Reefy McReefface Reefer Tank

[nishal]

Ask your friends to name your tank and you get Reefy McReefface.

I am pumped (pun intended) to start a reef in my new home in California. I want to show my progress here and welcome any and all of your thoughts. The last time I had a salt water tank was just before my son was born in 2011. It was an all in one Red Sea Max 250 version 1 with mixed corals.

My main thoughts behind this reef are all focused on experiences it can inspire:

1. Simple and beautiful tank plus hardware to fit in well with our interior decorating style (meaning sanctioned by the higher power)
2. Reminisce about my days as a molecular biologist and expose my son to the sciences and design thought
3. Minimalist scientific philosophy plus IoT to create a thriving, colorful, textured ecosystem that evoke feelings of wonder for family and friends and memories of living in the Caribbean.

Apologies in advance if I post too many updates even with a slow build.

I decided to go with the 116 gallon total volume Red Sea Reefer 450 Deluxe with a white cabinet because it is the only tank I could find that fit into our home design style without being a distracting monster. The tank is a bit taller than I would have liked but for me at this level of quality, it isn't such a big deal...more room to grow upwards, right? I chose the Deluxe version because the tank is drilled to seamlessly incorporate mounts for 3 AI Hydra 26 web connected LED lights. The tank has a stand, lights, sump, ATO, filter socks, and simple plumbing. The overflow design gives me some confidence also to minimize the potential of flooding, but I am deathly afraid of if/when that happens. All other equipment is up to me and I have ordered.

[nishal]

I supported my local fish store by purchasing through them. It was delayed for a week as the wrong tank was send. Felt bad about it for the store but also a little disappointed...first world problems!

This tank apparently came on a huge pallet and was heavy. They guys at the store broke it down and brought it to my home. Reefer 450 must be in reference to how to thank your friends and delivery peeps for lifting an at least 450 pound package. The stand might be Ikea style assembly but 10 times heavier and 20 times better built and looking.

The tank was put next to the spot where the cabinet will be. Yep that's a 2 foot deep media hole in the wall for a receiver for full house ceiling speakers, but I don't use them. It will be used to house equipment and my power source (found out my house is 20A wired, so yay!).



Here is what my office looks like with all the tank parts and equipment. There are more pieces and boxes hiding in the corners and the closet. Tank came in around 8PM and I spent the next few hours assembling the slick and heavy as hell cabinet.

https://flic.kr/p/S3ZwCU

[VGT]

Nice, good luck with it!

Will be interested to see what sort of IoT integrations you come up with. Got a bit of a smart home myself, but I've stuck with an old ReefKeeper controller for the tank.

[nishal]

I supported my local fish store by purchasing through them. It was delayed for a week as the wrong tank was send. Felt bad about it for the store but also a little disappointed...first world problems!

This tank apparently came on a huge pallet and was heavy. They guys at the store broke it down and brought it to my home. Reefer 450 must be in reference to how to thank your friends and delivery peeps for lifting an at least 450 pound package. The stand might be Ikea style assembly but 10 times heavier and 20 times better built and looking.

The tank was put next to the spot where the cabinet will be. Yep that's a 2 foot deep media hole in the wall for a receiver for full house ceiling speakers, but I don't use them. It will be used to house equipment and my power source (found out my house is 20A wired, so yay!).



Here is what my office looks like with all the tank parts and equipment. There are more pieces and boxes hiding in the corners and the closet. Tank came in around 8PM and I spent the next few hours assembling the slick and heavy as hell cabinet.



Tiresome stuff...I'm getting old.

[nishal]

Late night assembly and late night photos. That doesn't look right, something must be missing.



Photobombed by a flower. The quality and fit of the Red Sea Reffer cabinet is awesome. The mat is high quality and glued down both on top and in the sump area. Awesome cutouts in the top and back for plumbing and the back of the right section isn't closed off like the other.



Even the doors aligned! The white matt finish on this cabinet is awesome and looks really modern and high end. The wife said so! It also surprisingly easy to move on the plastic supports underneath on hard tile...it's not that easy actually given the weight but still easy enough.



Is that too much detail?

[nishal]

Originally Posted by VGT

Nice, good luck with it!

Will be interested to see what sort of IoT integrations you come up with. Got a bit of a smart home myself, but I've stuck with an old ReefKeeper controller for the tank.

My whole house is IoT to the point of taxing my bandwidth. Also, when one thing screws up, a lot of things screw up. Alexa is playing a much bigger part now though. I'll have more on IoT for the tank beginning with a Neptune unit and of course integration with the house IoT ecosystem as much as possible. I'm also interested to see where this goes.

[VGT]

Yeah, my house is littered with Echo Dots, talking to my Vera hub through a virtual computer Those things screw up once in awhile, which is why I've stayed away from bringing the tank online. Will probably go that way eventually, but I've had this controller for years and its still ticking.

That stand looks great. Keep the pictures and details coming.

