Red Sea Reefer XL 200 Build (Used)

[flyingscampi]

I’ve bought an 18-month-old Red Sea Reefer XL 200 and ReefLED 90 for about a third of what they would cost new. The tank, sump, and cabinet are all in good condition with only a few slight cleaning scratches.

I’m upgrading from a 60-litre nanocube that has been running since Feb 2021, build thread here:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dennerle-60-15-gallon-first-attempt-at-reefing.814658/

The primary purpose of the upgrade is to ease maintenance; a sump will be much easier to clean and maintain than the cannister filter on the current tank, and the sump will also provide options for nutrient management. The current tank also has a heater, ATO, and dosing equipment on it which detracts from the appearance.

 

[CoachRichardson]

Following along. Just got mine up and running a week and a half.

 

[blaxsun]

External sumps make life so much easier. Best of luck on your journey!

 

[flyingscampi]

External sumps make life so much easier. Best of luck on your journey!

Thanks!

 

[flyingscampi]

So I'm a bit behind with the build progress. Here come some updates...

 

[flyingscampi]

NEW EQUIPMENT
Here is the shopping list of stuff required to complete the system:

Powerhead: Tunze Turbelle nanostream 6095 (inc. 7090 Controller)
Return Pump: TMC REEF-Pump Connect 2500 & Eheim 16/22 mm Flexible Hose
Heater: EHEIM thermocontrol e150
Sand: CaribSea Ocean Direct Original Grade Live Sand (20 lb / 9 kg)*
Rock: Marco Rock (7 kg) & Aquaforest Stone Fix (1.5 kg)*
Salt: Tropic Marin Pro Reef 10 kg
Cover: Red Sea Reefer DIY Net Screen 60 cm (R42080)

*I’ll be transferring the rock and sand from my current tank, so I only bought half the required amount.

Some other accessories:

Red Sea Reefer Sump Pipe Connector O-Ring Set (R42187)
Components to replace the Red Sea drain valve with a spears gate valve
Dr Tim’s One and Only Nitrifying Bacteria Reef (2 oz)
Nylon cylinder cleaning brushes 20, 25 & 32 mm with handle & extension
LED Light (for cabinet)
2 x Cable Baskets (for power supplies and wires inside the cabinet)
Switched 5 Way Power Strip with 4 USB sockets and surge protection

I’ll also be adding this equipment from my current tank after the livestock has been transferred:

D-D Heater/Cooling Controller
Eheim thermocontrol e75 (secondary heater)
Tunze 6040 powerhead (with controller linked to the new 6095)
Kessil A80 Tuna Blue (refugium light)
Tunze 3155 ATO System

 

[flyingscampi]

CLEANING
Although the previous owner had done a good job of cleaning it, I created a citric acid solution and removed the remaining stubborn deposits from the tanks and pipework.

I bought a set of heavy-duty cleaning brushes that made short work of cleaning the plumbing on the Red Sea tank. I ordered these parts from https://www.tube-brush.co.uk

Nylon Cylinder Brush 20mm x W1/2
Nylon Cylinder Brush 25mm x W1/2
Nylon Cylinder Brush 32mm x W1/2
Twisted Wire Extension Handle 500mm x W1/2
Twisted Wire Extension Rod 500mm x W1/2

The now clean and shiny tank assembled:

 

[flyingscampi]

POWER
My house only has an old-fashioned fuse box (no. 221 on my To Do list), so I changed the aquarium socket to a Schneider Electric passive (latching) RCD unit.

I bought a couple of under-desk cable baskets to hold all the surplus cable and power supplies plugged into the two power strips. These baskets fitted perfectly in the XL 200 cabinet: Amazon

 

[flyingscampi]

PLUMBING
Using this article as a guide, I’m exchanging the Red Sea diaphragm valve for a Spears gate valve. As per the guide, the main drain will be reduced from the standard 32 mm (1”) pipe to 25 mm (3/4”) which is adequate for the XL 200. I’m also going to add a coupling to the horizontal section to make the drainpipe easier to remove and clean.

