Reefer 525 XL ...#upgrades

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

12/17/2018 (redid aquascape yet again for more room for corals):


10/24/2018:


9/4/2018:
DSC01047 by Andrew English, on Flickr

So I just got back into the hobby with a Nuvo 30L (it's been running for like 2 months) but I decided it was too small and I had been itching for a bigger tank. I've had this tank for a while and set it up finally (original post didn't make this part clear).

The tank has:
Custom return manifold w/ 2 reactors and tap for a third
Jebao DCT 8000 return pump
90lbs reef savers rock
Mixing bins
A bunch of Koralia powerheads
Heaters
Reef octopus 150-INT skimmer (trying to dial it in)

I currently have it set up and cycling. I'm trying to figure out my lighting options but after my experience with LEDs I think I'm going to go with T5s . I'll probably end up getting the Sunblaze 48" 6-bulb T5 fixture and having my dad build a canopy that sits flush like the stand for the tank to mount it on.

Still need ideas for the aquascape!

Also, the drain is noisy and there's a very slow drip leak from the return fitting into the bulkhead so I need to address those two today or tomorrow. I was thinking just teflon coating the threads on the return pipe should be sufficient.

And I'm very embarrassed to admit that I accidentally swapped the main drain pipe and emergency drain pipe in the bulkhead on my first go... so I was freaking out wondering why the water was rushing into the sump so fast and why the drain valve adjustment didn't do anything... embarrassing!

Here's the tank right now:

And underneath needs some clean up work:

 

[Crabs McJones]

I love me an RSR tank! Following along for your upgrade, and good luck

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

I ran into my first problem today. The return PVC that fits in the overflow box connecting the manifold to the display started leaking at the bulkhead fitting (am I saying that right)? It took a few tries of draining the overflow, taking the pipe out, teflon taping, and refitting the pipe to stop the leak (or maybe it's leaking very slowly now and I'm going to be ANGRY when I check again haha). A little frustrating, and messy... I ended up spilling saltwater down the back of the tank on my wood floors :/ soaking with towels and blowing the fan now. Wasn't much, like a couple cups, so I'm hoping I can get it dried up.

There are two things I dislike about the tank (minor):
The ATO reservoir is pitiful. How on earth do you fill that in a sane and convenient way?? And why rely on just a float valve???
The PVC fittings for the overflow are very cheap and flimsy. The O-Rings seem to be undersized for the application as well, but I'm no plumber. You'd think on a $2.5k setup they would use better / overbuilt fittings for this. Maybe I'm out of line here but I'm frustrated that the brand new looking PVC fittings started leaking.

Those are the only two complaints really though, this thing looks awesome and was built well! And the sump is so great, what an awesome upgrade from an AIO tank!

 

[ncaldwell]

Your complaints are shared by alot of people. I ditched the ato and plumbed it to my garage instead since mine only lasted a day or 2 at most. The stock float valve broke on mine after a couple months and would have flooded everything had I not been looking in my sump when it just broke and floated away. For the o rings you can try some silicone grease from lowes. It stopped the leak on mine for going on 2 years now

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Looks like I have the leak down to an extremely slow leak (one drop over the night) so I'm just going to give the pipe a little tightening and it should be good. Hopefully. Maybe.

I also did my first pass at the aquascape last night. I'm finding the previous owner's rock very difficult to work with -- he has a bunch of HUGE pieces and few smaller ones so piling up rock and making creative archways and such is quite difficult. Also I'm having to orient the rocks in such a way that the numerous plugs of epoxy (he used A LOT) are hidden. (I couldn't get them out, even with a hammer and screwdriver).

Here's my first go (I already hate it):
20180827_093114 by Andrew English, on Flickr

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

So now I'm considering buying all new fully cured LR from my LFS (they have some great Coraline covered rock... but it's EXPENSIVE)... sigh. This hobby is just too much.

 

[JoshH]

So now I'm considering buying all new fully cured LR from my LFS (they have some great Coraline covered rock... but it's EXPENSIVE)... sigh. This hobby is just too much.

You can always do a mix of the LR and dry rock to ease the pressure on your wallet, plus there seems to be much more variety in dry rock shape wise.

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

You can always do a mix of the LR and dry rock to ease the pressure on your wallet, plus there seems to be much more variety in dry rock shape wise.

I agree, I'm looking into that now. I've just had great success with this LFS's cured rock with my 30L that it makes me want to repeat that same process with the 525 xl. The 30L has been incredibly stable and all I have is the LR, some matrix, and filter sponges so I believe that rock is doing an awesome job filtering (I also only have one fish sooo... haha). No water changes for a month and a half and the tank is running great.

