Whip’s Red Sea Reefer XXL 750 Hybrid Bare Bottom Build

[Whip]

yeah I am glade you are thinking about the race way. I hope you find a good solution. let us know.

that is gonna be one big fuge! the sumps on these RS tanks are so nice I thought about tanking it out and doing another build with the "Sump" as a DT and use a 40br as the sump..lol

thank skimmer looks real nice I bet it has a price tag to match too.

Yeah, ever since I started even THINKING about doing this build, I planned on that skimmer. I wanted it external to the cabinet, but I just can’t figure out how to do it and have it look good. My next thought was to just keep it in the sump. Last night, after I posted I was going to pull the trigger, I took one last measurement. This time I cut out cardboard that matched the footprint of the skimmer and... my HUGE fuge would be consumed by a HUGE skimmer. I had to reconsider my plan. I am going with a Deltec 1000i in the return pump chamber. It fits! This will leave my fuge free from equipment.

 

[Diesel48]

Converting to standard plumbing...

Cut down the original RSR piping...

My hole saw arbor fit perfectly into a cutdown 1” threaded nipple...

I chucked it up in my drill and turned it down on my belt sander...

It fits perfectly... RSR plumbing converted to 1” standard.

Do this two more times and it’s a done deal!

I tried doing this by hand a bit last night. I could have done it longer but it was taking awhile even though the pipes are so close to fitting. I called up my brother and he has a belt sander so going to try that tonight. I think that will help out a lot. I left 1.25" of the red sea stand pipe left when cutting. Any idea of the lengths you ended up using to stagger the pipes? Looks like about a 1" difference? Would you have them hang down a bit further or is there a chance the union hits the back of the stand? My glass is still in the garage so I am not sure what the clearance is of the unions relative to the stand. Do they need to fit in that cut out?

 

[Whip]

I tried doing this by hand a bit last night. I could have done it longer but it was taking awhile even though the pipes are so close to fitting. I called up my brother and he has a belt sander so going to try that tonight. I think that will help out a lot. I left 1.25" of the red sea stand pipe left when cutting. Any idea of the lengths you ended up using to stagger the pipes? Looks like about a 1" difference? Would you have them hang down a bit further or is there a chance the union hits the back of the stand? My glass is still in the garage so I am not sure what the clearance is of the unions relative to the stand. Do they need to fit in that cut out?

The unions should clear the stand ok... notice that I have a union below the flow meter. It clears the stand without issue.

Regarding the staggering... I only staggered the return pipe because it was spaced closer to the secondary drain downspout and the unions would interfere with each other. The secondary drain and the main drain were spaced enough that the unions cleared each other easily. If I had to do it again, I’d stagger all three. As it stands right now, I have to tighten right to left. If they were staggered, I could tighten in whatever order I wished. It just offers more flexibility.

As far as staggering distance goes, just stagger them the distance that is equal to or greater than the thickness of your union nut. You just don’t want your union nuts to line up. It makes tightening them brutal. I think I did 1”. Do a little more... like 1.5”. As you can see by mine, I didn’t stagger enough and just the corners of the union nuts touch each other.

Regarding the sanding... I know exactly what you are talking about: sand, sand, sand, check... almost fits... repeat process ten times... get belt sander... I was there!

If you end up going with a belt sander, make sure you spin the pipe or you’ll risk getting flat spots. If you can’t find an arbor like I used, just get a drill bit and wrap enough electrical tape around it that the OD of the bit is slightly larger than the ID of the pipe.

When glueing (just like any other glue joint) it is critical to push in, spin, and hold. I know this is PVC glueing 101, but it is critical with a sanded pipe.

Also, give the glue joint time to cure before threading your union on. When threading on one of the unions, I actually spun the glue joint. Luckily, it was early in the curing process and the joint cured ok. Thank goodness the tank passed the leak test; but I was a little stressed out. Save yourself the stress and let it cure.

If you have any other questions, let me know.

 

[LBCobra]

Great build.... Love the plumbing, did you order the pipe holders directly from RedSea?

 

[Diesel48]

The unions should clear the stand ok... notice that I have a union below the flow meter. It clears the stand without issue.

Regarding the staggering... I only staggered the return pipe because it was spaced closer to the secondary drain downspout and the unions would interfere with each other. The secondary drain and the main drain were spaced enough that the unions cleared each other easily. If I had to do it again, I’d stagger all three. As it stands right now, I have to tighten right to left. If they were staggered, I could tighten in whatever order I wished. It just offers more flexibility.

