Hello everyone! I've been a long-time lurker, just biding my time and researching until I was able to actually start my build. I recently started working from home and my wife and I purchased a new house where I'll have a dedicated home office space that's needing a nice large tank to fill it with. I've been a fresh water aquarist for the last few years and have always dreamed of owning my own little portion of a reef.
After a lot of research and planning, I decided on the Red Sea Reefer 425 XL. I looked at Cade and Waterbox but decided on Red Sea partially from their cost and the reliability I've read about in reviews and seen on youtube. I also like the way their cabinets look & function. I'm planning on attempting the triton method, but will not be modifying the sump to support it. Instead I was going to get a macroalgae reactor with a sufficient enough size to support the percentage that triton needs.
Without further ado, here's what I'm planning on getting and have already purchased. I'll keep this list updated as the build progresses over the next year.
Stocking:
To start with, I've already purchased my rocks, a 45 gallon Husky tote (rock curing), and a 44 gallon Brute trashcan (initially mixing my salt). I've set aside some space in the garage for a saltwater mixing station (my local TSC has a couple vertical 65 gallon Norwesco water tanks) that I'll be picking up the parts for later this summer. My garage is on the complete opposite side of the house, but I'll be able to route the water tubes through the ceiling to my home office once I purchase an automatic water changer with the Apex purchase later this year.
I don't plan to put anything too outlandish in this tank. Probably the standard soft and lps corals with the staple fish. I am hoping though to get a couple of designer clowns, assuming I'm able to find any on the market that catch my eye when the time comes to start stocking the tank. My home office will also contain a dedicated quarantine tank, where everything will go (including corals) before being added to the display. My QT is just an old 29 long that I was using for my freshwater fish before they got moved to the 36 bowfront that they'll be living in.
My initial order from BRS should be arriving today and I'll be unboxing them when I get a free moment this weekend for a couple glamour shots for the thread. I'll be breaking and gluing the rocks together throughout this next week so I can start my bacteria cycling and rock curing in the husky tote. The tote seems to be a perfect size to mimic my display in the RSR 425, and will be very handy for cleaning everything tank related after the tank's all setup. My home office needs some renovations that'll be taking place in October/November, so it gives me ample lead-time for the rocks to cure while I wait for the area to be ready.
Thanks for reading!
After a lot of research and planning, I decided on the Red Sea Reefer 425 XL. I looked at Cade and Waterbox but decided on Red Sea partially from their cost and the reliability I've read about in reviews and seen on youtube. I also like the way their cabinets look & function. I'm planning on attempting the triton method, but will not be modifying the sump to support it. Instead I was going to get a macroalgae reactor with a sufficient enough size to support the percentage that triton needs.
Without further ado, here's what I'm planning on getting and have already purchased. I'll keep this list updated as the build progresses over the next year.
| Equipment | Model | Purchase Status |
|---|---|---|
| Salt | Instant Ocean | Purchased |
| RO/DI | BRS 75 GPD Pro | Purchased |
| Controller | Neptune Apex (Trident "Dream" Bundle plus accessories) | |
| Tank | Red Sea Reefer 425 XL | |
| Rock | MarcoRock Reef Saver | Purchased (90 pounds + 4x medium foundations) |
| Sand | CaribSea Fiji Pink | |
| Light | Kessil AP9X | |
| Mechanical Filtration | ReefMat 500 fleece roller | |
| Skimmer | Regal 150INT 6" | |
| Return Pump | VarioS-6 | |
| Macroalgae Reactor | Pax Bellum ARID N24 | |
| Macroalgae | Chaeto from AlgaeBarn | |
| UV Sterilizer | Aqua Ultraviolet 25 Watt (high flow for surface algae) | |
| Biomedia | MarinePure Plates | Purchased |
| Flow | Randy's 4ft SPS Flow bundle | |
| Flow (additional) | Gyre XF350 (2x) | |
| Heater | JAGER TruTemp 150w (2x) | |
| Testing | ICP + "Thomas' Favorite Test Kits Bundle" | Purchased |
| Refractometer | Milwaukee digital | Purchased |
Stocking:
| Fish/coral type | Date Quarantined | Date Added | Picture Post Link |
|---|---|---|---|
To start with, I've already purchased my rocks, a 45 gallon Husky tote (rock curing), and a 44 gallon Brute trashcan (initially mixing my salt). I've set aside some space in the garage for a saltwater mixing station (my local TSC has a couple vertical 65 gallon Norwesco water tanks) that I'll be picking up the parts for later this summer. My garage is on the complete opposite side of the house, but I'll be able to route the water tubes through the ceiling to my home office once I purchase an automatic water changer with the Apex purchase later this year.
I don't plan to put anything too outlandish in this tank. Probably the standard soft and lps corals with the staple fish. I am hoping though to get a couple of designer clowns, assuming I'm able to find any on the market that catch my eye when the time comes to start stocking the tank. My home office will also contain a dedicated quarantine tank, where everything will go (including corals) before being added to the display. My QT is just an old 29 long that I was using for my freshwater fish before they got moved to the 36 bowfront that they'll be living in.
My initial order from BRS should be arriving today and I'll be unboxing them when I get a free moment this weekend for a couple glamour shots for the thread. I'll be breaking and gluing the rocks together throughout this next week so I can start my bacteria cycling and rock curing in the husky tote. The tote seems to be a perfect size to mimic my display in the RSR 425, and will be very handy for cleaning everything tank related after the tank's all setup. My home office needs some renovations that'll be taking place in October/November, so it gives me ample lead-time for the rocks to cure while I wait for the area to be ready.
Thanks for reading!
