Ale's tax return tank (Red Sea 250)

[Alenya]

Another update:

Tank is looking well!

Temp: 25 C
Ammonia 0.25
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 50ppm
pH 7.8
Phosphate 0.05

Fish in QT are still iffy. The only one really eating and active is the exquisite wrasse. The puffer is eating gingerly but also spitting some food. The flasher wrasse has been hiding a lot, but has grabbed a bit of food. I'm offering food every 3 hours atm.

 

[jcolliii]

What is the ammonia concentration in the QT?

 

[Alenya]

What is the ammonia concentration in the QT?

I’ll check this morning. I am using my old nano as the QT - it’s been established for a few years.

 

[Alenya]

QT Ammonia is 0, nitrite 0. pH is a little low and nitrate is a little high, but no surprise as its due for a water change today.

The flasher wrasse has been put into a multicure (green and blue) bath and we'll see how he goes.

 

[Alenya]

Unfortunately the flasher wrassse didn't make it

The others are doing fine though and eating frozen much more readily today.

 

[jcolliii]

Really sorry to hear that. Hope the others do well.

 

[Alenya]

Really sorry to hear that. Hope the others do well.

Thanks I hope so too. There were two flasher wrasse at the LFS and I think they gave me the skinnier one of the two. He was not good from the start

 

[Alenya]

I had my first problem with the tank! My partner woke me up this morning to tell me there was a problem. I rushed out to realise the noise I was hearing last night while I was sleeping, that I couldn’t place, was the tank.

I had noticed yesterday some of the corals looked unhappy but put it down to dosing some phosphate. What I should have done is checked the tank.

The return pump was making noise because the water was low in the sump. The water was low because the ATO was off. I can’t remember turning it off, but I must have because the skimmer was also off.

They must have been off for a few days because I remember not hearing them this weekend. It’s 6am and I am pretty foggy. It’s going to take a while to remember why I turned them off.

Hopefully nothing major as a repercussion today.

 

[Alenya]

Little update:

All quiet in the tank. Fish are doing well, feeding generously twice a day. Will get a timer auto feeder at some stage for snacks during work hours!

Dino still absent. Waiting on leopard wrasse at my LFS - maybe this week maybe this month

First touches of green algae since my last dose of phosphates. Happy to see them!

Current schedule:

2 small cubes marine mix daily
Half dose coral food twice weekly
Full dose phyto twice weekly

No longer adding phosphate
We’ll see how it goes!

 

[Alenya]

I’m so happy! Hundreds of pods on the back glass

The LPS are so full and fluffy
There are touches of green algae on the rocks
Fish are happy and eating with gusto

My puffer sleeps on top of the rocks <3

I need to take photos

 

[Alenya]

Little update:

Fish doing well Replacement McCosker’s flasher wrasse settling in. Leopard wrasse maybe this Friday???

My puffer snoozes in a little nook in the rockwork <3 Hopefully video works.

GHA establishing in little tufts on the sandbed and thin films here and there on the rocks. Will give it another week then start to bring phosphate back down with some phoszorb.

Other than that nothing new to report. Just letting it have time to settle and trying to keep hands out of the tank

 

[jcolliii]

Super cute little fish - always thought they looked like little puppies in a way!

 

[Alenya]

Super cute little fish - always thought they looked like little puppies in a way!

They’re my favourite. He can eat everything in the tank and I will still love him

In other news, my McCosker flasher wrasse is actually a yellow fin x filamented hybrid. Great, apart from the fact I already have a yellow fin flasher wrasse. They are going to fight, so I have to decide which one to keep. So disappointed

 

[Alenya]

Parameters:

Temp: 25.5 C
Salinity: 1.026
Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 0
pH: 8.0
Nitrate: 80ppm
Phosphate: 0

That’s a result of feeding so much to get past dinos :O Will work on nitrates over the next week or two to bring them down.

 

[Alenya]

30% water change

Removed algae mats, blew down the rocks. Replaced with NSW topped up with RODI to 1.025. Heated it up a bit to 22 C in the tub with a heater and microwaving some to warm it up.

Tank is settling now. The filter roller is busy and I’m just about to clean the skimmer cup.

Will add a little phosphate and test in the morning.

