Rookie Reefer XL 425

[kswan]

Great setup!

Great job so far!

Thanks! I'll keep the updates coming...

 

[ruthlesshatter]

looking amazing. definitely going to follow this, looking to move to a bigger tank soon

 

[kswan]

Crap!!!

The uniseal at the bottom of my mixing station is leaking!

I was able to pull it out enough to stop the leak but it will need to be fixed. Unfortunately all of my rock is in that bin being cured. I believe the cure is done and will confirm in a few days. Hopefully it will hold until then without dumping 30 gallons of saltwater into my basement.

My original plan was to waterproof the stand and add an emergency drain. Should have listened to my inner engineer and done it before adding water...

 

[kswan]

Making progress on the right side of the cabinet. A second panel will hold a pair of FMM modules for the mixing station and ATO.

 

[kswan]

Rock are in the Tank!

 

[kswan]

Here is my solution to create a waterproof mixing station. First I used some leftover trim to add a small rim.

 

[kswan]

Next I used some JB weld to add a small piece of 1" PVC for an overflow. This will run to a nearby drain.

 

[kswan]

This will be followed up with a coat of Flex Seal. I'm not much of a "as seen on TV" person but this seems legit.

Phil Swift looks trustworthy right?...

 

[kswan]

I also started the auto top off install. For the Reefer 425 it made sense to me in the front corner of the return chamber. This gives access to the magnetic mount for easy adjustment. I had to flip the optical sensors and and float valve 180 degrees in the mount.

 

[kswan]

Here it is with a couple coats of Flex Seal. I'll finish it off with a coat of white paint.

 

[kswan]

The mixing station will be done and reassembled this week. Should be full of water by the weekend.

 

[kswan]

As promised the mixing station is reassembled and fully operational including the ATO. In the first picture you can see how I secured the pump with zip ties to a fiberglass rod.

The second pic is the rod secured in the RODI bin. I set the low level sensor at roughly the 15 gallon mark so I will always have enough on hand for my planned 10% weekly water changes. The high level sensor turns off the solenoid an inch or so below the float valve.

I also got the floor supports in place so I'm ready for water.

 

[kswan]

It's officially wet! Making RODI currently and will continue to fill this weekend. Once I get 6 inches or so I'll put the sand in. The overflow is about half full with no plumbing leaks so far.

 

[kswan]

I built a stand for the skimmer to get the water level at 7 inches. The manual said 6-8 so I went for the middle.

It's officially cycling and everything is going great! The Apex programming has given me a few problems but I'm learning.

 

[Tahoe61]

Love the scape.

 

[kswan]

It's been a while since I gave an update. The tank is cycled and ready for fish. I also decided to redo the scape. My thought was to leave more room for future growth.

 

[kswan]

I've also had a few equipment issues...
My Apex crapped out while I was away for 5 days. Luckily there was no livestock. So far service has been really good. I'll be sending it back tomorrow. The failure has taught me a good lesson about having backups. Everything is up and running on power strips with the exception of the WAVs. The only other issue is that I can't easily fill my RODI reservoir because of an inline solenoid valve that I can't power on. I think I'll order a fitting to bypass temporarily.

 

[kswan]

In addition to the Apex, one of my Hydras died. This was easily replaced by AI. They were very friendly and fast.

Finally the 0-10 volt port on my VarioS was not working. Coralvue is sending a replacement controller. Once again very nice to work with.

Hopefully I am past the equipment issues. Luckily all companies have been great.

 

[jamesgaines]

Looking incredible beautiful setup

 

[kswan]

Thanks!