Mike's Reefer 625 XXL

[wrxreefer823]

Well it finally happened today. After a couple of years of drooling over Red Sea's Reefer tanks, I finally placed an order for a 625 XXL and I couldn't be more excited! This build is going to be a slow journey from the get go as we just moved into a new house two weeks ago and we want to paint and such before the tank goes into its final resting place. I've also seen some REALLY sexy Red Sea builds with some impressive cable management, so I want to take my time on this one and tailor it to exactly what I want. As far as equipment goes, I know I at least want light and flow to be supplied by Ecotech's Radions and Vortechs, I'm still on the fence of going for a DC return pump though. As far as the rest of the tank, it's up in the air.

For my last few large builds I've used Reef Octopus skimmers and haven't been disappointed but I've seen a few others that I'm interested in as well. I've been out of the large tank game for the last 5 years or so, so I'm certainly open to suggestions when it comes to equipment! I'm also toying with the idea of using an Apex controller, mainly for the monitoring aspect more than anything else. I've never dosed a tank and honestly don't plan on starting. I've always had really good luck with weekly or biweekly water changes using Reef Crystals salt and nothing else, and have had great coral growth.

The tank should be in next Thursday, so if all goes well it'll live in our garage for the next few months while the house gets situated and I get a better handle on exactly how I want to build the tank. Until then, happy reefing!

[dkeller_nc]

Congratulations on your new tank! I've been thinking about finally returning to the large tank scene - my last one was in 1995, and the Red Sea or Waterbox tanks will be the main choices.

You don't say what your budget is, nor what you want to keep in the tank, and that will drive some of the equipment recommendations.

On the return pump, I'd encourage you to consider the EcoTech Vectras. I have 2 of them - the M1 and the S1. They are dead silent, and quite honestly are well oversized for the application I'm putting them to. My latest one was the S1, purchased 2 weeks before the new models came out, unfortunately. It's on my IM 40EXT, and I have it running at about 30% capacity, and it's still pumping a great deal over the overflow. Measured wattage is right at 30 watts for where I have it set. That's a rather large improvement over my previous favorite, which is a Sicce 4.0 that consumed 80 watts for basically the same amount of flow against a similar back pressure. In other words, I think the Sicce's max flow rate was slightly exaggerated, and the Vectra's was slightly under-rated.

This tank was set up for SPS, and after having used Ecotech Radions for a few years, I decided to switch back to the future with an 8-bulb ATI T5HO. With a large tank like the Red Sea you're getting, I'd encourage you to consider it - the cost savings on the initial fixture purchase will be quite large. I'd never had a dimming T5HO fixture before, and while it doesn't quite have the controllability of a Radion, it's very close - the minimum percentage for "on" is about 4%, which is very dim. And I realized once I had it set up and running how really amazing the coverage is with a many-bulb T5HO fixture. There's -zero- shadowing, which is quite a contrast to my 50 gallon cube, even though that tank is running 4 Radion pucks - two in a XR30w, and one each in two XR15 fixtures.

While I like LED fixtures (I've 6 Radion Gen 3 units), they're just not as good IMO for growing SPS.

On the controller, I would highly recommend the Apex if you're at all tech-savvy. While as someone with a chemistry background I'd tell you that water changes won't keep up with alkalinity and calcium demand on a full-blown SPS tank, I can understand the desire not to have to continuously test the water chemistry to support dosing and/or a calcium reactor. But water changes on a large tank with buckets is a real drag. I did a ton of it when I was young in the 1990's and had 800 circulating gallons, but it's still not fun, and it's even less so now that I'm 20 years older. With an Apex, a D.O.S, a 60 gallon circular roto-molded tank and a mixing pump, you can very easily automate a continuous water change setup, where the only thing you have to do is occasionally mix up a batch of salt. For me, this is an absolute no-brainer for a new 5 foot or 6 foot tank from RedSea/Waterbox. My trial run for this equipment will be on the 40 gallon IM EXT tank; what was missing before was the necessary pump that was capable of pushing against the back-pressure created from having the tank in the basement, which the DOS is more than capable of.

