Rudzbrewski's Journey to the Reef-er xl425 (V3 sump, Clarisea, plumbing w/ manifold)

[Rudzbrewski]

It wasn’t easy finding a straight answer on which pieces to use to adapt the RS plumbing to standard for the xl425. I messaged RS directly to find out that even though Part 42221 is not listed with the xl425 as a compatible system, the plumbing is the same diameter. Part 42222 is no longer made as 2 pieces that can be unscrewed, so this piece will no longer work.

All you have to do with Part 42221 is remove the barbed attachment by unscrewing it. Then take the O-ring and use it on your 3/4” thread to 1” slip adapter. Finally, use some pink tape on the threads to ensure a tight seal and screw the adapter to the RS piece. I used about 8 layers of tape. I have not tested my plumbing yet, so I will update on any leaks if needed.

Finally, here are the finished pieces that allow you to adapt RS to standard plumbing without any permanent modifications that cannot be undone.

 

[Rudzbrewski]

Here is how I adapted the Aquamaxx reactors to 1/2” pvc. Picked up some o-rings (size in picture) and 1/2” slip to thread adapters to swap out the standard barb pieces that they come with. Then used some 1” to 1/2” reducer bushings to change from the 1” manifold to the 1/2” ball valve.

 

[Rudzbrewski]

Today is the day we finally add sand and water! Wish me luck.

 

[revhtree]

Today is the day we finally add sand and water! Wish me luck.

Ooh me likey!

 

[Rudzbrewski]

After three big batches we have water! Total water volume is about 100-105 gallons. We have the 2 Reefwave 25, Vectra M2, and 2x Finnex heaters running. Hopefully we get to temp tonight and we can add the Zeovit additives to kickstart the cycle!

 

[Rudzbrewski]

Today is officially Day 1! The water reached a temp of 77-78 degrees, so we were able to start dosing to get the cycle going. After extensive discussions with my LFS I decided to go with a modified Zeovit strategy. I will not be running a Zeovit reactor, but using a majority of their additives. I plan on dosing their 4 part system once the system is ready.

Starting the cycle for approximately 100 gallons consisted of the following:
Zeostart: 40 ml
Zeobak: 20 ml
Zeofood: 24 drops
Sponge Power: 12 ml

I will be creating a schedule to track my dosing and parameters as I go. This helps me keep an accurate history of the tank and any observations or adjustments that are made. I am anticipating an initial cycle of 2-4 weeks before the tank is ready for a few hardy fish (either my clowns or new additions). I plan on waiting 3-4 months before adding corals due to the fact that the tank was started with dry rock and needs some time to mature before the bacteria fauna can help stabilize the system enough.

During the cycle process I will be focused on cable management, dry side build out, and acquiring the remaining components (ex: Apex) to get everything ready for a relatively automated system.

 

[ReefRondo]

This is awesome!

 

[Rudzbrewski]

This is awesome!

Thank you for the kind words! Really enjoying the process and documenting it along the way to track my ups and downs. If I can help people along the way as well that is even better! Hopefully others find something valuable along the way because I learned and saw so many genius things from other builds along the way that really helped me determine what I was going to do.

 

[Rudzbrewski]

Just about 2 weeks into the cycle and it looks like ammonia has been steady at about 0.8 on my RS test kit. Should start seeing the nitrites increase soon, or else I’ll add another mysis cube to increase ammonia source more. So far so good with the cycle and daily dosing.

Picked up an Apex last week and spent the last few days getting things setup. I made a makeshift stand or two for the cabinet to be temporarily organized enough to be usable until I can get the full buildout done. I’ll post an updated picture later.

Finally, fired up by RS SK600 skimmer last night. It was quite loud from what seemed mostly due to vibration noise. I had to shut it off after only a few hours due to it being too loud of a hum to sleep. I am going to disassemble and reassemble it tonight to hopefully reduce this noise. I’m hoping it is from something not sitting correctly, even though I was mindful of this during assembly the first time vs needing to break in for a extended period to be silent. The noise at startup seems to be a point of contention in reviews from dead silent to start, to 14 day break in for noise, to replacing due to never resolving. Will keep thread updated on my experience.

