SuncrestReef's Reefer XL 425 Rebuild

[Flameback Pair]

I’ve got an 18 watt Pentair UV on my Reefer 250 and I’m currently plumbing it into my system. I don’t have the skills to plumb it in the cabinet entirely and hard plumb either. The Ultra Aqua brands of overall look shorter than the Pentair of the same wattage. BTW how many watts is yours?

 

[SuncrestReef]

I’ve got an 18 watt Pentair UV on my Reefer 250 and I’m currently plumbing it into my system. I don’t have the skills to plumb it in the cabinet entirely and hard plumb either. The Ultra Aqua brands of overall look shorter than the Pentair of the same wattage. BTW how many watts is yours?

I have the AquaUV Classic 15 watt. It's a little undersized for my tank, but in my original build it was the only size I could fit inside the cabinet. Now that I've removed the cabinet's center dividing panel and replaced it with an aluminum support frame, I could fit a larger UV unit, but I'm just sticking with what I already have. It seemed to work well for me before I tore down the tank for this rebuild.

 

[schuby]

This has turned into one of the longest slow-motion builds, but I’m finally back on the project.

I made some minor changes to the plumbing design, and just need to trim a few fittings to properly fit my UV sterilizer.

I should have the rest of the plumbing done tomorrow.

We'll just say that this is a "bionic" build. Those types of builds always appear to be going slow when, in reality, they are moving much faster than normal.

 

[SuncrestReef]

Well, I made a small mistake. When I posted the new plumbing design yesterday, I had removed the roller motor to have easier access to the drain fittings on the sump. After connecting the PVC parts, I discovered that they are in the way of installing the roller motor. Luckily I haven't glued anything yet.

I accounted for this in my original mock-up, but I forgot about it once I had the sump inside the actual cabinet and the motor assembly removed. So now I need to move the sump closer to the front of the cabinet, and add a 45 degree elbow to provide more clearance for the motor assembly:

Unfortunately, that leaves me one 45 degree elbow short for the rest of my plumbing design. I just ordered an additional elbow, so that will delay the final plumbing installation.

In the meantime, I finished several rounds of soaking the rocks in muriatic acid and bleach, so now they're drying in the sun before I'm ready to build the new aquascape. I love all the nooks & crannies in Pukani rock. Tons of surface area, but much lighter weight than most natural reef rock.

Also, a special Thank You to @Daveobrien for the help cutting my shelf to size so I have a place for my Trident.

 

[Daveobrien]

Unfortunately, that leaves me one 45 degree elbow short for the rest of my plumbing design. I just ordered an additional elbow, so that will delay the final plumbing installation.

If either of these help, come get them and you don't have to wait for shipping. I Hate being one piece short and stalling a project.

 

[SuncrestReef]

If either of these help, come get them and you don't have to wait for shipping. I Hate being one piece short and stalling a project.

Thanks, but my OCD won't let me use a gray 45 when everything else is orange.

I already placed the order, so I'm all set. I have plenty of other tasks to work on in the meantime.

 

[Flameback Pair]

@SuncrestReef I am particularly interested in how you mounted and plumbed in your UV sterilizer onto the ceiling of your cabinet. Could you please post a photo of the UV and plumbing?

 

[SuncrestReef]

@SuncrestReef I am particularly interested in how you mounted and plumbed in your UV sterilizer onto the ceiling of your cabinet. Could you please post a photo of the UV and plumbing?

In my original build, the UV was mounted back to front so I could pull the bulb straight out from the front of the tank. You can see the plumbing design from that build here:

Build Thread - SuncrestReef's Red Sea Reefer XL 425 build

You’ve spent a gazillion dollars. That would be fun...[emoji41]

www.reef2reef.com

And the mounting brackets can be seen in this post:

Build Thread - SuncrestReef's Red Sea Reefer XL 425 build

More good progress today. I glued up all the PVC and installed the sump plumbing. I purchased a set of mounting brackets for the Aqua UV sterilizer since it's a pretty heavy unit and will require periodic maintenance to replace the bulb and clean the glass tube. I wanted to make sure it was...

www.reef2reef.com

For this new build, I'm mounting the UV parallel to the front of the cabinet because I can now remove the bulb without the center panel in the way:

View from below:

 

[KingTideCorals]

Some really beautiful plumbing there!

