Westside Guy
Valuable Member
I like your placement of the Gyre XF330's which will give you a great view from either side!!! 
Clabern's Red Sea Reefer 250
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Westside Guy
Valuable Member
I used those Command velcro strips and some items held well against the inside wall of the cabinet and others didn't. I landed up using Gorilla double sided indoor/outdoor mounting tape for the ones that didn't hold with the velcro strips. I drilled/screwed my Technical Pro power supply onto the wall because of its weight.
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Westside Guy
Valuable Member
clabern
Community Member
So - I finally got the tank wet this [extended] weekend! I toyed with 'scaping forever and finally just said screw it and started moving rocks into the tank and using Nyos reef cement. I can't say I'm super excited about the 'scape as it is, but it's functional for now. I may go by my LFS this weekend and see what sort of dry real reef rock he has that I could add....
After I got the rock in and secured (using a combo of the Nyos Cement, IC-GEL, and a small bit of egg-craft under the two larger pieces) I decided to follow Red Sea's recommendation of adding some water into the overflow chamber to check for leaks. Glad I did! Immediately had a leak coming from the e-drain pipe. After quite a bit of investigating I found the culprit...
Luckily I was able to find a compatible o-ring at Lowe's (though I did e-mail Red Sea and they immediately shipped out a pack of them Monday morning!). After replacing the o-ring I was leak-free, so I started the process of hauling water up from the basement (I have 2 30gal Brute cans, one for SW and one for RO/DI).
After I started filling I realized the 40lbs of sand wasn't going to cut it, so I ran out to an LFS (My regular was closed, so I had to drive across town to one I don't care much for) to get another bag. Added about 50lbs of Caribsea Special Grade Reef Sand in total. I knew I should have tried to rinse the sand, but I just didn't feel like it...
After hauling up water and random other weekend activities I finally got it completely going last night, though it was just a cloudy mess. Cleared up a bit overnight though (I stuck the 200W heater in the display just to keep it going while messing in/around the sump) -
I abandoned my cabinet cable manage as well. I quickly realized I needed to plan better/rethink placement. I had wasted too many command strips to realize I needed more room in some location for something/etc. I'll be working on that this coming weekend.
That's about it for now. I threw in the bottle of Bio-Spira I had. I'll probably go ahead and add some Microbater7 tonight and then may dose some Ammonia tomorrow. Gotta get all of my pump controls setup, get the Seneye setup, and tons more.
For now here's a picture of my favorite little fish...
After I got the rock in and secured (using a combo of the Nyos Cement, IC-GEL, and a small bit of egg-craft under the two larger pieces) I decided to follow Red Sea's recommendation of adding some water into the overflow chamber to check for leaks. Glad I did! Immediately had a leak coming from the e-drain pipe. After quite a bit of investigating I found the culprit...
Luckily I was able to find a compatible o-ring at Lowe's (though I did e-mail Red Sea and they immediately shipped out a pack of them Monday morning!). After replacing the o-ring I was leak-free, so I started the process of hauling water up from the basement (I have 2 30gal Brute cans, one for SW and one for RO/DI).
After I started filling I realized the 40lbs of sand wasn't going to cut it, so I ran out to an LFS (My regular was closed, so I had to drive across town to one I don't care much for) to get another bag. Added about 50lbs of Caribsea Special Grade Reef Sand in total. I knew I should have tried to rinse the sand, but I just didn't feel like it...
After hauling up water and random other weekend activities I finally got it completely going last night, though it was just a cloudy mess. Cleared up a bit overnight though (I stuck the 200W heater in the display just to keep it going while messing in/around the sump) -
I abandoned my cabinet cable manage as well. I quickly realized I needed to plan better/rethink placement. I had wasted too many command strips to realize I needed more room in some location for something/etc. I'll be working on that this coming weekend.
That's about it for now. I threw in the bottle of Bio-Spira I had. I'll probably go ahead and add some Microbater7 tonight and then may dose some Ammonia tomorrow. Gotta get all of my pump controls setup, get the Seneye setup, and tons more.
