SuncrestReef
That Apex guy
In February 2018 I started the original build of my Red Sea Reefer XL 425, and it was a very successful tank up until mid-summer 2020 when I started losing some SPS corals. Over a period of several months, I lost many more corals, including whole colonies. My nutrient levels were higher than I normally kept, with PO4 at 0.15 ppm and NO3 over 30 ppm, but ICP tests did not reveal any smoking gun reason for the declining corals. I can't prove that the higher nutrients caused the problem, but I highly suspect it contributed.
Ever since my original build, I have struggled to lower the nutrient levels, and I attribute that to insufficient filtration. Due to the crowded sump space with my UV, canister reactors, and skimmer, I could not fully extend the sock trays to remove the socks for cleaning unless I moved the skimmer out of the way. To get around this I replaced the stock Red Sea filter socks with filter cups filled with fleece fiber which I could refill by stuffing the fiber in without fully extending the cup trays, but the fiber didn't trap nearly as much detritus as a true filter sock, so I believe this was a losing strategy from the start.
For this rebuild, I am completely replacing the stock Red Sea sump with a new Trigger Systems Platinum34 sump with an integrated roller mat filter:
In order to fit this sump inside the Red Sea cabinet, this will require removing the Reefer's center support panel. I will replace that panel with an 80/20 aluminum support frame and a utility shelf:
This rebuild will probably take about a month. I plan to move my fish to a quarantine tank, salvage my surviving corals in my old sump as a life raft while I bleach and scrub pests off my current rocks, scrub the display tank, rebuild the cabinet with the replacement center brace, build all new sump plumbing, cycle the tank again, then finally restock the tank with the surviving corals. I'll post plenty of photos and updates in this thread as I go along.
Ever since my original build, I have struggled to lower the nutrient levels, and I attribute that to insufficient filtration. Due to the crowded sump space with my UV, canister reactors, and skimmer, I could not fully extend the sock trays to remove the socks for cleaning unless I moved the skimmer out of the way. To get around this I replaced the stock Red Sea filter socks with filter cups filled with fleece fiber which I could refill by stuffing the fiber in without fully extending the cup trays, but the fiber didn't trap nearly as much detritus as a true filter sock, so I believe this was a losing strategy from the start.
For this rebuild, I am completely replacing the stock Red Sea sump with a new Trigger Systems Platinum34 sump with an integrated roller mat filter:
In order to fit this sump inside the Red Sea cabinet, this will require removing the Reefer's center support panel. I will replace that panel with an 80/20 aluminum support frame and a utility shelf:
This rebuild will probably take about a month. I plan to move my fish to a quarantine tank, salvage my surviving corals in my old sump as a life raft while I bleach and scrub pests off my current rocks, scrub the display tank, rebuild the cabinet with the replacement center brace, build all new sump plumbing, cycle the tank again, then finally restock the tank with the surviving corals. I'll post plenty of photos and updates in this thread as I go along.
Great planning on the sump !!
