Red Sea Rimless Reefer Xl 425 Saltwater Tank Help

I was given a chance to get a Red Sea's Rimless Reefer XL 425 by my friend for free due to him not having a big enough space in his home he owns six tanks already three fresh and three salt.Now I have no experience at all with saltwater only fresh and I need help/ideas on what to do it comes with a built in sump and it was used for a period of three months so there maybe still be good bacteria left in the sump(it was wrapped up with plastic wrap and still has a inch or so of water.Please help and any stock ideas would also help I’m debating on a Reef tank or FOWLR let me know what’s the easier option and the amount of fish that could go in it !!

 

Just... wow. CONGRATULATIONS!!! What a wonderful lucky day.

There's a link in my signature titled Beginner's Guide. Do please check it out as it will answer a lot of your questions. Yes, it's geared towards starting a nano tank from scratch, but it is still a very thorough resource that will tell you things you didn't know you needed to know.

As for the bacteria... well, I couldn't say it's impossible that some survived, but since salty nitrifying bacteria rely on flow and oxygenation, I wouldn't rely on it.

Reefing is oh so rewarding, but yes, it is more involved than keeping a FOWLR. I would suggest that you start with a FOWLR and as you gain confidence, move up into reefing. Your tank was definitely intended for reefing, so it won't be too difficult of a transition. Lighting is of the utmost importance for corals, but hey, you can't beat the deal you're getting on the tank, so perhaps investing in lighting won't hurt too much.

If you're using the Fishlore app or viewing this on a mobile device, you won't see my signature. The thread I am referring to as a great guide is titled "Nart's Budget Nano Guide for Beginners" and you will find it stickied right at the top of the Saltwater Beginners Forum. Please read it and come back here with any questions you have afterward.

Wish I could help you with stocking ideas but I myself am a nano keeper, and you'll have an 88-gallon display with a total system volume of 112 gallons to play with. This means that you'll have room to stock species that I have zero experience with. However, I will say that you MUST look at wrasses, and call on some of my buds to help you further. What do you think Jayd976 and Jesterrace ... does the OP have room for a Foxface?

 

Just... wow. CONGRATULATIONS!!! What a wonderful lucky day.

There's a link in my signature titled Beginner's Guide. Do please check it out as it will answer a lot of your questions. Yes, it's geared towards starting a nano tank from scratch, but it is still a very thorough resource that will tell you things you didn't know you needed to know.

As for the bacteria... well, I couldn't say it's impossible that some survived, but since salty nitrifying bacteria rely on flow and oxygenation, I wouldn't rely on it.

Reefing is oh so rewarding, but yes, it is more involved than keeping a FOWLR. I would suggest that you start with a FOWLR and as you gain confidence, move up into reefing. Your tank was definitely intended for reefing, so it won't be too difficult of a transition. Lighting is of the utmost importance for corals, but hey, you can't beat the deal you're getting on the tank, so perhaps investing in lighting won't hurt too much.

If you're using the Fishlore app or viewing this on a mobile device, you won't see my signature. The thread I am referring to as a great guide is titled "Nart's Budget Nano Guide for Beginners" and you will find it stickied right at the top of the Saltwater Beginners Forum. Please read it and come back here with any questions you have afterward.

Wish I could help you with stocking ideas but I myself am a nano keeper, and you'll have an 88-gallon display with a total system volume of 112 gallons to play with. This means that you'll have room to stock species that I have zero experience with. However, I will say that you MUST look at wrasses, and call on some of my buds to help you further. What do you think Jayd976 and Jesterrace ... does the OP have room for a Foxface?