I bought these parts from the UK-based ‘Plastic Pipe Shop’ site:

1 x 25mm Plain Socket to 3/4" Male BSP (16606-P)
2 x 25mm Plain 90 Degree Elbow (16063-P)
1 x 25mm Grey PVC Pipe 16 bar (PN16) 2.4m (16026-3-P2)
1 x 25mm Spears Gate Valve (3231-P)
2 x 25mm Plain Union EPDM O-ring (16259-P)
Griffon Uni-100 PVC Cement 125ml with brush (51125-P)
Roll PTFE Tape (13293-P)

I also bought a Red Sea bulkhead coupling:
Red Sea Sump Pump Return Connector 16 mm (R42221)

If anyone reading this is baffled (as I was) about how 32 mm pipe equates to 1” pipe when 32 mm = 1.25”, then they should know that metric piping is measured by its outside diameter, and inch/imperial piping is measured by its inside diameter (bore). This article is useful: How to Measure Pipe Dimensions Correctly

The new components next to the original drainpipe:

The 25mm Plain Socket to 3/4" Male BSP fitting (on the right) to replace the original Red Sea hose barb (centre) on Red Sea part R42221. I used about 20 windings of PTFE tape on the thread:

The new and old main drainpipes, along with the secondary drain that also has a coupling added to the horizontal pipe section:

I changed the O rings using the Red Sea kit (R42187):

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Tank progress looks great!!!

 

[flyingscampi]

RETURN PUMP
Red Sea XL 200 Water Volumes:
Display Tank 158 Litres
Sump 42 Litres
Total 200 Litres

For the XL 200, Red Sea recommend a return pump rated at 2,000 litres per hour (lph):

I’m going to aim for a throughput of 5x total water volume through the sump every hour which will be 1,000 lph.

I chose the TMC Reef-Pump Connect 2500 which claims these maximum flow rates:
2,500 lph @ zero head
2,000 lph @ 1.5m head (~20% loss)

… and these minimum flow rates:
750 lph @ zero head
600 lph @ 1.5m head (~20% loss)

The pump has 20 speed settings at ~92 lph increments (~73.6 lph @ 1.5m head). This table is adjusted for 1.5 m head:

SETTING LPH
1 600.0
2 673.6
3 747.2
4 820.8
5 894.4
6 968.0
7 1,041.6
8 1,115.2
9 1,188.8
10 1,262.4 (5x)
11 1,336.0
12 1,409.6
13 1,483.2
14 1,556.8
15 1,630.4
16 1,704.0
17 1,777.6
18 1,851.2
19 1,924.8
20 1,998.4

Allowing for additional flow loss due to connectors, angles, and slightly exaggerated flow rates, I estimate that a pump setting of 10 (half-power) should achieve the desired 5x flow rate. I can also fit two TMC 2500 pumps in the sump chamber, so I have the option of adding a reactor, a UV, or just having a backup pump.

POWERHEADS
Desired Flow: 3,160 to 7,900 lph (20 to 50 x display tank volume per hour)

I chose the Tunze nanostream 6095 rated at 2,000 - 9,500 l/h (which is 12x to 60x display tank volume per hour.) I will link the controller to the Tunze 6040 being transferred from the current tank to provide additional flow and flow options.

 

[flyingscampi]

The following equipment has now been installed:

TMC 2500 return pump
Tunze 6095 powerhead
Red Sea ReefLED 90 light
Eheim Thermocontrol e150 heater

The sump compartment is now taking shape with the plumbing and electrics installed:

The controllers are stuck to the door with heavy-duty 3M Velcro tape.

 

[flyingscampi]

AQUASCAPE
My live tank has a rock island made from approx. 8 kg (18 lb) of CaribSea LifeRock which I will leave room for on one side of the XL 200:

I’ll build a new rock island for the other side made from approx. 8 kg (18 lb) of Marco rock.