[nishal]

Originally Posted by VGT

Yeah, my house is littered with Echo Dots, talking to my Vera hub through a virtual computer Those things screw up once in awhile, which is why I've stayed away from bringing the tank online. Will probably go that way eventually, but I've had this controller for years and its still ticking.

That stand looks great. Keep the pictures and details coming.

Thanks! I've been following your build and looking forward to your updates. Very inspiring use of 3D printing btw.

[nishal]

A buddy came by and we were able to lift the tank and put it on the stand. Wasn't too bad at all.

Added the first vertebrate to the tank. He's a fighter!



Some other views of the tank. Space to take some angled shots is tight.

[nishal]

About to lay some pipe.

What I love about Red Sea tanks is that the plumbing is so easy and doesn't require me to know how to lay pipe well, and is simply just a few turns to lock in the right hole. This is all the plumbing I need except for flexible tubing from the return pump to the return pipe that I will purchase.

[nishal]

So I didn't lay pipe. I installed the sump first...ehm...according to the instruction manual. The sump is a beautiful rimless tank and surprisingly it was packed on it's side.



Top view before installing and by installing I mean pushing it in the cabinet.



Other views of "installed" sump. That's a float switch to the left that attaches to a rimless glass container as an auto top off system. I still have to add the glass container...but after laying pipe, for real this time.







Man, I need to work out.

[Reefer525XL]

Beautiful tank... Question though, did you happen to see a sticker on one of your stand pieces with a date on it? I just received my tank today and like yours mine is white but the interior is black. I know red sea change this a while back because customers wanted a black interior so just wondering that the date on your set is.

Still need to get my doors installed.

[nishal]

Originally Posted by Reefer525XL

Beautiful tank... Question though, did you happen to see a sticker on one of your stand pieces with a date on it? I just received my tank today and like yours mine is white but the interior is black. I know red sea change this a while back because customers wanted a black interior so just wondering that the date on your set is.

Still need to get my doors installed.

Congrats on the XL. It already looks awesome against that great wall color. I don't see a sticker on mine but it could be on the back where I can't see it. When I talked to Red Sea about the 450 vs the 525XL a month ago, one of the differences was that the white XL stand is black on the inside while the non xl is all white. The wife didn't approve of that even though I thought it was cool. Do you have a build thread so I can live through you?

[Reefer525XL]

Oh ok so that's where I was confused. Only the XL have the black interior. I actually really like it and it will work great with what I'm doing to the sump. No build thread yet but will be making one soon.

[nishal]

Originally Posted by Reefer525XL

Oh ok so that's where I was confused. Only the XL have the black interior. I actually really like it and it will work great with what I'm doing to the sump. No build thread yet but will be making one soon.

Looking forward to your build and sump.

[nishal]

Just some of the toys that need installing. There are more somewhere. Everything is taking so much time I don't have and I still don't have the right attachment to make RODI water. I think I'm just going to replace the faucet since it's probably 20 years old.

Can you guess what's in the can?



Nice packaging gyre!

[nishal]

This is the Red Sea Reefer 450 Deluxe. The Deluxe part means that the tank is drilled on the back to accept light mounts for AI Hydra HD 26 lights. I think these lights are great and the low profile integration of the mounts is aesthetically pleasing. The stands and lights came in Red Sea branded boxes.

[nishal]

Also, the lights can be easily moved out of the way for tank maintenance and a possible rain maker install if I ever get around to it.

[Reefer525XL]

Looks very nice!

[Reefer525XL]

Are you going to be using sand or bare bottom?

[nishal]

Originally Posted by Reefer525XL

Are you going to be using sand or bare bottom?

Thanks dude! I really like the look of pure white and fine sand but don't like it blowing around like in my last tank. This time around, I am going to use 60lbs of CaribSea Special Grade Arg-Alive which is heavier according to everything I've read. I plan to have lots of sand sifters and inhabitants. It should give a 1-2 inch layer and apparently works well for sifters and diggers like a blue spotted jawfish, one of my favorite fishes. Here is my previous guy.

[VGT]

Man, the Red Sea Hydra mounts are so much nicer than what AI offers. Wish they were sold separately.

[Reefer525XL]

Originally Posted by nishal

Thanks dude! I really like the look of pure white and fine sand but don't like it blowing around like in my last tank. This time around, I am going to use 60lbs of CaribSea Special Grade Arg-Alive which is heavier according to everything I've read. I plan to have lots of sand sifters and inhabitants. It should give a 1-2 inch layer and apparently works well for sifters and diggers like a blue spotted jawfish, one of my favorite fishes. Here is my previous guy.

I was planning on using that sand but I came across Tropic Eden Reeflakes and I'm so glad I did. Grain size is 3mm but its consistent and has almost zero dust. I would seriously consider it over the carrib sea. Here is a close up shot.



There is also a smaller grain which I believe is 2mm. Overall I think the quality of tropic eden is far superior.

[kto17]

Looks like a great start. I just got a reefer 250 Deluxe.

[acesq]

First of all. Best thread title ever. Secondly, this will be the first thread I read specifically for the humor. And finally, LOL.

Nice tank.


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