 

[Alenya]

Test results this morning:

Temp: 25 C
Salinity: 1.026
pH: 8.0
Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 40ppm
Phosphate: 0

Adding 1mL of Flourish Phosphate today

Feeding regimen:

1/3 cube three times daily
Phyto 1/2 dose weekly
Coral food 1 scoop twice weekly

 

[Alenya]

Little update:

Picked up some more CUC - half dozen hermits, and some more snails.

I also picked up a Bangaii cardinalfish which was on my list. He’s in the QT tank. Interestingly the flasher wrasse absolutely panicked about the Bangaii to the point he actually managed to force his way through a crack in the tank cover and went carpet surfing! :O Fortunately I was there and able to put him back in. He seems okay now.

Also a new coral, a pretty pink Goni. I tend to kill these - here’s hoping for success. I also grabbed a gold torch from my main LFS.

The trachys look stressed, not sure if it’s the result of high nitrates, the stronger lights (acclimation is done) or a combo of both. I’ve put them in partial shade for now.

Another water change this week to bring nitrates to about 30ppm.

I dosed another 1mL of phosphate.

 

[Dcole12]

Hallo

Thanks to being unemployed for a few months this year (thanks COVID!) I received a pretty generous tax return. My partner asked, "What are you going to do with it?" And I decided to be fiscally responsible and buy myself a new marine tank <3 since it's a better chance right now than the stock market

Current Situation 16th September:

Reducing excess nitrates in the system
Waiting on leopard wrasse to add...!

Check latest post for updates


********* Original Post *********

I have run a nano reef for about 5 years now, which is a 40 litre (10 gallon) cube. I had initially planned to upgrade to a 90 litre cube, but another marine enthusiast had a 2 year old Red Sea Reefer 250 on the market with some equipment for a pretty good price. The 250 will be a big step up for me with a lot of firsts, but I'm already looking forward to cracking on. I will put some pictures up once I pick up the gear and roll along. I'm a novice for these big tanks (big to me anyhow) so hopefully it will be of interest to anyone else taking a step to these larger tanks. As I love my LPS and softies, this will be an SPS free tank

Equipment:

Red Sea Reefer 250
Return pump Sicce Syncra 3.5
Chiller Hailea HC150
ATO Tunze Osmolator 3155
Skimmer eshopps S-120
Mechanical filter Clarisea 3000

Lights 2 x AI PrimeHD
Auto water changer - my LFS is bringing in a new brand
Wavemakers - MP10
Hardscape - 20kg real reef rock
Cabinet lighting - Strip LED

Future fish list :

2 x wild caught Clownfish percula DT
1 x Yellow watchman goby DT
2 x Bangai cardinals
1 x Valentini Puffer
1 x Yellow coris wrasse QT
1 x Yellowtail flasher wrasse QT
1 x Golden Midas blenny
1 x Longnose hawkfish
1 x Marine Betta

Current stage:

Setting up location for tank in lounge, picking up everything. Then planning out plumbing - RO container next to tank, seawater outside. Also looking at a little trolley I can keep all my 'working' fish gear on/in.

Beautiful tank!

 

[Alenya]

Beautiful tank!

Thank you! I saw you had some comments on my notification but they aren’t here. I wanted to say I am looking forward to your build I would say go the 110, I don’t think there is much cost difference and I am already itching for a bigger tank :O

I am running a skimmer and a Clarisea filter roller and they are both very busy as I am over feeding atm. I did a big water change recently and need to do another one to drop nitrates to 15-ish. The tank will be mainly LPS so it is good with some nutrient in the tank. I have no other export atm (no refugium, etc).

 

[Dcole12]

Thank you! I saw you had some comments on my notification but they aren’t here. I wanted to say I am looking forward to your build I would say go the 110, I don’t think there is much cost difference and I am already itching for a bigger tank :O

I am running a skimmer and a Clarisea filter roller and they are both very busy as I am over feeding atm. I did a big water change recently and need to do another one to drop nitrates to 15-ish. The tank will be mainly LPS so it is good with some nutrient in the tank. I have no other export atm (no refugium, etc).

Thanks for the info! Yeah I really probably will go with the Marine X 110.. It is about an 80 display and will be perfect size to maintain.. Don't really want to start to get to big cause it is a lot more work, but at the same point can do so much more.. So really torn.