As far as staggering distance goes, just stagger them the distance that is equal to or greater than the thickness of your union nut. You just don’t want your union nuts to line up. It makes tightening them brutal. I think I did 1”. Do a little more... like 1.5”. As you can see by mine, I didn’t stagger enough and just the corners of the union nuts touch each other.

Regarding the sanding... I know exactly what you are talking about: sand, sand, sand, check... almost fits... repeat process ten times... get belt sander... I was there!

If you end up going with a belt sander, make sure you spin the pipe or you’ll risk getting flat spots. If you can’t find an arbor like I used, just get a drill bit and wrap enough electrical tape around it that the OD of the bit is slightly larger than the ID of the pipe.

When glueing (just like any other glue joint) it is critical to push in, spin, and hold. I know this is PVC glueing 101, but it is critical with a sanded pipe.

Also, give the glue joint time to cure before threading your union on. When threading on one of the unions, I actually spun the glue joint. Luckily, it was early in the curing process and the joint cured ok. Thank goodness the tank passed the leak test; but I was a little stressed out. Save yourself the stress and let it cure.

If you have any other questions, let me know.

Thanks for the detailed post and tips! Did you use ABS to PVC glue? I bought some just incase, was only 7 bucks and I believe that connector is ABS. Good tip on the drill bit and electrical tape. My hole saw arbor was to big. Making each union at a different height is a great call.

 

[Whip]

Great build.... Love the plumbing, did you order the pipe holders directly from RedSea?

LBCobra,

Thanks for following along on my build.

I got the pipe holders from some crazy place called Farmer Boy Ag... they were great!

https://www.farmerboyag.com/Quick-Latch-Pipe-Hangers?updatecartitemid=0

They were like $1.18 each. They are very similar to the ones sold at BRS for $5.99 each.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/sm-clamp-for-pvc-pipe.html

 

[Whip]

Thanks for the detailed post and tips! Did you use ABS to PVC glue? I bought some just incase, was only 7 bucks and I believe that connector is ABS. Good tip on the drill bit and electrical tape. My hole saw arbor was to big. Making each union at a different height is a great call.

I used PVC...

The clear primer was hard to find at HD, Lowe’s, or ACE. I had to get it from Amazon.

 

[mygsris2slo4u]

Another option for converting to hard plumbing. 25mm x 1” spigot adapters from pvcpartsonline

 

[Whip]

Another option for converting to hard plumbing. 25mm x 1” spigot adapters from pvcpartsonline

Nice!

 

[LBCobra]

LBCobra,

Thanks for following along on my build.

I got the pipe holders from some crazy place called Farmer Boy Ag... they were great!

https://www.farmerboyag.com/Quick-Latch-Pipe-Hangers?updatecartitemid=0

They were like $1.18 each. They are very similar to the ones sold at BRS for $5.99 each.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/sm-clamp-for-pvc-pipe.html

Good deal they’re under $1 now. Thanks!!

 

[naterealbig]

Yeah, ever since I started even THINKING about doing this build, I planned on that skimmer. I wanted it external to the cabinet, but I just can’t figure out how to do it and have it look good. My next thought was to just keep it in the sump. Last night, after I posted I was going to pull the trigger, I took one last measurement. This time I cut out cardboard that matched the footprint of the skimmer and... my HUGE fuge would be consumed by a HUGE skimmer. I had to reconsider my plan. I am going with a Deltec 1000i in the return pump chamber. It fits! This will leave my fuge free from equipment.

What about sectioning off the equipment side of the cabinet and running the skimmer in there?

 

[Whip]

What about sectioning off the equipment side of the cabinet and running the skimmer in there?

Naterealbig,

Thanks for the suggestion. I actually was looking into that and had BRS pull some measurements off of the skimmer. Sadly, for the skimmer discharge to be high enough to make it over the sump, the skimmer runs out of headroom if in the cabinet. Bummer deal.

The only way I could do it, would be like the video I found below. I am going to stick to the old school in-sump skimmer.

 

[Whip]

I took @Devaji ’s recommendation on my sump cable management... he was right... I was sacrificing form over function. My original organization scheme was so clean and out of the way that ANY maintenance or equipment failure would require me to remove ALL my piping to remove the cords.

After a lot of thought, a solution was born...

All my tubing and sensors are run behind the pipes. I am hoping they have a low rate of failure.

All my ATO tubing and auto water change tubing are ran in the downspout furthest to the right.

The heaters and Maxspect cords are ran in front of the pipes to aid in easy cord removal if needed.

Oh yeah... my Advanced Acrylics ATO arrived. 12.5 gallons (5”x25”x25”) and thin enough to slip between the back of the stand and the wall.

