SuncrestReef's Red Sea Reefer XL 425 build

[SuncrestReef]

Here's a followup on my Bubblegum Monster, with its tentacles out after feeding ReefRoids at night:

 

[NY_Caveman]

That is seriously cool.

 

[shanedag]

@SuncrestReef. Attempting to mimic your mixing station build. I’m in Eugene area. How far are you pushing water with that pump? I have to go about 60-70 feet, so looking for a sufficient pump.

 

[SuncrestReef]

@SuncrestReef. Attempting to mimic your mixing station build. I’m in Eugene area. How far are you pushing water with that pump? I have to go about 60-70 feet, so looking for a sufficient pump.

Which pump are you asking about? I have a Panworld NH-150PS that mixes the saltwater and can also be used to pipe the water to my display tank through a 30 foot flexible hose. It would easily reach 60 feet if needed.

I also have a Neptune PMUP in my RO/DI tank that is used as my ATO pump through 30 feet of 1/4" RO/DI tubing. I'm not certain it could extend the extra length to 60 feet.

 

[shanedag]

Which pump are you asking about? I have a Panworld NH-150PS that mixes the saltwater and can also be used to pipe the water to my display tank through a 30 foot flexible hose. It would easily reach 60 feet if needed.

I also have a Neptune PMUP in my RO/DI tank that is used as my ATO pump through 30 feet of 1/4" RO/DI tubing. I'm not certain it could extend the extra length to 60 feet.

Thanks! It’s that Panworld

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Looking great!!

 

[Leiph86]

Great build thread - how has the Neptune COR 20 worked out for you? I've been seeing mixed reviews and this seems like a solid pump for the price but not sure if I should go with that, a Varios-6 or Vectra M2...unless there are other recommendations for a Red Sea XL 425...

 

[SuncrestReef]

Great build thread - how has the Neptune COR 20 worked out for you? I've been seeing mixed reviews and this seems like a solid pump for the price but not sure if I should go with that, a Varios-6 or Vectra M2...unless there are other recommendations for a Red Sea XL 425...

The pump itself and the controller have been perfectly fine since day one. However, I have had 2 power supplies fail in the first 14 months. Neptune replaced both under warranty even though the 2nd one was past the 1 year warranty period. My current power supply has been fine now for 16 months, so I'm hoping the build quality is better. I also now keep a spare power supply just in case this one fails.

Aside from that issue, I like it. I clean the COR every 6 months as part of my routine maintenance schedule, and it's super easy to disassemble for cleaning.

 

[Leiph86]

The pump itself and the controller have been perfectly fine since day one. However, I have had 2 power supplies fail in the first 14 months. Neptune replaced both under warranty even though the 2nd one was past the 1 year warranty period. My current power supply has been fine now for 16 months, so I'm hoping the build quality is better. I also now keep a spare power supply just in case this one fails.

Aside from that issue, I like it. I clean the COR every 6 months as part of my routine maintenance schedule, and it's super easy to disassemble for cleaning.

Yeah, a lot of BRS comments have been about the power supply fail. Big shame considering the premium price you pay for Neptune. Looking back would you have bought this one again or done a different pump?

 

[SuncrestReef]

Last weekend I stopped by my LFS to pick up a couple buckets of Red Sea Coral Pro salt which I’ve been using ever since I started my tank in early 2018. Today as I started mixing up a new batch of salt water, I noticed something tucked in between the wall of the bucket and the inside plastic bag of salt. It was a 8.5 oz bottle of Red Sea Reef Energy Plus coral food! Then I noticed a sticker on the outside of the bucket indicating it contained a free bottle inside. I had no idea about this promotion and didn’t pay attention when I picked them up at the store. Anyway, I’m not sure how long this promotion lasts or how wide-spread it is, but that was a nice little unexpected surprise.

 

[AceShadow_Reefer]

Hey @SuncrestReef, I'm about to start a build on a 425xl with almost the exact same parts you are, and I happened upon your thread by total accident! Awesome build, and amazing job planning!

 

[Johnmy]

Has anyone ever seen this before? My tailspot blenny has suddenly taken an interest in my goniopora!

My clowns still won't go near my anemone, but I'll take whatever I can get. It's pretty cute:

I really congratulate you Sir for the beautiful tank you have and I thank you for so many publications helping others, you cannot imagine how I enjoy watching your photos and videos, I don't know much English but I try to translate everything to understand almost everything. I just think about having everything automated like you, but sometimes it is very difficult for me due to the translation, I also have a mixing station and 2 days ago the ATK arrived, I am waiting for the extension for the pmup due to the height of the FW tank. Thank you very much again and I hope nothing goes wrong with your instructions. A little difficult for me but I will try to do it

 

[DoctaReef]

Definitely have enjoyed your progress with your tank! I have a RSR 425 as well, what is your current fish population?