Finally, picked up a few new corals at ARC’s live sale last week that are in my 10 gallon tank might provide an update from that setup soon as well for complete documentation of my journey.

Pictures to come soon.

 

[shakeandbake]

Looks great. I am working on setting up a 425XL now. I was on the fence on the Clarisea due to the glass work needed on the V3 sump baffles. But after looking at what you did, I am having second thoughts. Very nice work.

Doing the hard plumbing on the V3 was a bit of a chore. I went with a similar plumbing layout with the RSR 600 and two AquaMax reactors. Following along.

Off topic, good year to be a Bills fan. You in NY?

 

[Rudzbrewski]

Looks great. I am working on setting up a 425XL now. I was on the fence on the Clarisea due to the glass work needed on the V3 sump baffles. But after looking at what you did, I am having second thoughts. Very nice work.

Doing the hard plumbing on the V3 was a bit of a chore. I went with a similar plumbing layout with the RSR 600 and two AquaMax reactors. Following along.

Off topic, good year to be a Bills fan. You in NY?

Thank you! I was nervous about the step of removing the baffles and glass to fit the Clarisea, but it turned out well. You just have to take tour time, be patient, and not use too much force. It isn’t difficult, more just time consuming. Very happy I did it. I’ve been taking it slow and tackling one project at a time and it is working well. Good luck on your journey, and definitely feel free to reach out with any specific questions as they arise!

Yes, I am in WNY. Go Bills!

 

[shakeandbake]

Thank you! I was nervous about the step of removing the baffles and glass to fit the Clarisea, but it turned out well. You just have to take tour time, be patient, and not use too much force. It isn’t difficult, more just time consuming. Very happy I did it. I’ve been taking it slow and tackling one project at a time and it is working well. Good luck on your journey, and definitely feel free to reach out with any specific questions as they arise!

Yes, I am in WNY. Go Bills!

Sounds good thanks. I am in CNY. Made the trip out to orchard park with the family for a bills pats game last fall. Had a blast. We arrived early, maybe 10:30-11:00, for a 1:00 game... it was jammed, and it looked like they were "pre-gaming" since the sun came up.

 

[Rudzbrewski]

Sounds good thanks. I am in CNY. Made the trip out to orchard park with the family for a bills pats game last fall. Had a blast. We arrived early, maybe 10:30-11:00, for a 1:00 game... it was jammed, and it looked like they were "pre-gaming" since the sun came up.

Tailgating starts at 06:00 for some and most around 09:00. It’s always quite the event. I had seasons for about 10 years.

 

[Rudzbrewski]

As promised, here is an update after 3 days of running the skimmer and a picture of my makeshift dry side setup as I work on planning/building something clean and organized.

The cycle is moving along, the ammonia level has started to decrease and nitrites are rising. It’s been 14 days, so by 21-28 days I will probably be ready to add the first inhabitant. No algae growth thus far.

The RSK 600 skimmer was initially very noisy due to vibrations. I took apart and reassembled the entire unit to ensure that nothing was loose. A screw broke in the process, and waiting on RS to hear about replacement on that. However, after running for 3 days the vibration noise appears to be decreasing as it breaks in, or we are just getting used to ignoring it. Either way at least we are moving in the right direction there.

Finally, here is a picture of the temporary, makeshift dry side setup with apex. My next project is making this side look really nice and organized.

 

[Leiph86]

Your build thread is a god send right now - so hard to find updated XL 425 v3 sumps with exactly what I'm implementing. Amazing parts list and I'm also looking to do the fleece roller. Following and I'm looking forward to seeing this progress as well as I'm sure there will be some questions later!

 

[Rudzbrewski]

Your build thread is a god send right now - so hard to find updated XL 425 v3 sumps with exactly what I'm implementing. Amazing parts list and I'm also looking to do the fleece roller. Following and I'm looking forward to seeing this progress as well as I'm sure there will be some questions later!