The plan is to cycle and mature the new tank for a month with the new rock, matching parameters and adding nutrients before transferring the island from the live tank.

I built a model of the XL 200 using wooden dowels and electrical tape (cheap & cheerful!). I also made a crude model of the current island which is placed on the right side.

Trying out different shapes for the new island:

I was going to use Aquaforest Stonefix to join the rocks, but a severe lack of cementing skillz meant everything kept falling apart. Fed up, I ended up using super glue instead…

After days (and days) of messing about, this is what I ended up with. There are two separate islands meeting at the apex of the arch… If you’re a bit of a perfectionist and lack artistic talent, I strongly recommend getting someone else to make the rock scape for you, it will prevent your kitchen looking like a quarry for a week…

 

[flyingscampi]

FILLING THE TANK
The tank has now been assembled, positioned, and levelled, and all the basic equipment has been installed. Time for some water!

I started by filling the overflow chamber to check for leaks into the main tank and from the bulkhead fittings. After an hour, everything was dry, so I filled the tank with 200 litres of RO/DI water (TDS reading of 0.) I buy the water from All Things Aquatic in Hawkhurst as I currently don’t have any space in the house to make my own.

When the water level in the pump chamber reached 15 cm, I turned on the TMC 2500 pump with a speed setting of 10 (out of 20). I’ve calculated this should be around 1,000 lph which equates to a 5x sump turnover. I also turned on the Tunze 6095 powerhead at half-power to circulate the water in the display tank.

Following the instructions in the manual, I adjusted the gate valve until the water level in the overflow box stopped between the level of the main and secondary drains. I’ve never tried this with the standard Red Sea valve but setting the level with the spears gate valve was straightforward.

All I can hear is a slight trickle of water overflowing from the sump drain chamber into the skimmer chamber. The pumps are almost inaudible, even at full power.

I setup the standard Red Sea ATO which bought the water level in the pump chamber back to ~15 cm. I’ll replace this with a Tunze 3155 after the livestock has been transferred.

I turned the pump off to check that the sump didn’t overflow with the back syphon from the return nozzle etc. It wasn’t even close, so no worries there! I also checked for any leaks.




HEATING
After leaving the tank overnight to let the water reach room temperature (18 C), I turned on the Eheim 150-watt heater. The live tank is 25.5 C, so this will be my target temperature. I have a temperature controller on my live tank which I will transfer later.

After a day, it was apparent that the Eheim 150-watt heater doesn’t have enough power. With an air temp of 18 C, the heater was on permanently and could only heat the water to 24 C. I’ve added a spare 75-watt heater for now but I’m going to need to get a bigger heater…

 

[flyingscampi]

ADDING THE SALT
Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt should be added at 35 ml per litre. So, 200 x 35 = 7,000 ml or 7 Kg. I don’t have scales, so I used a measuring jug to add 6 litres of salt to the aquarium (6 litres approximates 6 kg.)

I turned the pumps up to full power and opened the drain valve to maximise circulation. After a couple of hours, the water had mostly cleared, but I reduced the pumps back to normal speed and left the tank overnight.

I measured the salinity in the morning, and it was 32.2. Not far off...

I added approx. ½ litre (kg) of salt and bought the salinity up to 35.0 ppt. I checked some other parameters as well: KH (Hanna) = 8.2, KH (Salifert) = 7.7, pH (Salifert) = 8.1. All good.

 

[flyingscampi]

ADDING THE ROCK AND SAND
I rinsed the new rock islands in tap water and let them dry before placing them in the tank:

For sand, I’m going to use new CaribSea Ocean Direct (Original Grade) for the XL 200 as it looks more natural than the CaribSea Special Grade I have in my live tank (well this picture from the internet does...)