For now here's a picture of my favorite little fish...
clabern
Community Member
Worked on getting the Maxspect controller stuff hooked up last night. Couldn't get the ICV6 web controller setup using my phone (Galaxy S10+), but got it working using my iPad. Connected the Gyre and Turbine controllers up to it and then updated their firmware.
Will say that I was initially un-impressed with the Turbine Duo 9K's flow. I had to set it to max in order to get decent flow out of the returns when I first set it up. After updating it's firmware though, I quickly had to dial it back to about an 8. I'm going to mess with it some more, but seems to be working well now.
Where-as the turbine's flow may not be amazing, the Gyre's are POWERFUL. They came on at 50% and were already blowing sand. I ended up keeping them at 40% constant for now just to keep some high flow going while cycling. I'm constantly blowing off rocks and stirring up sand to try and filter out as much of the dust as possible since I didn't rinse...
Another note on both the Gyre XF330's and the Turbine - they're all dead silent. When I've got my overflow dialed in correctly (note on this in a moment) the tank is S-I-L-E-N-T! My Nuvo 20 makes more noise!
In regards to the Red Sea overflow/return line valve...
I had read other comments about fluctuating overflow water levels and inconsistencies with the Red Sea return valve, and I must say that I now know/see exactly what they mean! I can tune in the valve so that my overflow level is just below the emergency drain and the tank is running perfectly. It'll stay like this for a few hours or so, but then all of a sudden the overflow is either higher or lower (and thus causing noise). I can then re-adjust (making a VERY small turn) and it'll level out again, only to be higher or lower hours later...
One initial thought, that I'm hoping to remedy soon, is the sumps return chamber water level. I don't have an ATO in yet (I hate the Red Sea ATO box thing, and my AutoAqua AWC is still on the Nuvo for now), so I've just been replenishing water myself. I notice that if I have the return valve dialed in and then water evaporates and the return chamber is low, that if/when I add more water the overflow water level goes out of wack again. I've ordered a Tunze ATO that I'll stick on the Nuvo and move the AWC to the 250. Hopefully that will help and I can figure something out with the stock red sea valve. I'd really rather not replace it since it'd be a bit more intensive with the way the plumbing is routed on the new V3 sump.
I toyed around with the Teffo Aquamutant controller strip as well. App seems nice, but 2 initial issues/complaints:
I also went ahead and ordered another AI Prime HD. That'll let me have 2 on the 250 for now (no lights while cycling though) and keep the other on the Nuvo until I take it down completely. Ultimately I'll end up with 3 Prime's on the 250, which should work out well (I'm not a huge SPS lover, so it'll be mostly LPS/softies).
Will say that I was initially un-impressed with the Turbine Duo 9K's flow. I had to set it to max in order to get decent flow out of the returns when I first set it up. After updating it's firmware though, I quickly had to dial it back to about an 8. I'm going to mess with it some more, but seems to be working well now.
Where-as the turbine's flow may not be amazing, the Gyre's are POWERFUL. They came on at 50% and were already blowing sand. I ended up keeping them at 40% constant for now just to keep some high flow going while cycling. I'm constantly blowing off rocks and stirring up sand to try and filter out as much of the dust as possible since I didn't rinse...
Another note on both the Gyre XF330's and the Turbine - they're all dead silent. When I've got my overflow dialed in correctly (note on this in a moment) the tank is S-I-L-E-N-T! My Nuvo 20 makes more noise!
In regards to the Red Sea overflow/return line valve...
I had read other comments about fluctuating overflow water levels and inconsistencies with the Red Sea return valve, and I must say that I now know/see exactly what they mean! I can tune in the valve so that my overflow level is just below the emergency drain and the tank is running perfectly. It'll stay like this for a few hours or so, but then all of a sudden the overflow is either higher or lower (and thus causing noise). I can then re-adjust (making a VERY small turn) and it'll level out again, only to be higher or lower hours later...
