Portland Red Sea Reefer Aquarium Installation, Moving and Maintenance

Recently, we have been fielding a lot of questions about interesting and innovative all-in-one coral life support systems from Red Sea called Red Sea Reefer systems. There’s quite a bit to like about these systems, particularly if you’ve been thinking about adding a coral aquarium to your home or business but don’t want to gather the different life support components and install them yourself. These Red Sea Max, Reefer and Peninsula systems are geared toward different tiers of hobbyists, depending on their budgets, skill levels, the types of tropical fish and corals they want to display and the space they have for the system. Overall, the build quality is good to very good. Buyers have little or no plumbing to get the system up and running and the rimless glass displays and cabinets are simply stunning. The only essential life support components not included in each all-in-one are an aquarium pump to push water through the system and a protein skimmer to remove dissolved organic compounds from the water.

Red Sea Reefer Specifications, Features, Options and other Information

Although we also mentioned the Max and Peninsula lines of Red Sea all-in-one systems, we’re going to focus mostly on the Reefer models, as these are becoming increasingly popular and are the models that our clients are the most interested in learning more about. (Please note that the number of each model does not correspond to volume in gallons.) These models include:

• Red Sea Reefer Nano
• Red Sea Reefer 170
• Red Sea Reefer 250
• Red Sea Reefer 350
• Red Sea Reefer 450
• Red Sea Reefer XL 425
• Red Sea Reefer XL 525
• Red Sea Reefer XXL 625
• Red Sea Reefer XXL 750

Each of these models comes with one or more of the following features, which enhance and flatter the tropical fish and corals in the display and are designed to simplify set-up and make routine maintenance easier.

• Rimless Glass Tanks – The walls of these tanks vary in thickness, depending on the volume of the display, but all feature beveled edges and a rimless design that is sharp and sleek. The ultra-clear glass panels of each tank are joined by black silicone in the seams and corners, which all but disappears while providing a secure, leak-proof bond throughout.
• Cabinets – Available in black or white finishes, the Reefer cabinets compliment the rimless tanks with clean lines, beveled edges and no visible hardware, making for a very clean and modern look. The doors and cabinets are finished inside and out with a waterproof epoxy, which makes them easy to clean and protects the structural integrity of the cabinet from salt spray and humidity.
• Water Management System – Water leaves the display through an overflow box, which also houses the downpipe, the return pipe from the system pump and a multidirectional return nozzle to facilitate the shifting, unpredictable flows that most corals need. When water leaves the display, it travels down the downpipe to a mechanical filter sock, which filters out waste, uneaten food and other debris for easy cleaning. Water is then returned to the display by the system pump.
• Built-In Automatic Top-Off (ATO) System – The ATO is an especially nice touch, as it senses when water is lost in the system via evaporation and automatically tops off the sump with new water from a small built-in reservoir. This helps keep the water level in the sump consistent for easy tuning and optimal performance from the protein skimmer.
• Lighting – Each Reefer, XXL and Peninsula system Features one or more AI (Aqua Illumination) Hydra 90-watt LED fixtures to provide the correct spectra of lighting for most coral species. These fixtures have a small size and profile but emit an impressive amount of light for such small LED lamps. With an additional module, owners can control the output from these fixtures from anywhere via an app on their smartphone.
• Reefer XXL and Peninsula Additional Features – These larger systems have additional features to make it easier for owners to tweak the system even more to their specifications. These include denser cabinet material to support the additional weight, leveling hardware to ensure even weight distribution and an adjustable height skimmer chamber for maximum protein skimmer efficiency. These models are also refugium ready, if the owner wants to add macroalgae for nutrient export, to support a thriving microfauna population and other uses.

Call Your PDX Red Sea Reefer Professionals Today for More Information

If you’ve seen a Red Sea Reefer system in your local aquarium shop and would like to see one in your home or business, we will be happy to answer your questions, recommend a pump and skimmer and help set you up for success. Our Portland aquarium maintenance pros will also be happy to perform a site evaluation to ensure the spot you have in mind for the system will be good for the system, fish and corals, support its weight and other considerations. We will also be happy to maintain your system for you or drop by as needed to work on specific projects. We tailor our aquarium service options to each client, to ensure that they get the support they need to maintain a stunning Red Sea Reefer system and have fun in the process! For more information about Red Sea Reefer consulting, maintenance, system relocation and more, call us today at 503.784.4403 and let’s get started!