James Wetton Reefer 525xl Build

[john.m.cole3]

It will happen. The clowns will get it done. just wait for the diatoms

 

[jameswetton2895]

Very nice setup.

Thanks. Trying to stay patient ... Finding it hard hahahah

 

[jameswetton2895]

It will happen. The clowns will get it done. just wait for the diatoms

Noooo I hate Diatoms. I was hoping to be the first person to avoid them haha. Do you think I should add fish stock from my 170. Small yellow tang, Small Powder blue tang, Very small 6 line wrasse. At this stage or wait for evidence of the cycle completing ?

 

[jameswetton2895]

Nice build how high are the hydra from the water line

Hi,

The lights are 10 inches from the water line.
With the deluxe version of the reefer aquariums you get different mounts that go into the pre drilled holes in the back glass. Really tidy mounts that hide the cables beautifully, only downside is that you cannot adjust the height of the lights but you can flip them up 90 degrees to gain full access to the back if the tank. This is not possible with my AI Prime mounts on my 170 and it is a big improvement.

 

[john.m.cole3]

Noooo I hate Diatoms. I was hoping to be the first person to avoid them haha. Do you think I should add fish stock from my 170. Small yellow tang, Small Powder blue tang, Very small 6 line wrasse. At this stage or wait for evidence of the cycle completing ?

You're better off waiting. But......... you could add them, monitor ammonia, get a bottle of prime, and throw a friggin fish party!!! But......... the correct thing to do is wait it out and watch all the micro life form in front of you. The beginning is the best and we are always in a hurry to rush through it. 2 clowns are enough to get a cycle going. grab a snickers cuz you ain't going anywhere for a while.

 

[jameswetton2895]

You're better off waiting. But......... you could add them, monitor ammonia, get a bottle of prime, and throw a friggin fish party!!! But......... the correct thing to do is wait it out and watch all the micro life form in front of you. The beginning is the best and we are always in a hurry to rush through it. 2 clowns are enough to get a cycle going. grab a snickers cuz you ain't going anywhere for a while.

Haha. I kind of already knew all that I was hoping someone would tell me it's fine to put the other fish in. TBH I have a reallly bad algae problem in the 170 from when I went on holiday and left it to someone else who fed a whole cube of frozen food every day for 2 weeks. Arggghh. So just want to break that one down and use it as a quarantine tank or a drag tank or a fish only system or a saltwater mixing station. Haven't decided yet

 

[jameswetton2895]

Results from this morning 25th November

Nh4 - 0
N02 - 0.05
No3 - 0

That to me seems like the ammonia I had a few days ago has been converted into nitrate ... I hope so cause that means I'm official on board the cycle train. ( very slow train at the moment )
Has anyone had experience with the Hannah pocket checkers ? Good, bad, ugly. I want to know.

 

[jameswetton2895]

Results from this morning 25th November

Nh4 - 0
N02 - 0.05
No3 - 0

That to me seems like the ammonia I had a few days ago has been converted into nitrate ... I hope so cause that means I'm official on board the cycle train. ( very slow train at the moment )
Has anyone had experience with the Hannah pocket checkers ? Good, bad, ugly. I want to know.

Meant to say ammonia into nitrite

 

[jameswetton2895]

Got the return spiltter on today. Pics to follow.

 

[jsker]

Thanks. Trying to stay patient ... Finding it hard hahahah

I think, a new setup and letting the tank cycle is one of the hardest part of reefing

 

[jameswetton2895]

I think, a new setup and letting the tank cycle is one of the hardest part of reefing

I agree !!!! Choosing equipment was a close second. So much choice and different specs all claiming different things, on top of everyone having different experience with different products. I once went to 2 fish shops that are within 10 minuets of each other, looking to start a new system ( this was about 3 years )
One said that the only sensible way to reef was to use a sump, the other was clearly in favour of canister filters. One told me that the balance of led lights in the v2 luminaire caused hair algae to take over, the other one had it on 3 different displays and no algae in site ... Impossible to take everyones advice on, you have to try to decide who is most trustworthy and thats why I love threads on websites like this cause the people that comment aren't trying to sell you products that they get a cut on. Other things that make it hard to pick equipment is that lower to middle range equipment tends to have bigger variants in product quality, Ie 2 different people could buy the same skimmer and see very different results. Just to make it worse every single reef tank is totally different no matter how hard you try to get them the same, a certain skimmer may be fine for a 200l tank with several small fish in however if those same fish are found in a similar size aquarium but twice the size then the skimmer may be insufficient. For all these reasons I found it very hard to pick equipment for this build. My thinking was that I would fork out for the best skimmer, lights and tank I could and save a little bit on flow pumps and return pumps as these can be easily replaced.
Wow rant over haha

 

[jsker]

