Shaun's 2000 Litre (530 USG) Living Reef & Red Sea Max S 650 LED Design & Build

[SPR1968]

So I’ve been busy today and even didn’t play golf so I could get on with several things with the nice weather we had today.

The S650 is now plumbed in and connected into the automatic water change system, other than I need two John guest 1/4 connectors for the last few feet as the hose wasn’t quiet long enough to reach the Apex DOS unit. I’ve also installed a hose which will be connected to a pump in the RODI water tank so I can transfer water into the RO reservoir of the s650 with a press of a button in Apex.

I’ve finished the water production systems and the saltwater tank is on and filling. I’ll need to leave the RODI tank a bit longer as I may need to move it for the UVC plumbing parts.

‘The RODI system blue hose is split and then has 2 shut off valves so I can control flow into each tank and cut it off. For example when the saltwater tank is full and has salt in, it doesn’t want refilling as it’s drained until it’s empty otherwise the salinity will be diluted of course so once filled the flow will be switched off. The RODI tank can potentially be left on auto fill and both have float valves installed and a pressure switch will shut off the whole system when the float shuts off flow.

The braided hose hanging just below the RODI system is the hose to refill the RO reservoir of the S650 and will be connected to a pump with an anti siphon connector just inside the water tank. Basically I need to join the pipe so I’ll drill a tiny hole in the plastic hose connector and this will be above water pointing back into the water tank

The DD 80w UVC is installed at the side for easy maintenance an the bulb will just lift out for replacement rather than having to move or take anything apart. I just need to finish the last plumbing on it and the parts of arriving tomorrow

This isn’t a picture of a toilet, it’s a custom made shed to fill a gap, but all the water pipes and outlet waste water pipes are installed and insulated. The field is mine in case your wondering why the water is going over there

It’s been a godsend leaving access to the back of the tank as I’ve been able to install most of the electrical equipment there. Infact there’s nothing in the bespoke cabinet under the tank at the moment apart from a light.

The VorTech battery backups and anything else will be raised off the floor shortly and wires tidied up were possible

The Ecotech Vortechs are all installed an operational and if you haven’t seen these up close they are really good quality pieces of equipment especially the MP60’s. These are all controlled within Neptune Apex and ready to go,

So that’s an update as to were we are so far, it’s all coming together nicely

 

[Fudsey]

Looks good Shaun ! ! !

And I was thinking that was your neighbors yard your dumping the water into ;Hilarious ;Hilarious

 

[PanchoG]

Impressive Shaun. Those automatic water changes will be sweet, it is also nice to see so much equipment been connected and prepared.

 

[SPR1968]

Impressive Shaun. Those automatic water changes will be sweet, it is also nice to see so much equipment been connected and prepared.

The amount of equipment is quiet incredible when you start installing it, and there’s still much to arrive today.

Ive tried to keep it as tidy as possible but the amount of wires is just building and building. The only good point is they are easy to get to as everything's accessible and in easy reach.

For anyone planning a big build, or any build, accessibility to the rear of the tank is incredibly beneficial if you can do it.

 

[SPR1968]

Looks good Shaun ! ! !

And I was thinking that was your neighbors yard your dumping the water into ;Hilarious ;Hilarious

I’m probably going to get a 1000 litre IBC container for the old saltwater in a few weeks as I can use it on my block paving to keep It clear of moss etc. and I’ll just extend the DOS tubes into it.

I just thought I’d leave it for the time being as I have enough to do

 

[widarecu]

The amount of equipment is quiet incredible when you start installing it, and there’s still much to arrive today.

Ive tried to keep it as tidy as possible but the amount of wires is just building and building. The only good point is they are easy to get to as everything's accessible and in easy reach.

For anyone planning a big build, or any build, accessibility to the rear of the tank is incredibly beneficial if you can do it.

Cable management is my worse nightmare, it starts clean but somehow always turns into the same mess pretty quickly, you are doing great compared to what I have

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Looking good shaun... nice planning ahead and engineering for the rodi and UVC sections. Thanks for sharing all the details as the progress continues. What a build.

 

[SPR1968]

Thanks Rich

Its all the detailed planning that Ive done that should make maintaining and running the tank very easy. It will also make the S650 easier to run as well now its hooked into the automatic water change system

Im just about to order a connector that connects the Abyzz A200 to Neptune Apex so that will also be fully controllable from within Apex. This will mean I can make full use of feed mode etc.

I think the cable is made out of gold or something though from the cost!

 

[Crabby48]

Catching up and happy to see all the progression. Very well thought out

 

[SPR1968]

Catching up and happy to see all the progression. Very well thought out

Thank you, were getting there now and it’s all starting to come together

Im doing things at a slow pace, so I can try and cover everything as far as possible

 

[jphilip813]

June 2017



August 2018

April 2019



June 2019 The Living Reef......

And now for the arrival of the new custom made 2000 litre system. The new and the old. You can see the reflection of the S650 in the glass. September 2019 the big build begins.....

January 2019 side shot

Hi Guys

I've just started my new build thread on here and my tank has reached 1 year old this month.

This is pretty much my first tank of any kind, other than a Max E260 which I had for a few months before getting hooked on the hobby.

I've learned quickly as much as I can. Anyway, I know everyone likes pictures so here are a few and also a video link if it's works!

Awesome Photos and set-up as well...what type of camera did you use to take the stills? Was that a cell phone or traditional camera?