Once the XL 200 is cycled, I’m going to transfer the CaribSea Special Grade from the live tank. I will transfer it directly, handful by handful, giving it a quick rinse in a large bucket of heated seawater to remove any loose detritus and make a collection of any critters I find. Although people warn you about transferring old sand, the new tank has nearly 4 times the water volume of the live tank and the method of transfer should prevent any die off. The critters (bristle worms, etc. will go into the XL 200.

I want 1.5” of sand depth, so I used the standard calculation to work out how much Ocean Direct I needed to buy:

• Multiply aquarium length x width (adjusted for glass thickness) x the desired sand depth
• Divide result by 1728
• Multiply result by sand density (in lb per cubic foot)

CaribSea Aragonite Special Grade Density = 85 lb/ft³
CaribSea Ocean Direct Original Grade Density = 87 lb/ft³
Size of Red Sea XL 200 less glass thickness 22.6” × 21.6”

I have 15 lb of Special Grade (which will provide approx. 0.6" depth):

22.6 x 21.6 x 0.6 = 292.9
292.9 / 1728 = 0.17
0.17 x 85 = 14.5 lb (6.5 kg)

I have 20 lb of Ocean Direct (which will provide approx. 0.8" depth):

22.6 × 21.6 x 0.8 = 390.5
390.5 / 1728 = 0.23
0.23 x 87 = 20 lb (9 kg)

With rocks and the overflow box reducing volume, a depth of ~1.5" should be achieved.

CaribSea say “Every breathable bag of Ocean Direct is alive with up to 1,000 times more beneficial bacteria than other preservation methods.” I read lots of posts about whether I should rinse the sand, with one side saying it should be rinsed for hours, and the other saying it shouldn’t…

I’m an animal lover so I ended up stuffing the filter sock and baffle with fine floss and upended the bag of Ocean Direct straight into the tank. Good for the bacteria maybe, but my water now looks like I’ve washed the dog in it.

I added the ‘Bio-Magnet’ liquid which apparently helps to clear the water. I’ll see what the tank looks like in the morning.

In the morning the water was mostly clear.

I rinsed the floss under the tap, then stirred up the sand bed to release more fine sediment into the water column, then waited for the water to clear. I repeated this process 3 times. I then cleaned the sediment from the tank and sump.

Here is a picture of the sand. I really like the CaribSea Ocean Direct Original Grade, it looks much more natural than the special grade, and even with the powerhead on full the sand didn’t get blown around.

On a side note, I bought a DD Coral Colour XL filter for my phone which makes taking decent pictures under blue lighting very easy. It just clips on the top of the phone and covers the camera lens.

Here is a picture without the lens under the same lighting.

 

[flyingscampi]

SAND – CHANGED MY MIND
Comparing the dirty special grade sand in my old tank to the pristine ocean direct sand, I don’t think I could now bear to mix them together, so I’ve ordered another bag of Ocean Direct. The plan now is to only transfer 2 or 3 handfuls of the old sand to transfer biodiversity and sift the remaining sand to save any critters.

The good news is that I must go through the process of filtering out the sediment and cleaning the tank all over again ☹

While I’m waiting for the sand to be delivered, I added 50 drops of Dr Tim’s ammonium chloride to kick start the cycling process.

The 75-watt heater and 150-watt heater are keeping the tank at the correct temperature of 25.5 C, so I ordered a 200-watt Eheim heater which will just fit across the front panel of the sump. The 150-watt will be relegated from primary to backup heater.

I will not add any bottled bac until the second bag of sand is in, but I did add a dose of Dr Tim’s ammonium chloride to kick start the cycling process (using the bacteria in the live sand.)

 

[flyingscampi]

So, the second bag of sand and the new heater are now in the tank. The sediment has been cleaned out and with an air temp of 18 C the 200-watt heater is holding the tank nicely at 25.5 C.

I was waiting for the sand for a few days and had a few social engagements, so I added 50 drops of Ammonium Chloride every 48 hours to keep the cycling process going.

