New Red Sea 900 G2+ build

[petcellar]

-What are the dimensions of the sump chambers? Specifically the skimmer section

So.... to be honest, I've never set up a tank or a sump this complex before, and I'm not completely sure which part of the sump is supposed to be the "skimmer section".

I know it can be hard to tell from a picture, but this is how I have my sump set up right now (no water it is yet)

I know.... my progress is about the speed of tectonic plate movement. Just been super busy lately and only able to work on this build by bits....

The posterior chamber that the skimmer is in the picture below is roughly 11 inches wide and 20 inches long.

Still have a lot of space in the front of the main sump where I could put some bits of live rock.

 

[petcellar]

-How much space do you have in the dry cabinet area after the extension (refugium section) is installed?

Roughly, the first two doors of the cabinet are for the main sump, the third door for the secondary sump, and the 4th door for the dry area.

Also, I installed the control panel slide out in the dry area, so that takes up some space.

So measuring from the glass of the secondary sump to the sliding control panel is approximately 17 inches.

 

[petcellar]

I think the lights sagging a bit is intentional and it helps keep the lights from blinding you

I would have gone with 4 lights though on a tank of that size, without question.

Well... the good news is that I looked at the cover for the overflow in the middle, and it looks like there actually is a preformed cutout that can be used to make a notch to accommodate a mounting bracket.

So now the lights are evenly spaced with one of the lights in the middle. Otherwise it looked ridiculous.

Concerning the number of lights.... Red Sea recommends either 4 ReefLED 90 or 3 ReefLED 160S for this size tank. The big thing about the ReefLED 160S is that is has the "stadium style" lens and is supposed to be made specifically for good coverage of deep, wide tanks.

.... we will see how it pans out! Hope I don't regret it. But I'm thinking about trying to rent a PAR meter and check it out once it is set up. Worst case scenario I can always add a 4th light.

Was planning on getting a custom cover to try to prevent carpet surfing, so I'll check it out before I order a lid. That way if I do need another light I'll know how many cutouts I need for mounting brackets.

 

[petcellar]

Working on the aquascape!

I'm more used to more of a "rock wall" scape than the more NSA style that's so common now.

Some of the NSA examples I've seen are amazing! But for me, I think a lot of rocks make good hiding places for fish and critters.

But I don't want it to look like somebody just dumped a truckload of rock in the middle of the tank either! And I'll need places to fix corals.

We'll see how this goes.....

 

[petcellar]

Working on the Mixing station and RODI setup.

I ended up getting the 5 stage system from BRS. They recommended that one in their videos and I think it is a reasonable decision. The extra carbon canister will probably be helpful and keep it from getting used up so quickly.

I did go with the water saver version since I do have a fairly large tank over time less waste is certainly a consideration.

Setup was actually quite easy. I mounted it to the wall in the laundry room so that there was already a water source and drain nearby.

The only think I was disappointed in so far.... it doesn't come with a float valve. Seems to me like most folks would end up using one and should be included.

I ordered one and will get up set up when it comes in.

Going to be time to crank out water and start mixing saltwater soon!!!

 

[petcellar]

Finished the aquascape! Glued all the rocks together with Marco cement.

I'm not experienced with dry rock tanks but the cement mixed easily and seemed to work well so far without any issues.

It's a lot of Marco Rock.... particularly at the base. I got a 40 box of the flat pieces for a foundation. There is also some Caribsea rock, some Walt Smith rock, and a bit of whatever I had left over from old tanks.... a mix of everything

I know live rock would be beneficial.... but nowadays live rock is so hard to come by. Times have changed....

I know that there are aquacultured options available, but you would have to be Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates to fill a tank this size with live rock.... I mean, I know none of this is cheap, but that's just out of reach.

Planning to add some live rock and live sand to seed the tank and start the cycle once I get going.....

We'll see how it goes

 

[petcellar]

So.... my next step is getting the ATO set up.

I looked at the various options and eventually settled on the Tunze Osmolator.

Why not the Red Sea ATO, seeing that everything else is in the Red Sea ecosystem?

Well... I want to be able to pump from the mixing station in the laundry room. That will require running a hose up to the attic about 10 ft and then about 30 foot or so across, and then back down.

I don't think the pump on the Red Sea ATO could handle that.

I read this post on retrofitting the Red Sea ATO with a bigger pump....

Redsea ATO+ bigger pump

Hey all pretty new I just got done setting up my first saltwater tank! I wanted to add an ATO, so I went with the RedSea ATO. So far, I really like it. However, in my situation, I have a mixing station set up in my basement that is about 10 feet down and 25 feet across, which is great, but the...

www.reef2reef.com

Very interesting! Certainly an option to consider.

But the Osmolator 3 has a bigger pump that is supposed to be able to switch into a boost mode, and pump water to a height of 20 feet.

As an added benefit should have a good quality product with Tunze behind it.... we will see

 

[Monad]

Finished the aquascape! Glued all the rocks together with Marco cement.

I'm not experienced with dry rock tanks but the cement mixed easily and seemed to work well so far without any issues.

