dustinc's SPS XXL 625

dustinc

dustinc

Active member
Hello again! I've owned many tanks throughout my years in reefing and knew I wanted to get a fairly large system for our home we recently built, but couldn't decide which system I wanted. After seeing the XXL 750 in a local store in Dallas, I decided to pull the trigger on a RedSea Reefer XXL 625. This tank is very well built and Red Sea's newly redesigned sumps on this particular series is very well thought out and plenty of room for equipment as well as a decent size refugium. I began this journey a few weeks back and will get you caught up over the next several days. I'm really looking forward to this build and I'm excited to see it grow! Below are a few photos of the initial arrival and setup of the tank.

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Unboxing day is the best! It's always a blast to start a new system, so much promise. I hope it all goes smoothly for you. I'm assuming this is going to be a stick tank?
 
Following - this is the same tank that I am contemplating putting in basement after it is finished. Contractor built first wall last week. I have 2 of the Radion G4 PROs over my 90 current gallon SPS dominant tank. They are 8 inches over the water, and I have them max out at 35% during the day. You may not need 4 of them... maybe not even 3...
 
tripdad said:
Unboxing day is the best! It's always a blast to start a new system, so much promise. I hope it all goes smoothly for you. I'm assuming this is going to be a stick tank?
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It is always fun to unbox the system and really get to know the ins and outs of it. I'm very impressed with the quality of tank and sump/refugium with the XXL series. Very well built and nice and clean. Definitely a stick tank. That's just about all I like with the occasional mixture of a chalice, zoa, or paly here and there. Thanks for following along.

jmaiello04 said:
Following - this is the same tank that I am contemplating putting in basement after it is finished. Contractor built first wall last week. I have 2 of the Radion G4 PROs over my 90 current gallon SPS dominant tank. They are 8 inches over the water, and I have them max out at 35% during the day. You may not need 4 of them... maybe not even 3...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the follow. I'm very pleased thus far with the system. I'm actually using 4 Radion XR15 G4 Pros (so same puck count as 2 XR30 Pros). Going with the XR15s allowed me to spread the pucks out wider to get more even light distribution. Also, most people do the XR30s front to back and I have all my rock center of the tank, so it allowed me to save some money in lighting, but still have plenty of par, spread, and color for the sticks that will fill this thing. I have mine right at 8" off the water and also have the diffusers installed (cuts output by approximately 20%) and currently running my max intensity at 48%. Good luck with your decision.
 
My next step was securing my rockwork. I decided to purchase Marco Rocks dry rock and purchased the ShelfScape 60 package. I felt I needed just a couple more pieces, so headed out to a LFS and added a couple rocks to complete my rockscape. I would say all in all, I have about 80 lbs of dry rock in the tank. Below are a few photos of the setup and it starting to fill with water.

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On to the equipment list...

Lighting: (4) Radion XR15 Gen 4 Pros w/ Diffusers
Skimmer: LifeReef SVS3-24 w/ Varios4 Pump
Return Pump: Varios6 Pump
Flow: (2) Vortech MP40wQD
ATO: Tunze Osmolator w/ Trigger Systems 10 gal TOC
Refugium Lighting: Kessil A80 Tuna Sun
Controller: Apex Controller System
 
I guess I should have waited until you posted equipment - 4 XR15 will be perfect! I am also going to add the diffusers to mine, I think they are released this week for the 30's. Post some pics of the sump when you can - still having trouble envisioning it. My main concern is having enough room to grow chaeto in the refugium section.
 
Here is a FTS from a couple weeks back when I put in the first few SPS (from my son's nano) and the first few fish (Bonded Pair Black Snowflake Clowns, Bonded Pair Yellowline Goby, and Tailspot Blenny).

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Controller Area in Cabinet

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Now we are caught up to real time. Below are a couple photos I took tonight of the tank and the sump area. I currently have 12 sticks that I've added to the tank so far and looking daily for the next things to add to ad more color and diversity. I'm loving this tank thus far and can't wait for it to fill in.

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Looks good! I've had one sitting in storage since they were released. One day I'll get it setup. I'm using a 48" ATI with reef brites. I considered ecotech G4's but this lighting system has been amazing in my current tank. Congrats and looking forward to seeing your progress
 
Small update. I've added a few more fish (my tang selection) and a few more sticks. Everything is doing well in the tank. My only concern at this point is my decision to move away from filter socks may not be the best one. I purchased filter cups and am putting filter floss in them, but my water isn't near as clear as what it has been in the past with socks. I'm going to keep giving it a go, but may keep using socks. Below are a few pics I snapped tonight with my phone of the tank in it's current state.

FTS
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Left Side
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Right Side
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Tnconcept said:
Looks good, I like the clean aquascape.
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Thank you! I'm really happy with how it turned out. Gives a lot of room for corals to grow upward and plenty of rock for the little critters as well.

DiscusHeckel said:
I like your aquascape. Good luck with your journey.
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Thank you!

mirkus said:
Cool tank!, I wish the 625XXL was around when I purchased my 450. What are your thoughts on the diffusers?
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I'm really happy with it! I was planning on the peninsula, but really didn't have a good spot for it our home and I didn't like how much taller it was. Really happy with the size of the 625. As for the diffusers, I'm glad I purchased them. It makes a noticeable difference in the color blending and really makes the shimmer look like what you would get in the past with MH without all the heat. Once installed, you can also see a difference in brightness, so I had to bring the lights up (approximately 20%).
 
reefmutt said:
Looking good so far.
I like the scape, too
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Thanks a lot. I'm really excited about the tank as it sits and I"m very ready to get it filled with more sticks!

bitwise said:
I'm a Reefer 170 owner and love it.

I'm digging the controller cabinet - it looks clean and functional.
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Thanks a lot. Didn't take a whole lot of work, but definitely helps with the cleanliness and organization of everything.
 
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