Red Sea Reefer XL 200

[ilott]

Fwiw,
I’ve had saltwater tanks for almost 50 years, so take this with a grain of, well, salt!

First,
There isn’t a huge difference in size between 200 & 300 liters, so go for the bigger one if you have the budget.

One important purpose of protein skimmers that often gets overlooked is gas exchange between the system water and the atmosphere. Oxygen in and CO2 out is a biggie. The CO2 is much more soluble than O2 and a lot of the biochemistry going on relies on both. I would not run a system without one & it will help provide for a greater overall system capacity as well.

You will run out of tank volume (room) a lot quicker than you anticipate. Anything smaller than about 120 gallons (4 feet long) tends to be easier to take care of. A larger system tends to be more stable. Cleaning glass will be a chore that never goes away. Between those factors you will find a lot of tanks in the 40-150 gallon range. The larger sizes also allows for keeping a few more, or larger types of fish, corals, etc. The bigger ones are also more $$$$! Cost of operation is also a factor and doesn’t always scale linearly to the size. There’s your dilemma

Automation can help a LOT with stability, if it’s done right. It is also expensive!

To do right, this hobby is not easy & requires a lot of knowledge & work. If it were easy & cheap then everyone would do it. It’s also the most rewarding hobby I’ve ever had & I hope the same for you!

One last thing to consider...who will take care of it when you are away or sick?
-my $0.02, best of luck!

Thank you for letting me know this! I've got lots to learn definiteyl, but this reefing forum is awesome!

 

[Palegic]

Honestly on a tank that size you would probably have great success ditching both and utilizing an a clearwater algae scrubber.

 

[ichthyoid]

Thank you for letting me know this! I've got lots to learn definiteyl, but this reefing forum is awesome!

Here’s a graph that puts the gas solubility into perspective. Why I really like skimmers! At room temperature CO2 is about 10x’s more soluble than oxygen.

 

[Tchung23]

When all is said and done, the cost difference in the tank is nothing compared to the total you will spend. Buy the bigger tank, use the light you have now... then upgrade the light (that's easier than upgrading the tank). Just set up the aquascape so the corals that need it are right under the light.

That being said, I added a refugium to my 200XL using a hang on. ( https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/smal...um-with-led-ligthing-system-cpr-aquatics.html )

Looks like it fits perfectly.

 

[clifg]

When all is said and done, the cost difference in the tank is nothing compared to the total you will spend. Buy the bigger tank, use the light you have now... then upgrade the light (that's easier than upgrading the tank). Just set up the aquascape so the corals that need it are right under the light.

That being said, I added a refugium to my 200XL using a hang on. ( https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/smal...um-with-led-ligthing-system-cpr-aquatics.html )

Nice on fitting the fuge! I was thinking about the same but on the display tank. Now that I know one fits down there I may give it a go. I was wondering if you could share a bit more about your setup, especially the return pump. I have a sicce 2.0 in there as that was just above the recommended gph. I'm having a heck of a time balancing water rushing down the overflow and being super loud with not having enough water in the return chamber. Even if I dip my hands in to do some maintenance it throws the whole balance out of whack. On top of that where my ato gets triggered is only about an inch above the top of the return pump so it's this tiny margin of not having enough water in there and having too much and the ato not working. Also the ato seems to drip very slowly to the point where it kind of just runs down the float valve. Any advice? Thanks Jon!

 

[Jon's Reef]

I was using an ecotech S2 for a return pump. That was plumbed through a 15 watt Aqua UV sterilizer then to the display tank. The skimmer in the pic is a skimz, but I changed to a NYOS 120. The reactor housing on the left was a CO2 scrubber.

For the fuge, I put a small pump in the return chamber to feed it and it dumped back into the skimmer area. If I was to do it again, I would either buy the medium or do this.

I also removed the stock ATO and used an external 5 gallon tank with a cheap ATO. I didn't want to keep topping it off every few days.

I'm having a heck of a time balancing water rushing down the overflow and being super loud with not having enough water in the return chamber.

You may not have enough GPH in the return pump. Both head height and plumbing restriction causes a drop in the rated GPH. You could try replacing the 90 bend at the top of the return pipe and extending the emergency drain like this. I saw a significant increase in flow rate. the drain valve is kind of a pain, very sensitive. The solution is to replace it with a gate valve (Spears)

On top of that where my ato gets triggered is only about an inch above the top of the return pump so it's this tiny margin of not having enough water in there and having too much and the ato not working. Also the ato seems to drip very slowly to the point where it kind of just runs down the float valve.

You could remove the front cap of the sicce pump. Then it will pull water from lower.

You can also adjust the water level where the ATO activates. The float has a joint, just bend the float down lower.

You can adjust the flow rate of the ATO with the small white valve (inline between the ato and the float valve). Push the float valve down to trigger it, then open the valve until you like the flow rate.

 

[Dan1788]

I have a 200XL and I run the Reefocto Classic Skimmer and I have SPS in there.
I don't think Refugium is essential.
Just don't run away with the fish stock and stick a Small Tang in there to graze on the Algae.
Water changes are the way.
They get rid of build of heavy metals and a Refugium with no WC will not.

Hope this helps...

 

[MrWOB]

I have been a Marine/Reef hobbyist now for 21 years (8 years freshwater hobbyist prior to that), and too, started with small tanks and replaced with bigger and better ones over time. Money was never an issue as the enjoyment and pleasure of keeping and maintaining reef tanks always outweighed it. For me now though, I am stripping down my last 850L (225GAL) reef and downsizing to a much smaller less demanding tank - namely the RS 200XL. I came here looking for fuge sump designs for inspiration - Thanks @Jon's Reef

From experience; a skimmer and chaeto are both essential for a more stable systems and in different ways. As others have explained: you won't need either of these at the start. Also, you don't really need to run a skimmer 24/7 in small tanks and you will find that weekly or 2 weekly 24hr bursts will do enough to remove most of the unwanted. I used to run them all the time in early days, but learnt over time that it wasn't needed. Chaeto will draw out nutrients much different to a skimmer, and is great natural addition for any reef tank for nutrient export - so long as you remove extra growth frequently when it is established (remove the nutrient stored in the chaeto). I will be using both methods, as above for my new 200XL.

Having a small light on in the sump when the main display light is off (alternate photo periods) will also help maintain stable pH, so you don't need to run skimmers to achieve this. But as mentioned, the extra aeration is good at times.

Something to consider: Tangs are great fish and everyone loves and want them, I did. They are stunning fish that come in fantastic colours, and at affordable prices. But they get hungry, they constantly eat and as a result, constantly poop. The bigger they get, the more they eat and the more they poop - BIG POOPS. These fish are why you need all those extra water changes and extra equipment. You will have a more manageable (less demanding) reef tank in a 200XL by choosing smaller/tiny reef species, and you will be able to stock more of them. You can also get a filter feeders and a good clean-up-crew to munch on that unwanted algae the appears at times. They are also great beneficial additions that are fantastic to watch.