ktownhero's Red Sea Reefer 425XL build
- Thread starter ktownhero
- Start date
moondoggy4
Team RC
Nice LPS
Nice LPS
Watch for AquaSD live sales he has lots of good LPS and SPS, and he ships.
Nice LPS
Watch for AquaSD live sales he has lots of good LPS and SPS, and he ships.
brett559
New member
Well, I've been eyeing up this dry bar in my house as a perfect spot for an aquarium since I bought it two years ago. I finally decided to make it happen. The plan, originally, was to knock the bar out (pics below) and put a hole on the other side and have a tank visible from both my living room and office. I was excited but also overwhelmed at the prospect of doing this.
...then a certain big site had a flash sale and the price on the Red Sea Reefer 425XL and AP700 was a no-brainer. It turns out that it is *exactly* the width of the existing frame, so no construction or deconstruction is needed. It's going to look great in that space. Here is the order for equipment that I made so far:
- Red Sea Reefer 425XL
- Kessil AP700
- Eheim 1262
- 2 x 200w Jager heaters
The tank and equipment is only freshly ordered, will arrive this week (tank next week). But I wanted to start this thread to catalog my time with the build as well as to get feedback -- feedback is always welcome! I have two specific areas that I would love to get feedback for: aquascape and external plumbing for water storage tanks. First, let me show the destruction that's currently in place:
Original bar:
Half down (yay asbestos tile!):
Down!
I opted to cut out some drywall to get rid of some of the mirrors that were shattering. Easier and safer to repair drywall than shattered mirrors! The plan now is to lay some extra laminate flooring that I have down, verify electrical circuit there and do rewiring if necessary, repair the drywall and paint the space a nice neutral gray. The top will remain open with the AP700 hanging down.
The tank is going to fit rather snuggly into that space with ~4" on each side and only about 2" in the back. I think that should be ok. There is a closet behind the wall to the left where I have plenty of room for water storage. I would like to plumb and create an access panel on that side. I would very much love getting any ideas or suggestions for doing that. It is about a 24" piece of wall with a stud in the middle of it (this can probably be removed safely since that part of the wall is running parallel to the joists above).
As I wait for my equipment to arrive, I am already playing with aquascaping in my mind. I want to create a medium-density aquascape that has a fair bit of space to create a 3D-like visual appeal. The tank will primarily be viewed from an angle to the left. This is the rough idea:
What I really want to make sure I create is a strong sense of depth. Since the tank can't really be viewed from the right (wall!), I want the right side to be the high point -- but avoiding a standard "œwall" look. Would love to know what you think!
The remaining equipment plans are as follows:
- Vortech MP40
- Reef Octopus SSS 150 (or is the 110 enough?)
- Some locline parts to split the output of the return
- Pukani rock
- Reef flakes
- ~10lbs live rock/sand to seed
Those will be ordered in the coming weeks as I begin to finalize everything. I also need to pick up some brute cans so I can properly cure the rock (though I don't mind doing it in the tank, but would be nice to get it started early).
Speaking of rock"¦ I am planning on going with Pukani because of the surface area. I'm a BIG fan of sticking to natural filtration and under stocking"¦ But I'm also curious about the rock from ReefCleaners.com? It looks really nice and is priced well, do you think it would mix well with Pukani? I was thinking of going with 50lbs of each and mixing/matching.
Anyway, I know this was really long but I'm very excited about this build. And I am open to any and all input regarding the whole build, even if I didn't specifically ask. I like to learn from others so please feel free to offer advice and/or criticism!
EDIT:
I should also clarify that this will be a lightly stocked mixed reef, I imagine mostly LPS with maybe an SPS or two. I prefer large colonies to many tiny ones, so I'd rather put in a small amount and let them grow over time. I'd love to get an anemone in there with a pair of clowns at some point. Fish stocking will be pretty standard, though I am considering the possibility of getting crazy and going with Maroon Clowns. They are my favorite, but I just read so many horror stories about their aggression.
Which site had the flash sale?
Well, I just made my first Liveaquaria order... Hope it goes well! It'll arrive tomorrow! I ordered:
- Purple "thick branching" frogspawn
- Metallic Green Torch
- 2 x Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
- Feather duster
Looking forward to getting the LPS in particular! They are hard to find near me for a good price and nowhere with the guarantee that LA provides.
Also, that BTA I got seems to be doing really well. On the second night I got a little worried because it looked like it was maybe splitting and then hid inside the rock. But then it came back out about an hour later and the next day it was fully extended and even larger than before! It didn't split though. Then the 3rd night it did the same thing again! I guess it just likes to hide for a short time around dusk, is that typical of BTAs?
- Purple "thick branching" frogspawn
- Metallic Green Torch
- 2 x Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
- Feather duster
Looking forward to getting the LPS in particular! They are hard to find near me for a good price and nowhere with the guarantee that LA provides.
Also, that BTA I got seems to be doing really well. On the second night I got a little worried because it looked like it was maybe splitting and then hid inside the rock. But then it came back out about an hour later and the next day it was fully extended and even larger than before! It didn't split though. Then the 3rd night it did the same thing again! I guess it just likes to hide for a short time around dusk, is that typical of BTAs?
