TatorTaco's Reefer 250 - progress report

[TatorTaco]

Equipment 

Tank: Red Sea Reefer 250 

Lights: TBD – Interested in the Kessil AP9X

Skimmer: TBD – Bubble Magus or Reef Octopus likely

Flow: Sicce Syncra SDC 6.0 WiFi Controllable Pump (530-1450 GPH)

Heater: (2) Eheim Jager 150W

Controller: Hydros Controller

 

Planned Livestock

Fish:  No clue, but I really want a mandarin and a canary wrasse. I kind of want to go fishless though.

Corals:  I want a lot of movement in this tank, so I’m looking primarily at softies and LPS. I know I want a GSP rock up front and I’m looking forward to large leather corals, trying Goniporas, and Euphyllias.

 

I’m hoping this tank allows me to have a fresh start to improve/correct issues with my Nuvo 20.  I moved the Nuvo 20 to a less desirable area of the living room and maintenance is incredibly inconvenient and difficult.  The kitchen table was never used so I’m planning to ditch it and put the Reefer 250 there. 

 

Keep checking in to watch the dumpster fire.

 

I’m still sorting out the aquascape and plumbing, but I hope to get this tank cycling within a few weeks.

 

 

[TatorTaco]

Keeping this open (just in case). 

[TatorTaco]

As you can see, I have a pantry to the side and I'm curious how I can use a part of it for fish stuff.  I also have a bathroom on the other side of the wall, but I don't know how to take advantage of that. 

 

Here's the rockscape at the moment:  https://youtu.be/AQCPJftvuj4

[The Rainy Day Aquarium]

1 hour ago, TatorTaco said:

I also have a bathroom on the other side of the wall, but I don't know how to take advantage of that

You could punch a small hole through the wall and have an auto RODI setup? If you felt like it/have the cash you could even have an auto water change system too plumbed through the wall? 

 

No dumpster fire here! 😉

 

Excited to see a new build from you! Good luck mate! 

[billygoat]

That RSR250 seems like a great tank! I kinda want one too... 😅

 

I'll be following along too of course! I'm sure this one will be even nicer than your Nuvo 20 (which I thought was very beautiful).

[TatorTaco]

12 hours ago, Chowder's Reef said:

You could punch a small hole through the wall and have an auto RODI setup? If you felt like it/have the cash you could even have an auto water change system too plumbed through the wall? 

 

No dumpster fire here! 😉

 

Excited to see a new build from you! Good luck mate! 

I already have an RODI setup in the laundry room.  I really should do some research on the auto water change system though and figure out how to make that work.  The logistics of picking the right parts and equipment is overwhelming.  Now, if I could find a link with 100% of the parts I need (with links), I'd do it in a heartbeat. I have a deep freezer in my laundry room and I'd just put the water station in it's place and get rid of the deep freezer. 

[Pjanssen]

14 hours ago, TatorTaco said:

As you can see, I have a pantry to the side and I'm curious how I can use a part of it for fish stuff

I'd probably put a larger ATO reservoir on the floor of that pantry and just plum a small pipe through the wall to the tank. I don't know where your laundry room is in relation to your tank, but if the bathroom is right behind it, then that is where I'd try to hook up an auto water change station. But I know nothing about setting up an auto water change station!

[TatorTaco]

2 hours ago, Pjanssen said:

I'd probably put a larger ATO reservoir on the floor of that pantry and just plum a small pipe through the wall to the tank. I don't know where your laundry room is in relation to your tank, but if the bathroom is right behind it, then that is where I'd try to hook up an auto water change station. But I know nothing about setting up an auto water change station!

Hypothetically, I could put a big rubbermaid tote for 27 gallons of never ending fresh ATO water at the bottom of the pantry.  I don't know how to do it, but I've seen videos where I could put a float switch inside of the tote to keep it from overfilling, and some sort of sensor to alert me when it gets too low.  Sound reasonable?    