 

[SuncrestReef]

Definitely have enjoyed your progress with your tank! I have a RSR 425 as well, what is your current fish population?

I have always kept my fish population low. Here’s what I currently have:

1 kole tang
1 diamond goby
1 yellow watchman goby
1 blue chromis
1 tailspot blenny
1 mandarin goby
2 clownfish

 

[DoctaReef]

I have always kept my fish population low. Here’s what I currently have:

1 kole tang
1 diamond goby
1 yellow watchman goby
1 blue chromis
1 tailspot blenny
1 mandarin goby
2 clownfish

Nice. I've kept my poplulation down too. Currently I have:
2 clowns
2 Springer Damsels
1 Lyretail anthias
1 Red lined Wrasse
2 Black Mollys (put them in a year ago as an Ich test... turned into VORACIOUS algae eaters and model citizens, so I left them)

I've been considering adding a White Tailed Tang, nice to know you've had success with your Kole. How does the chromis do alone?

 

[SuncrestReef]

Nice. I've kept my poplulation down too. Currently I have:
2 clowns
2 Springer Damsels
1 Lyretail anthias
1 Red lined Wrasse
2 Black Mollys (put them in a year ago as an Ich test... turned into VORACIOUS algae eaters and model citizens, so I left them)

I've been considering adding a White Tailed Tang, nice to know you've had success with your Kole. How does the chromis do alone?

The chromis is fine. Everyone in my tank co-exists peacefully and there’s no bullying.

 

[jmwils1]

What shelving unit did you use? It seems the weight of the 2 containers when full would be between 1200-1600 pounds and well in excess of the rates weight of any shelf until I can find. The Home Depot husky shelved support a maximum of 1000 pounds per shelf.

 

[SuncrestReef]

What shelving unit did you use? It seems the weight of the 2 containers when full would be between 1200-1600 pounds and well in excess of the rates weight of any shelf until I can find. The Home Depot husky shelved support a maximum of 1000 pounds per shelf.

Yes, the Home Depot shelving was not strong enough and started to bend as the tanks filled, so I do not recommend them. I had to place wood supports under the shelves. I posted about this here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/suncrestreefs-red-sea-reefer-xl-425-build.358990/post-4573598

 

[Johnmy]

One year ago I posted about planning an addition on our house including a fish room and larger new aquarium.

It's been a long negotiation process, but I finally convinced my wife to agree to this project! I have made several revisions to my original plans, but here's the latest design. The addition will add a large 35'x20' room (700 sq feet) onto the back of the house with a large triangular multi-level deck, a built-in BBQ, and a hot tub. Inside the addition will be a 6-seat bar, a full 9' pool table, a half bathroom, a dedicated fish room, and a 8'x3' 360 gallon display tank! The fish room will be roughly 70 sq feet.

I need to finalize a few design details, then contract with a builder. I have no idea on the timeframe for construction yet, but I hope to have things in place for the summer! I'll start a new build thread once construction begins.

Here are some renderings:

I made a few changes to improve the fish room position so it's now directly behind the tank.



For those of you wondering why I didn't choose an in-wall aquarium, the reason I settled on my current design was due to negotiations with my wife. Since this is going to be a very expensive project, she is concerned about the resale value of the house and return on investment. After consulting with our realtor we decided to have the aquarium free standing so it could be removed easily without requiring major reconstruction. The small bathroom was also a requirement which is why I reduced the original size of the fish room.

Beyond the overall architecture, I haven't yet started the official design process of the fish room. I'm going to leave my mixing station in the garage and run plumbing through the attic into the new fish room for auto water changes and ATO. I also plan to have the sump in the fish room rather than under the tank, along with a frag tank, utility sink, storage cabinets, and a desk for my microscope and where I can do water tests. Of course it will have a floor drain, mildew-resistant drywall, and maybe a dehumidifier. I'll reach out for input once I have a basic plan for the fish room equipment.

Here's a walkthrough video:

Wowww. Incredible Project and beautiful House. Congratulations

 

[Johnmy]

My cleaner shrimp are always trying to coax my clowns to come close for a cleaning, but the clowns seem to hate it. Today I found my two cleaner shrimp had surrounded them, but the clowns did their best to avoid them:

That beauty. This is the beauty of this Hobbie. See how everything develops and grows before our eyes. Pure nature