Any recommendations for Reefer 250

[tonysnow1990]

I hope I'm posting in the right section, but any must haves or recommendations for the reefer 250 are encouraged! This is my first tank with a sump and I'm interested to hear ideas and opinions. I know all the basics such as having an ATO which I already have.

I would say I have some experience with reef tanks but not an expert by any means. Any feedback is super helpful and thanks in advice!

 

[rusty hannon]

I hope I'm posting in the right section, but any must haves or recommendations for the reefer 250 are encouraged! This is my first tank with a sump and I'm interested to hear ideas and opinions. I know all the basics such as having an ATO which I already have.

I would say I have some experience with reef tanks but not an expert by any means. Any feedback is super helpful and thanks in advice!

Nice tank n not sure what advice ur looking for but lots of knowledgeable folks here R

 

[tonysnow1990]

Any return pumps, lightning (only looking at lps and softies, no sps), wave makers, anything of that nature. Or any thing about the sump that I should have.

 

[rusty hannon]

Any return pumps, lightning (only looking at lps and softies, no sps), wave makers, anything of that nature. Or any thing about the sump that I should have.

a good skimmer n there are manyskimmers n opinions so id research that one ,n i understand no the livestock but you n your corals will b a lot happier w good lighting i went w kessil n have 400. dollars n but fully automated n love night time n i like sicce pumps and rossmount circulation pumps or sicce there as well. start w those n a decent ato n youll b well on your way n im sure youll grt lots of input here so b sure to research what you want n how much you wany to spend lots of choices n not really many wrong answers as long as you keep in mind u get what you pay for n in this hobby it doesnt pay to try n cut corners.happy reefing R

 

[Inertiatic]

Congrats on the new Reefer 250! I recently got one myself and it is a great aquarium.

My previous tank and equipment was too loud for my liking and this time I wanted to focus on buying quiet equipment. Right now the loudest thing on my tank is the skimmer and even that is just a slight hum from the cabinet. Here is what I have with some comments.

Return pump: Reef Octopus VarioS-4. Dead silent, seen other owners go with the 2 and 6 models as well.

Skimmer: Reef Octopus Essence S-130. Great skimmer, might be a tad too large though.

Flow: MP40 x2. I started with one and just couldn't get flow to all parts of the tank unless I cranked it up, which would move a lot of sand. Two paired are working great for my mixed reef. I slightly wish I went with MP10s though. Some owners said they couldn't get them to stay on the glass, but I wonder if they were just using the wrong spacer. With a LPS and softy tank, you won't need to go crazy on the flow.

Lighting: I ended up going with the Deluxe version of the Reefer which came with two Red Sea Reef LED 90s. I'm really enjoying them so far. The Reef Beat app is easy to use, they are small and quiet, and the recessed lens housing helps hide a lot of the light. Great shimmer too. You'll have no problem growing what you want with these, but they could grow some SPS too if you ever decide. Plus compared to other 90w LEDs on the market, they are pretty fairly priced.

ATO: I went with the Tunze Osmolator 3155 after using the stock ATO for a few days. It works great and I went and bought a 5 gallon reservoir to pair with it.

What I wish I did: There should be a build thread or two where they removed the filter area of the sump and put installed a roller mat instead. I really wish I went this route because filter socks are such a pain.

 

[Blue Ring Octopus]

Watch some Youtube videos on the RS 250 tank, it is a small compact tank with a nice stand, so keep your lighting neat and precise so you do not take away from the function form of the tank.

 

[Reef man 89]

I have the 250 as well. Just upgraded from a Nuvo 40. I absolutely love this tank. I am useing the varios 4 and it is dead silent. I am useing the Red Sea rsk300 skimmer which has been great so far. One piece of advice I can give you is don’t buy the Red Sea filter socks you CAN use the BRS 4in filter socks. That’s will save you a couple bucks.

