Red Sea Reefer 350 Build

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Jeez, this is like my 4th build thread in 2 years. I've moved twice and hopefully will be settled down for a while at my new place so no more tank purchases and transfers!

The tank is a RSR 350.

Equipment:
RSR 350
150 SSS Skimmer
Simplicity return pump
Aquatop 400w titanium heater w/ probe
MP40
MP10
IceCap Gyre
4 bulb ATI T5 fixture
2 Prime HD's
Tunze ATO

Marco Rocks + Coarse live sand

Seriously I've had my fill of building and moving tanks around and I just want to keep this thing running for at least 3 years and see where it takes me. All of my previous tanks have only run for about a year which has been so frustrating. Having to take the tank down right when it reaches maturity is disheartening. Buying new tanks is supposed to be fun but it's lost its charm to me and I'm ready to commit to a long term relationship lol.

The home I just purchased has a perfect spot in my office for the tank. The only problem is I'll have to sister the joists under the room to handle the weight since the tank is not near a load-bearing wall. No biggie, just a hassle.

Here's a pic of where the tank sits:

I've decided to leave the doors off the tank. I'm a nerd and this office is my man cave so I'm ok with seeing the guts. I plan on using my 3D printer to create parts and such to make maintenance easier, so the sump of this tank will be a bit of an experiment. I have an idea for a roller mat that is plug-n-play with the RSR sump which would be awesome if I can design it right.

Next steps for me (have less than 2 weeks to do all this yikes):
- Sister joists under tank before filling
- Finish moving out of old apartment
- Design and cement aquascape
- Mix water for new tank
- Design and build light mounts for tank
- Create mixing station in guest shower (hehe)
- Mix water and short cycle new tank
- Move livestock and live rock from old tank
- Break down and sell old tank (lmk if interested in SoCal area)

That's it for now!

 

[New&no clue]

I was following your old tank, I'll jump over to this one now. I have a RSR350 as well. I really like the tank. Is there a reason you're selling your old tank. Couldn't you keep it for a QT or frag tank? Also I adore your Australian shepherd that you had a couple pictures of in your last build.

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

I was following your old tank, I'll jump over to this one now. I have a RSR350 as well. I really like the tank. Is there a reason you're selling your old tank. Couldn't you keep it for a QT or frag tank? Also I adore your Australian shepherd that you had a couple pictures of in your last build.

Aww thanks he's my baby. I'll be sure to add pics of him here too

I'm selling because my new place is a condo and space is a little tight. I might reintroduce a QT tank in the future (might be able to keep it in the garage) but for now I have no plans and 40g might be a little too much space. Plan for this tank is to buy (legit) pre-QT fish for now.

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Here's a diagram of the floor under my office and where the tank will go. The joists must be sistered to handle the weight.

And here are some preliminary rough measurements of the 350 v3 sump (sock area) if anyone finds it helpful:

 

[fishguy242]

found ya...

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

(what people actually view my build threads for):

Also had a great time at the wedge last weekend:

 

[New&no clue]

Here’s mine

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Here’s mine

Aww how old is yours? They look incredibly alike I love it!

 

[New&no clue]

Sadly he past a couple years ago. He was 16 though and acted like a puppy the entire time.

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Sadly he past a couple years ago. He was 16 though and acted like a puppy the entire time.

Sorry to hear it What a cute old doggo though, I'm sure he had a fantastic life

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Sisters up the joists today and the tank is ready for water. I will fill it with nothing in there, mix salt, then add rock and sand.

second pic was just goofing around. I ordered way too much rock so I’m gonna play around with an alternative scape using smaller pieces and cement tonight.

Working 7 20’ 8x10’s down a steep hill, getting them under the crawl space, then installing them (while on that same steep hill) was a challenge! We had three guys, one in the middle holding most of the load, other on a ladder on the high end guiding the hoist up, then me rolling around in the dirt on the narrow end (like a foot of clearance) getting the jhoist in place. Good thing we had a pneumatic nailer that made things go quick!

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Well I guess there’s a first for everything. The floor has a high point in the middle of the stand — worst case scenario. I’ve tried shimming a few areas of the stand with no luck. Guess I need to order some legit shims and shim the whole thing up to get it leveled and even. UGH
First time I’ve had trouble leveling a tank before

 

[fishguy242]

how high,would 3/4 pink styro work under stand with feet removed?

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

how high,would 3/4 pink styro work under stand with feet removed?

Could potentially work. Hard to say how high it is. Can kind of rock the tank back and forth lengthwise if you really try.
It’s high enough the one of the feet towards the back of the stand is like 1/8-1/16” off the ground. putting a level on the tank lengthwise the bubble barely touches one of the lines.
Haven’t tied the styrofoam before... can I get a sheet big enough (4’x2’) at Home Depot?

 

[fishguy242]

yes 4x8 about 10$ ,imo would take all feet off let stand self level in foam

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

On further thought I'm going to try to shim the stand instead. The high point in the floor has a decent amount of surface area so even though it's not a huge difference in height, I don't think the foam would compress enough compared to the lower points. Only challenge of shimming the stand is not knowing what the back side of the stand is doing. Though the tank slightly leans forward so I'm thinking there will be good contact on the back once I shim the front and sides.

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

3D printing mini shims for the feet

 

[RaymondsWorlddd]

Awesome build thread! I too am in the process of setting up a Reefer 350. I know yours will see water way before mine so I’ll keep checking here for inspiration!

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

3D printed a hose clamp... works pretty well! Way better than those cheap ratchet style fittings

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Pump didn’t come with the right size barbs so I’m designing/printing those too!