Apologies if this was covered already, but is there anything supporting your reactors? Is it just the pvc connections holding them up or pipes clipped into cabinet wall? Any concern over the weight? Thx
Broadfield's Red Sea Reefer 450 Build - OCD Inspired... Going Back To a Reef
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The pipes are held into place with PVC pipe clamps, but there is nothing supporting the actual reactor aside from the fitting itself. The fitting is nutted into place on the inside of the reactor and the top plate of the reactor is made of fairly thick acrylic... so I am not concerned. Hopefully you don't jinx it
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OP
Two of these per reactor... you will reuse the nuts from the reactor: https://www.pvcfittingsonline.com/836-005-1-2-schedule-80-pvc-male-adaptor.html
You will also need to purchase o-rings etc... which those are listed on my profile page wall:
https://www.reef2reef.com/members/broadfield.37189/
The lower black beauty panel is pressure fit into place and the top two black beauty panels are magnetized into place. So all three of those simply pop off and expose what you see in the image below. Once there, the middle section hinges up to a 90 degree position and locks into place. That then gives me plenty of access to everything behind there. I left some extra length on the dosing tubes so I can slide the DDR out onto the floor and slightly off to the side if needed.
IMG_8001 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
Okay thank you! Really incredible, what kind of wood did you use, also how thick if it matters ? ? Im trying to mąkę something similar (probably nothing remote close to yours) for my reefer 350, obviously inspired by you.
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I used 3/4" MDF
Hey there Broadfield.....first off as many others have mentioned to you, congrats on your work. Your 450 is nothing short of spectacular be it the top or bottom. I always consider having a saltwater tank as "Living Art" as far as having fish and corals......and the rest of your system is mind blowing art of the thought process and craftsmanship you put into it. Can look at it over and over again and shake my head every time and just say WOW!!
I live in Illinois myself in the suburbs off of Chicago and about 30 minutes from Schaumburg. And I was wondering if you might be taking the time to hit up that Aquatic Experience this weekend in Schaumburg. Would be cool to meet and pick your mind over some things as I have a 350 all unboxed and sitting in my living room and ready to get going on it. Just wanted some solid advice and input on stuff so I do a few things right from the start and don't have to backtrack later. If you'll be attending great......and if not I hope you don't mind if I bombard you with some questions on here or however.
Iv'e had a RSM 130D for about 8 years and had decent success keeping it pretty standard, but this will be my first time doing anything with needing return pump.......skimmer......possibly reactors......etc. So your knowledge on some things would be greatly appreciated.
Have a nice day and again thanks from many of us on here who you take the time to help with your pics, input, and descriptions of your methods.
Take care........Craig
I live in Illinois myself in the suburbs off of Chicago and about 30 minutes from Schaumburg. And I was wondering if you might be taking the time to hit up that Aquatic Experience this weekend in Schaumburg. Would be cool to meet and pick your mind over some things as I have a 350 all unboxed and sitting in my living room and ready to get going on it. Just wanted some solid advice and input on stuff so I do a few things right from the start and don't have to backtrack later. If you'll be attending great......and if not I hope you don't mind if I bombard you with some questions on here or however.
Iv'e had a RSM 130D for about 8 years and had decent success keeping it pretty standard, but this will be my first time doing anything with needing return pump.......skimmer......possibly reactors......etc. So your knowledge on some things would be greatly appreciated.
Have a nice day and again thanks from many of us on here who you take the time to help with your pics, input, and descriptions of your methods.
Take care........Craig
OP
OP
Thanks Craig, unfortunately I will not be attending Aquatic Experience this weekend... prior engagements. I always enjoy meeting fellow hobbyists too, especially ones with a Reefer series tank. So you will just have to ask your questions on here, PM etc. Also, if you are ever traveling south in the state, I'm right off I-55... I'm always down for guests!
This is whahiI swapped out my (3) Hydra 52's for (5) Primes. I'm sure some might think I'm crazy, but I'll explain why I did it. First off, I have had Hydra 52's on a couple of different tanks and have never been happy with the spectrum. I could never get the crisp white/blue color like that of a Kessil. So I walk into MACNA this year and the first thing I see is the Aqua Illumination booth. There sits an Innovative Marine tank with a couple of Primes over it. I'm instantly drawn to it because of the light spectrum. I immediately ask one of the AI guys if they mind giving me the color percentages they are using so I can get the same look on my 52's. He says "NO"! As I'm thinking in my head, "what a ****", he instantly follows up with: "no, because the 52's cannot duplicate this spectrum." I obviously assumed the Primes used the same pucks as the 52's and 26's... but I was wrong. The Primes use Cree Blues in place of the Cree Royal Blues found on the 26/52. So my very next question was about the PAR levels of the Primes and if they would be enough on my tank. He said that they absolutely would be enough for a Reefer 450. He claimed they have them on plenty of tanks at the office with same depth and have great growth from SPS that are midway to high in the tank... which is exactly what I want since I'm doing LPS and softies also. So I pulled the trigger and sold all of my 52's, mounts etc and purchased the Primes... even made some money in the whole deal.
So got them on about a couple weeks ago and am very happy that I took the chance on them. My PAR fears were eliminated once I pulled the PAR meter out. I'm at 500 PAR at 6" below the water line and around 60-75 on the substrate. That's even with the lights sitting as high as they can on the AI brackets. I also don't get any spill, front-to-back, like I did with the 52's. On top of that, I really like the look of 5 much smaller fixtures.
I just got my Neptune WAV kit put in last night... I'll be posting up info about that soon. First impressions: WOW!