 

[rusty hannon]

I have the 250 as well. Just upgraded from a Nuvo 40. I absolutely love this tank. I am useing the varios 4 and it is dead silent. I am useing the Red Sea rsk300 skimmer which has been great so far. One piece of advice I can give you is don’t buy the Red Sea filter socks you CAN use the BRS 4in filter socks. That’s will save you a couple bucks.

Thank you for your advice n congrats on your new tank happy reefingR

 

[Kangaroo]

I would recommend getting an IM hydrofill reservoir. It has a pull out drawer to pour water in and a float that shows the water level. Toss a tunze in the back for an ato pump. The read sea stock float thing is fine at first, but there are reports of them eventually failing if not cleaned or if a snail gets on the float etc. Additionally, i found myself filling the stock ato about every two days, whereas now I fill about once per week. It doesn't seem important at first, but life happens and the extra ato water is a huge quality of life upgrade.

 

[rusty hannon]

I would recommend getting an IM hydrofill reservoir. It has a pull out drawer to pour water in and a float that shows the water level. Toss a tunze in the back for an ato pump. The read sea stock float thing is fine at first, but there are reports of them eventually failing if not cleaned or if a snail gets on the float etc. Additionally, i found myself filling the stock ato about every two days, whereas now I fill about once per week. It doesn't seem important at first, but life happens and the extra ato water is a huge quality of life upgrade.

Thanks for the advice.i agree on life comment n like saving time.it sounds like the reefer 250 is a good choice w a few adjustments.thanks again

 

[Fishy212]

Change out the sock for a media cup. Use additional filter pads or filter floss to clean up the smaller particles. You will be cleaning the sock every 3-4 days. At first its not such a big deal but after a few months you will learn that this method is better and less cumbersome.

 

[rusty hannon]

Change out the sock for a media cup. Use additional filter pads or filter floss to clean up the smaller particles. You will be cleaning the sock every 3-4 days. At first its not such a big deal but after a few months you will learn that this method is better and less cumbersome.

Thank you for your help

 

[canadianeh]

I have a build thread in Reefer 250. It is cycling right now day 1 :). Check it out and might give you some ideas.

I didn’t use the factory plumbing and went with orange plumbing. I am using 2X MP40s, but I wish I went with MP10s as they are too strong for this tank. For skimmer I am using Nyos 120 very beautiful skimmer. I modified the sump by cutting out a baffle and fit in Clarisea SK3000 filter roll. I use Vectra M2 return pump and happy with it. I will be ordering two Radion XR15 Blue G5 for lighting. I also have Apex full system but haven’t installed it as I am still waiting the cabinet from IKEA that I plan to modified. Let me know if you have any questions.

Enjoy!

 

[Alanna102499]

Congrats! Great aquarium, I’ve recently set one up as well. I have the Kessil AP700 lights.

 

[Reef man 89]

I have a build thread in Reefer 250. It is cycling right now day 1 :). Check it out and might give you some ideas.

I didn’t use the factory plumbing and went with orange plumbing. I am using 2X MP40s, but I wish I went with MP10s as they are too strong for this tank. For skimmer I am using Nyos 120 very beautiful skimmer. I modified the sump by cutting out a baffle and fit in Clarisea SK3000 filter roll. I use Vectra M2 return pump and happy with it. I will be ordering two Radion XR15 Blue G5 for lighting. I also have Apex full system but haven’t installed it as I am still waiting the cabinet from IKEA that I plan to modified. Let me know if you have any questions.

Enjoy!

What IKEA cabinet did you order? Did you plan on cutting it up and putting it in side the Red Sea cabinet or be a stand alone cabinet next to tank?

 

[canadianeh]

What IKEA cabinet did you order? Did you plan on cutting it up and putting it in side the Red Sea cabinet or be a stand alone cabinet next to tank?

I ordered Besta cabinets with the doors and legs. I will build false walls within it to mount the gears. I will install lights to showcase the gears. It will be stand alone.