It's a lot of Marco Rock.... particularly at the base. I got a 40 box of the flat pieces for a foundation. There is also some Caribsea rock, some Walt Smith rock, and a bit of whatever I had left over from old tanks.... a mix of everything

I know live rock would be beneficial.... but nowadays live rock is so hard to come by. Times have changed....

I know that there are aquacultured options available, but you would have to be Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates to fill a tank this size with live rock.... I mean, I know none of this is cheap, but that's just out of reach.

Planning to add some live rock and live sand to seed the tank and start the cycle once I get going.....

We'll see how it goes

This looks really good, can’t wait to see when it’s first cycled and you start adding fish and corals.

 

[EliMelly]

Thinking maybe I should having going with the hanging pendant rather than the mounting brackets for the lights.

The MAX setup comes with three 160 lights. I don't think there is going to be any way to space three lights out evenly because the middle of the tank contains the overflow. I think its going to be a bit unsettling with unevenly spaced lights, but I guess it's not the end of the world.

I installed the Reefbeat app and connected the light. The connection is a little flakey and I've already had trouble with losing connection to the light multiple times tonight. I was able to get the light to reconnect by unplugging and plugging it back in. Hopefully after I get the schedule all fixed up I won't have to mess with it as much.

A little disappointing its showing signs of being so buggy, though. However, I do have an Android phone, so maybe the iPhone experience is better? I don't know.

I cut into the overflow plastic cover with my old 350

 

[DS204]

So.... my next step is getting the ATO set up.

I looked at the various options and eventually settled on the Tunze Osmolator.

Why not the Red Sea ATO, seeing that everything else is in the Red Sea ecosystem?

Well... I want to be able to pump from the mixing station in the laundry room. That will require running a hose up to the attic about 10 ft and then about 30 foot or so across, and then back down.

I don't think the pump on the Red Sea ATO could handle that.

I read this post on retrofitting the Red Sea ATO with a bigger pump....

Redsea ATO+ bigger pump

Hey all pretty new I just got done setting up my first saltwater tank! I wanted to add an ATO, so I went with the RedSea ATO. So far, I really like it. However, in my situation, I have a mixing station set up in my basement that is about 10 feet down and 25 feet across, which is great, but the...

www.reef2reef.com

Very interesting! Certainly an option to consider.

But the Osmolator 3 has a bigger pump that is supposed to be able to switch into a boost mode, and pump water to a height of 20 feet.

As an added benefit should have a good quality product with Tunze behind it.... we will see

If you haven't already purchased the Tunze ATO, take a look at the Spectrapure ATO. It's a little pricey, but it works fantastic. I bought it and had it setup to draw water from the basement and it never skipped a beat. I had it plumbed into a 44g brute bin and so my ATO water would last me over a month. Highly recommend!

 

[petcellar]

If you haven't already purchased the Tunze ATO, take a look at the Spectrapure ATO. It's a little pricey, but it works fantastic. I bought it and had it setup to draw water from the basement and it never skipped a beat. I had it plumbed into a 44g brute bin and so my ATO water would last me over a month. Highly recommend!

Thanks!!
That's just what I'm looking for! Already bought the Tunze though... So hope it works out.

I'll certainly keep that it mind though! Good to know.

 

[petcellar]

Well... installed the Tunze today to try it out.... not so good.

First I tried setting it up right next to the tank - and it worked perfect! I was impressed by how easy it was to set up. Literally just plug and play.

Space is tight in the Red Sea sump setup, but profile is pretty slim and had no trouble whatsoever. I was really pleased.

Then I ran the power cord through the attic to my mixing station as I described above. Obviously, the cord won't reach, but Tunze makes extensions cords just for this.

Unfortunately, when I opened the box of extension cords there was a note on them saying if you daisy chain a bunch of them together the signal will drop too much and the system won't work.

I'm no electrician, but I didn't think voltage could possible drop enough to effect the pump only 40 ft or so away. However, I guess it's because that's its connection to the built in controller in the sensor unit.

I tried it anyway - didn't figure I had much to lose.... seeing I had already opened the ATO and gotten it wet.

Not surprisingly - it refuses to work.

Its a bit frustrating. It certainly wasn't a cheap piece of equipment and I don't see how I'm going to use it at all.

@rvitko

Am I hosed? Is there any other way to make this work, or is this use case impossible for this device?
It seems a bit strange to me to put a more powerful pump on this device so it can pump farther, but not be able to run an electrical cord long enough to take advantage of that capability....

What do the folks with water reservoirs in the basement do?

Not sure what to do next.... need to think about this.

Oh well....

Part of whet makes this hobby so relaxing

 

[merkmerk73]

How do you like the overall build after everything is put together?

Is your drain silent with the siphon?

Do you like the plumbing?

Lastly, is there any wood that you could mount things to - such as the divider in the middle? To allow you to mount dosers or controllers or a CO2 scrubber

 

[petcellar]

How do you like the overall build after everything is put together?

Is your drain silent with the siphon?

Do you like the plumbing?

