swallace
Active Member
"Oh lord what have I done" - is the primary thought going through my head as I sit here waiting for what feels like half of the entire BRS inventory to arrive at my door. Am I excited? yep! nervous? yep! feeling impatient? absolutely!!
Ladies and gentleman, I must say this is a huge day for me, and something that I have been dreaming about for a very long time. I feel like I have really accomplished something special that I never thought would be possible - my wife is actually ok with doing this, and she knows exactly how much I spent. Amazing!
In all seriousness - I have always loved the marine tanks at the LFS near me and my small freshwater tank has brought my family and I a lot of joy over the last 2 years.
So what originally started as a $5 beta fish in a tiny 5 gallon tank has ultimately led me here - Ideally a slice of the ocean just for us, alternatively, a giant PIA, and huge money pit, or what is more likely, a little bit of both.
So say hello to “My Blue Heaven!”
I’ll make sure to post the initial specs and equipment below, but before that - we can talk a little bit about my goals.
Without going balls out and buying a totally custom tank which would have cost me a small fortune. (See Parkers Reef…).
I was really torn between the new Waterbox Infinia 215.5 and the Red Sea XXL 750 as they are comparable in price. So you might ask - how did the Reefer-S enter the equation. Good question, and honestly it boiled down to a few things.
I loved the marine grade cabinet of the Infinia series, but I didn't like how short the length was and I didn't really care for the measly 2 year warranty.
The XXL 750 was perfect in that it was the color I wanted (white) and the length fit at 71” going into an 83” space, but the plywood cabinet and frame for something that cost that much was a little hard to swallow.
So, in came the Reefer-S 850 which seemed like Goldilocks and the three bears - just right!
It had the marine grade frame, perfect length, 5 year warranty and the white just goes well with our existing color scheme.
It also seemed to check all the right boxes to meet my goals, I just had to pay a little more - ok, a lot more
So what's next? We wait! for 6 weeks because the tank is on back-order..
In the interim there is plenty to do before the tank arrives, aquascaping, setup the mixing station etc.. it should be a fun ride.
If you’ve enjoyed my story so far and want to see where we go from here - feel free to keep stopping in for updates. Worst case you can laugh as I struggle through my first year.
My Equipment
Display and Sump -
Ladies and gentleman, I must say this is a huge day for me, and something that I have been dreaming about for a very long time. I feel like I have really accomplished something special that I never thought would be possible - my wife is actually ok with doing this, and she knows exactly how much I spent. Amazing!
In all seriousness - I have always loved the marine tanks at the LFS near me and my small freshwater tank has brought my family and I a lot of joy over the last 2 years.
So what originally started as a $5 beta fish in a tiny 5 gallon tank has ultimately led me here - Ideally a slice of the ocean just for us, alternatively, a giant PIA, and huge money pit, or what is more likely, a little bit of both.
So say hello to “My Blue Heaven!”
I’ll make sure to post the initial specs and equipment below, but before that - we can talk a little bit about my goals.
- Flexibility with regards to livestock
- Something large enough that it is slightly forgiving with small mistakes
- A piece of art that is just as beautiful on the outside as it is on the inside
- A design that allows for growth as I mature in this hobby
- High quality materials that ensure it holds up for 10-20 years
Without going balls out and buying a totally custom tank which would have cost me a small fortune. (See Parkers Reef…).
I was really torn between the new Waterbox Infinia 215.5 and the Red Sea XXL 750 as they are comparable in price. So you might ask - how did the Reefer-S enter the equation. Good question, and honestly it boiled down to a few things.
I loved the marine grade cabinet of the Infinia series, but I didn't like how short the length was and I didn't really care for the measly 2 year warranty.
The XXL 750 was perfect in that it was the color I wanted (white) and the length fit at 71” going into an 83” space, but the plywood cabinet and frame for something that cost that much was a little hard to swallow.
So, in came the Reefer-S 850 which seemed like Goldilocks and the three bears - just right!
It had the marine grade frame, perfect length, 5 year warranty and the white just goes well with our existing color scheme.
It also seemed to check all the right boxes to meet my goals, I just had to pay a little more - ok, a lot more
So what's next? We wait! for 6 weeks because the tank is on back-order..
In the interim there is plenty to do before the tank arrives, aquascaping, setup the mixing station etc.. it should be a fun ride.
If you’ve enjoyed my story so far and want to see where we go from here - feel free to keep stopping in for updates. Worst case you can laugh as I struggle through my first year.
My Equipment
Display and Sump -
Lighting: 4 x Ecotech XR15 Pros
Wave Makers: 2 x Ecotech Mp40s
Return Pumps: 2 x Ecotech Vectra L2s
Skimmer: Nyos Quantum 220
Heaters: 2 x Finnex 500w
Heater Controller: Aqua Logic (ranco) Dual stage
Fuge Light: Ai Prime 16
Dosing: GHL 2.1 SA
Battery Back Up: Ecotech BBU for now.
UV: Aqua Ultraviolet 57w
Mixing Station -Container: 2 x100 Gallon
Pump: Iwaki MD-100RTL
RODI: BRS 7 Stage
Heater: 300w Finnex
Salt: (Initial) Tropic Marin Pro Reef (Germany)
Plumbing: Bunch of Cepex Ball Valves and schedule 80 fittings
ATO -Controller: Tunze 3155
Pump: Litermeter G7
Container: 15-20 gallon undecided
QT Tank -Tank: Red Sea Max 130d
Misc -Refractometer: Milwaukee MA887
Phosphorous: Hanna ULR
Alk: Hanna
Timeline:
3/29/2022 - Mixing station
4/16/2022 - QT Tank Setup
4/22/2022 - Tank Arrives
4/23/2022 - Sump Installed
4/24/2022 - Skimmer, ReefMat, UV, pumps dry fitted
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