Red Sea Max 250 SPS Reef (New FTS 4-7-10!)

[dustinc]

Looking good! Sorry if it was already asked but do you plan on more live rock?

 

Thanks. I'm not planning on adding any more live rock. I want an open aquascape for the corals to actually grow and fill in the spare space. I will primarily be an SPS tank and want plenty of swimming room as well. We will see if I keep this amount of live rock long term. My wife thinks I need to add more, but I want it open... I guess we will just see!

 

Dustin

[bird]

Nice looking tank. Can't wait to see those latest sps in there.

Have you bought from there before and had good experience? I have heard good about them but have not tried the place yet. I have always wondered if what yo get actually looks like the photos.

[dustinc]

Nice looking tank. Can't wait to see those latest sps in there.

Have you bought from there before and had good experience? I have heard good about them but have not tried the place yet. I have always wondered if what yo get actually looks like the photos.

 

Yes, I've purchased from liveaquaria several times in the past and have always had great luck. They have amazing customer service and definitely recommend.

[dustinc]

Ok, so I got my new corals in today and they look amazing! Just like the pictures. They are sitting in my other tank right now until everything is ready in this tank. I also took you guys advise and added a little bit more rock. I added another 11 pounds so now I have about 40lbs. I also added about 15lbs of a thicker substrate on top of the fiji pink I bought. The fiji pink was too fine and it just got pushed around and I don't even have my vortech in the tank yet. So now the tank is all murky again and I'm ready for the cycle to kick into overdrive. I changed out my stock bulbs today as well and the difference is amazing. I actually have a blue tint to the tank now!

[Lawnman]

Awesome can't wait to see the new pictures.

[dustinc]

Here are some updated pictures of this morning and the added substrate and live rock. The rock really doesn't look like I added any at all, but that is because the structures really didn't get taller, just more bulky. Also snapped a couple pics of the new corals I got in yesterday.

[dustinc]

Alright, so the more I looked at my rock work, the more I questioned it. I just ordered another 45lbs box of rock from DFS. It was on sale for $25 off and so I thought maybe it was a sign... Ha ha... I realized that with the colonies I will be adding, there wouldn't be room for very much more so it kinda defeats the purpose of a larger tank so more rock means more coral real estate. The rock will be here Wednesday so until then I wait.

[dustinc]

So I thought about it, and I had over 30lbs of live rock in my Solana that I could move over and speed up the cycle and also fill in the space. So I cancelled my rock order and just gonna spend the extra cash on an MP40. Will post pics later.

[lhernandez86]

what livestock are you gonna be adding?

[dustinc]

what livestock are you gonna be adding?

 

Well, this is the plan so far...

 

Current Fish: Blue Hippo Tang (very small), Tail Spot Blenny, Firefish, 3xReef Chromis

Future Fish: 2xOccelaris Clowns, Green Mandarin

 

Current Corals: ORA Blue Milli, ORA Rose Milli, ORA Blue Tort, ORA Joe the Coral, ORA Green Birdsnest, ORA Purple Plasma, Tubbs Purple Polyp Birdsnest, Thick Branch Pink Birdsnest, White/Purple Acro, Purple Haze Monti, Rainbow Monti, Blue Acan, Red Acan, Area 51 Chalice, Riddler Chalice, Pink Panther Chalice, Tyree Key Lime Mango Chalice, Purple Death Paly, Nuclear Greens, Joker Paly, Eagle Eye Zoas.... That's all I can think of right now and as far as future list, it's TBA...

[dustinc]

Here are updated pics of the tank with added rock. I moved my fish over and the clean up crew. Also moved a few of the basic corals to give it a few days and make sure they do well. Everything tests out great and since it is pretty much just moving over an established tank.

[funkoptimus]

Looking good but I liked the two island look better. I realise you have more rock in, which is good. To bad you just couldnt make each island bigger. But it doesnt look bad now, just more typical.

 

How is the noise of the fans and skimmer? I heard complaints from some about the 130 and abit less about the 250. You think the lights will be enough?

[kellerexpress]

are these lights enough to keep acropora?

[dustinc]

Looking good but I liked the two island look better. I realise you have more rock in, which is good. To bad you just couldnt make each island bigger. But it doesnt look bad now, just more typical.

 

How is the noise of the fans and skimmer? I heard complaints from some about the 130 and abit less about the 250. You think the lights will be enough?

 

I liked the island look as well, but I think to get the size island I needed, I would need a 48" tank so I just went with the more standard wall. Once it's filled in with corals, it won't matter anyways, but I feel the same way. As far as the noise goes, The skimmer doesn't seem loud at all, it's the fans. The fans are pretty loud, but not in an annoying way. I'm thinking they will be, but we will soon find out.