I was looking at the Aquaillumination Hydra TwentySix HD LED Lighting System online and the reviews seem good for it,I was looking online for what the tank itself comes with and here’s what it all has emergency overflow pipe, providing an unrestricted free flow of water directly to the 24-gallon sump. Upon entering the sump, the water passes through a 225 micron mechanical filter bag, before entering the filtration compartment that maintains a constant water height, making it suitable for all skimmers and other reactors. Removable surface-skimming combs surround the top of the centrally located overflow box that houses the downpipe, sump return pipe, and the discreet multi-directional return outlet nozzle.I wanted a Foxface when I was younger I really love the spines and there slI'm shape could I house a pipefish too? Ik there’s a lot of fish I could put in there but beginner fish would be nice Ik the mandarin goby is not a beginner fish and needs a tank that’s been running for awhile not a newly established tank but I love there colors a lot would something be close to them?

 

I love mandarins too! Though, you wouldn't know it if you've seen me telling everyone not to get them for young or small tanks. I love them enough not to have one and to say that nothing compares with their beauty. Really though, there are some intricately patterned and very colorful wrasse that would be available to you. I'm just not good at advising on species though, as I'm much better at learning from experience, and my tank is not big enough for a wrasse. However, Jesterrace ought to chime in soon, and he's much better in this area.

The AI Hydra 26 is indeed a very good light, and the company is known for exceptional customer service. However, the max recommended coverage with that light is 24" x 24"... and you'll be working with a 47" long tank. Sorry to say it, but you'd need two. I'm not a lighting expert, but it seems to me that you might want to look at a long fixture rather than a pendant or box style. I have a 20 long, which is 30", so found myself in the same boat when upgrading to an LED. I narrowed my options to a Maxspect Razor or the light I eventually got, an SB Reef Lights Ultra 22", which does a very nice job of lighting my whole tank.

 

I love mandarins too! Though, you wouldn't know it if you've seen me telling everyone not to get them for young or small tanks. I love them enough not to have one and to say that nothing compares with their beauty. Really though, there are some intricately patterned and very colorful wrasse that would be available to you. I'm just not good at advising on species though, as I'm much better at learning from experience, and my tank is not big enough for a wrasse. However, Jesterrace ought to chime in soon, and he's much better in this area.

The AI Hydra 26 is indeed a very good light, and the company is known for exceptional customer service. However, the max recommended coverage with that light is 24" x 24"... and you'll be working with a 47" long tank. Sorry to say it, but you'd need two. I'm not a lighting expert, but it seems to me that you might want to look at a long fixture rather than a pendant or box style. I have a 20 long, which is 30", so found myself in the same boat when upgrading to an LED. I narrowed my options to a Maxspect Razor or the light I eventually got, an SB Reef Lights Ultra 22", which does a very nice job of lighting my whole tank.

Gonna look for more lights then is there a brand you’d recommend?

 

I'm very happy with the SB Reef Light Ultra that I got...



but I'll admit that it's a budget option and there are better on the market. I think my dream light would be a T5/LED hybrid, something like this.



Though that was way more than I wanted to spend. Then there are the hybrids that are just fixtures, so the aquarist still needs to buy several T5's at about $22 each, as well as LED's, (like a couple of AI Primes or Ecotech Radions) to actually provide lights. These hybrids are the pinnacle of long tank lighting IMHO but are entirely unaffordable for me. So, when I was looking, it ended up being the one I got, or, this one.



Here's a video on my light, and I agree with pretty much everything said here.

Yep, the app sucks, but honestly, I hardly use it. I spent one aggravating evening setting a schedule, a few minutes tweaking it a couple of times, and have left it alone since. I do really like the slI'm design with the large heatsink and separate controller box, and it is quite capable of growing any coral I want to put under it.

When I was still considering which light to get, this is the other one I was looking at.



Perhaps it would be better with regards to the app, but I can't complain about the lighting the Ultra provides.