Heck, if it turns out as easy as I think it will be, virtually all of my tanks are going to get setup to do auto water changes, including my 20g nano.

[wrxreefer823]

Thanks! Yes I considered the Waterbox systems as well, but they haven't been around all too long so I figured I'd stick with what I know is good.

As far as budget, I honestly don't want to skimp out on anything so that's part of why it'll take a little longer to set up. I didn't have a solidified number in mind, but I wouldn't be shocked if equipment costs exceed $5k. As far as live stock. I plan on doing a mix of SPS, LPS and perhaps a small zoa rock or something like that. I've had great luck with acro's before so that'll definitely be the emphasis. I've been looking at the Vectra. Honestly for an Ecotech product, I thought they'd be more expensive! That'll probably be the route I take honestly. As far as lighting, I'm definitely set on LED's and will most likely do Radions. I've used T5HO's before and just didn't like them. For one thing, I LOVE the shimmer you get with LED's, and another, I didn't like having to replace bulbs. I'll definitely look into the Apex! It seems like a wise investment.

[Mark]

Congrats! I have the same tank. I went with Hydra 52’s and a middle 26. I’m an apex fanboy since the original AquaController. I’m using a DOS to keep alk and calcium in check, but I rarely do water changes.

My only warning on the Red Sea tanks is that they scratch easily. I use a Tunze scraper and left it on the glass long enough for a fan worm to set up shop on the magnet. That little fan worm put some deep scratches on my tank while cleaning before I noticed. :-(


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[dkeller_nc]

One other thought about the lights. If you're going Radion (or any LED for that matter), definitely budget a PAR meter. No matter what anyone tells you, you cannot correctly set them without it. And not having one potentially means going through hundreds of dollars (or thousands, if you're into the "named coral" thing) before you figure out that you're cooking them.

One other thought - you'd be well advised to spend the 40 minutes it takes to watch the BRSTV episode on reef tank lighting - they go through everything, from metal halides to T5HO to LED to hybrids.

[bshow24]

Congrats. I just got a 525 and believe me, you'll love the tank! I also am an ecotech guy and have all of those you mentioned.

One thing I'd suggest, don't use the ATO that comes with. It's a drip ATO and the tank for it is kind of clunky and takes up space in a weird spot. Would be better to get something and put it in the cabinet side of the stand.

Lighting wise, you COULD get away with 3 or 4 XR15s over the tank, but I'd suggest going with 3 XR30s because of the width of the 625. This would limit the shading, and might be overkill, but allows you to be comfortable putting corals anywhere. In addition, do some research on the new diffusers as there's been a lot of great reviews on them. Although it decreases the PAR a bit, you can simply turn up the intensity to counter it.

As far as return, the vectra has been great for me. There are plenty of great options for return pumps but an M1 would be more than enough for you. That's what I run, with a manifold, and I get a ton of flow.

Lastly, Apex is amazing. Everything in 1 place, very simple, and gives you a sense of security. Even if you aren't planning on dosing, having readings on everything is super nice. I do suggest looking into dosing though, especially with the amount of alk/calc some of your corals may utilize as they get larger. The good thing, by the time you get the tank going, Apex's Trident may actually be released!

Seems like you have the right mindset for this though, especially taking your time with getting everything. Have fun with the build!

[wrxreefer823]

Originally Posted by bshow24

Congrats. I just got a 525 and believe me, you'll love the tank! I also am an ecotech guy and have all of those you mentioned.

One thing I'd suggest, don't use the ATO that comes with. It's a drip ATO and the tank for it is kind of clunky and takes up space in a weird spot. Would be better to get something and put it in the cabinet side of the stand.