One initial thought, that I'm hoping to remedy soon, is the sumps return chamber water level. I don't have an ATO in yet (I hate the Red Sea ATO box thing, and my AutoAqua AWC is still on the Nuvo for now), so I've just been replenishing water myself. I notice that if I have the return valve dialed in and then water evaporates and the return chamber is low, that if/when I add more water the overflow water level goes out of wack again. I've ordered a Tunze ATO that I'll stick on the Nuvo and move the AWC to the 250. Hopefully that will help and I can figure something out with the stock red sea valve. I'd really rather not replace it since it'd be a bit more intensive with the way the plumbing is routed on the new V3 sump.
I toyed around with the Teffo Aquamutant controller strip as well. App seems nice, but 2 initial issues/complaints:
- Temperature Reading - It's off by about 1 degree (F). It reads around 77 though my heater is set to 78 and two other temp probes read 78. I wish I could set an off-set in the app to correct it.
- Can't control outlets if in "Auto" mode. In order to use the controller as a temp controller you have to plug the heater into an outlet and setup that outlet with a heater function, then you have to turn the entire strip/controller to "Auto" mode. When you do this you can't then turn any other outlet on/off. I was hoping to plug my skimmer into one of the ports and be able to open the app and tap a button to turn it off, but I don't think I'll be able to.
I also went ahead and ordered another AI Prime HD. That'll let me have 2 on the 250 for now (no lights while cycling though) and keep the other on the Nuvo until I take it down completely. Ultimately I'll end up with 3 Prime's on the 250, which should work out well (I'm not a huge SPS lover, so it'll be mostly LPS/softies).
Westside Guy
Valuable Member
Definitely no lights while cycling as you will have algae buildup. I made that mistake because my wife wanted the tank lit up at night and paid the price.
clabern
Community Member
Got the Seneye slide soaked and setup. Decently happy with it so far.
Started the cycle on Wednesday (April 24th) evening with some Dr. Tims Ammonia Chloride and Microbacter7. I had added a bottle of Bio-Spira shortly after getting the tank filled on Monday.
With the Seneye setup I was excited to be able to see the ammonia cycle in real time. After adding the recommended drops of ammonia to get to 2ppm the Seneye sent me a warning that ammonia was spiking. I don't really understand what value the Seneye is giving me, since it maxed out at "0.077".
It lists this as ppm, but that isn't correct. Testing the ammonia with an API test showed it was actually near 4ppm (not sure if I overdosed or what, but oh well). The value reported by the Seneye has been steadily decreasing over the past 2 days though. Currently at "0.043" this morning, so almost half the initial spike.
I'll probably do a full round of testing (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) this evening just to see where things are.
My plan is that once the current ammonia and nitrites reach zero I'll do a medium water change and dose some more ammonia (only 1-2ppm). From there I'll monitor how long it takes for both to reach zero and move from there (if it's within a day or so, I'll consider it done, but if more than that I'll wait longer). I'm continuing to dose Microbacter 7 each day for a week, after that I'll probably just dose once a week. Once I consider the tank cycled I'll start off with an order of pods and chaeto from Algaebarn to try and seed the tank and start up the refugium. I also plan on ordering/adding some of the bottled coraline from ARC reef at this point as well.
After it's been cycled, pods/coraline seeded, and things are still looking good I'm not sure how I'll move stock from the Nuvo.
I'm considering stopping by my LFS this weekend to see if he has any interesting dry rock in stock to supplement what I've created so far. I like it alright, and I think once I start adding corals and other coral encrusted rocks (like my GSP rock that'll be on an island in the middle) I'll be happier. I'll get pics of the tank this evening and post where it is currently.
I got my Tunze Nano ATO and stuck it on the Nuvo for now (man - it's pump is LOUD though!!) and moved the AutoAqua AWC/ATO to the 250. Already noticed an improvement in water level in the overflow box overnight. It still fluctuated a small bit, but much better. I'm interested to see where it's at when I get home this evening.
Now that most of the final gear/hardware is placed I'll be tackling the mess of wire's this weekend. I gathered up a large bit of cable management items to assist as well.
I'll post more updated and pictures as I get them!