I'm also not really pleased with the shape of the rock I have now; it's bulky and awkward and very difficult to stack. I think doing a mix or going with the LFS rock (if they have enough) is probably my best bet. I'd hate to get down the road and still be wishing I had done that right from the start.

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

I got new rock and it was so worth it! I'm still trying to tweak things a little but I'm much happier with the aquascape.

I also ordered my lights:
48" Sun Blaze fixture w/ 6x 54W bulbs:
3 ATI Blue Plus
1 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus
1 ATI Aquablue Special

It's a slight modification of what ATI recommends for "crisp white". I took away one of the aquablue specials and traded it for the purple plus.

That stuff comes in Friday and I can't wait. However my canopy won't be complete for a few weeks so they will be rigged up with some 2x6's that I'm later going to use to shore up the area under the tank in the crawl space. It's going to be ugly for a couple weeks.

Here's what I have now:
20180827_141410 by Andrew English, on Flickr

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Lights come in tomorrow! I ordered some timers as well (I forgot the cheap T5 fixture doesn’t have a controller like my Hydras) so I can run the T5’s and be able to add some deep blue LED strips in the future.

Since Saturday I’ve been using AquaVitro seed on the tank. Today both my Nitrites and Ammonia are at zero! Nitrates read 5 ppm and Phosphate zero. PH is 8.3 and DKH is 10 (a little high for some reason — could be because I used LFS water w/ Kent salt?). This coincides with my process on 30L where I used the same rock (literally from the same bin/curing/shipment — it’s very well cured) from the LFS and same bottle of AquaVitro. I’m going to wait until Saturday or Sunday and test the water again to be safe but it looks like the tank followed the same cycle as my 30L which is doing great so far.

I’m excited!

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Lights were supposed to come in today but they're in IL. That's a long way from CO Now I don't know what to do with myself!

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Lights came in! I rigged up a quick stand to test them but I'm quite bummed about the colors It's SO BLUE. See pics:

I first tried (back - front):
Blue Plus
Coral Plus
Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
AquaBlue Special

And it was WAY too blue.

So then I swapped out the middle Blue Plus for the Spectralux 6500k and got this:20180901_232939 by Andrew English, on Flickr

Color looked way more accurate but it looked washed out.

So then I took out the AquaBlue Special and went back to looking too blue
20180901_233956 by Andrew English, on Flickr

Then I took out the Spectralux and got this
20180901_234219 by Andrew English, on Flickr

Still didn't like it...
Took out the another Blue Plus and got this (Now just Blue Plus, Coral Plus, Purple Plus):
20180901_234359 by Andrew English, on Flickr

Way better, but still not really stoked on it

Any tips?

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

After more experimenting I ended up settling on the Blue +, Coral +, Purple + combo for now. I'd like to add a true actinic and another purple plus or coral plus in the future to give it a little more pink and soften the color -- right now it just looks... harsh.

Anyways, I got the ATO set up, temp controllers, etc. Tests all done and tank is cycled. I added Carl and he's doing great I also bought a Chocolate Tang. I never really wanted to put a tang in the tank but after seeing this guy in the LFS and learning about how they make a dramatic color change I picked one up. So far he is very peaceful and ignores Carl -- they don't even fight over food.

I also transferred over my frogspawn that lost a couple heads previously (figured he'd be a good 'tester' coral). He's starting to come out now and I have to say the colors look better than my LED's. I think I just need to find the balance between the soft, pinkish/daylight look of my LED's and that cool clinical looks of the T5 (hence wanting to add purple and actinic -- I can always balance that with a 6500k bulb too).

Here are some pictures straight out of the camera (except the first one). Not amazing just quick snaps. I still need to get a bigger mag float for this tank lol. Color is accurate to my eyes.

DSC01041 by Andrew English, on Flickr

DSC01040 by Andrew English, on Flickr

DSC01037 by Andrew English, on Flickr

DSC01034 by Andrew English, on Flickr

DSC01032 by Andrew English, on Flickr

DSC01031 by Andrew English, on Flickr

(canopy is still a work in progress; the 2x9s are temporary)

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

I bought LEDs!! 3x Kessil A360WE + link cables + Spectral Controller. Wohoo! The tank looks WAY better now but I think I do have some tuning to do with the color (way easier than the T5s lol). Love the shimmer And BRS accepted my return request for the fixture and bulbs, very kind of them.

