Chris's Red sea reefer 250

[Chr1sr85]

Hi guys, I've decided to start a journal of my reefer 250, it's not a patch on alot of the reefs here but I'm hoping to grow it into something decent. The tank is around 10 months old give or take and last year I didn't get as much time as I would of liked to stock the tank and as a result it's kind of lagging behind where I would of hoped it would be at this point in time but that is about to change! Plan is to add many more SPS frags and a few choice LPS. I have had a couple setbacks thus far in the form of an aiptaisia outbreak which I managed to conquer using a plentiful supply of peppermint shrimps (filefish didn't touch them) and a rather nasty valonia issue which I am still battling but is now under control. Here are the main tank specs.

Tank: Red sea reefer 250 with standard sump
Lighting: 2 x AI Hydra 26hds
Skimmer: Bubble magus curve 5
Circulation: 1 AI Nero 5 and 1 Vortech mp10wqd (soon swapping for second nero 5)
Return pump: Reef octopus varios 4
Reactors: Phosban 150 running Rowaphos

I am about to get a doser and looking at the dd p4pro as I'm finding manual dosing a pain and starting to worry about swings in alk. Anyway here are a few pics, I'm going to try and update the thread as often as I can even if not much is going on as I think itll be good for me personally to have a record and I'm hoping some of you will be interested.

Chris.

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[Michael Hoaster]

Welcome to RC, Chris! Nice start on your tank. I think your slow start will be a benefit in the big picture. Congrats on your aiptasia victory! I look forward to following your progress. Enjoy the journey!

 

[wilsonline]

Nice tank. I'm looking for ideas for my tank which is very close to what you have, a RS 350, but it's a new setup so it's not mature yet.
Here my alk drops like 0.3 daily But I don't see the Calcium dropping that much. Maybe just bc that is more Ca, idk. How was your kh and Ca consumption in the beginning ?

 

[Chr1sr85]

Hi buddy, mine was pretty much exactly like that. Alk still only drops 0.3 dkh a day I dose a total of 6ml red sea alk daily. Calcium I only dose 1ml a day. I only have a few sps frags at the moment. I'm getting some more this month so I anticipate consumption to go up. I take it your tank is lightly stocked at the moment?

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[meg]

Very nice! I am in the process of starting a new Red Sea tank, so this is great! I am leaning toward the reefer 300xl. Lighting has been driving me crazy. I feel like the led 90 that they offer runs too blue, so I have been looking at the AI hydras as well. Any pics runners the hydras with more white and colors?
Thanks,
Meg

 

[Chr1sr85]

This was earlier this evening this is whites around 30% I run my whites at 40% at peak.

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[Chr1sr85]

Ignore that, having looked when I took the picture whites were ramping right down I'll get another at peak.

 

[meg]

Thanks!

 

[Tastee]

Good luck with your 250. I have one as well, been up and running since Sep 17 and doing well. Great build quality and still looking perfect in my case.


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[VasilisM3]

Subscribed!

 

[Chr1sr85]

Ok so long awaited update. Obviously with the whole covid situation all of my lfs are closed so I've been using this time to make some improvements to the system in anticipation for when I can go coral shopping again. I have added a dd p4pro doser and skimz dosing container which is doing good and should enable the stability I'm after. I've also switched from nopox to tropic marin bacto balance along with weekly additions of tropic marin reef actif and kz sponge power every other day. I've also been toying with the idea of adding another hydra 26hd to the tank. What are peoples thoughts on this? Ive also got a blue stripe pipefish on order for next friday. Here's some pics of the new dosing set up.

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