Started the cycle on Wednesday (April 24th) evening with some Dr. Tims Ammonia Chloride and Microbacter7. I had added a bottle of Bio-Spira shortly after getting the tank filled on Monday.
With the Seneye setup I was excited to be able to see the ammonia cycle in real time. After adding the recommended drops of ammonia to get to 2ppm the Seneye sent me a warning that ammonia was spiking. I don't really understand what value the Seneye is giving me, since it maxed out at "0.077".
It lists this as ppm, but that isn't correct. Testing the ammonia with an API test showed it was actually near 4ppm (not sure if I overdosed or what, but oh well). The value reported by the Seneye has been steadily decreasing over the past 2 days though. Currently at "0.043" this morning, so almost half the initial spike.
I'll probably do a full round of testing (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) this evening just to see where things are.
My plan is that once the current ammonia and nitrites reach zero I'll do a medium water change and dose some more ammonia (only 1-2ppm). From there I'll monitor how long it takes for both to reach zero and move from there (if it's within a day or so, I'll consider it done, but if more than that I'll wait longer). I'm continuing to dose Microbacter 7 each day for a week, after that I'll probably just dose once a week. Once I consider the tank cycled I'll start off with an order of pods and chaeto from Algaebarn to try and seed the tank and start up the refugium. I also plan on ordering/adding some of the bottled coraline from ARC reef at this point as well.
After it's been cycled, pods/coraline seeded, and things are still looking good I'm not sure how I'll move stock from the Nuvo.
I'm considering stopping by my LFS this weekend to see if he has any interesting dry rock in stock to supplement what I've created so far. I like it alright, and I think once I start adding corals and other coral encrusted rocks (like my GSP rock that'll be on an island in the middle) I'll be happier. I'll get pics of the tank this evening and post where it is currently.
I got my Tunze Nano ATO and stuck it on the Nuvo for now (man - it's pump is LOUD though!!) and moved the AutoAqua AWC/ATO to the 250. Already noticed an improvement in water level in the overflow box overnight. It still fluctuated a small bit, but much better. I'm interested to see where it's at when I get home this evening.
Now that most of the final gear/hardware is placed I'll be tackling the mess of wire's this weekend. I gathered up a large bit of cable management items to assist as well.
I'll post more updated and pictures as I get them!
clabern
Community Member
Oh yea, definitely not. I'm only just getting things prepped, lights won't be on a schedule until after the cycle and I'm ready to add some livestock.
Love the placement of this between the desks. Tagging along!
clabern
Community Member
More updates!
Seneye ammonia levels are continuing to drop. I ran the trio of cycling tests this evening which confirms what the Seneye is reporting...
Ammonia: .25 to .50ppm
Nitrite: Over 5ppm
Nitrate: 20-40ppm
I'll wait from ammonia to hit zero or near it in Seneye and test again. Then I'll wait for Nitrites to start coming down. After I'll do a water change and dose more ammonia and monitor how long it takes to process.
Got my third AI Prime HD today, so mounted 2 of them on the tank just to see it lit up...
You'll notice the left AI Prime HD has a diffuser from 3DReefing.com attached. I have one on the Prime that's on the Nuvo and love it. It rids your tank of the "disco" effect on the substrate and helps from blinding you when you're below the light. Since I only have 2 and now have a 3rd Prime, I'll be ordering another!
Happy to say that after adding the AutoAqua AWC/ATO to the 250 the water level in the overflow has remained much more consistent!
Here's another close of of the tank with lights on, this is taken with my Galaxy S10+ on Pro mode with a White Balance adjustment:
Now this one was taken with my S10+ using the Google Pixel Camera app and Night Sight mode:
Here you can really see the difference the diffuser makes on the substrate (left is with diffuser, right is without).
Also, on the subject of the Pixel camera - it's really great for getting some sweet coral shots! Here's some comparisons between using my S10+ stock camera on Pro mode with white balance adjustments (usually around 8K) and the Pixel Camera with Night Sight:
S10+ Stock Pro Mode:
Pixel Night Sight:
S10+ Stock Pro Mode:
Pixel Night Sight:
S10+ Stock Pro Mode:
Pixel Night Sight:
I have some corals coming tomorrow from @YHSublime. They'll go into the Nuvo 20 for now.
