Fitting a rollermat in a Reefer XL 425

SuncrestReef · Nov 22, 2020

I have a Reefer XL 425 with the v2 sump, and it's so packed with equipment that I have no room for a roller mat. I really want to replace my filter cups/socks with a roller mat, but just don't see any easy way to make it fit. Because my skimmer partially blocks the filter sock trays from fully extending, I use filter cups with fleece that I can replace without fully extending the cup trays. To actually swap out filter socks I would need to tip my skimmer out of the way to get the socks out of the trays. It's a major pain.

I'm debating whether to re-do all my sump plumbing to try to retrofit a roller mat in the sock area and either relocate or eliminate the refugium above the filter cups, or if I should just look into replacing the whole sump with a 3rd-party or custom sump designed specifically for a roller mat. Are there any Reefer XL 425 owners out there who have done this, and what would you recommend?

Here's my current sump:

Here's my build thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/suncrestreefs-red-sea-reefer-xl-425-build.358990/

SuncrestReef · Dec 5, 2020

Bump...

Any recommendations on a 3rd-party sump and rollermat that would fit under a Reefer XL 425 cabinet?

Maximum sump footprint would be 28" x 21".

ss7 · Feb 21, 2021

Did you ever come up with a solution you like for this?

SuncrestReef · Feb 21, 2021

SS7 said:
Did you ever come up with a solution you like for this?

I did not find any easy sump replacement with a rollermat. Instead, I went with a much larger Trigger Platinum34 sump which will require modification to the Red Sea cabinet in order to fit. See my new build thread here for details on my plan to fit this sump inside the cabinet:

Build Thread - SuncrestReef's Reefer XL 425 Rebuild

In February 2018 I started the original build of my Red Sea Reefer XL 425, and it was a very successful tank up until mid-summer 2020 when I started losing some SPS corals. Over a period of several months, I lost many more corals, including whole colonies. My nutrient levels were higher than I...

www.reef2reef.com

SuncrestReef · Mar 24, 2021

The old sump is nearly empty now. It's amazing how many vermetid snails and other creatures lined the sump:

I removed the refugium (was the original Red Sea ATO reservoir which I converted), and it too was pretty messy inside. I think I last cleaned it about 2 years ago.

In the 3 years this tank has been running, I never took apart the 1" flow sensor on my return line, mainly because it was still working and I didn't want to mess with it. It had quite a bit of debris inside, so I'm actually surprised it still worked.

It cleaned up easily:

SuncrestReef · Mar 24, 2021

(oops...I meant to make that last post in my Reefer XL 425 Rebuild thread)

arking_mark · Mar 24, 2021

So for my 525xl, I couldn't find a way to fit a roller mat in the stock sump and bought a Trigger Platinum 34. Very happy with the purchase. It comes with a built-in roller mat.