Please critique my plans for Red Sea Peninsula 650 build

JimN

Reef Hack
BRS Member
It has been 14 years since I kept a reef tank. I previously had a 15G nano and a 75G mixed reef. I am planning for my dream tank and I have three criteria/design philosophies for it: (1) keep DIY to a minimum since work keeps me very busy, (2) automate as much as possible since work keeps me very, very busy and (3) money is not an issue since work keeps me very, very, very busy but it also pays me well, lolz. This will be a mixed reef, but dominated by SPS and clams.

I have been out of the hobby for a while, so I have been researching furiously over the past weeks to get up-to-speed on the latest developments. Below is my equipment list. Please let me know your thoughts.
Eye candy - what I hope my tank will look like, lol:
650-in-room-2.jpg


Fire away and don't hold back. I want to do it right the first time.

Thanks
Quy (aka Jim)
 
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Running your tank with one side at 400W and the other side at 250W won't work. The contrast would be annoying to look at the tank.
For a 24" tall tank, 250W is plenty. SPS on top and LPS on the lower rockwork/sand. You want your corals type to spread out across the tank, not segregate SPS on one side and LPS on the other side of the tank. I think it will not be aesthetically pleasing to look at.
 
Running your tank with one side at 400W and the other side at 250W won't work. The contrast would be annoying to look at the tank.
For a 24" tall tank, 250W is plenty. SPS on top and LPS on the lower rockwork/sand. You want your corals type to spread out across the tank, not segregate SPS on one side and LPS on the other side of the tank. I think it will not be aesthetically pleasing to look at.

Good feedback. Thanks! And cheaper to boot, haha.
 
That’s all I have to add...


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Peninsula tanks are nice but quite hard to deal with flow. Are you willing to place powerhead anywhere else beside on the oveflow side?
 
That look like a DREAM tank.

I hope so! It will either become a dream or a nightmare. To be honest, I wished the peninsula was 30" deep. That would be my dream tank dimension, but I like the out-of-the-box ease of the Rea Sea Reefer Series. I don't have time to deal with ordering a custom tank and stand.

Peninsula tanks are nice but quite hard to deal with flow. Are you willing to place powerhead anywhere else beside on the oveflow side?

I am concerned about this also, but the short answer is "yes". If the SPS need the extra flow, then I will place powerheads on the other end. I can always remove them for photos and when guests come over.
 
I have two Tunze 6255s on my 72"x48"x24" peninsular and it's fine. Pumps are running at 50%. If I crank them up, they'll create a sand dune at the other end of the tank and my frogspawns and hammer would not like it.
 
The out of the box ease of the reefer series is wonderful if you’re willing to pay to avoid the hassle. Recently put together a nano, so much easier than a custom 70g with traditional bulkheads I’d done before. It’s literally plug in the drains (they have o-rings), screw to tighten, connect your return.. done.

Putting the stand together is almost exactly like putting IKEA stuff together, so you should be fine there, just a couple hours’ work max.

I didn’t know they had any aluminum stands.. I previously had a MAX 250 before the Reefers were a thing, would have waited if I knew the reefer was coming. Ultimately I downsized bc I live in a condo, and the realities of a good water change schedule are demanding and intrusive in a small space, less so if you have the room. Fall behind, and you could start losing $$ in livestock and time in all that growth, so since you mention you’re busy, bear that in mind.

You’re already on the right track w/ the saltwater mixing and auto WC. I don’t have experience, they can be big costly systems, but sounds worth it here. Make sure you have a good plan, especially if you’ll be too busy to do much after. How will the salt get added, will you have a separate RO reservoir that auto-fills by turning on the RO/DI when too low? I’d recommend that. In terms of salt, I don’t know if you can automate, but if you go big enough on your mixing vat, you could just dump a bucket in at a time, or whatever you determine to be about right for its volume. In-line pump and in-line heater I would think would be best.

You didn’t mention a hospital or quarantine tank.. it’s good to have these, especially a quarantine, when you’re going as all-in as you are. You could put it with the water mixing, wherever, doesn’t have to be a large system, but one able to quarantine both fish and inverts. A hospital tank needn’t always be running, but you could have one plumbed to be filled or emptied as you want, so it’s there if you need it. For obvious reasons, doing a frag tank is smart but should be plumbed either to the main system or seperately.

Easiest way to plumb it to the main sys would have a second return pump
going to the frag tank, with the overflow routed back to the sump. I think this should have no effect on the modified herbie that red sea uses. It’ll be a bit DIY regardless, Red Sea doesn’t offer anything like that, although I suppose you could ask for custom drilling? Not sure if they even sell directly, I go through LFS since it’s by far easier than online and no price difference.

