Marco S Red Sea Reefer 750 XXL Build

[Marco S]

I ended up using the live sand I had left and built two frag racks for the coral QT.

For the first one I just zip tied some egg crate to a Mag Float glass gleaner so I can rise and lower it as needed. Here is a pic:

The second one I cut 4 PVC feet each 4" long and zip tied them to a much longer piece of egg crate. Here are some pics of that one:

And here is a pic of the complete QT:

I will probably put one or two smaller rocks in there, but for the most part it is done. Just waiting for my coral now...

 

[Marco S]

Got my corals in from the WWC Live Sale!!! This is just a overall picture, but I will get some better individual close up pictures once I get my hands on a decent camera.

 

[gobble]

I just read through your thread since my 750 XXL is on order. Nice tank.

Question, does the inside of the stand not have a bottom? Or a bottom that slides out? I can see your tile floor in some of the pictures. Maybe it's removable as a safety feature should you ever have a water spill?

Btw, glad you didn't follow the advice of that clown who said you needed a backup Apex system.

 

[Huff747]

Question, does the inside of the stand not have a bottom? Or a bottom that slides out? I can see your tile floor in some of the pictures. Maybe it's removable as a safety feature should you ever have a water spill?

Hope Marco doesn't mind me jumping in but you're correct the bottom on each compartment is removable. The back sits on a support and the front support has a couple dowels that you lower the bottom on to which keeps it from sliding on you.

 

[Marco S]

I just read through your thread since my 750 XXL is on order. Nice tank.

Question, does the inside of the stand not have a bottom? Or a bottom that slides out? I can see your tile floor in some of the pictures. Maybe it's removable as a safety feature should you ever have a water spill?

Btw, glad you didn't follow the advice of that clown who said you needed a backup Apex system.

Thanks! It is a very nice tank, you are going to love it.

Like @Huff747 said, the bottom is removable and I kept it off for a while because I had to keep readjusting the feet to get everything level.

Good luck with your build!

 

[hockeyhead019]

Great build so far! I love all the thought that's gone into the QT tanks. It'll be fun to watch such a big tank grow with everything you're putting into it!

 

[Jarvisffc]

Following

 

[Marco S]

Great build so far! I love all the thought that's gone into the QT tanks. It'll be fun to watch such a big tank grow with everything you're putting into it!

Thanks! It has been challenging setting up and maintaining so many QT tanks, but I really wanted to do it the right way from the start to optimize my chances for success. I also figured since I was going to be quarantining everything wet that went into my DT I would spend some time and energy making them appealing as well. Besides the copper tanks, the others have some rock and sand so they don't look too boring since they are all over my house. I can't wait to get everything into the DT and see all the fruits of my labor eventually.

 

[Marco S]

I got a few more corals the other day so I figured I would share some pictures.

Here is the overall tank shot:

I picked up this Blastomussa to add some red in the tank:

I know it doesn't look that red in the photo, but in real life it is pretty red.

I also got this mushroom:

And finally, I got another Duncan...got to love Duncans!

I can't wait to get these in my DT!

 

[Marco S]

I finally got my controllers mounted and labeled my cords. They are on the inside of the cabinet and the angle is a bit awkward so I couldn't get the best pics, but I tried...

I have some Velcro strips I will be using to tidy it up a bit, but wanted to focus on getting the LED lights and ATO setup first. Here is a pic of the lights:

The ATO is full and I have the controller wired, but still need to install the pump. tubing and switches. Hopefully I will get that done today so I can get rid of the annoying little tank it came with.

 

[Marco S]

I had some time this morning, so I figured I would post an update with my final fish stock. This is all the fish I will be getting so it's time to focus on coral going forward!

 

[Sharkbait HooHaHa]

Protein Skimmer, Rock and Sand came Thursday and the tank came yesterday! I was so excited it looks like Christmas in my family room!

If you notice the box in the second picture in the middle is labeled, "Red Sea Reefer XXL Peninsula". I asked why and they said it was the ATO tank and they are all the same for the XXL Series so it was OK...

The tank is a lot bigger in place then I thought. It seems huuuuuuuge! I'm glad I didn't go bigger since I didn't take into account for the space from the wall on both sides, but this tank fits perfect. I am soooooooo happy with my Red Sea Reefer 750XXL.