Here is the tank with the second bag of sand and new heater added. I’ve removed all the mechanical filter media for cycling.

I measured the following parameters:

SALINITY (PPT) Hanna 35.0
TEMP (°C) Hanna 25.2
KH (dKH) Salifert 7
pH Salifert 8.1
NH₃ (MG/L) Salifert 0.5
NO₂ (MG/L) Tropic Marin 2

The nitrite measurement indicates that cycling is well underway. It’s been 10 days since I added the first 50 drops of ammonium chloride when I had one bag of Ocean Direct in the tank. I’ve added another 100 drops and another bag of Ocean Direct since then. It looks like CaribSea’s claims about beneficial bacteria in their Ocean Direct sand are sound.

I turned off the pumps and tipped the bottle of ‘Dr Tim’s One and Only Nitrifying Bacteria’ into the display tank. I rinsed the bottle in the tank and a cloud of small white flakes came out, not sure if this is normal? After 10 minutes I restarted the pumps.

I added 100 drops of ammonium chloride which should raise the NH4 level to the recommended 2 mg/l.

 

[flyingscampi]

CYCLING COMPLETED
Cycling is complete, but due to dodgy nitrite testing, and a gap of nearly two weeks over Christmas between adding the first and second bag of sand, it wasn’t as scientific a process as I’d hoped. I’ve included a summary below.

From the testing I did, I believe that the CaribSea OceanDirect sand contained all the required bacteria to cycle the tank, and that adding a bottle of Dr Tim’s wasn’t necessary. I wish I hadn't tried to save money by using an expired Nitrite test kit which always showed a very high NO2 measurement.

DAY 1
Added CaribSea Ocean Direct (Original Grade) sand to tank (9 kg / 20 lb)

DAY 5
Added 50 drops of Dr Tim's Ammonium Chloride (1/4 of recommended 2 mg/l dose)

DAY 9
Added 50 drops of Dr Tim's Ammonium Chloride
Tested Ammonia (Salifert) = 0 mg/l

DAY 12
Added another bag of CaribSea Ocean Direct (Original Grade) sand to tank (9 kg / 20 lb)
Added 50 drops of Dr Tim's Ammonium Chloride
Tested Ammonia (Salifert) = 0 mg/l

DAY 15
Added 50 drops of Dr Tim's Ammonium Chloride

DAY 16
Tested Ammonia (Salifert) = 0.5 mg/l
Tested Nitrite (expired kit) = 2 mg/l – evidence that cycling process is underway...
Added 100 drops of Dr Tim's Ammonium Chloride
Added 2 oz bottle of Dr Tim's One and Only Bacteria

DAY 18
Tested Ammonia (Salifert) = 0.5 mg/l
Tested Nitrite (expired kit) = 2 mg/l
Added 100 drops of Dr Tim's Ammonium Chloride

DAY 22
Tested Ammonia (Salifert) = 0 mg/l
Tested Nitrite (Salifert) = 0.1 mg/l - bought new kit
Tested Nitrite (expired kit) = 2 mg/l – dodgy test kit, wasted time waiting for nitrite to fall
Added 150 drops of Dr Tim's Ammonium Chloride

DAY 23
Tested Ammonia (Salifert) = 0 mg/l
Tested Nitrite (Salifert) = 0.1 mg/l – cycling complete (and probably was by day 12…)
Tested Nitrate (Hanna) = 75+ mg/l – checker errored at maximum reading
Mixed 50% tank water with 50% new seawater (500 ml) and tested Nitrate (Hanna) = 36.3 ppm

DAY 27
Changed 100 litres of water
Tested Nitrate (Hanna) = 28.7 – similar to live tank.
Added filter sock 1/2 filled with Aquaforest GAC

What the XL200 looks like after removing 100 litres of water:

 

[TheBear78]

A very thorough write up of an equally thorough tank prep! Good effort