The tank cover will also be a bit DIY, they offer a customizable kit but you do have to do it yourself. Since it’s aluminum, a hacksaw works but sucks.. electric bandsaw or something would be far better I’m sure. It’s not a hard thing to do though.

You have an apex planned, and I’d guess many of the modules, which will be important for minimum effort. I didn’t see if you included a dosing system but you’ll probably want that and a couple reactors at least besides the skimmer. CO2 scrubber can be very good, costly, but sounds like you don’t mind.

That’s all I can think of. Definitely an awesome tank. As someone noted, flow can be an issue with the peninsula. You often dont want a pump at the far end bc it ruins the look. I suppose the MP60Ws, linked, could probably move enough water to work from the end. Having a gyre or something at the other end would be ideal, but an eyesore. So just respect how much water it is, prep well, sounds like it’ll be amazing- post pics!
 
Waterbox now makes a 72 inch peninsula if you are interested.

Argh! You just made my decision more difficult. I really like the extra 9” length on the 6-foot Waterbox compared to the Rea Sea 650. I also like the fact that they have the marine grade paint on all sides of the tank, inside-and-out, versus the Red Sea which only does the doors in the special paint. And the Waterbox has a slimmer overflow and dual return nozzles. I guess I will wait for more feedback from owners of the new Waterbox peninsula before making a decision.
 
Great tank and equipment options look good. Octopus makes great skimmers and there is nothing wrong with the one you picked but there are better options (if money isn’t an issue). Recirculating skimmers are what I’d reccomend if you plan on stocking the tank heavy. Octopus makes one but it has a rather large footprint. BubbleKing and Vertex make great ones.

As for the flow issue, you can use loc lines that travel under rock work or sand all the way to the opposite side of the tank. This will be easier if you use acrylic rods or egg crate to support/shape your aquascaping. OR I’ve also seen some tanks that have an army of VorTechs on one end and that worked very well.

I’m a big fan of the the automated daily WC systems. A local reefer in my hometown did a time lapse of how his tank improved after he started the daily WCs and it was night and day. I’ll see if I can find a link to that thread, it’s on Atlanta Reef Clubs site but they just upgraded to a new website so it might be lost.
 
Also do you really think you’ll need a chiller? Ive only been in Boston a year but I feel like it’s cold 10 months of the year
 
Your tank is going to be fantastic, those waterbox peninsulas look great , if your considering skimmers you should add lifereef to your list. The absolute best piece of equipment on my system.
 
Hi JimN
A new store just opened in Malden called European Aquatics. The owner recently installed this very tank as the window candy to draw customers in. It is a beautiful system but I was surprised just how big this tank is and how high the top rim is. You should consider checking it out in person and make sure you like it.
 
You didn’t mention a hospital or quarantine tank.. it’s good to have these, especially a quarantine, when you’re going as all-in as you are.

The tank cover will also be a bit DIY, they offer a customizable kit but you do have to do it yourself. Since it’s aluminum, a hacksaw works but sucks.. electric bandsaw or something would be far better I’m sure. It’s not a hard thing to do though.

Thanks Bageling. You are absolutely correct. I totally forgot about the QT. I added it into my original post.

I plan to use the tank cover from Artfully Acrylics. I heard good things about them.
 
Also do you really think you’ll need a chiller? Ive only been in Boston a year but I feel like it’s cold 10 months of the year

Good point. I have been away from Boston too long. I forget how cold it can get. I guess I can try it without a chiller and just add some fans hooked up to my Apex if temperature goes above 80 degree.
 
Your tank is going to be fantastic, those waterbox peninsulas look great , if your considering skimmers you should add lifereef to your list. The absolute best piece of equipment on my system.
I will research skimmers again after your comment and Blind's comment. I will evaluate Nyos, Lifereef, Bubble King, Vertex, and Octopus. Happy to take people's recommendations. The choices are overwhelming. I used a EuroReef on my old 75G.
 
Hi JimN
A new store just opened in Malden called European Aquatics. The owner recently installed this very tank as the window candy to draw customers in. It is a beautiful system but I was surprised just how big this tank is and how high the top rim is. You should consider checking it out in person and make sure you like it.
Thanks! I will definitely check it out. I move from Singapore to Boston in a few weeks. I haven't even seen my new house in person yet! So I am not sure where the tank will go and how it will fit. My wife picked out the house and my reef tank placement was at the bottom of her priority list, lol.
 
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