Okay, so there were a couple of other things that I didn't have time for before. The pipefish... they are notoriously difficult to keep well fed, just like a seahorse or mandarin fish. In nature, they eat lots and lots of copepods all day long. You can buy pods (pricey) or set up your own culture if you have space and time. The question is, do you want to spend the time and funds that this fish will require? If you have other fish, they will likely enjoy pods too, and that would only compete with the pipefish. Also, like the other hard to feed species, it is possible that the fish will learn to accept prepared foods over time. I do not know how probable that is with these species though. They are considered expert level fish, so I would advise that you do heavy research and wait a good while for your tank to mature before adding one.

I love how you've described the flow pattern for us. The tank really sounds like a dream and I'm quite excited to see it someday, (soon I hope. ) I do think you'll need to add a powerhead or two, or perhaps a gyre pump. The only thing I would advise here is, if you have an eventual reef in mind, be sure you get programmable pumps that come with a controller. The controller will allow you to set the flow rate and varying flow patterns and speeds. A varied pattern is what allows corals to flow back and forth in a multidirectional flow. This would be opposed to the constant direction an speed of a non-programmable pump. For example, I started out with two Hydor Koralia 425's on the 20 gallon long. I didn't hate them, but they didn't come with controllers, so weren't programmable without a separate controller purchase, and then one broke just a few months in. In the meantime, I had members here advising me to switch to varied speed, multidirectional flow, and all my research told me it was best too. Consider the ebb and flow and varying tides and currents in the ocean. This allows for the best polyp extension and is also what helps to keep corals clean of particulates. The biggest factor for me though, when I finally switched to a couple of programmable Jebao SW-2's, my corals rewarded me almost immediately. I could actually see the difference in them.

It may seem strange that I'm recommending things based on a reef tank when we've also been talking about starting with a FOWLR. Thing is, if the reef is an eventual goal, you would want equipment that you could use for it, and not have to replace equipment that is not what's best for a reef. Lighting and flow are things you don't want to have to invest in twice.

 

I'm very happy with the SB Reef Light Ultra that I got...



but I'll admit that it's a budget option and there are better on the market. I think my dream light would be a T5/LED hybrid, something like this.



Though that was way more than I wanted to spend. Then there are the hybrids that are just fixtures, so the aquarist still needs to buy several T5's at about $22 each, as well as LED's, (like a couple of AI Primes or Ecotech Radions) to actually provide lights. These hybrids are the pinnacle of long tank lighting IMHO but are entirely unaffordable for me. So, when I was looking, it ended up being the one I got, or, this one.



Here's a video on my light, and I agree with pretty much everything said here.

Yep, the app sucks, but honestly, I hardly use it. I spent one aggravating evening setting a schedule, a few minutes tweaking it a couple of times, and have left it alone since. I do really like the slI'm design with the large heatsink and separate controller box, and it is quite capable of growing any coral I want to put under it.

When I was still considering which light to get, this is the other one I was looking at.



Perhaps it would be better with regards to the app, but I can't complain about the lighting the Ultra provides.

Okay, so there were a couple of other things that I didn't have time for before. The pipefish... they are notoriously difficult to keep well fed, just like a seahorse or mandarin fish. In nature, they eat lots and lots of copepods all day long. You can buy pods (pricey) or set up your own culture if you have space and time. The question is, do you want to spend the time and funds that this fish will require? If you have other fish, they will likely enjoy pods too, and that would only compete with the pipefish. Also, like the other hard to feed species, it is possible that the fish will learn to accept prepared foods over time. I do not know how probable that is with these species though. They are considered expert level fish, so I would advise that you do heavy research and wait a good while for your tank to mature before adding one.