Thanks! I'm really enjoying it as well! Can't wait to stare at it fully stocked while working/playing.
Seneye ammonia levels are continuing to drop. I ran the trio of cycling tests this evening which confirms what the Seneye is reporting...
Ammonia: .25 to .50ppm
Nitrite: Over 5ppm
Nitrate: 20-40ppm
I'll wait from ammonia to hit zero or near it in Seneye and test again. Then I'll wait for Nitrites to start coming down. After I'll do a water change and dose more ammonia and monitor how long it takes to process.
Got my third AI Prime HD today, so mounted 2 of them on the tank just to see it lit up...
You'll notice the left AI Prime HD has a diffuser from 3DReefing.com attached. I have one on the Prime that's on the Nuvo and love it. It rids your tank of the "disco" effect on the substrate and helps from blinding you when you're below the light. Since I only have 2 and now have a 3rd Prime, I'll be ordering another!
Happy to say that after adding the AutoAqua AWC/ATO to the 250 the water level in the overflow has remained much more consistent!
Here's another close of of the tank with lights on, this is taken with my Galaxy S10+ on Pro mode with a White Balance adjustment:
Now this one was taken with my S10+ using the Google Pixel Camera app and Night Sight mode:
Here you can really see the difference the diffuser makes on the substrate (left is with diffuser, right is without).
Also, on the subject of the Pixel camera - it's really great for getting some sweet coral shots! Here's some comparisons between using my S10+ stock camera on Pro mode with white balance adjustments (usually around 8K) and the Pixel Camera with Night Sight:
S10+ Stock Pro Mode:
Pixel Night Sight:
S10+ Stock Pro Mode:
Pixel Night Sight:
S10+ Stock Pro Mode:
Pixel Night Sight:
I have some corals coming tomorrow from @YHSublime. They'll go into the Nuvo 20 for now.
Thanks! I'm really enjoying it as well! Can't wait to stare at it fully stocked while working/playing.
Westside Guy
Valuable Member
I know you had mentioned adding some rock, perhaps you should play with the design in the middle by adding some decorative pieces?
clabern
Community Member
That's something I'm hopefully going to accomplish today. I have some extra rock from my Life Rock order I may try to play with, and I picked up some of CaribSea's first gen Life Rock from my LFS for cheap (I guess their first try wasn't too great, it's just SUPER purple, like Barney purple).
Seneye was reporting 0 Ammonia yesterday evening and has remained their as of this AM. Did the trio of tests again and my API kit confirms 0 ammonia. Nitrites are still above 5 ppm and Nitrates are still around 20-40ppm. I took a bag of Seachem Matrix I had been seeding in the Nuvo out and stuck it in my sump and have continued daily doses of Microbater7. After playing with my aquascape today I will probably dose ammonia back up to 1-2ppm and continue testing.
powers2001
started reefing 1999
@clabern I'm confused, have you started stocking yet or are you still cycling?
clabern
Community Member
Up until yesterday it had just been cycling. The photos of livestock were from my Nuvo 20. The Reefer 250 is an upgrade from the Nuvo, so after confirming the 250 had cycled I transferred everything from the Nuvo 20 into it yesterday. I'll have an update on it's current state/etc soon.
clabern
Community Member
Update time!
The Reefer 250 was successfully cycling ammonia from 2-4ppm to 0 in 24 hours at the end of April. Few days later nitrites were 0 and nitrates around 50ppm. Did a water change and let it continue for a week or so for good measure.
This past weekend (starting Friday) I began the transfer from the Nuvo. Everything went well and fish/corals seem happy so far. Not sure happy/sure about placement of things yet, but I'll work on that as things go along.
