Ethan's Enchanting Reef (RSR 250 Build)

[ScubaEthan]

Hi all! I'm back in the hobby after an almost 10 year hiatus. I was active on this forum with my 12g nano tank before I moved across the country (Georgia to Portland, OR). This forum provided a lot of help, so I'm glad a larger tank thread exists for my Red Sea Reefer 250! I'm inspired by scuba diving, both coldwater and tropical. I was in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, before the pandemic hit and I enjoy diving in kelp forests in the Pacific Northwest. I've always said I was too busy or didn't want to sink money in to another tank. But now I'm stuck at home and the world is depressing, so I need a happy hobby!

 

Tank goals:

-As sustainable as possible without taking many (any?) things directly from the ocean

-Mixed reef with lots of gentle movement

-Gorgonian

-Clam

-Pistol shrimp and goby pair

-Clowns and anemones

-Maybe some macro algae

-Future goal- pods and a mandarin

 

Equipment List as of October 2020:

Red Sea Reefer 250 - 54g display and 11g sump

SeptraPure MaxCap 5 stage RO/DI

Return pump - Eheim 1260

[ScubaEthan]

This weekend I:

-Pulled off the black backing. I think having it see-through will give it more depth. We have grey walls in the living room.

-Cut, sanded, and painted a 3/4" hardwood plywood board to go under the tank. This is to help distribute the weight and hopefully protected the carpet a bit, especially from indentations.

 

Next up:

-Hookup the RO/DO and maybe clean it according to this thread. I'm new to making my own water, and not familiar with plumbing, so this feels like a bit of a challenge.

-Clean out the used water storage container and python tubing I got

-Clean the used tank I got

[Christopher Marks]

Welcome back to the community @ScubaEthan! This looks like a fun project, the RSR 250 is a great system. I like the look without the black background film too, that will brighten up the tank a lot in your room.

17 hours ago, ScubaEthan said:

Next up:

-Hookup the RO/DO and maybe clean it according to this thread. I'm new to making my own water, and not familiar with plumbing, so this feels like a bit of a challenge.

That's a great guide for cleaning a used RO/DI unit before getting it all set up. Have you decided on what kind of connection you're going to make for the water supply and drain (waste water) lines? That's usually the most intimidating part, but there are easy solutions for most any scenario.

[ScubaEthan]

Thanks @Christopher Marks! I got a splitter from the person I bought the RO/DI from and have his drain lines that I think I can just put in a utility sink. So I think it won't be too hard... I'm just feeling a little intimidated and need to get my head into the project.

 

Question for my build:

-Thinking about doing dry rock to prevent pests, but curious if people think it is worth the pest risk to add a small amount of live rock to help with the bacteria biodiversity. Maybe bottled bacteria is sufficient?

 

-I want to clean off some of the white buildup and corraline on the glass. Without taking it outside to rinse it out, can I put towels soaked in vinegar on that glass then lightly rinse and dry it... will that get enough vinegar out before filling the tank?

 

[Nano_Addict]

Personally, I think there's a chance for pests using dry or live rock considering they can come in on corals in the future.  However, dry rock does give you more ability to aquascape things the way you like them without the worry of letting the live rock dry out during the process.