HighEndOfTheLow's Red Sea Reefer 750 XXL

[302lockedandloaded]

Following. Mine should be here Thursday. Got the White Cabinets though, to match our kitchen. Question on the Gyros, would you suggest getting the 280's, or are the 2 250's sufficient, and do you need the heavier magnet or will their stock magnet work? I read you had trouble with them holding in place?

 

[highendofthelow]

Following. Mine should be here Thursday. Got the White Cabinets though, to match our kitchen. Question on the Gyros, would you suggest getting the 280's, or are the 2 250's sufficient, and do you need the heavier magnet or will their stock magnet work? I read you had trouble with them holding in place?

Apologies there 302lockedandloaded, I missed the notification,

Ok so that's an interesting question, are the 2 x 250's suitable? You bet; they shift a tonne of water at Least for my reasonably open scape.

Their weakness is their magnets are barely Strong enough to hold on to the 19mm gpass even with the 'uk' official magnet upgrade kit (still dubious on these) but it does technically hold, I also haven't had any issues with them dropping off with snails on them etc.

I imagine once I'm densely populated I may need another pair on the back however I suspect I'd have the same issue as 280's.

They're also significantly cheaper then 280's.

Having lived with the 250's these would probably what I'd recommend with the magnet upgrades because of the cost difference (they are cheap in comparison to the 280's) and just be aware of what your buying into/ to expect. Yes they hold but if it was a mm or two thicker that would be a whole different ball game!

I'm also assuming they're smaller then the 280's physically and therefore less of an eye sore (I don't find the 250's particularly an eye sore etc in the 750xxl).



Hope that helps

 

[highendofthelow]

So given the glut of Australian corals in the UK at the moment I managed to pick up a few nice bits...

This is one of the brightest and nicest Fugia plates I've seen in years. A few of the tips and the growth ring have green in them, tips are highlighter yellow and the base is a rich Orange.

An Australian fine branches "cluster" morph sps, it's currently shifting colour but I got it at a steal of a price.

A super super fluffy Acro, it's a pinky white hue, it's not the "brightest" it it's one of the most unique.

An unknown freebie from the LFS which looks a heck of a lot like a mayagii tort in colour and branch structure. It'll be fun what ever it is just got to wait for it to grow out.

I also finally fragged up my bali slimer (lot of dead in the centre) and made a start fragging up my German blue digi colony (restarting it so it grows into the tank etc)

 

[najer]

Very nice, love the fungia, I had a similar one but it walked and got stung!

 

[highendofthelow]

Very nice, love the fungia, I had a similar one but it walked and got stung!

Yes my old one had a habit for walking but it's stayed more or less still since it went in but I'm keeping a close eye on how close it gets to the St Thomas mushroom

 

[highendofthelow]

Well the first bit of bad news it would seem, for the past few days my red backed Cirrhilabrus sp wrasse had been acting very odd, yesterday afternoon we discovered it's remains.

We're still not 100% what happened with it in honesty, all other fish are well and accounted for.

One of those mysteries.

Admittedly without sounding too heartless or flippant it does bring the gorgous red whipfin flasher wrasse that my LFS has in back onto the table, I was / am holding off for the time being as I wanted to build up some coral density before adding wrasse but if it's still there in a week or two I may just consider it.

 

[Brew12]

Well the first bit of bad news it would seem, for the past few days my red backed Cirrhilabrus sp wrasse had been acting very odd, yesterday afternoon we discovered it's remains.

We're still not 100% what happened with it in honesty, all other fish are well and accounted for.

One of those mysteries.

Admittedly without sounding too heartless or flippant it does bring the gorgous red whipfin flasher wrasse that my LFS has in back onto the table, I was / am holding off for the time being as I wanted to build up some coral density before adding wrasse but if it's still there in a week or two I may just consider it.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Unfortunately, losing fish happens and can just be a natural occurrence. And you point out the positive side, it often opens up new possibilities!

 

[highendofthelow]

So I managed to last two weeks before dipping into my pay check!