 

 

are these lights enough to keep acropora?

 

According to all of the information I've seen and read it is. I now run a 6x24 watt fixture on my current tank and have trouble bleaching things because it's so much light. This tank is practically running the same fixture except this one has a single reflector and probably a cheaper ballast. So my thoughts are this one should be perfect because that should dial down the power just a tad. Time will tell.

[dustinc]

Here are the morning feeding pictures.

[dustinc]

Good Morning Everyone! Well I transferred a few other things this morning because everything seems to be doing great. Here are some morning pics...

[LivingStrong08]

Looking great so far brotha!

 

I actually as looking at the RSM 250, and pretty much decided on the tank. However I ran into a killer deal on a brand new Sunpod 48” 250w x2 HQI set up for the Solana XL67 (which is like my dream tank! Lol) So I am getting ready to order this tank in the next few weeks..

 

I didn’t read your entire thread, but how long did you wait to stock the RSM? Are you worried about a cycle etc?

 

I have never upgraded a tank before, so I am kind asking for my benefit. 

 

And yes, the lighting is strong enough for ANY coral. 

[dustinc]

Looking great so far brotha!

 

I actually as looking at the RSM 250, and pretty much decided on the tank. However I ran into a killer deal on a brand new Sunpod 48” 250w x2 HQI set up for the Solana XL67 (which is like my dream tank! Lol) So I am getting ready to order this tank in the next few weeks..

 

I didn’t read your entire thread, but how long did you wait to stock the RSM? Are you worried about a cycle etc?

 

I have never upgraded a tank before, so I am kind asking for my benefit. 

 

And yes, the lighting is strong enough for ANY coral. 

 

Thanks. Well, I would be lying if I said I'm not worried at all, but I moved a lot of water from my other tank and all of my live rock so it seems as though I should be ok. I've never transferred tanks before this either though, so I guess time will tell. I haven't seen any sort of cycle signs though and I used Bio-spira as well on day 1. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and waiting about a week longer to transfer the rest of my corals.

[LivingStrong08]

Thanks. Well, I would be lying if I said I'm not worried at all, but I moved a lot of water from my other tank and all of my live rock so it seems as though I should be ok. I've never transferred tanks before this either though, so I guess time will tell. I haven't seen any sort of cycle signs though and I used Bio-spira as well on day 1. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and waiting about a week longer to transfer the rest of my corals.

 

 

Lol, I will keep my fingers crossed for you too.. I was basically planning on setting up my new tank, and buying a majority of new LR, and then letting it fully cyle, (as I will be using new sand as well) then when it's done, I will transfer my LR from my tank that has corals attached, then, monitor levels for a week or so, then transfer fish, corals etc... I figure about 3 months total time.

[dustinc]

Lol, I will keep my fingers crossed for you too.. I was basically planning on setting up my new tank, and buying a majority of new LR, and then letting it fully cyle, (as I will be using new sand as well) then when it's done, I will transfer my LR from my tank that has corals attached, then, monitor levels for a week or so, then transfer fish, corals etc... I figure about 3 months total time.

 

That is probably the smartest way to go. I was planning on about a month total, but... Ha. Thanks for the support

[dustinc]

Update...

 

Here is what the tank looks like as of today. All of the corals aren't in their final spots, but you get the idea. Let me know what you think.

 

Dustin

 

Full Tank Shot

Right Side

Left Side

[JohnOTS]

It looks good!

 

I actually miss the two islands, I love the island look.

[dustinc]

It looks good!

 

I actually miss the two islands, I love the island look.

 

Thanks! Got a lot more space to fill in with corals, but it won't be long. I miss the 2 islands as well. It is my favorite look of tanks, but just couldn't get it to work with this tank, at least that is how I felt. My wife and I might be moving out of state this summer, so if that is the case, I might try and build some bigger islands to make it work. We will see!

[dustinc]

Well, what everyone always says about these protein skimmers I think is stupid! This skimmer works great if the water level in the back is in the right spot. So, yesterday I installed a JBJ Auto Top Off. All I can say now is why the heck haven't I done this with all my tank. This makes life so much easier. I have 3 new corals coming in today, so I will post pictures when I get them in the tank. I lost the bigger white colony. This is the first coral I have lost in 2+ years. Everything else is doing great though and I'm very impressed with the lighting. It seems to be just right and my zoas and lps have never looked better. I also changed out the bulb combo I had to 4xATI Blue+ and 2xKZ Fiji Purple and love it.

[dustinc]

Here is an updated FTS with the new corals I got. I added a yellow/green milli, a blue bottlebrush, and a pink stylophora. Let me know what you think. Thanks for checking it out.