 

[SPR1968]

Awesome Photos and set-up as well...what type of camera did you use to take the stills? Was that a cell phone or traditional camera?

Thank you, the pictures were mainly taken using a Canon EOS 750D which I originally purchased for my trip to the Galapagos Islands (thread below).

i then discovered it was ideal to take pictures of my fish tank! Lol

 

[SPR1968]

I removed the ALR2 algae reactor from the S650 a few days ago completely

The Chaeto had grown a bit better than the first time, but not enough to convince me to leave it in place. The bulb just seems to get covered in a brown slime in a very short period of time. It was located in a window so would also get light, but maybe my nutrient levels weren’t correct to support it, which is probably a good thing anyway. I already have massive filtration systems in place.

It’s currently soaking in a bleach solution for the time being and I’ll keep it and may use it in the new system at some point in the future. I like the idea of it as it keeps the refugium away from the sump as I don’t like the other things that grow down there when using a full blown refugium.

 

[Ricky_Reef]

June 2017



August 2018

April 2019



June 2019 The Living Reef......

And now for the arrival of the new custom made 2000 litre system. The new and the old. You can see the reflection of the S650 in the glass. September 2019 the big build begins.....

January 2019 side shot

Hi Guys

I've just started my new build thread on here and my tank has reached 1 year old this month.

This is pretty much my first tank of any kind, other than a Max E260 which I had for a few months before getting hooked on the hobby.

I've learned quickly as much as I can. Anyway, I know everyone likes pictures so here are a few and also a video link if it's works!

Incredible Photos!,,,, Everything looks awesome!

 

[SPR1968]

Incredible Photos!,,,, Everything looks awesome!

Thank you Ricky and thanks for stopping by!

 

[SPR1968]

So following a few days thinking, grimacing, and general wincing at the cost, I had a really good idea (he says! Lol). I’ve decided to ditch the Clarisea SK5000 in favour of the Innovitech X Filter 1.7. Yes I know I should have done it in the first place but..... This can handle significantly more flow to around 10000 lph

So I drove down to Leicester to meet Chris and his wife and collected the X Filter and a spare 25 micron role, and if your reading this thanks for making me so welcome.

I have to say, it’s beautifully designed, made, and although there’s clearly a great deal of science and thinking gone into by the manufacturers, it’s just such a simple but solid design.

So for the 3rd time I’ve installed the down pipe plumbing, including ball valves on each for ease of removal on 40mm pipework and this basically fits into the back of the X Filter.

Because of the depth of the first section of my sump, I’ve had to go for the highest setting on the bracket to achieve around 15cm water depth, so effectively the rear chamber sits level with the top of the sump glass. It says be careful with flow rates, but the water looks like in an emergency it will flow out of the large gap in the front, which is lower than the sump glass anyway. I’ve checked a few of the beta testers videos and at least one has it on the same level as mine.

The main downpipe and emergency, both sit about 7cm into the rear chamber of the X Filter as per the instructions. It looks a little high and odd, but it’s to create the vortex’s the fling the waste into the filter chamber.

So here’s a few pictures of my final (hopefully!) downpipe plumbing

I would also like to thank Charterhouse Aquatics for agreeing to allow me to return the Clarisea which has been built. So if any of you want one prebuilt give them a call in around 7 days because they’ll have a precision built one ready for you!

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Holy tight fit... rooting for u that this will be the final tweak and u can move on from the drain line issues. That roller is a BEAST! Grats!

 

[SPR1968]

Holy tight fit... rooting for u that this will be the final tweak and u can move on from the drain line issues. That roller is a BEAST! Grats!

Its all done now Rich. The only bit of plumbing to do is to plumb in the UVC and then the chiller. I was going to do it yesterday, but when I was thinking about it I need about 8 x 32mm union connectors as I need to make sure I can take out the 2 Apex flow sensors for cleaning/maintenance.

This is what happens by doing it slow and a bit at a time. You think things through and then cost yourself more money! lol

But hopefully the final design works.

The X Filter looks a tight fit just because of were it has to be, but its easily removable by just releasing the 2 union connectors on the final part of the return pipes. I might need to redue the emergency drain as it was about 1cm short of the recommended length, but I think ill leave it until its wet as it will probably be ok anyway.

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Nothing ever wrong with double checking the original plan. It may cost more $, but cost wasnt a player in this as we all can see. So i see it as an investment for the peace of mind u will have once it's done.

 

[SPR1968]

Its getting very close now to getting things ‘wet’.

Im just waiting for delivery on Monday of some more plumbing parts for the UVC and chiller and then all the plumbing will be done, apart from the spare return which I haven’t decided on yet.

The Abyzz pumps are supposed to be super reliable, I can get a new one/replacement/spare next day if need be, I was going to get the Apex COR20 as I can control the power remotely for the spare return pipe, but I’m thinking it’s just something to clean and maintain so...... I’m still giving this some thought and it’s something I can add whenever later on in any case as it’s a completely separate system/pipework.

I chose the COR20 over Ecotech Vectra L2, simply because it’s integrated into Apex under one system. The idea being if the main pump failed I could turn the COR20 on and then adjust the power from anywhere in the world. I know the L2 can use Reeflink, but it’s just so much easier if it’s within Apex.

My idea on the aquascape design has changed somewhat in the last few days. I’ve got to remember it’s what the corals look like in 3-4 years + rather than what the bare rocks look like at the start. I remember this and the need to add higher rocks in the S650 for more corals.