Thankfully it wasn't too hard a hit this time I managed to find an adorable Cirrhilabrus lineatus female going cheap.

it should in theory shift to the male form in a year or two at a guess which admittedly is one of my favourites; not that I'm unhappy with the female form ether.

I also got given a freebie sps frag which was struggling with my LFS.

Gave it a good drip and re mounted the frag it's some form of green stag but with reasonably smooth skin and coralites.

Now for an update on the Alk/Ca, I initially had my head set on the Pacific Sun Ca until I read the measurements a little closer and found the one I wanted wouldn't fit comfortably + the Pacific Sun officially told me there was no uk based dealers at this time which didn't exactly fill me or my lfs with confidence.

After reviewing my options ive actually changed tac and were now looking onto "no frills" Calcium reactor fed by an Alkatronic Alkalinity monitor. My local LFS is currently seeing to see if they can become a stockists of them but if not I'll use another online rep (I always try and put through my local first). Then I can seriously start ramping up the sps

 

[highendofthelow]

So the wrasse has settled in the tank for a few hours and it's been good as gold and nothing has bothered it which is good.

I was planning on taking some shots of the tank but the snails have had the indecency to spawn for the past hour or so! The water now looks like it's full of particulate but the sps are enjoying the free food.

 

[najer]

Very pretty fish.

 

[Nicky 1212]

loved reading your posts, I will be purchasing the redsea 750 xxl deluxe later this year, once my room extension has been finished, can you give me any tips that would help me in any way.... anything you would have done differently, any equipment you may have changed to? this will be my first mixed reef tank, I've kept tropicals for 32yrs, but have enjoyed researching reef tanks for the last year.

 

[highendofthelow]

loved reading your posts, I will be purchasing the redsea 750 xxl deluxe later this year, once my room extension has been finished, can you give me any tips that would help me in any way.... anything you would have done differently, any equipment you may have changed to? this will be my first mixed reef tank, I've kept tropicals for 32yrs, but have enjoyed researching reef tanks for the last year.

Hi Nicky

Its great to hear that you are getting into the hobby, and research is certainly something that is required! A Reefer 750XXL is a big tank for a beginner, its no bad thing to have a big tank when you start but it is a big undertaking- equally Luke always maintains that his reef tanks are less work than when he did planted systems with all the trimming etc.

The key really is to be as prepared as you possibly can be - make sure that your floor will be able to take the weight (its a big beast and was something we did when we were looking at buying a house! Does it have concrete floors was an often asked question). Make sure that it will fit through the doors- handles make life difficult to carry through- hence we brought the little dolly trucks to get the tank through under handle height- also consider corners you might have to go around and if you have space to do so. It took 5 strapping men to get it in- with 3 people often taking the weight whilst other moved.... the dolly trucks were worth every penny.

Equipment wise we haven't changed anything this far, and currently aim to add equipment in the form of a Calcium reactor and Alkatronic controller.
The gyres do need a good clean and they are probably a piece of equipment I would change- however there is so little choice really that they are here to stay (didn't really want Vortech MP60's as we were worried about the suction of fish, if MP40's would handle the glass thickness we would've used them, there is probably a tunze option but Gyres are a cheaper option compared to either!). The only other thing I would potentially change is the cover net, If I had the cash I would get a custom made with feeding hatches etc- but expensive at ~£300-400.

Where abouts in the UK are you? Have you got a good LFS etc? Feel free to Direct Message if you like.

Liz

 

[highendofthelow]

So my LFS has finally got dealership rights to Alkatronic! Que the bank visit and a eye watering bank withdrawal.

Just need to get the cash to my LFS and we're finally starting to get traction!
I also need to decided which calcium reactor i wish to purchase! my current issue is we want something that's in sump ideally (as my dry side is pretty full) with a decent capacity but i don't have a massive footprint to play with for "big" calcium reactors if i have the algae section in its current position. Ideally i don't want to reduce the algae bed so I'm hoping i can find something suitable.