Loving seeing the reboot of the tank! Keep us updated, I will for sure be following along with this one!

 

[Flameback Pair]

In my original build, the UV was mounted back to front so I could pull the bulb straight out from the front of the tank. You can see the plumbing design from that build here:

Build Thread - SuncrestReef's Red Sea Reefer XL 425 build

You’ve spent a gazillion dollars. That would be fun...[emoji41]

www.reef2reef.com

And the mounting brackets can be seen in this post:

Build Thread - SuncrestReef's Red Sea Reefer XL 425 build

More good progress today. I glued up all the PVC and installed the sump plumbing. I purchased a set of mounting brackets for the Aqua UV sterilizer since it's a pretty heavy unit and will require periodic maintenance to replace the bulb and clean the glass tube. I wanted to make sure it was...

www.reef2reef.com

For this new build, I'm mounting the UV parallel to the front of the cabinet because I can now remove the bulb without the center panel in the way:

View from below:

@SuncrestReef very nice. Where did you get the mounting brackets?

 

[SuncrestReef]

@SuncrestReef very nice. Where did you get the mounting brackets?

I got them here:

Mounting Brackets - Aqua UV Miscellaneous Parts

Aqua UV Mounting Clips with Grip Hold - Black Fits Most Aqua UV units with the 2" Body Grip hold Sold by the each. Most single lamp units ...

www.aquauvstore.com

 

[Bleigh]

Getting some sump ideas! Love the build!!!

 

[SuncrestReef]

OK, I finally had time today to glue the PVC. Tomorrow I will do a leak test, and if all goes well, fill the tank with water!

On a side note, does anyone know how many 22" bluegill can be kept in a Reefer XL 425? I hope the fish police don't come for me...

 

[Bleigh]

I did not realize the uv sterilizer could be plumbed with tubes being horizontal like that. I think they had to be pointing up if the sterilizer was horizontal. That may make my plumbing more simple.

 

[PanhandleReef]

He's a rule breaker. Not only is the UV plumbed with horizontal tubes he also has water flow from top to bottom. Threw me off for a little bit since I've never seen it that way.

 

[Robertellis30]

BRS suggest you have it plumbed vertically to avoid air bubbles being trapped. But I would think have check valves on both sides would allow you to control water flow and enate the air bubble affect.

Ps. Great thread. Following along for ideas myself!

 

[Typhon]

Great going so far, Very clean setup!! Following along.

 

[Bleigh]

He's a rule breaker. Not only is the UV plumbed with horizontal tubes he also has water flow from top to bottom. Threw me off for a little bit since I've never seen it that way.

BRS suggest you have it plumbed vertically to avoid air bubbles being trapped. But I would think have check valves on both sides would allow you to control water flow and enate the air bubble affect.

Ps. Great thread. Following along for ideas myself!

Thanks for clarifying!!! I’ll have to think about how the check valves would impact bubbles. Plumbing it the way it is here would make it a little more simple.

 

[SuncrestReef]

SUCCESS !!!!!

No water leaks, and the drain gate valve makes the overflow dead silent! My biggest complaint about my Reefer was the Red Sea diaphragm valve that would never retain the adjustment for more than a few minutes.

Tomorrow I'll work on installing the electronics.

 

[SuncrestReef]

I tested the roller for the first time this morning and it worked as expected. What surprised me was the amount of dirt it captured from a completely empty tank (no rocks, no sand, no fish) that was just filled 12 hours ago with freshly mixed saltwater. I can't wait to see how much real crap it filters out once the tank is stocked!

The roller motor is nearly silent, and it rotates the roll very slowly. But you can see the water level lowering as the filter moves, and it stopped as soon as the float switch dropped.