If you notice there is a tiny bit of water that I was using to clean the tank and you can tell it is not level. I was a bit mad since I just had the tile done for this tank specifically and I told the guy how important it was to be level. I guess I should have double checked the guys work, but live and learn. I am off to Home Depot to buy a level and start working on the leveling feet to get this tank level before doing anything else.

I will try to post more throughout the weekend.

That would be a pretty nice Christmas!

 

[Diesel48]

How are you pumping water to the UV system? Did you build a manifold or is it a separate pump in your sump?

 

[Devaji]

man your tank came out so nice! just got cough up on reading. my 750 is still setting empty boo.
love the stock list and your QT was/is amazing. did you use copper for the tangs? must have missed it.
I have been debating on a PB tang for my show fish just not sure about them I hear they can be sickly then if they make it can be jerks.
your purple is good looking for sure.

I plan to use a UV as well, give us a update if you would please

 

[Marco S]

How are you pumping water to the UV system? Did you build a manifold or is it a separate pump in your sump?

I had too many other things going on to mess with the plumbing so I got the recommended Sicce Pump from BRS. I had to play with the flow rate a bit to get it to the number needed for protozoa control, but it wasn't too bad. Eventually I will plumb in a manifold, but for now it works just fine.

 

[Marco S]

man your tank came out so nice! just got cough up on reading. my 750 is still setting empty boo.
love the stock list and your QT was/is amazing. did you use copper for the tangs? must have missed it.
I have been debating on a PB tang for my show fish just not sure about them I hear they can be sickly then if they make it can be jerks.
your purple is good looking for sure.

I plan to use a UV as well, give us a update if you would please

Thanks for your comments!

I used copper for every fish I QT'd for my DT. I started out doing the full 30 days and switched to 15 days and a tank transfer half way through. I decided against copper going forward though and now I will just be doing the Tank Transfer Method with no copper at all, (unless I suspect Marine Velvet).

As far as my PBT, he was a challenge to get to eat and he got very skinny. There was a while I thought he would not make it, but he eventually started eating live food then frozen and pellets. Now he eats anything I throw at him and is healthy and growing at a good rate. He is not the jerk though, that would be my Purple Tang.

I will try to do an update this weekend.

 

[Diesel48]

What is the bracket you are using to hold the 3/4" vinyl tubing from the UV sterilizer to the chamber in your sump?

 

[Marco S]

What is the bracket you are using to hold the 3/4" vinyl tubing from the UV sterilizer to the chamber in your sump?

It is one of the things that comes with the water siphon hoses they sell at PetSmart. It clips onto the bucket so you can secure the end of the hose into the bucket while doing a water change. I put it in temporarily until I found a permanent solution, but I had to get another hose so I figured I would just leave it there since it works and holds the tube pretty securely in place.

 

[Whip]

The new ATO Reservoir arrived yesterday in perfect shape. The customer service was above and beyond and they even contacted me to get the new unit shipped outside of business hours. Thank you @Bulk Reef Supply !!!

I did get my UV Sterilizer installed, but still need to cut the tubing to size. I rigged a PVC hanger to hold the UV Sterilizer upright since I really didn't want to install it laying down.

Here is a pic of the hanger I used:

I just screwed it into the side of the stand and put the UV Sterilizer inside. This way it is not permanent but it should hold it sturdy so it will not fall over.

I still need to cut the tubing to size so there is no slack on it and do cable management, (Been really lazy on that)

Would you mind pulling a measurement from the end of the sterilizer to the end of the bulb harness? I want to mount the same sterilizer horizontally attached underneath the tank in the sump area. I look to have 45-5/8” to play with. Will it fit?

I know changing the bulb will require me uncoupling the unions and pulling it out and I also know that horizontal installation (in the manner I intend) is not ideal as it can trap air in the tube, but I am limited to this type of installation.

 

[Marco S]

Would you mind pulling a measurement from the end of the sterilizer to the end of the bulb harness? I want to mount the same sterilizer horizontally attached underneath the tank in the sump area. I look to have 45-5/8” to play with. Will it fit?

I know changing the bulb will require me uncoupling the unions and pulling it out and I also know that horizontal installation (in the manner I intend) is not ideal as it can trap air in the tube, but I am limited to this type of installation.

I can't get a good measurement where it is at the moment, but from what I can tell it is right about 45". That would mean that it would be a very tight squeeze and the cord would be bent right up against your cabinet. It looks like 47" would be the sweet spot so the cord would have a little room and not be bent.

I was actually planning on taking it apart this weekend to clean the bulb housing and can give you a better measurement then.