wall.

Last night I received the tank and assembled the cabinet.

(Don't worry I adjusted and evened out the door heights after this photo was taken).

Tank is 100% level as the floor is surprisingly level. None the less, the adjustable feet on the v3 unit are great.

COVID is making a mess of planning the equipment so many of the pieces of equipment I need like the Aquatic Life fixture will take a month or 2 to arrive as most shipments are held up right now.

I also have no one to help me carry and place the Aquarium glass (115kg) on the stand at this stage, as it is just too heavy for my poor wife. Once restrictions ease I will enlist a local shop or friends to help me.

 

[wilsonline]

This V3 looks awesome. following

 

[wackyreefer]

This V3 looks awesome. following

Thanks Wilson!
Will take the sump out of the box tomorrow, put it in the stand and take some photos.
I myself am skeptical of the size of refugium you can do in the V3 sump vs total system water volume but this will be a good experiment.
If over months I find the stock Red Sea sump refugium size is ineffective then worst case I will switch over to Aquaforest Probiotic methodology.

Ps. I see you just kicked off your build thread too. Will be following. Sorry to see you dealt with some challenges. That's all part of the hobby. Before you know it the tank will look great again!

 

[wackyreefer]

So today triple checked leveling feet and dry fitted sump. It's relatively big compared to what I was use to. The sump alone is probably almost as big as the display of my old Red Sea Reefer 170 (just rectangular obviously).

I am also surprised at the size of the refugium in the v3 sump. It makes up at least 1/3 or more of the sump when using the larger baffle position.

(sorry for the reflection)

Looking at the tank overall, Red Sea have clearly been listening to the community and incorporated feedback. Things like leveling feet, dual return nozzle, refugium devider, acrylic socks etc. which people use to either buy from third party vendors / manufacture / 3d print, are now all part of the standard offering which is great.

 

[Futuretotm]

Nice! I’m in the exact same boat, just set up a 525xl, full of air right now! Can’t wait for covid to end

 

[wackyreefer]

Nice! I’m in the exact same boat, just set up a 525xl, full of air right now! Can’t wait for covid to end

Thanks for the follow. Great that you also setting one up. I will be following your progress Good luck with the COVID set up challenges

 

[Cstar_BC]

following !

 

[jesbarr]

Nice tank! I had a similar introduction to the hobby, started with a 12g high tech planted tank and quickly upgraded to a 20g reef.
This is definitely one of my dream tanks I'd love to have one day. Looking forward to seeing how it comes along!

 

[wackyreefer]

following !

Thanks. Looks like you are starting a great build. I will be following!

 

[wackyreefer]

Nice tank! I had a similar introduction to the hobby, started with a 12g high tech planted tank and quickly upgraded to a 20g reef.
This is definitely one of my dream tanks I'd love to have one day. Looking forward to seeing how it comes along!

That's great and great to hear that you have been on a similar journey. This will definitely be my biggest transition yet so fingers crossed . Thanks for the follow.

 

[Futuretotm]

Were you able to get the tank on the stand?

 

[wackyreefer]

Were you able to get the tank on the stand?

Unfortunately not . Due to COVID lock downs and social distancing I cannot get a shop or friends to come help me. I already rung the store I bought it from and will pay them to help me put it on the stand post lock downs.

 

[Futuretotm]

Unfortunately not . Due to COVID lock downs and social distancing I cannot get a shop or friends to come help me. I already rung the store I bought it from and will pay them to help me put it on the stand post lock downs.

oh no! soon!
its surprising how much bigger it looks when on the stand, its much higher that I thought it would be which is nice at it is almost right at eye level

 

[AZMSGT]

Unfortunately not . Due to COVID lock downs and social distancing I cannot get a shop or friends to come help me. I already rung the store I bought it from and will pay them to help me put it on the stand post lock downs.

I had to do the same, I paid the crew at the LFS to come out and move my tank from my garage on to the stand.

Friend of mine paid a moving company to bring his tank in.

 

[wackyreefer]

oh no! soon!
its surprising how much bigger it looks when on the stand, its much higher that I thought it would be which is nice at it is almost right at eye level

Thanks! That's great and really makes me feel better about not going the 625xxl route and quite excited to get it on the stand

 

[Futuretotm]

Thanks! That's great and really makes me feel better about not going the 625xxl route and quite excited to get it on the stand

OMG! my thoughts exactly
Had second thoughts when it was sitting on my garage floor

 

[wackyreefer]

So just want to give you guys an update. Sadly I still don't have the Display tank on the stand due to COVID Stage 4 lock down. There is talks that next week we might relax to stage 3 which will allow me to get someone to come help me.

In the mean time, I decided to take the sump out of it's box and packaging with the help of my wife and do a wet / leak test outside. I didn't feel comfortable taking my chances and testing the sump in the stand at first fill.

Let's just say my instincts were right. Once filled and confirmed no leaks, I kept wiping corners 1 hour , 2 hours later to be sure. On the last wipe, I wen't hold on! I noticed a very fine hair line crack when the sun shun on the sump. Low and behold, the inner panel of the sump (not outer panel) has a round chip in it and a hair line crack running from it to the outside.

The sump couldn't have been damaged in shipping as the sump is wrapped in plastic and foam, placed in a box, then the box is placed in the center of the glass display tank, which sits in a pallet. If anything knocked it from below, the whole aquarium display would be shattered first, and only then would the underside of the sump box be knocked.

Super disappointing. As you can see this is clearly a manufacturing fault that made its way past QA. The half-moon chip is sitting on the inside of the sump against the silicone, and you can clearly see above it is a thin 2cm line of damage going for about 2-3 cm, as if the panel was damaged and just glued in anyway. The foam which is stuck over has no dents or damage to it, making it clear the foam was just applied over.

At this stage I was quite deflated and disappointed. It's not leaking but it's defective. I really don't want to wake up one morning 1 year from now with a floor of water and a cracked sump.

I emailed the LFS who pointed me to Red Sea support. The positive news is that the Red Sea Technical Support representative has instantly responded, requesting more information, more photos and my location. I really appreciated the quick response, as I was expecting to not hear back any time soon. Let's just hope the rest of the process goes this well.
Right now they are reviewing the information and photos and I will let you guys know what the outcome is.

 

[Futuretotm]

Oh no!
Any word on replacement?
How long have you had your tank for? I took delivery in March and am worried if I spring leaks later on when I fill it I might find something like this!!

 

[wackyreefer]

Oh no!
Any word on replacement?
How long have you had your tank for? I took delivery in March and am worried if I spring leaks later on when I fill it I might find something like this!!

No word yet but understandably so as I emailed them on Saturday (they first replied on Saturday). I am hoping since it's Monday today I should start hearing from them again.

I bought it on 10/04, but I did register it for warranty on Red Sea website in the week that followed to be safe. You can do the same using the serial number in die overflow / weir of the display tank.

I will keep you posted.