Starting a 525 - Advice and pitfalls required :)

[Stutters]

Hey

I am about to purchase a reefer 525. I am looking to start slowly and configure over time. This is what ive got for my bare bones.

RedSea 525

2 Ecotech MP40 Or Gyres not sure on this yet

Ecotech Vectra l1

Nyos 160 skimmer

Ehiem Jager 300w

vividcreativeaquatics ultimate return, Y with 3/4" random flow nozzles nozzles

Custom lid made by Artfully Acrylic

This is my major equipment list so far to start. am i missing anything like must haves? I know peopleuse gyres. any reason over the mp40s?

1)since the new sumps have a 'fuge' i am debating on either running a fuge or an algae scrubber. any insights or advice would be super appreciated!!!
2)Any advice around the ATO? i see people just dont use it really.
3) Manafold advice or guides out there for the 525xl? looking for a part list
4) Dosing setups? this part is fairly new to me. I get the idea of dosing but ive always done it manually! can this fit into a 525?
5) UV - required? can it be plumbed in?
6) my goal is to use the cabinet as a control room for all the various things when i get an eventual apex.

thank you for your time

Kieren

 

[andrewey]

1) I would start with a fuge. It's cheap enough to get some clean cheato and if you decide to change to a scrubber down the road, it's the more expensive option.
2) My pick for ATO is tunze 3155. It's what I consider the gold standard beyond what can be made DIY or requiring a controller.
4) Yup- there's all sorts of dosers/dosing containers and I've seen different ones fit in the 525- all depends on what else you have running.
5) Required, heavens no. Optional. Depends on what you're trying to do with it.
6) Sounds good

Bonus- I'm not a big fan of running a single heater. First, I would run two slightly smaller heaters so if one failed (90% of the time in the "on" position), it can't fry the tank. Second, until you get your apex set up, you might consider looking at a temperature controller. Heaters are one of the most common failure points for a tank- all that money spent on the equipment and livestock only to be foiled by a $40 piece of equipment. There are good/better/bad heaters out there, but they ALL fail eventually. Sure, I have eight year old heaters that still work, but I also have the same heaters that failed after two years. If you automatically distrust heaters, you'll do yourself a ton of favors. Never trust their internal thermostats ALONE- always build some type of redundancy in.

 

[Stutters]

thats actually some awesome advice!!! thank you so much

do you have any personal recs

 

[andrewey]

Glad I can help. What would you like recs on?

 

[Stutters]

sorry the heater situation if you had a brand you liked/controller for a heater.

 

[andrewey]

Eheim Jagers are pretty good. My favorites are finnex paired with a ranco temperature controller or used with something like an apex. I know some people are fans of the inkbird temperature controllers, which seem to be a bit cheaper, but I've never used one, so I can't comment.

 

[Stutters]

Cool thank you!!

So ive not got some light choices

Originally i was going to go with the standard 3x reeferled but they are in the same price range as the 3x XR30 Gen 3 Radions or the new 3x AI Hydra 32

not sure what would be better

 

[Arthacker87]

+1 on heater subject
Have a ehiem Jager and works super well. Gonna have 2 on my 250g tank like stated. Smart move. You seem like you have the equipment side planned out pretty well. They gyre pumps are awesome because of the span of water it can flow. Mp40s seem to last a long time, trusted for great flow and are pretty discrete. The gyre I have has already started giving me problems after a year. Worked awesome till one side decided to not rotate well lol. Taken it apart to clean and check it all but eh. I'm a fan of fuges as well but I've never done an algae scrubber so I'm at a loss here. Like the idea of cheato and rocks helping with pod population and nutrient exporting.

 

[andrewey]

Cool thank you!!

So ive not got some light choices

Originally i was going to go with the standard 3x reeferled but they are in the same price range as the 3x XR30 Gen 3 Radions or the new 3x AI Hydra 32

not sure what would be better

Unfortunately I've only owned DIY leds or black boxes, so I'd be useless to give advice about the fixtures you're considering :/ Hopefully someone else can weigh in

 

[dwair]

I read the title of this as a 525g tank, not the Reefer 525 LOL. I was like oh god, here we go, big boy pants time~!

 

[92Miata]

Bonus- I'm not a big fan of running a single heater. First, I would run two slightly smaller heaters so if one failed (90% of the time in the "on" position), it can't fry the tank. Second, until you get your apex set up, you might consider looking at a temperature controller. Heaters are one of the most common failure points for a tank- all that money spent on the equipment and livestock only to be foiled by a $40 piece of equipment. There are good/better/bad heaters out there, but they ALL fail eventually. Sure, I have eight year old heaters that still work, but I also have the same heaters that failed after two years. If you automatically distrust heaters, you'll do yourself a ton of favors. Never trust their internal thermostats ALONE- always build some type of redundancy in.

My problem with two undersized heaters is if one fails/sticks on - you'll never know about it because the other one just turns off all the time - and one will eventually fail - so you're back in the situation of having one heater that if it sticks it'll cook your tank. It creates a false sense of security.


Heaters almost always fail on. In my opinion, you introduce more risk trying to prevent the 'heater fails off' situation than you prevent. When a heater fails off - it takes hours for the tank temp to get low enough to cause real problems -but when a heater sticks on - it happens fast. I think the best way to handle the "heater no longer heats" situation is to have a boxed spare somewhere - and have logging/alerting to tell you the tank has dropped outside the hysteresis range.

Its a lot easier to tell a house sitter 'unplug that heater, throw it out, and plug this one in' than it is to have them trying to moderate a run-away situation.

If I was going to run two like you suggest - I'd want some sort of current/duty-cycle monitoring so I get a warning when one of them starts running more than normal. Otherwise you have no way to tell the first heater has failed.

I typically run single heaters that run almost 100% duty cycle and can barely keep up - that way if they fail on - the temp goes up a little, and I get an alert - but they're not capable of run-away. If they fail off - tank drops and I get an alert.



(and yeah, controllers are always better than heater thermostats)

 

[Stutters]

so perhaps something like this. 2 of these heaters with a controller

Search results for: '' - Bulk Reef Supply

Bulk Reef Supply - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies for Reef Tanks

www.marinedepot.com

Search results for: '' - Bulk Reef Supply

Bulk Reef Supply - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies for Reef Tanks

www.marinedepot.com

 

[MTBake]

I had 2 300 watt Finnex on my Reefer 525. Just switched to the BRS dual heater/controller setup. Both worked fine for me. I wanted to add a heater to my mixing container, so I decided to replace what was on the tank and use those for mixing water or as a spare.

 

[Stutters]

So if your saying to under do the heater should i get 2x 300 instead of 2x 500

 

[MTBake]

Yes to 2x300watt. That's what I would do. Along with a controller.

Here's what I'm using on the same tank your planning;

Bulk Reef Supply - Making Reefing Fun and Easy

Shop top saltwater aquarium equipment at Bulk Reef Supply. We carry everything you will need for your saltwater aquarium or reef tank.

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Along with a second heating element;

Titanium Heater Element

A Reliable Long-Term Heating Element! We have been on the hunt for a reliable heating element that solves a lot of the issues we currently have with other heaters in the hobby. We have always had issues with heaters that have built-in controllers and segregating the controller out from the...

www.bulkreefsupply.com