Received my LA order today and couldn't be happier. The Frogspawn and Torch opened up immediately and look great. One shrimp arrived dead but it took all of 2 minutes on the phone to get a refund. What a great operation.
Anyway, here's a long overdue short tank view:
https://youtu.be/7iEB427cYqQ
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Anyway, here's a long overdue short tank view:
https://youtu.be/7iEB427cYqQ
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Thanks for the update on the BTA. Still thinking about getting one. Also appreciate the feedback on liveaquaria. I am planning on ordering from them. My last livestock was from LFS. Paid 180 dollars for what I got. Looked it up on their site was 60 dollars for exact same thing. I'm all for supporting local but not for that price difference.
I have a really high quality LFS but their prices are just unreasonable, and they don't offer anything close to the guarantee of LA. I paid $190 for that Frogspawn and Torch combined, both of which are rarer variations... At my LFS those would have easily been $300 - $400 EACH. To be honest, after having such a great first experience I may just get all of my stuff from them, definitely corals. Much larger pieces, much more variety and can easily support aquaculture and mariculture since LA clearly marks everything.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
I can spare a few heads. Just gotta figure out shipping so they arrive alive.
Man, I would love to take you up on this. Those color morphs are actually perfect for my tank! I got an order shipped from Los Angeles from Liveaquaria last week and the items arrived ok. I understand that it is much harder for us as individuals to pack as well as they do though. They had them in a styrofoam box with several heat packs placed inside of a tyvek envelope. Then the corals were double bagged and the Frogspawn they had on a piece of styrofoam so it floated upside down. The Torch was right-side up.
I am happy to pay for the costs of shipping, but ultimately it's harder on you than it is on me, so I have no expectations; it's up to you. If you feel up to it, let me know.
It's actually been warm out this way lately, like 50 degrees. Hard to say if it will stay like that though, our temps turn on a dime.
mpderksen
New member
PM sent. We'll work it out. I may make a LA order next month. I can keep the container, pack it, and send it to you. Gotta make sure you're getting your shipping cost back in awesome coral. What do a few heads of LPS run these days? I've been growing mine out for almost 6 years and can't remember.
OK, so I'm not the greatest about keeping this up-to-date but here I am now! Updates
- Several new corals: ORA hammer, Diver's Den Torch, Duncan, Grube's Gorgonian, Monti Setosa, Birdsnest, red monti cap and a green/red/blue polyps monti cap (forget name). Moved some existing corals around.
- Added 2xSunblaster 39w T5 fixtures with 1xCoral+ and 1xBlue+ flanking the AP700. Later then built a floating canopy to hold all of this.
- Started dosing Kalk via the Tunze Calcium Dispenser from a spare 10g tank that fits in the stand. Still trying to tune my parameters though.
- Added a couple peppermint shrimp to fight a few aiptasia I had, also added a Royal Gramma and Yellow Tang.
- Bought one of those red LED plant bulbs from Amazon for my Chaeto and wow does it make a difference in the growth and quality of the Chaeto. It grows fast and feels fluffy.
- I had some phosphates and decided to try NOPOX which I think was a mistake. It clobbered my nitrates and caused a cyano outbreak (minor). I'm not working on balancing out the chemistry and have no plans to ever try carbon dosing again.
- My RBTA is still alive, but I don't know what is going on with it. The tentacles have been stubby and it often has a white puffy mouth. Sometimes I feed it and it looks great for a few hours, then goes back. I'm not convinced it is dying since it's been in there for a while like this, but I really would like it to do better. Hoping once I get my params stabilized it will bounce back.
Some pics:
- Several new corals: ORA hammer, Diver's Den Torch, Duncan, Grube's Gorgonian, Monti Setosa, Birdsnest, red monti cap and a green/red/blue polyps monti cap (forget name). Moved some existing corals around.
- Added 2xSunblaster 39w T5 fixtures with 1xCoral+ and 1xBlue+ flanking the AP700. Later then built a floating canopy to hold all of this.
- Started dosing Kalk via the Tunze Calcium Dispenser from a spare 10g tank that fits in the stand. Still trying to tune my parameters though.
- Added a couple peppermint shrimp to fight a few aiptasia I had, also added a Royal Gramma and Yellow Tang.
- Bought one of those red LED plant bulbs from Amazon for my Chaeto and wow does it make a difference in the growth and quality of the Chaeto. It grows fast and feels fluffy.
- I had some phosphates and decided to try NOPOX which I think was a mistake. It clobbered my nitrates and caused a cyano outbreak (minor). I'm not working on balancing out the chemistry and have no plans to ever try carbon dosing again.
- My RBTA is still alive, but I don't know what is going on with it. The tentacles have been stubby and it often has a white puffy mouth. Sometimes I feed it and it looks great for a few hours, then goes back. I'm not convinced it is dying since it's been in there for a while like this, but I really would like it to do better. Hoping once I get my params stabilized it will bounce back.
Some pics:
Loooong time since I provided any sort of update and Photobucket stinks for killing my links 
. Anyway, here's a full tank shot and a little video of my roughly 1 year progress on this tank!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrLV9WDe4Wg
. Anyway, here's a full tank shot and a little video of my roughly 1 year progress on this tank! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrLV9WDe4Wg