[gena]

That's a gorgeous setup.  Love the white stand!  Your rockscape looks great too.  I would say leave the pantry alone, but that's just me LOL.

[TatorTaco]

Thanks Gena!  I need your decor skills.  I'm 100% okay with putting a tub in the pantry - I live alone so I don't have anyone to fuss at me over putting holes in the walls.  

 

You know...I already have that dang ice chest in the pantry collecting dust. Maybe I could just spin that sucker around, and use it for an ATO?

[gena]

4 hours ago, TatorTaco said:

Thanks Gena!  I need your decor skills.  I'm 100% okay with putting a tub in the pantry - I live alone so I don't have anyone to fuss at me over putting holes in the walls.  

 

You know...I already have that dang ice chest in the pantry collecting dust. Maybe I could just spin that sucker around, and use it for an ATO?

Hahaha...well in that case....go for it 😁.  Holes in walls don't actually bother me.  They can be patched.  It's taking up my pantry space that I wouldn't want to do LOL.

[Pjanssen]

The holes would be on the inside of the pantry and then behind the tank so no-one would see them anyway. You don't have to use up the whole floor space. Maybe a 5-7 gallon container. You might need that cooler for beer or tequila or something, so...

[Firefish15]

That looks like it’ll be a nice spot for the tank! 
In the middle of things, high visibility, and lots of room around it to work.

[TatorTaco]

ATO:  I picked up a white Hefty 13.3 trashcan at Walmart that I plan to use for an ATO and store to the left side of the pantry.  I need an wire extender to span the distance between the pump and the sump and ordered the wrong one, so that's on the to-do list.    

 

Sand:  Ugh!  I dumped in 2 bags of Arag-Alive special grade sand and really liked it, but decided I wanted just a taaaaaad more sand - I'm prone to to sticking frag plugs in the sandbed and if it is too shallow, they tip over.  In my haste, I ordered Fiji Pink sand which is a finer grain size and didn't realize until after I dumped the sand in the tank and the water cleared.  Will the grain sizes eventually mix up pretty well, or will one visually overtake the other?  I'm kinda thinking I should pick up a large fish net and start scooping it out.  

 

Salt:  I use the Red Sea blue bucket salt and have about 1/2 a bucket left, which is MORE than enough for my Nuvo 20.  Somehow, I forgot to order salt to cycle this big tank so I've ordered Instant Ocean (it's cheaper) so I can start the cycle on this tank.  

 

Money:  I grossly underestimated how much this would all cost.  I could save a chunk of money by shutting down the Nuvo 20 and using those dual AI Prime lights, but I really don't want to shut that tank down. Maybe the tank will just run dark for bit?  It's too hot in Arkansas right now, so maybe I won't even bother shopping for corals (and needing lights) until the fall. 

[Ratvan]

17 hours ago, TatorTaco said:

Sand:  Ugh!  I dumped in 2 bags of Arag-Alive special grade sand and really liked it, but decided I wanted just a taaaaaad more sand - I'm prone to to sticking frag plugs in the sandbed and if it is too shallow, they tip over.  In my haste, I ordered Fiji Pink sand which is a finer grain size and didn't realize until after I dumped the sand in the tank and the water cleared.  Will the grain sizes eventually mix up pretty well, or will one visually overtake the other?  I'm kinda thinking I should pick up a large fish net and start scooping it out.  

The finer grain will eventually work its way to the bottom leaving the coarser grain on top 

[TatorTaco]

2 hours ago, Ratvan said:

The finer grain will eventually work its way to the bottom leaving the coarser grain on top 

That makes a lot of sense in retrospect.  I'm not sure future-me really wants to deal with that.  I think I'll plan on netting a chunk of new sand out. 

[Pjanssen]

Not sure why you're worried about the different grain sand. You probably wouldn't even notice it by the time your sand sifters move everything around. Your special grade probably has grains of that size already mixed in it. If it were oolite, I might feel different-that stuff is like powder.