A tad bit of modification to the Reefer overflow cover:
I put my new light fixture up also
Tis is what I got from AI yesterday:"Thank you for contacting AquaIllumination and that's actually incorrect. The Prime HD and 26HD use the exact same LED pucks and diodes which produce the same spectrum. A 26HD will obviously have more power/par simply because it has two pucks. If you have any other questions, please give us a call." What was told to you about the PrimeHD and Hydra 26HD was incorrect.I swapped out my (3) Hydra 52's for (5) Primes. I'm sure some might think I'm crazy, but I'll explain why I did it. First off, I have had Hydra 52's on a couple of different tanks and have never been happy with the spectrum. I could never get the crisp white/blue color like that of a Kessil. So I walk into MACNA this year and the first thing I see is the Aqua Illumination booth. There sits an Innovative Marine tank with a couple of Primes over it. I'm instantly drawn to it because of the light spectrum. I immediately ask one of the AI guys if they mind giving me the color percentages they are using so I can get the same look on my 52's. He says "NO"! As I'm thinking in my head, "what a ****", he instantly follows up with: "no, because the 52's cannot duplicate this spectrum." I obviously assumed the Primes used the same pucks as the 52's and 26's... but I was wrong. The Primes use Cree Blues in place of the Cree Royal Blues found on the 26/52. So my very next question was about the PAR levels of the Primes and if they would be enough on my tank. He said that they absolutely would be enough for a Reefer 450. He claimed they have them on plenty of tanks at the office with same depth and have great growth from SPS that are midway to high in the tank... which is exactly what I want since I'm doing LPS and softies also. So I pulled the trigger and sold all of my 52's, mounts etc and purchased the Primes... even made some money in the whole deal.
So got them on about a couple weeks ago and am very happy that I took the chance on them. My PAR fears were eliminated once I pulled the PAR meter out. I'm at 500 PAR at 6" below the water line and around 60-75 on the substrate. That's even with the lights sitting as high as they can on the AI brackets. I also don't get any spill, front-to-back, like I did with the 52's. On top of that, I really like the look of 5 much smaller fixtures.
I just got my Neptune WAV kit put in last night... I'll be posting up info about that soon. First impressions: WOW!
A tad bit of modification to the Reefer overflow cover:
I put my new light fixture up also
OP
OP
No, I had original Hydra 52s... not HD models. They are indeed different.... they don't even use the same blue channels. But yes, if you are comparing the Prime to an HD model, then they are definitely the same pucks.
Ok got ya. I'm ordering the RSR 525xl deluxe so I was concerned about the lights after reading your post. Thanks for the clarification. Beautiful set-up by the way. I hope you don't mind me trying to simulate you dryside cabinet.
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No problem... I just didn't want you misinformed.
Thank you sir! I just finished up the cabinet doors with the smoked acrylic and grey paint color. Looks really sick... I can't wait to show it off to you. I'm actually making my first video of the full tank with commentary.... so that will have the first look at the doors. Stay tuned
Hey there.......thanks for getting back to me. I'll definitely message you soon with some things I can use advice on. And I think it would be quite worthwhile to shoot 55 south sometime to see that work of art in person.
Still waiting for the update that was mentioned on facebook? What changes were you wanting to make on your sump?
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Ok, finally finished modifying the Red Sea doors. Took far too long to get the paint the way I wanted it... just been busy and went through like three different colors. But I finally achieved what I was after. As mentioned weeks ago, I wanted to do a medium gray color to stand out more than the black colored doors, but not be over the top... and it still needed to go with the black stand and the rest of my house. The finished images are not the best, but it was tough shooting the dark colored doors, with reflections and so on. I'll go back and try to reshoot them with the tank lights off, but I just now thought of that. I also took a video of the entire tank/stand and hope to edit that this week. It will be my first informative video about my entire tank with commentary.
So I did a decorative black acrylic border and then the smoked acrylic window right behind that. It's tough to see the black in the images, but it looks killer in person. The smoked acrylic worked out even better than I had hoped. I thought the white sump might still be visible when the accent lighting was off in the stand... but it worked out great.
IMG_9560 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
IMG_9560 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
IMG_9560 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
IMG_9560 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
IMG_9560 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
IMG_9560 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
IMG_1409 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
IMG_1409 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
So I did a decorative black acrylic border and then the smoked acrylic window right behind that. It's tough to see the black in the images, but it looks killer in person. The smoked acrylic worked out even better than I had hoped. I thought the white sump might still be visible when the accent lighting was off in the stand... but it worked out great.
IMG_9560 by Toby Broadfield, on FlickrIMG_9560 by Toby Broadfield, on FlickrIMG_9560 by Toby Broadfield, on FlickrIMG_9560 by Toby Broadfield, on FlickrIMG_9560 by Toby Broadfield, on FlickrIMG_9560 by Toby Broadfield, on FlickrIMG_1409 by Toby Broadfield, on FlickrIMG_1409 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
Last edited:
OP
OP
Very nice sir!Ok, finally finished modifying the Red Sea doors. Took far too long to get the paint the way I wanted it... just been busy and went through like three different colors. But I finally achieved what I was after. As mentioned weeks ago, I wanted to do a medium gray color to stand out more than the black colored doors, but not be over the top... and it still needed to go with the black stand and the rest of my house. The finished images are not the best, but it was tough shooting the dark colored doors, with reflections and so on. I'll go back and try to reshoot them with the tank lights off, but I just now thought of that. I also took a video of the entire tank/stand and hope to edit that this week. It will be my first informative video about my entire tank with commentary.
So I did a decorative black acrylic border and then the smoked acrylic window right behind that. It's tough to see the black in the images, but it looks killer in person. The smoked acrylic worked out even better than I had hoped. I thought the white sump might still be visible when the accent lighting was off in the stand... but it worked out great.
IMG_1409 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
IMG_1409 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
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Very nice! That came out great! Perfect way to showcase all of your meticulous work on the inside. If I send you my doors...
What do you want to change on the sump?
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