Lastly, is there any wood that you could mount things to - such as the divider in the middle? To allow you to mount dosers or controllers or a CO2 scrubber

The overall build? I really like it. It's a beautiful tank. The Red Sea ecosystem works well together. You can always find something to fuss at, but overall I think its a good system.

If this tank doesn't split its seams and flood my house after a few years I'll be well satisfied. No way to know that for sure at this point looks like I'm on for the ride.

The plumbing is great. I like fish - but I'm not a plumber and I'm not particularly good at it. Any plumbing project for me means at least three trips to the hardware store before I actually get the right parts that fit together.

This took all the guesswork out of it. It really was plug and play.... and no glue. Had a couple of little leaks when I first started it up, and these were from joints that either were loose or over-tightened. A quick fix.... and for right now, all dry.

I think that the plumbing is a strong point of this set up.

Is the drain silent? Again, time will tell. The valve to control the level is quite sensitive once you get it close to the right location.

I think a lot of the frustration with that valve is from coarse adjustments and overshooting the mark. Once you get it close you have to start making very fine adjustments... and maybe even wait a few hours for the water level to change before adjusting again.

The level's good for me and when its adjusted so that the overflow isn't gurgling and the emergency overflow isn't dripping its pretty quiet.

Time will tell whether it will stay that way, or if it will need constant adjustments like folks on the forum have experienced.

Yes... I think you could mount things to the middle divider. And then the Max series comes with the slide out control panel and you certainly could mount equipment to it.

I've attached some photos of the current mess so you can see the middle divider and control panel.

I'm gonna have to figure out something with these cords :/

I think it's a great tank and I'm not sorry I bought it.

Though I guess I should keep some pipe clamps handy

 

[petcellar]

Slow but steady progress.....

Finally have it filled with saltwater and everything up and running. I used some ammonium chloride to start the cycle going. I used Microbe Lift Special Blend to seed with bacteria.

I know Microbe Lift isn't as popular on the forum as Dr. Tim's... but I think it's worth a try. I used to use it years ago, but really haven't used anything recently. It's been a long time since I have set up a new tank.

Anything that stinks that bad has GOT to be good

I still want to use live sand for the bottom and some live rock rubble for the sump.... but I think Helene is probably going to put a damper on that. Hopefully some will be available soon, but in the meantime I'm going to get started.

 

[petcellar]

I'm still working on the ATO. I've got a reefcan right next to the tank, and I have the Osmolator 3 going, which works great.

However, I want to set up the ATO pumping from my mixing station in the next room. This will simplify the process and also get the Reefcan out of my living room.

I'm trying to retrofit the Red Sea ATO that came with the system with a bigger pump.... more on that to follow! We'll see how that goes.

If unsuccesful then I will look into the Spectrapure system as recommended above. Really that sounds just like what I need.... I just wasn't aware of it before.

I'm going to be out of town for the next week so going to take a break from tank building for now...and just let the cycle run.

 

[DS204]

If unsuccesful then I will look into the Spectrapure system as recommended above. Really that sounds just like what I need.... I just wasn't aware of it before.

You won't be disappointed.. With mine, it's drawing vertically about 12ft and horizontally about 40 ft - hasn't skipped a beat in the 3 years that I've had it going and I haven't made a single adjustment to it. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[petcellar]

Visited Mystic Aquarium this week. They have a big display set up with mostly softies and some huge clams.

Impressive GSP

 

[petcellar]

You won't be disappointed.. With mine, it's drawing vertically about 12ft and horizontally about 40 ft - hasn't skipped a beat in the 3 years that I've had it going and I haven't made a single adjustment to it. Good luck with whatever you decide!

@DS204

I looked up Spectrapure online. Do you know which model that you have? Is it

LM-UPLC-ATO-G7 or LM-APM-G7?​

Was the power cord long enough to run down to your basement? Did you have to splice it or do anything special to make it reach?

Thanks so much

 

[petcellar]

Still waiting on the tank to cycle. I dumped the rest of the Microbe-Lift bottle earlier in the week.

I'm using a Seachem ammonia alert to monitor the ammonia. However, I remember why I never liked those things after I started using it this time.

The color NEVER seems to match up with one of the numbers on the pie chart. While it certainly turned green after I added the ammonium.... it doesn't seem to be any of the shades of green on the chart

However, the green is lightening up, especially the last few days! I expect the ammonia will be back down to zero in a few days.

It's starting to grow some fuzzy algae too.... losing that shiny new tank look. However, I've still got the lights off, so it's only lit by ambient light. Hopefully that will keep it from getting out of control until there is a decent biome going....

I still want to use some live sand and rubble rock to help with the biodiversity. However, I haven't heard anything at all now from Tampa Bay Live Rock for weeks....

I haven't reached out to them again cause I know they've got a lot going on in that region.... not sure that I'm going to be able to get anything for quite some time.

If it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to get any live sand or rubble I'm thinking about just doing some crushed coral for substrate. I've got quite a bit around from old tanks.

Anyway no rush! Hurry, hurry has no blessing.