Lighting wise, you COULD get away with 3 or 4 XR15s over the tank, but I'd suggest going with 3 XR30s because of the width of the 625. This would limit the shading, and might be overkill, but allows you to be comfortable putting corals anywhere. In addition, do some research on the new diffusers as there's been a lot of great reviews on them. Although it decreases the PAR a bit, you can simply turn up the intensity to counter it.

As far as return, the vectra has been great for me. There are plenty of great options for return pumps but an M1 would be more than enough for you. That's what I run, with a manifold, and I get a ton of flow.

Lastly, Apex is amazing. Everything in 1 place, very simple, and gives you a sense of security. Even if you aren't planning on dosing, having readings on everything is super nice. I do suggest looking into dosing though, especially with the amount of alk/calc some of your corals may utilize as they get larger. The good thing, by the time you get the tank going, Apex's Trident may actually be released!

Seems like you have the right mindset for this though, especially taking your time with getting everything. Have fun with the build!

Thanks! I'm beyond excited to go pick it up. I've been eyeing the reefers since they first came out and I still worked at a LFS for a brief period.

Yes I've been on the fence about the ATO. I have a couple of food grade water containers that I've been using for water changes, I might just use one of those as the reservoir and get an ATO, or use the factory ATO tank and utilize a float switch/pump instead of relying on the drip system. I've heard that they can get clogged with junk on a regular basis.

As far as lighting goes, I was thinking of starting with two XR30's and maybe adding a XR15 in the middle if I don't like the shading. I plan on doing two islands on either side of the tank so actual usable coverage in the middle honestly isn't a concern and it would more or less just be for aesthetics at that point. I HAVE been looking at the diffusers though, I think that's something I'll be looking into.

Honestly my only hesitation on the vectra (or any other controllable DC pump of that nature) would be the pump ramping up and down if I did a mode other than the constant on, which I honestly don't think I would. The same can be said for Vortechs though, I'm a firm believer that the wave modes can be premature killers for those pumps.

The more I look at the apex and what it's capable of, the more I think it'll be a smart buy. Yes it's very costly BUT I love that I'd be able to tell at a moment's notice what some of the vital parameters are. I think I'll also be taking my first step into the dosing world on this tank, so that would definitely come in handy!

The tank will be coming in this Thursday so I should have it in the house that evening, I'm going to take advantage of the in-laws being here to have help bringing the tank in once the stand is built!

[FernandesReef]

Nice, looking forward to following this.
I am in the market for a 650 as well, will be interested to see how you get along.
Are you going with Mp40 s for flow?
I was thinking of going straight to 2 mp60s, what do you think?
And please post a lot of pictures.
Thanks


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[wrxreefer823]

Originally Posted by FernandesReef

Nice, looking forward to following this.
I am in the market for a 650 as well, will be interested to see how you get along.
Are you going with Mp40 s for flow?
I was thinking of going straight to 2 mp60s, what do you think?
And please post a lot of pictures.
Thanks


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I spent a lot of time going back and forth between brands and sizes, but a small part of me always knew I wanted the 625 so I just went with it. Yes I'll be using two MP40's for this. I toyed with the idea of doing one MP60 but past experience and Ecotech's own flow calculator told me that that would be way overkill. Two 40's should be just fine for both LPS and SPS. I'll be sure to post lots of pictures as it gets set up!

[bshow24]

2 MP40s should be fine. If the corners near the overflox box aren't getting flow and detritus is settling, can always throw a tunze in there and direct it at the corners.

You shouldn't change much with your return pump flow, pretty much set and forget. The good thing about the DC pumps is you can turn it up or down to get the setting right, versus having to have a valve do it. Once you get the right flow through your sump you can pretty much forget about it.

It's definitely a heavy tank so might as well get as many people as you can! Haha

[wrxreefer823]

Welp, I'm going to pick up the tank in a few hours, I'M SO EXCITED! The LFS also has the new Red Sea RSK-900 skimmer in stock, I might pick up that bad boy while I'm at it.

