Reefer 525 XL Zeo build thread

[brobs7896]

Tank and almost all the parts finally came in recently, I'm like a kid at Christmas! Anyways i'd just like to post my progress, share my issues, and hopefully get some suggestions as it progresses.

Brs tonga/pukani wasn pressure washed, bleached for a day, acid bathed twice for a total of an hour, and sat for a month with lathanum chloride it my hanna phosphate was reading .00 - .03 and decided it was hopefully good enough. Had to build my rock structure for a while and figured id have to cycle it from dry inside the tank. I'm hoping the cycle goes well and algae doesn't run rampant when starting the zeo cycle. They really don't have much to say on the forums there about a dry rock cycle to avoid pests.

Thanks for reading, comments appreciated, more to come.

 

[Evan West]

Beautiful dog, I love german shepherds! As far as the tank goes it looks like you either have done this before or have done your research well. Looking forward to the updates.

 

[MCooper]

LOVE the aquascape and the dog hahah. Looking forward to this build for sure.

 

[brobs7896]

Most photogenic animal i've ever owned she loves the camera flash... (this is my 3rd shepherd) lol

 

[seastar]

Excellent start! I am going to be setting up a very similar setup in the near future, I'm following along as well!

 

[MCooper]

Had them all my life and now I get to treat them hahah! One in my photo is a Malinois/Czech Shepherd. Great dogs

 

[brobs7896]

Beautiful dog, I love german shepherds! As far as the tank goes it looks like you either have done this before or have done your research well. Looking forward to the updates.

Thanks, no expert by any means! The wife can answer the research part... "It's all he ever does with his alone time" Hopefully ill get this tank right, i'm sure ill have a lot of questions as i go

 

[Evan West]

Thanks, no expert by any means! The wife can answer the research part... "It's all he ever does with his alone time" Hopefully ill get this tank right, i'm sure ill have a lot of questions as i go

Haha yea my friends all say "Evan is either doing homework or researching cars and fish"

 

[lestat45559]

I know you will love your 525XL, after our fire and move to a new house I needed something about bought one, it has been a pleasure to work with, fish and corals are starting to go in. I am still getting used to the Aurora, doesnt seem to be a lot of programs out there and the onboard program is a little lacking I feel.

 

[brobs7896]

Yeah the ati dimmable is pretty straight forward, hope to add some kessils for shimmer and a small amount of dusk dawn ramping. I have an xr15 pro but I think mounting or hanging that would look bad on the side of the ati.

 

[blkhwkz]

Have you thought about adding a Reefbrite XHO strip for shimmer? I have the same ATI fixture on my 425XL, ordering the XHO strip within the next month. I like how it mounts on the ATI using the factory screws and looks clean.

 

[brobs7896]

I have, I tried to find a video on one of those with an equally bright t5 setup and couldn't. I know you can still see a kessil 360 under a t5 and I think it will be hard to beat a kessil making shimmer, just have to figure out a mounting solution. I'll either attach 2 on opposite sides of the ati, or mount them off the wall with a gooseneck and swivel attachment or similar. Let me know how it looks. I won't be doing any led till I can sell or trade my radion.

 

[brobs7896]

Wanted to see how a few things fit today, vertex filter socks fit buttt vertex reactor doesn't fit in return pump side of sump. It would have if if the sump dimension for that side didn't include the inch from the foam area probably. I could just be tired from work and not thinking yet... I only needed another inch! Don't we all I can at least plumb the zeo return into the return pump area, this way the skimmer wont skim the mulm feeding to coral. Along with that some additives are to be dosed in front of the reactor, not skimmed out. Guess ill have to just do my best, smash it till it fits, think of ways around it, move some parts around or plumb it differently once my brain starts working again.

 

[newreefer78]

wow. love the rockwork. Looking forward for the build of your tank

 

[brobs7896]

Tanks been up about 3 months now and doing well for the most part, still looks a little bare. Hopefully stocked with more corals in the next update

 

[Heezie]

Beautiful tank! Any updates??

 

[nfrench2100]

+1 would love to see updates. I can only imagine what this thing looks like a year later! [emoji102]