I successfully transferred all corals to the new tank. The LPS are still pretty stressed but the leather and toadstool are already out.

I had to transfer the toadstool and the live rock that he was on. What I didn't realize was that piece of rock was on the sand bed of the old tank and when I placed it in the new tank I saw a little cloud of sand bubble up and now I'm starting to see cloudy water. Ugh, I'm angry at myself for not thinking of that. I guess now I have to bite my nails through a bacterial bloom... I'm literally watching the water get cloudier and cloudier I have carbon on standby and the tank did come with reactors... so just in case I guess? Time to read up on how those work.

Here are some shots of the lights and tank as it is now. I'll do coral shots when the water clears up and I can get something to clean up the inside glass (can't believe I forgot to get a mag float again lol).

20180904_201531 by Andrew English, on Flickr

DSC01046 by Andrew English, on Flickr

DSC01047 by Andrew English, on Flickr

 

[Hulley]

Looks very nice! The 525XL is a great size.

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Looks very nice! The 525XL is a great size.

Thanks! I agree!

Today I created a DIY refugium area in the sump and did some creative plumbing work to make the skimmer power the flow in the refugium. I have the Reef Octopus 150 INT Classic which apparently came with an imperial adapter for the output... but I can't find it. So after spending some time at Home Depot getting creative with fittings I came up with an awkward solution to get the output towards the bottom of the sump, capable of 'spinning' the cheato like I've seen in YT videos. I used egg crate to create the divider.

I also needed to raise the skimmer. The sump level I believe was 10.5-11" but the skimmer recommends 6-9"... so I raised by 3" by creating a little egg crate box to get the skimmer at the optimal height. Hopefully I can get some drier skimmate now. Still learning how to use the thing haha.

I'm hoping this works out. If anyone sees me destined for failure please intervene now!

 

[Hulley]

Looks good, FWIW I do not tumble my chaeto. I just posted week 1 vs. week 2 chaeto growth on my system. BTW, I do not run a skimmer, I'm not against it just experimenting.

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Oh where do I start.

I made some pretty big mistakes here haha. Long story short, my dad made a matching canopy for me but the dimensions were wrong (my fault)... ended up dunking two of my A360's completely in the tank (they were off luckily). Rinsed them out with RO water and let them dry for a few days. Put them together today and they work! Whoo! That's it for good news.

When I dunked my Kessil's I had to take them all out and dry them so I had to use my old AI Hyrda 26's to light the tank. I set them to a nice low intensity to be easy on the corals for the change. Everything is doing great, including my new Duncan frag, but unfortunately my trumpet coral and torch coral aren't doing so hot I don't want to lower the intensity anymore because all my other corals are already reaching like crazy for the light and it's really quite low for just having two 26's spread over the 5' tank. I'm hoping I can get the new canopy installed next week and try to nurse those corals back. Unfortunately they are probably goners as the trumpet is losing tissue and the torch is completely bleached. But I'm not giving up!

Otherwise the tank is thriving; Carl and Tina both are happy as can be and all of my other corals really are showing lots of growth (granted they're easy corals).

My phosphates and nitrates have come down to dead zero. So I think I'm going to step up my feedings to help combat this.... and maybe add another fish since they won't be affected by the light transition

I have to say I'm amazed at how much my leather and toadstool have grown. I understand soft corals grow quickly but I feel like I can literally watch them grow haha. The LPS are showing great extension and look great to my eyes as well.

I'm not planning on adding anymore coral until I get the lights resolved and even then it will still be hardy corals. This tank went through a couple bacterial blooms but I'm still seeing some occasional closing or reduced extension in the corals and I think it's because the tank is still going through a lot of adjustments. It's only a month old so no need to rush. I do believe adding another fish would be good to help bring up my nitrates though.

Here's a pic of the tank currently
20180922_201433 by Andrew English, on Flickr

Current livestock:
Mimic Tang
Oscellaris Clown
Tiger Conchs
Snails (dang can't think of the name right now)
Green Sinularia
Neon Green Toadstool
Frogspawn (non branching)
Torch (branching)
Trumpet frag
Duncan frag
Green Hammer
Pink Hammer

Maintenance has been pretty easy fortunately. I just make sure to test frequently and keep the RO res topped up. Otherwise I just clean the skimmer cup about every couple weeks (just have a slow wet skim since nothing much in the tank).

Still learning a lot!

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Things are going great! I've just ordered a new batch of test kits for NO3, PO4, pH, Alk. I was disappointed with the kits I'm currently using so I'm hoping these new ones come out better (Red Sea and Salifert).

