Red sea reefmat 500 & 1200

Johnny M · Feb 4, 2023

I'm will soon purchase a Reefer 525 G2. Total volume [ tank & sump) = 143g. *DT about 112g. Interested in the ReefMat 500 & 1200. Red Sea says 500 is good up up to 130g tank [ and filters up to 1580 gph. 1200 is good up to 300 gal tank with 2580 gph output.
My question is after rocks and other items are added the total volume will be reduced to approximately 125 gal on the 525 G2. I want to filter system between 10x - 11x per hour. ( will eventually have a medium bio load) . To save some money and space in sump would it be ok to buy the 500. Return will be between 1300 & 1400gph which the 500 appears to be able to handle the 525 gph recommendation. Or should I buy the 1200 that's bigger & more costly "just in case". Thanks for offering any comments.

misturrtinnie · Feb 4, 2023

If space isn't an issue, the 1200 would be better no matter what. Especially with the surface area of the fleece, you'll be changing it less in theory.

JvC · Feb 4, 2023

+1. If you can fit the biger rolls that is the best bet. Less time between changes. I had a 1200 on a 65 cube for a bit - when they first were released. The rolls lasted months.

Johnny M · Feb 4, 2023

Thanks for your advice everyone.. I'll guess I'll go with the 1200.

nkyreef · Feb 4, 2023

I have a 500 on my 525XL. Those are pretty high return rates. I run about 500 gph with an oversized pump but I've also changed the plumbing to fit a UV sterilizer. My reefmat goes through about 5 ft per day. I run a large bioload so I wish I had the 1200.

JvC · Feb 18, 2023

Running a 1200 on a smaller system may take the first roll a while to start advancing on its own. The Reef Mat will advance like .1 " every 6 hours when this happens - like as an internal check. But, the submerged part of the roll withh become saturated and it will start rolling on its own. These first few days are no different than running a filter sock for a few days...