[Pjanssen]

Fiji Pink

• Grain size: 0.5-1.5mm

Special grade

• Grain size: 1-2mm

[TatorTaco]

On 8/18/2021 at 6:05 PM, Pjanssen said:

Not sure why you're worried about the different grain sand. You probably wouldn't even notice it by the time your sand sifters move everything around. Your special grade probably has grains of that size already mixed in it. If it were oolite, I might feel different-that stuff is like powder.

You're right about the sand size being no big deal.  While I was weighing my pros/cons of a deeper sandbed, the prospect of having jawfish came up.  That definitely piqued my interest so I'm leaving the sand for now.  I can always take it out later if I want. 

 

I woke up at 3am and couldn't go back to sleep so I fiddled around with my new CoralVue Hydros controller.  I purchased the 4 outlet model along with misc accessories so I got that set up.  It wasn't a walk in the park, but I'm a slow learner too.  So...yeah. It's my first controller and I'm super excited.  I have my return pump and 2 heaters plugged in -water is moving and warm so at least I did that part right. The tank still needs powerheads, lights, and an ATO.  The salt I ordered was running late or wasn't shipped at all, so I picked some up at the local Petco to get the tank cycling.  Oh!  I just remembered I need to add the ammonia and bacteria to the tank to start the cycle.  Duh!  After setting the controller up I went back to sleep. 

 

I had quite the exciting project this morning and either it went "kinda good", or REALLY bad...depending on  your outlook of things.  I wanted to route fresh RODI water from the unit in the laundry room to the next room where the tank is located - the kitchen. I drilled and ran RODI tubing from the unit up through the attic and across about....20 feet(?).  I then ran the tubing down from the ceiling into the pantry.  It's all quite low-key and I'm super happy with it.  But....my fat butt put too much weight on the drywall while I was up in the attic, and I'm afraid I really screwed up.  I'm pretty bummed about it.  See picture below.  My brother in law said he'd help me fix it, so we'll see.  I have a general understanding on how to fix it, but it already had an ugly seam when I purchased the house, so maybe this will be a chance to fix the issue correctly/entirely. 

 

I'd like to get the ATO all set up today, but  I need to install a float valve to the bucket first, and it's currently on backorder with BRS so I'm just going to wait before I mess with it.

[Firefish15]

Whoops! 😬 

Sorry you’ll have to deal with that! Glad everything else is progressing though!

[Pjanssen]

On 8/21/2021 at 12:39 PM, TatorTaco said:

You're right about the sand size being no big deal.  While I was weighing my pros/cons of a deeper sandbed, the prospect of having jawfish came up.  That definitely piqued my interest so I'm leaving the sand for now.  I can always take it out later if I want. 

 

I woke up at 3am and couldn't go back to sleep so I fiddled around with my new CoralVue Hydros controller.  I purchased the 4 outlet model along with misc accessories so I got that set up.  It wasn't a walk in the park, but I'm a slow learner too.  So...yeah. It's my first controller and I'm super excited.  I have my return pump and 2 heaters plugged in -water is moving and warm so at least I did that part right. The tank still needs powerheads, lights, and an ATO.  The salt I ordered was running late or wasn't shipped at all, so I picked some up at the local Petco to get the tank cycling.  Oh!  I just remembered I need to add the ammonia and bacteria to the tank to start the cycle.  Duh!  After setting the controller up I went back to sleep. 

 

I had quite the exciting project this morning and either it went "kinda good", or REALLY bad...depending on  your outlook of things.  I wanted to route fresh RODI water from the unit in the laundry room to the next room where the tank is located - the kitchen. I drilled and ran RODI tubing from the unit up through the attic and across about....20 feet(?).  I then ran the tubing down from the ceiling into the pantry.  It's all quite low-key and I'm super happy with it.  But....my fat butt put too much weight on the drywall while I was up in the attic, and I'm afraid I really screwed up.  I'm pretty bummed about it.  See picture below.  My brother in law said he'd help me fix it, so we'll see.  I have a general understanding on how to fix it, but it already had an ugly seam when I purchased the house, so maybe this will be a chance to fix the issue correctly/entirely. 