I also ordered 3 Reef Brite UV-A Mini Magnum (395nm according to RB) LED's. There seems to be a lot of contradicting info on UV and corals, but I do know they help the colors pop a bit. I figured I'd add them in with the Kessils and see if they do anything. Worst case they end up as some pretty cool moonlights

My dad finished the canopy as well, and it looks amazing on the tank! I think it looks much better than open top, personally.

Lastly I rescaped the right half of the tank as I needed better coral real estate and space for the awesome leather I just got! (big one in the center).

Oh, also got 3x Ingitus Anthias which add a great splash of color to the tank. They all hang out together too which is cool to watch.

Still haven't done a water change and parameters have been perfect.

Unfortunately I don't think my trumpet coral or torch coral are going to make it. The trumpet is still losing tissue and the torch is still bleaching. The lights are at 100% color (I like it) but only 20% intensity. Other corals are doing great (except for my sinularia which comes out but doesn't show polyps what the heck?? I moved him to try and help).

Here's some pics (taken on the fly). I'm battling some algae on the glass but when my UV-A stuff comes in and my scraper Friday I'll clean it up and get some nicer shots


Mounting system for the Kessils... allows me to easily slide them in/out and adjust l/r and f/b
DSC01050 by Andrew English, on Flickr

New leather
DSC01051 by Andrew English, on Flickr

Tank in the room -- now I need to get a new couch as things don't fit anymore (keep in mind this is my first house so it's a little bare).
DSC01054 by Andrew English, on Flickr

Side view..... btw, this size mag float is barely acceptable and it wasn't cheap. I'm disappointed. It struggles to get the tougher algae off the thicker front glass which really bothers me -- what's the point of these things if they overcharge and cheap out on the magnets
DSC01055 by Andrew English, on Flickr

"Testing Lab" setup in the laundry ...err... fish... room.
DSC01056 by Andrew English, on Flickr

No kidding, the laundry room really has become the fish room. The dosing supplies and cabinets came free with the tank... but I have to say the Ikea mounting racks for the cabinets are truly garbage. That's how the cabinets line up after an hour of cussing and attempting to level their poorly cut rack system. Also yes that heater is the original with the house ('49). Works like a champ
DSC01057 by Andrew English, on Flickr

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Copied from my post in another thread:

I just started manual dosing today. I do NOT plan to manually dose forever, I just want to correct everything to where I want it, stop dosing, measure the tank every day for 5 days, and get average rates of depletion for Ca/Alk/Mg. If the rates are significant enough, I will begin automated dosing. However if they're tiny (something I suspect) then I will just manually dose once or twice a week by measuring the according levels before, calculating the dose, and measuring after to be safe.

Anyways, I created the dosing mixtures according to BRS and then used their calculator to get the recommended dosages. I ended up adding 300mL CaCl2 in at once to bring Ca from 395 -> 435. A bit of an overestimation; I think I can correct this by further reducing the tank volume used by the calculator (I guessed 120 gal from 139 gal). I also discovered I need about 197mL of Na2CO3 to get my Alk from 6.7 -> 9. I decided to split this up over five days resulting in a ~40mL dose each day. This also came out just a little high as my 40mL dose today raised the Alk from 6.7 -> 7.35. BRS recommends not changing things by over 1.4/day so 0.6/day seems safe.

Side note:
Calcium tests suck. I've been struggling with both the Red Sea and Salifert kits. I decided I like the Salifert kit better (just because it's easier) but the Red Sea kit consistently tests ~10ppm higher. With both kits the error is so significant (~10-20ppm) I'm getting pretty frustrated and just hoping I get better at it. If anyone has a recommendation for another Calcium kit to try I'm all ears. I find the Red Sea kit imprecise no matter how I use it; I at least feel the Salifert kit is imprecise because of how the CA1 step is measured and how awkward the CA2 dropper is to use.



... measurements are getting intimidating. I picked up a calendar whiteboard and will be plotting out all my measurements there to analyze for trends.


By the way, I picked up an adult Tomini Tang (rescaped the tank before + the Tomini is like twice the size of my Lemonpeel), an ORA Red Goniopora, and a tiny little Kenya Tree frag. All doing great!

I then made a mistake... I made my first uninformed purchase, completely based off the trust off the LFS. I bought a Cleaner Wrasse. UGH, after researching now I feel horrible. I feel if I return him someone less willing to try and take care of him will live; the better thing to do is just not buy them in the first place and reduce demand so stores stop stocking them. It is fun to watch him swim around and clean the tank and fish.

Pics incoming!