I love how you've described the flow pattern for us. The tank really sounds like a dream and I'm quite excited to see it someday, (soon I hope. ) I do think you'll need to add a powerhead or two, or perhaps a gyre pump. The only thing I would advise here is, if you have an eventual reef in mind, be sure you get programmable pumps that come with a controller. The controller will allow you to set the flow rate and varying flow patterns and speeds. A varied pattern is what allows corals to flow back and forth in a multidirectional flow. This would be opposed to the constant direction an speed of a non-programmable pump. For example, I started out with two Hydor Koralia 425's on the 20 gallon long. I didn't hate them, but they didn't come with controllers, so weren't programmable without a separate controller purchase, and then one broke just a few months in. In the meantime, I had members here advising me to switch to varied speed, multidirectional flow, and all my research told me it was best too. Consider the ebb and flow and varying tides and currents in the ocean. This allows for the best polyp extension and is also what helps to keep corals clean of particulates. The biggest factor for me though, when I finally switched to a couple of programmable Jebao SW-2's, my corals rewarded me almost immediately. I could actually see the difference in them.

It may seem strange that I'm recommending things based on a reef tank when we've also been talking about starting with a FOWLR. Thing is, if the reef is an eventual goal, you would want equipment that you could use for it, and not have to replace equipment that is not what's best for a reef. Lighting and flow are things you don't want to have to invest in twice.

Since the tank was not paid for...thankfully lol The main focus on where my money would be will be
1.Power heads
2.Lighting
3.livestock
Questions on the types of wave makers which would be best for this tank because I have never used one always said I would buy never have and I will most likely spend money on the T5’s I’ve heard a lot of people in the hobby swear by them and they do seem great and when I do get the reef going I will have a programmable pump !.For the corals which would you recommend for a newbie lol

 

Well, I suppose a pump recommendation will depend on your budget. Soooo, the best would probably be an Ecotech, and folks also like Tunze, Reef Octopus, Sicce, Maxspect... and while the new AI powerhead is untested, but the community is buzzing and it looks pretty sweet.

These are all outside of budget for me, and I'm running a nano tank, so I got Jebao powerheads. Though, I think if I had a big tank, I might want a gyre pump and I'd probably go with IceCap. Here's the thing that I'd advise on budget powerheads... spend a couple more bucks and get the extended warranty, just in case. I thought I had a problem with a Jebao, which turned out to be my own fault, and there wasn't really a problem at all. However, I've seen a few that ended up with issues, be it one of the big names or a smaller one. The thing is, an Ecotech comes with a good warranty and excellent in-country service. A Jebao is made overseas, so my only option for warranty service came from buying on Amazon and getting their 4-year replacement warranty for a few dollars.

T5's are great! Just, be sure you get a good fixture that will work well in your space. Bulk Reef Supply (BRS) and Marine Depot are great sites for looking at equipment. Also, BRStv on YouTube was and is a huge resource for reefers. Their 52 Weeks of Reefing series was part of our initial research and we still refer back to it sometimes. Check their other playlists too as you'll find lots of good Q & A videos as well as honest product reviews. I'm fairly certain that you might find a video by them on your particular tank. In mentioning T5's though, these videos came to mind.

As did these. I made the mistake of buying Corlife bulbs for my own T5 fixture, and we hated them. They turned out to be a waste of money because they weren't providing the spectrum that will show the corals best colors. Nobody starts a reef tank and wants to look at dull coloration on the corals. So, less than 2 months in, we upgraded from Coralife to ATI bulbs. Much better.

 

Well, I suppose a pump recommendation will depend on your budget. Soooo, the best would probably be an Ecotech, and folks also like Tunze, Reef Octopus, Sicce, Maxspect... and while the new AI powerhead is untested, but the community is buzzing and it looks pretty sweet.

These are all outside of budget for me, and I'm running a nano tank, so I got Jebao powerheads. Though, I think if I had a big tank, I might want a gyre pump and I'd probably go with IceCap. Here's the thing that I'd advise on budget powerheads... spend a couple more bucks and get the extended warranty, just in case. I thought I had a problem with a Jebao, which turned out to be my own fault, and there wasn't really a problem at all. However, I've seen a few that ended up with issues, be it one of the big names or a smaller one. The thing is, an Ecotech comes with a good warranty and excellent in-country service. A Jebao is made overseas, so my only option for warranty service came from buying on Amazon and getting their 4-year replacement warranty for a few dollars.