I have approximately 24 inch wide x 11 inch deep x ...something tall, I "Could" fit the Pacific Sun CalcFeeder Pro AC Mini (6 KG capacity) which is a serious contender but its under powered at only 600 ltr rating, the AC1 (7 KG capacity) is the recommended calcium reactor but approx 1 inch too large without reducing the algae portion of the sump.

having said that is it a "proper" 600 ltr rating or underrated i guess is the question as i could probably the AC mini work.

 

[highendofthelow]

So I finally got round to cleaning my Gyres. I can see what they say regarding they need more maintenance

And it's starting to get interesting again...

 

[Brew12]

So I finally got round to cleaning my Gyres. I can see what they say regarding they need more maintenance

And it's starting to get interesting again...

That is the only downside I have found to the gyres. They do take a lot more work to keep running correctly.

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

Great build @highendofthelow! following along...

 

[highendofthelow]

Welcome aboard @SawCJack00 glad to see your tagging along for the ride,

So I got a message from my LFS yesterday to advise that my Alkatronic has been dispatched and they attempted to deliver it when he was at the the wholesaler (go figure..) honestly it isnt too much of a problem as I'm away currently anyhow but I'm hoping we have it by Monday.

We just need to decided which calcium reactor to go for and i can then finally justify an SPS pack (We've been real strict with not splashing out on sticks until i got my Alk situation under control partly because I knew it was going to be expensive and I also know just how low my Alk currently is...).

The main question I'm currently having is do i go for a bells and whistles Calcium reactor (Deltec Twintech 1500 is the current "smart" Cx reactor I'm considering however the other half is less then pleased with the price tag XD....) or something more economical (Say a Skimz or similar).

The CO2, regs and media is all going to be the same, its just the additional functionality and usablilty of a "smart" calcium reactor I'm leaning towards (low/empty CO2 alarm, effcient use of C02 are a big plus but come at a healthy cost).

 

[User]

Why don’t you just put the gyres in a length of 4” pvc, capped at one end, filled with wAter and vinegar. Run it for 60-90 minutes to get rid of any build up. You could even do it with bleach solution, then rinse with saltwater. Doesn’t even have to be pvc pipe - just use a 10g.

I’m not sure of the rationale for disassembling the gyres when this option exists. Bunch of people do it this way, and I’ve done similar once a month for 60 minutes for 4 months, and they are super clean.

 

[highendofthelow]

Why don’t you just put the gyres in a length of 4” pvc, capped at one end, filled with wAter and vinegar. Run it for 60-90 minutes to get rid of any build up. You could even do it with bleach solution, then rinse with saltwater. Doesn’t even have to be pvc pipe - just use a 10g.

I’m not sure of the rationale for disassembling the gyres when this option exists. Bunch of people do it this way, and I’ve done similar once a month for 60 minutes for 4 months, and they are super clean.

Because...I wish you'd said that approx 1 week a go when I first considered cleaning them hah! In that bucket was a 1:3 vinegar to water radio.

Admittedly it didn't clean as well as I expected after 24 hours so had to strip them. (Or more it cleaned the outside fine and kinda melted the algae on the rotors but they still needed a scrubbing under the sink)

Admittedly next time I'd buy 2-3x the vinegar too unless I could rig up a smaller container like you described.

 

[highendofthelow]

And we're back, tank ticked along nicely and all accounted for.

It's a bit of a suprise how much sand has been blown around just by cleaning the gyres, nothing desasterous but I'll probably give the sand bed and gyre angle a tweak.

Interestingly there's also been a a bit of growth on some of the sps not 100% sure why but nor am I complaining (muses I wonder if detritus has been stirred up from the sand and given them a bit of a boost)

Anyhow hopefully with any luck I'll be the proud owner of an Alkatronic unit tomorrow!

Whilst measuring available space I took some photos of the inside of the cabinet.

Dry side, the units are cheap and were a short term solution, theres one in front of the other so I may take the front out as it would give me quite a bit of space back.

STC-1000 controlling 2 x 300 watt Titanium heaters so far it hasn't missed a beat.
Maxspect gyre and Duo controllers
Skimz skimmer controller

The gyres are on the old APC1000 ups (it had a new battery not that long a go) but the UPS is also something I'm considering moving

Small battery powered light and the small form factor smoke alarm

Then on the wet side