I agree !!!! Choosing equipment was a close second. So much choice and different specs all claiming different things, on top of everyone having different experience with different products. I once went to 2 fish shops that are within 10 minuets of each other, looking to start a new system ( this was about 3 years )
One said that the only sensible way to reef was to use a sump, the other was clearly in favour of canister filters. One told me that the balance of led lights in the v2 luminaire caused hair algae to take over, the other one had it on 3 different displays and no algae in site ... Impossible to take everyones advice on, you have to try to decide who is most trustworthy and thats why I love threads on websites like this cause the people that comment aren't trying to sell you products that they get a cut on. Other things that make it hard to pick equipment is that lower to middle range equipment tends to have bigger variants in product quality, Ie 2 different people could buy the same skimmer and see very different results. Just to make it worse every single reef tank is totally different no matter how hard you try to get them the same, a certain skimmer may be fine for a 200l tank with several small fish in however if those same fish are found in a similar size aquarium but twice the size then the skimmer may be insufficient. For all these reasons I found it very hard to pick equipment for this build. My thinking was that I would fork out for the best skimmer, lights and tank I could and save a little bit on flow pumps and return pumps as these can be easily replaced.
Wow rant over haha

I went through the same process, asking and trying to make my decisions. I was coming of a 15 year break, and thought I knew what I needed. With all the advancement in lighting, that was my hardest decision. I purchased a lower end light and it worked well for my needs for starting my system. Then found out that I need a better lights to grow healthy corals. I have used canister filters in the past along with HOB filter and a remote skimmer.

I started my present system with the same thought, but with all the junk (controler probes, heater, flow pumps, ato sensor, etc) I decided to build and experience my first sump. When I build my stand/office credenza I did not plan room for a sump, so I located the sump remotely in a closet next the the tank. I am so happy I did it this way, now I can have access to the sump without having mess around under a cabinet. I am going to setup another tank in the coming year and now I am thinking of building a bigger sump in the same closet and plumb everything up so that both tanks can work off of one sump

You are so right, no two tanks are the same. Its alway a learning process and I have also found that there is a great resource here fir answers and google and youtube have also become my friends

I am really looking forward to your build, the 525xl has to be one of my favorite stock tank. I like the clean look of the tank with the rimless and the package that the system comes with.

 

[jameswetton2895]

I went through the same process, asking and trying to make my decisions. I was coming of a 15 year break, and thought I knew what I needed. With all the advancement in lighting, that was my hardest decision. I purchased a lower end light and it worked well for my needs for starting my system. Then found out that I need a better lights to grow healthy corals. I have used canister filters in the past along with HOB filter and a remote skimmer.

I started my present system with the same thought, but with all the junk (controler probes, heater, flow pumps, ato sensor, etc) I decided to build and experience my first sump. When I build my stand/office credenza I did not plan room for a sump, so I located the sump remotely in a closet next the the tank. I am so happy I did it this way, now I can have access to the sump without having mess around under a cabinet. I am going to setup another tank in the coming year and now I am thinking of building a bigger sump in the same closet and plumb everything up so that both tanks can work off of one sump

You are so right, no two tanks are the same. Its alway a learning process and I have also found that there is a great resource here fir answers and google and youtube have also become my friends

I am really looking forward to your build, the 525xl has to be one of my favorite stock tank. I like the clean look of the tank with the rimless and the package that the system comes with.

Cheers. Let's see how it goes.

Yeah that sounds like a clean idea. I remember reading somewhere that the only downside to that would be that if you had an issue in one tank you would automatically be spreading it to the other.
Think I would prefer to keep each system sepetate but just my opinion. You could build a sump on top of another sump using some kind of racking system. ( depending how high this cupboard is ) let me know how you get on with it.

 

[stevo01]

Love it, following!

 

[jameswetton2895]

Love it, following!

Thanks

 

[jsker]

Cheers. Let's see how it goes.

Yeah that sounds like a clean idea. I remember reading somewhere that the only downside to that would be that if you had an issue in one tank you would automatically be spreading it to the other.
Think I would prefer to keep each system sepetate but just my opinion. You could build a sump on top of another sump using some kind of racking system. ( depending how high this cupboard is ) let me know how you get on with it.

Good point, and like that better.

 

[jameswetton2895]

Good point, and like that better.

Just going off on one here but you could also have a RO unit in the cupboard and run it straight into a reservoir that could feed both sumps for ATO. Would be easy and cheap to do as long as the cupboard is high enough. Have it gravity fed and all you would need is some tubing and a couple of float switches. Mind is really going crazy now ( I am imagining a full height cupboard here ) You could also have a container for waste water and new saltwater and have a 24 hour automatic water change system using a dosing pump. I wish I had a cupboard near my display as this would be a job starting tomorrow haha

 

[jsker]

I ran my Ro/DI water line to my ATO reservoir with a float valve to shut the water off when the reservoir is full. It sits just about tank level and works great. I ran the line through the attic and down inside a wall, pretty simple job. I do shut off the RO/DI unit after the reservoir is full, for the reason that it burns through DI resin faster when the RO/DI unit is left on. If I set up a auto water change unit I would have to go into the master bath room and that would be a big no from my wife

 

[stevo01]

@jameswetton2895 do you have the line loc splitter hooked up?

 

[jameswetton2895]

I ran my Ro/DI water line to my ATO reservoir with a float valve to shut the water off when the reservoir is full. It sits just about tank level and works great. I ran the line through the attic and down inside a wall, pretty simple job. I do shut off the RO/DI unit after the reservoir is full, for the reason that it burns through DI resin faster when the RO/DI unit is left on. If I set up a auto water change unit I would have to go into the master bath room and that would be a big no from my wife

Hahaha. Always the 3rd biggest challenge in reef keeping ... A wife /partner !!!! Yeah Im not a massive fan of the ATO in the reefer systems so trying to figure out where I can hide a bigger reservoir ??