T5's are great! Just, be sure you get a good fixture that will work well in your space. Bulk Reef Supply (BRS) and Marine Depot are great sites for looking at equipment. Also, BRStv on YouTube was and is a huge resource for reefers. Their 52 Weeks of Reefing series was part of our initial research and we still refer back to it sometimes. Check their other playlists too as you'll find lots of good Q & A videos as well as honest product reviews. I'm fairly certain that you might find a video by them on your particular tank. In mentioning T5's though, these videos came to mind.

As did these. I made the mistake of buying Corlife bulbs for my own T5 fixture, and we hated them. They turned out to be a waste of money because they weren't providing the spectrum that will show the corals best colors. Nobody starts a reef tank and wants to look at dull coloration on the corals. So, less than 2 months in, we upgraded from Coralife to ATI bulbs. Much better.

Thank you for all the information! I hope mines come out really good and for the Livestocking any ideas? I’m open for anything

 

Well, your first stocking should be the CUC... so snails and crabs pretty much, just make sure they are reef safe as little critters can be hard to catch. I'd also recommend a few tiger conchs, as I've been told there's nothing better for keeping the sand clean and well aerated.

As for fish, well, it's really much easier to advise if you pick a favorite or two that we can build around. I'd suggest looking at LiveAquaria, just to get some ideas from which you can further your research. I'd definitely recommend a wrasse or two, but something to keep in mind is that you should stock your least aggressive fish first. This allows timid fish to get comfortable and established before any scary, high-activity fish enter the tank.

 

Let me take a moment to swallow my jealously...

We want to get a Red Sea Reefer 625 XXL, but everything this year has been making sure that it does not happen! If we ever manage to get one, we are going to use a Sicce Syncra as the return pump. We used this same pump on our 150 gallon sump with no complaints. I also have one of those as the chiller pump for one of my axolotl tank too and love it! It is so small, quiet, low power requirements yet powerful.

As far was what you need for wavemakers/power heads, it is going to depend on what you hope to keep. You can't go wrong with a MP-40 Vortech even for 'just' a FOWLR, but they are spendy! Depending on how you set up your aquascaping though, you might be able to get away with just one of those. My husband was finally able to keep SPS corals after we got MP-40s along with a controller although our soft coral tank likes the MP-40 it inherited! Tunze also makes controllable pumps that many hobbyists love, but we haven't tried those.

Sorry if this was already mentioned, but you will need a lid. Marine fish of all types are excellent jumpers and will find any holes in a lid (I just lost my hawkfish to tile surfing this week because there is a carbon reactor in the main tank removing paly toxins from the tank after a massive palythoa removal 2 weeks ago which is lifting a part of the glass lid an inch. I didn't think he could fit. ). You can make a screen lid and use clips like these to hold the lid in place.



Are you interested in reef safe or ok with reef safe with caution (my favorites are these) fish?

 

Sorry

Let me take a moment to swallow my jealously...

We want to get a Red Sea Reefer 625 XXL, but everything this year has been making sure that it does not happen! If we ever manage to get one, we are going to use a Sicce Syncra as the return pump. We used this same pump on our 150 gallon sump with no complaints. I also have one of those as the chiller pump for one of my axolotl tank too and love it! It is so small, quiet, low power requirements yet powerful.

As far was what you need for wavemakers/power heads, it is going to depend on what you hope to keep. You can't go wrong with a MP-40 Vortech even for 'just' a FOWLR, but they are spendy! Depending on how you set up your aquascaping though, you might be able to get away with just one of those. My husband was finally able to keep SPS corals after we got MP-40s along with a controller although our soft coral tank likes the MP-40 it inherited! Tunze also makes controllable pumps that many hobbyists love, but we haven't tried those.