 

I'd like to get the ATO all set up today, but  I need to install a float valve to the bucket first, and it's currently on backorder with BRS so I'm just going to wait before I mess with it.

Looks like an opportunity to get rid of that 70's/80's popcorn ceiling!!

[TatorTaco]

September Check In

 

Ceiling is all fixed up and better than ever, so I'm happy with that.  Photographing it highlights some weird shading as light comes from 2 different rooms and it's naturally a bit darker there. Still, it's fixed.  Here's a picture when the paint was still a bit wet. 

 

 

I purchased and installed Kessil AP9X.  I like it a lot more than the 2 AI Prime HDs I have over the Nuvo 20. I rented a PAR meter from BRS and I'm running about 125 PAR consistently on the sand bed.  Further research appears that most people have their lights approximately 6-10 inches off the water line, so I may drop my light and then reduce the intensity since I think mine are currently around 11 or 12 inches off the water line.  Hopefully that'll help a bit with the light spill too?  Since I plan on running softies (zoas and leathers) along with LPS, I might work on reducing the fixture and intensity.  I definitely want to sort this out while I still have the PAR meter though. 

 

I've had one HECK of a fiasco trying to get water flow in this tank though.  I've read up on big tanks and how popular gyres are, so I really wanted to try it.  Unfortunately, I didn't have a clue what I wanted or how many I needed, other than I wanted to go with Jebao.  I bought  2x Jebao 70 gyres, 2x Jebao 90 gryes, 2x Jeboa 120 gyres, and 2 Jebao MCP 20s (Nero knockoffs).  I felt like my whole weekend was the story about the 3 bears and the soup being too hot/cold.  I really wanted the gyres to work, but it was just too much flow for what I wanted so I'm just going to rock the MCP pumps and see what happens.  Those Jebao gyres are awesome though. 

 

The trashcan auto-top off system with the Hydros 4 controller is all fixed up and running.  I'm so incredibly proud of myself for it.  I had to put a couple holes in the wall but with a power cord "raceway" thing, it looks super clean.  I also had a super sketchy idea to use that blue cooler as a saltwater storage container.  I mean, it's already in the right spot, it'd hold a decent volume of water, it's waterproof.  I can't think of a good reason to NOT do it.

 

Tank has cycled and I've transferred most of the corals from my Nuvo 20, but it's currently running and still has the 2 clownfish and Six line Wrasse.  I'm unsure if all 3 fish will be transferred over, only the clowns, or none - it's in the air at the moment. I want a Canary Wrasse in the Reefer 250 much more than the Six Line, so I don't want to cause myself a headache if they won't play nice. 

 

I'm a moron and aquascaped the tank but never considered what I'd do with the rock from my Nuvo 20.  So, the aquascape has changed probably 3 or 4 times now.  All the rock has been moved over (I think) so I'll need to provide an updated FTS.  

 

I did get WAY carried away on coral purchases in an effort to make the tank look less empty.  I placed my first order with Aqua SD for some acans and gonipora frags, then I happened to stumble upon a flash sale on zoas from a random internet person off of Reddit. I finally went to the next biggest fish store by me which is 2.5 hours away.  I've wanted to go for years and just kept putting it off.  OMG....it was amazing.  So many corals, so many fish, they were super nice and friendly.  I regret waiting this long to venture out of my little metropolitan area to shop.  

 

Including all the zoas that I'm moving over from the Nuvo 20, I probably have close to 40 different frags I need to glue down.  

 

AquaSD:

 

 

Reddit Sale (1/2 off).  He also included 2 or 3 freebie zoas.

 

NWA Fish store

Bubble Coral

Cespitula Coral?

Double headed hammer coral.

2 different GSP varities that I don't have (yet)

 

TL/DR: new lights, par meter rental, ATO set up, Hydros set up, new frags, new scape, no fish, and I'm poor.