Redsea Max E-170 build thread

[Crapwhereaminow]

Hello all! I’m Jess and I’ll be tracking my Redsea max e-170 build here. Little backstory, I kept both salt and fresh for a lot of years but it was all mostly second hand, cobbled together stuff. I decided to invest in a nicer system to build on and here we are.

Tank: Redsea Max E-170, so far with in the box lighting and setup.
Sump: 11 gallon Redsea in cabinet system. I’m planning on a roller filter and macro algae.

Planned stocking: clownfish, Banggai Cardinal, royal gamma, blue mandarin (aiming for all captive bred, and adding fish as the tank matures over time).
Maybe? Coral Beauty

Coral: simple simple, mushrooms, zoas, and Montipora.

My water is from a well surrounded by farm ground and the house has a filtration system installed. I’m wondering if anyone has any experience with running a reef tank off that.

The tank’s in its spot, still waiting on the sump, salt, rocks, sand, and multiple other items. I’ll keep track of the progress here I’m aiming for a simple, low maintenance system with a nice visual impact.

 

[CasperOe]

Thanks for bringing us along, that black tank really pops on that well there

 

[Crapwhereaminow]

Thanks for bringing us along, that black tank really pops on that well there

Thank you! That wall was a headache and a half to paint but so worth it

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along!

 

[Crapwhereaminow]

Following along!

Thank you!

Here’s an update, got the scape figured out today. It’s all MarcoRocks but I’ll be getting a couple pieces of live rock to seed it when it’s ready for water. I’m very lucky to have a friend with a large reef tank who’s providing me the rock from a closed system.

 

[Crapwhereaminow]

Slightly better photo, shows the space in the tank the rocks take up. It’s hard to see from this angle but there’s another little cave on the lower left side.

 

[parclife]

Looking great!

 

[Not_Erick]

Can’t wait to see updates, love a reefer 170

 

[Crapwhereaminow]

Can’t wait to see updates, love a reefer 170

Thank you! Unfortunately progress has stalled, still waiting on the sump.
I guess RedSea didn’t tell the distributor they’re sold out, and so far they’re saying two more weeks before they might be available.

If there’s no update in a couple weeks I’ll look for a different brand of sump that fits in the cabinet.

 

[Crapwhereaminow]

Good news, my sump is FINALLY shipping!!! We might actually get the tank wet before March!!!

In other news, I got impatient waiting and set up a nano.

It’s a cute little 4 gallon lagoon from PNW Customs. Super awesome company to work with, they were nice enough to make me a custom scape featuring the Millennium Falcon (because I’m a huge Star Wars geek).

 

[Crapwhereaminow]

I guess this has turned into a two tank build thread.
Sump for the 170 comes TOMORROW!!!

And I got a light and an ATO for the nano. It’s adorable. (The light may be too much but we’ll see)

 

[Crapwhereaminow]

We have water!!! And a sump!
It’s no longer a box of dry rocks sitting in my dining room!

 

[~MD~Reefs~]

Nice! I have the same tank so following alone. I don’t have the sump upgrade. How difficult was it to set up?

 

[Not_Erick]

Show us the sump area!

 

[Crapwhereaminow]

Nice! I have the same tank so following alone. I don’t have the sump upgrade. How difficult was it to set up?

To quote my husband
“The assembly process was reminiscent of working under the panel of an airplane but with IKEA furniture instructions”

But everything was there and it works!

 

[Crapwhereaminow]

Show us the sump area!

There’s still a long way to go but it’s there!

 

[~MD~Reefs~]

There’s still a long way to go but it’s there!

Nice! You didn’t have to move the control center up?

 

[Crapwhereaminow]

Nice! You didn’t have to move the control center up?

Nope, it’s a tight fit, but it all fits

 

[Crapwhereaminow]

Got the reefmat all set up this morning.

Pros: it fits in the front of the cabinet hanging on the sump glass. Doesn’t rub the door or anything.
Cons: the plug doesn’t fit under the control box cover, need to figure that out. Cable management’s gonna be fun.

 

[~MD~Reefs~]

Got the reefmat all set up this morning.

Pros: it fits in the front of the cabinet hanging on the sump glass. Doesn’t rub the door or anything.
Cons: the plug doesn’t fit under the control box cover, need to figure that out. Cable management’s gonna be fun.

I didn’t know the reefmat would fit Did you have to mod anything?