Thank you! Glad to hear you have found some benefit from it. Really glad I took the advice of starting a build thread to be able to go back and see the progress, as well as potentially help fellow reefers along the way since I am fairly new to the hobby and know the struggles of research and prep. I agree that when I was doing all of my research and planning it was very difficult to find any v3 sump build threads. I did a large amount of adapting 250 designs, V2 sumps, etc. I have really enjoyed the process and things have been going well. Luckily I also have an amazing LFS to bounce things off of before fully implementing. I am always happy to discuss anything I’ve done or have planned, as well as answer any questions!

 

[Leiph86]

Initial List of Plumbing Supplies
​

This is the complete list of pieces I purchased (with links) to start the custom plumbing for the build. I will document each modification and step in detail as I progress with a list of final pieces used. I purposefully bought a few spares of most pieces incase there are any mistakes when cementing the final plumbing.


1x PVC cutter

1x Oatley clear PVC primer

1x Oatley clear PVC cement

1x Pink teflon sealing tape

1x Silicone grease tube (for O-rings)

3x Red Sea Part #42221

4x 3/4" threaded male to 1" slip adapter

3x 1" orange PVC pipe (46")
1x 1/2" orange PVC pipe (46")

1x 1" silicone tubing (12")

1x #14 o-rings (10 pack)

1x 1" back-check valve (slip/slip)

1x 1" Spears gate valve (slip/slip)

3x 1/2" Cepex ball valves

4x 1" slip to barb fitting

6x 1" unions (slip/slip)

1x 1" orange corner T

10x 1" orange 90 degree elbows

4x 1" orange 45 degree elbows

3x 1" orange T

6x 1/2" orange 90 degree elbows

5x 1/2" threaded male to 1/2" slip adapter

4x 1" to 1/2" reducer bushings

I finished reviewing your post, and literally you did the exact same plumbing plan I was looking to do (with the exception that I'm using the larger Aquamaxx reactors - any reason why you went with the smaller ones??). After your completed build did you find any of the items in your list you provided were not necessary?

 

[Rudzbrewski]

I finished reviewing your post, and literally you did the exact same plumbing plan I was looking to do (with the exception that I'm using the larger Aquamaxx reactors - any reason why you went with the smaller ones??). After your completed build did you find any of the items in your list you provided were not necessary?

So I only plan to use my reactors for carbon and if needed GFO. I originally thought I needed the full size ones for the xl425, but you don’t. I was told by another member to check the BRS usage calculator to check amounts first. Carbon for example, only takes 0.7 cups of something like that for the rox BRS carbon. The minis hold 1.5 cups I think, so they were plenty big enough. Similar results for GFO. I didn’t even think to calculate that first or look at it that way. Turns out the full-size aqua max were way overkill and saved me some much needed space and a couple bucks! I can’t speak to any other uses, but for those two things in the xl425 the mini are more than adequate. By attaching the unions in the manifold the way I did I can also adjust the manifold from 1-3 valves for adaptability even though I just have all 3 on there and 2/3 just closed.

 

[Rudzbrewski]

On 10/10/20-10/11/20 I participated in a Live Sale hosted by my LFS (A Reef Creation) and picked up a few pieces for my 10 gallon setup that will eventually be moved to the main DT:

Rasta Zoas
WWC Twizzler Zoa
Long Lash Eagle Eye Zoa
Mowhawk Zoa
TSA Frozen Apple Zoa
Smurfette Zoa
WWC Skittles Bomb Cyphastrea
UC Yoda Acan Echinata
ARC Pac-Man Favia - this was the only piece that did not look healthy from the start, but is being replaced at no cost once my main DT is ready.

If I get a chance later today I will post pictures of each piece.

My goal is to hold off buying any more coral until the main DT is ready, or their next live sale in mid-December. This will be a test of will power.

 

[Rudzbrewski]

ARC Pac-man Favia: will be replaced once DT ready

UC Yoda Acan Echinata

Long Lash Eagle Eye Zoa

WWC Twizzler Zoa

Mowhawk Zoa

WWC Skittles Bomb Cyphastrea

TSA Frozen Apple Zoa

Smurfette Zoa

Rasta Zoas