Sorry if this was already mentioned, but you will need a lid. Marine fish of all types are excellent jumpers and will find any holes in a lid (I just lost my hawkfish to tile surfing this week because there is a carbon reactor in the main tank removing paly toxins from the tank after a massive palythoa removal 2 weeks ago which is lifting a part of the glass lid an inch. I didn't think he could fit. ). You can make a screen lid and use clips like these to hold the lid in place.



Are you interested in reef safe or ok with reef safe with caution (my favorites are these) fish?

Sorry to hear about you’re hawkfish and I’m ok with reef ok and caution I know it’ll be more work and I’d have to be very diligent in watching them but I have no problem in doing so! And for a top my friend was gonna make a acrylic top for it,he had done it before and he added a latch to where one part would open for feeding and easy maintenance

 

Sounds like you have the lid under control!

Some of my favorites that would work in a tank your size: marine betta, hamlets, vrolick's wrasse (although it depends on the fish as to whether they will wipe out snails/hermit crabs or not), long nose hawkfish, ocellaris clownfish (designer types), matted filefish, tominI tang or yellow eye kole tang. There are lots of choices as you can see!

As for starter corals, soft corals, leathers and some LPS are going to be great starter corals. The thing with soft corals though is to keep them isolated from the rest of your live rock. Otherwise they can and will encrust everything. We are still trying to eradicate seafoam green palythoas from our 65 tank because it spread to EVERYTHING it was touching, including the glass. And those ones are especially toxic (in case you didn't know, zooanthids and palythoas have something called palytoxin that can be deadly to people and pets if it enters their system) as compared to all the other ones we have dealt with. I felt like I had a cold the day after I removed a huge number of them from the tank and instant headache... these ones are bad news. Oh and tingling skin along with numbness on my tongue from some water that got on it...

Green star polyps are a classic starter coral and are very attractive as is sansibia sp. Green finger leathers are easier to keep and pretty, and frogspawn/hammer/torch corals tend to be an easier LPS to try as well. There are gorgeous palythoas out there, but be aware many are extremely aggressive to other corals, and if messed with can release that palytoxin that can also kill fish and inverts! I still like them though... Sunny D and devil's armor playthoas are still a favorite of mine despite what we are going through with the seafoam green plays.

 

Sounds like you have the lid under control!

Some of my favorites that would work in a tank your size: marine betta, hamlets, vrolick's wrasse (although it depends on the fish as to whether they will wipe out snails/hermit crabs or not), long nose hawkfish, ocellaris clownfish (designer types), matted filefish, tominI tang or yellow eye kole tang. There are lots of choices as you can see!

As for starter corals, soft corals, leathers and some LPS are going to be great starter corals. The thing with soft corals though is to keep them isolated from the rest of your live rock. Otherwise they can and will encrust everything. We are still trying to eradicate seafoam green palythoas from our 65 tank because it spread to EVERYTHING it was touching, including the glass. And those ones are especially toxic (in case you didn't know, zooanthids and palythoas have something called palytoxin that can be deadly to people and pets if it enters their system) as compared to all the other ones we have dealt with. I felt like I had a cold the day after I removed a huge number of them from the tank and instant headache... these ones are bad news. Oh and tingling skin along with numbness on my tongue from some water that got on it...

Green star polyps are a classic starter coral and are very attractive as is sansibia sp. Green finger leathers are easier to keep and pretty, and frogspawn/hammer/torch corals tend to be an easier LPS to try as well. There are gorgeous palythoas out there, but be aware many are extremely aggressive to other corals, and if messed with can release that palytoxin that can also kill fish and inverts! I still like them though... Sunny D and devil's armor playthoas are still a favorite of mine despite what we are going through with the seafoam green plays.

Now I gotta get caught up on my corals lol but I’ve heard of hammer and torch my friend was gonna fill this tank with that,I really love clown fish so I might do those and star fish and sea anemones and a clam even tho the reviews on them are easy to keep for some and they die off due to one small mistake