Oh... and the final piece needed before I start the four month cycle... my Deltec 1000i arrived. It is the largest rated skimmer I could find with the smallest footprint.

Now I just need to finish the aquascape, place it in the tank, fill it up, and let the cycle began!

 

[naterealbig]

Naterealbig,

Thanks for the suggestion. I actually was looking into that and had BRS pull some measurements off of the skimmer. Sadly, for the skimmer discharge to be high enough to make it over the sump, the skimmer runs out of headroom if in the cabinet. Bummer deal.

The only way I could do it, would be like the video I found below. I am going to stick to the old school in-sump skimmer.

Well, son of a b. I ran into a similar scenario when I purchased a used external Bubble King. I literally was with millimeters of the skimmer having to sit too high to be viable. Sorry.

On a good note, the Deltec certainly is a tried and true powerhouse.

 

[naterealbig]

I took @Devaji ’s recommendation on my sump cable management... he was right... I was sacrificing form over function. My original organization scheme was so clean and out of the way that ANY maintenance or equipment failure would require me to remove ALL my piping to remove the cords.

After a lot of thought, a solution was born...

All my tubing and sensors are run behind the pipes. I am hoping they have a low rate of failure.

All my ATO tubing and auto water change tubing are ran in the downspout furthest to the right.

The heaters and Maxspect cords are ran in front of the pipes to aid in easy cord removal if needed.

Oh yeah... my Advanced Acrylics ATO arrived. 12.5 gallons (5”x25”x25”) and thin enough to slip between the back of the stand and the wall.

Oh... and the final piece needed before I start the four month cycle... my Deltec 1000i arrived. It is the largest rated skimmer I could find with the smallest footprint.

Now I just need to finish the aquascape, place it in the tank, fill it up, and let the cycle began!

Not too much a worry, disassembling the plumbing won't be a terrible hassle. A chore at worst.

Everything looks sharp. Let's see some pics of the scape asap. The container looks awesome.

 

[Devaji]

LBCobra,

Thanks for following along on my build.

I got the pipe holders from some crazy place called Farmer Boy Ag... they were great!

https://www.farmerboyag.com/Quick-Latch-Pipe-Hangers?updatecartitemid=0

They were like $1.18 each. They are very similar to the ones sold at BRS for $5.99 each.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/sm-clamp-for-pvc-pipe.html

oh snap I missed this post. I was just thinking I need to find a way to support my manifold with out breaking the bank. crazy how much plumping can run you..
dang every time i see you nice white inside stand it makes me mad the RS cheap out on there white stands and then charged us more for it. grrrr haha

glad you found a way to service your sump equipment! looks amazing!

 

[Devaji]

I took @Devaji ’s recommendation on my sump cable management... he was right... I was sacrificing form over function. My original organization scheme was so clean and out of the way that ANY maintenance or equipment failure would require me to remove ALL my piping to remove the cords.

After a lot of thought, a solution was born...

you know I am not quite sure I fallow your manifold...would not h2o just go up the return pipe rather than in to the manifold thus pushing to much in the the DT if you where to get the flow you need in it?

 

[Whip]

Devaji,

Here is a like concept:

https://blog.marinedepot.com/education-center/charts-diagrams/plumb-sump-basic-intermediate-advanced

With a DC pump, I will just “turn it up” to balance the flow as needed.

On a side note: One cool thing about the RSR Sump... the glass rails that span the length of the sump to hold the ATO reservoir... they will work perfect for a sump lid and all of my reactors (if I decide to run them) can sit on the lid suspended from the water. If they leak, it will just flow into the sump.

 

[Devaji]

Devaji,

Here is a like concept:

https://blog.marinedepot.com/education-center/charts-diagrams/plumb-sump-basic-intermediate-advanced

With a DC pump, I will just “turn it up” to balance the flow as needed.

On a side note: One cool thing about the RSR Sump... the glass rails that span the length of the sump to hold the ATO reservoir... they will work perfect for a sump lid and all of my reactors (if I decide to run them) can sit on the lid suspended from the water. If they leak, it will just flow into the sump.

ah I see now I did not notice the ball vale before the manifold...I still will read through the blog post. I think I have the way I want to plunt it down with this is an idea for sure!

 

[Whip]

I had been asking for help over in the Aquascape Forum and I got some great advice... another reason I love this community. The input I got over there really helped make the scape better.

Cementing starts today, so let me know what you guys think... there is still some time to make changes.

And a YouTube video to help get a sense of depth...



Let me know what you think!