[wrxreefer823]

Well it’s finally here! We had four guys to get it into the truck but only two of us to get it off at home, so it’s living on a thick foam pad for the time being until I get the stand built and I can get a few muscly dudes over to help me get it in place. I also decided to go with the Red Sea RSK-900 skimmer, she seems like she’ll get the job done as it’s rated for something like a 240g heavily stocked.

On a side note, my wife was all “why did you get two tanks?!” when she saw the sump lol

Disclaimer: excuse the messy garage, we just moved in and also had to pull all of our patio stuff in due to the storm system that went through NC yesterday.

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[dkeller_nc]

Looks nice! Don't want to cast a dark cloud here, but there have been a couple of reports of Red Sea delivering tanks that weren't quite square - one on this forum, and one on the other forum. That led to questions about whether it was safe to fill the tank. In my opinion, and in those two instances, it wasn't.

I only bring this up because while the tank's on the garage floor, you can check this with a $15 aluminum straightedge from the home store. You'll either know for absolutely sure that everything's OK (highly likely), or know that you've got something that you need to resolve with the seller. That last possibility's unlikely, but it will be vastly easier to deal with while it's in the garage than set up in your house!

[wrxreefer823]

Thanks for the heads up! I used a make shift straight edge with some wood I had laying around but for peace of mind I’ll try your idea.


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[wrxreefer823]

Well I got my stand put together on Sunday and my skimmer assembled, it’s a monster! I’m just waiting now to get the tank on the stand so I can get it leveled. I’ll probably just have the LFS come and move it for me, everyone seems afraid to lift the giant glass box lol...

In the mean time I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to plumb in a spigot or faucet to set up a RODI station in the garage. On the exterior wall there is a hose spigot so I may be able to utilize that, otherwise I may have to T off of the cold water line from the laundry which is on the back wall of the garage.

Time for some pictures!

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The stand in pieces with my two stupervisors, Ruby and Onyx.

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[wrxreefer823]

The tank is all set up now!


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[ducati1212]

I like your livestock

[wrxreefer823]

Originally Posted by ducati1212

I like your livestock

Lol thanks. I like your profile picture, are you a Duc fan?


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[PCguy21]

Im confused 525 625 that surely isnt the gallons right ? How many gallons are these

[wrxreefer823]

Originally Posted by PCguy21

Im confused 525 625 that surely isnt the gallons right ? How many gallons are these

That’s the total liters of the system. The 625 is a 133 gallon display, 160 gallons total.


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[PCguy21]

Oh i see lol

[wrxreefer823]

Got my return today! Decided to go with the Vectra M2. The store set me up with a check valve and ball valve, which ends up being pretty tall with the hose, so I have going in a loop for now. Any suggestions?






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[bshow24]

You won't need either of those valves. The ball valve controls how much water flow is going, which isn't necessary because you can simply adjust the Vectra %. The check valve is supposed to be there to prevent a back siphon in case of power outage but 1) the reefer sumps have plenty of space in case of an outage and 2) check valves often fail anyways.

[wrxreefer823]

Originally Posted by bshow24

You won't need either of those valves. The ball valve controls how much water flow is going, which isn't necessary because you can simply adjust the Vectra %. The check valve is supposed to be there to prevent a back siphon in case of power outage but 1) the reefer sumps have plenty of space in case of an outage and 2) check valves often fail anyways.

Yeah after thinking about it I don’t know why I let them put them both on. I did want a ball valve in case I ever had to service the pump but like you said, it won’t overflow the sump in the event of a siphon.


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[ducati1212]

Originally Posted by wrxreefer823

Lol thanks. I like your profile picture, are you a Duc fan?


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I was until I had kids then decided to take a break. When younger I had about 6 Ducati's with my last 2 a 748 track bike and a Monster.

Following along because im about to order the same tank.