Put together the Red Sea screen lid kit as well, man was that a total PITA. Mostly because of the cutouts for the Prime mounts. Luckily it was a good fit on the first try, but applying the netting was NOT fun. It broke in a few places on the first few attempts, but luckily they give you plenty. In the end the netting is very loose in the rear areas (sorry, I forgot to take a picture), but it'll do for now. I had already decided I wanted a custom lid, and this solidified that. I just want to wait until I've decided on a more permanent lighting solution before doing so.
Also finally got around to working on remounting controllers and doing some slight cable management in the cabinet. Still not great, but I'll work on it. Purchased a board I was originally going to mount things on, but didn't go through with it yet.
Started the skimmer after moving livestock and all and after a day it's skimming well. Impressed with it so far.
My only issue right now is flow in the tank. I want the Gyre's on the back wall so I'm not staring at them when at my desk, but this placement doesn't seem ideal. On the left side of the tank is some leather and xenia (my partner loves soft coral...) and if I have that left Gyre on any sort of "+" flow they get blasted and are unhappy (as is the frogspawn), due to the water bouncing off the front glass. I'm going to play around more with it, but does anyone have any recommendations here or experience with having Gyre's on the rear wall?
I think that's about it for now. I'm going to continue working on coral placement/scape, cable/device management in the cabinet, and monitoring everything.
The Reefer 250 was successfully cycling ammonia from 2-4ppm to 0 in 24 hours at the end of April. Few days later nitrites were 0 and nitrates around 50ppm. Did a water change and let it continue for a week or so for good measure.
This past weekend (starting Friday) I began the transfer from the Nuvo. Everything went well and fish/corals seem happy so far. Not sure happy/sure about placement of things yet, but I'll work on that as things go along.
Put together the Red Sea screen lid kit as well, man was that a total PITA. Mostly because of the cutouts for the Prime mounts. Luckily it was a good fit on the first try, but applying the netting was NOT fun. It broke in a few places on the first few attempts, but luckily they give you plenty. In the end the netting is very loose in the rear areas (sorry, I forgot to take a picture), but it'll do for now. I had already decided I wanted a custom lid, and this solidified that. I just want to wait until I've decided on a more permanent lighting solution before doing so.
Also finally got around to working on remounting controllers and doing some slight cable management in the cabinet. Still not great, but I'll work on it. Purchased a board I was originally going to mount things on, but didn't go through with it yet.
Started the skimmer after moving livestock and all and after a day it's skimming well. Impressed with it so far.
My only issue right now is flow in the tank. I want the Gyre's on the back wall so I'm not staring at them when at my desk, but this placement doesn't seem ideal. On the left side of the tank is some leather and xenia (my partner loves soft coral...) and if I have that left Gyre on any sort of "+" flow they get blasted and are unhappy (as is the frogspawn), due to the water bouncing off the front glass. I'm going to play around more with it, but does anyone have any recommendations here or experience with having Gyre's on the rear wall?
I think that's about it for now. I'm going to continue working on coral placement/scape, cable/device management in the cabinet, and monitoring everything.
Joey Merrell
Community Member
Have you thought of turning them vertical along the back wall? The guy at my lfs is running his that way and swears by it.Update time!
The Reefer 250 was successfully cycling ammonia from 2-4ppm to 0 in 24 hours at the end of April. Few days later nitrites were 0 and nitrates around 50ppm. Did a water change and let it continue for a week or so for good measure.
This past weekend (starting Friday) I began the transfer from the Nuvo. Everything went well and fish/corals seem happy so far. Not sure happy/sure about placement of things yet, but I'll work on that as things go along.
Put together the Red Sea screen lid kit as well, man was that a total PITA. Mostly because of the cutouts for the Prime mounts. Luckily it was a good fit on the first try, but applying the netting was NOT fun. It broke in a few places on the first few attempts, but luckily they give you plenty. In the end the netting is very loose in the rear areas (sorry, I forgot to take a picture), but it'll do for now. I had already decided I wanted a custom lid, and this solidified that. I just want to wait until I've decided on a more permanent lighting solution before doing so.
Also finally got around to working on remounting controllers and doing some slight cable management in the cabinet. Still not great, but I'll work on it. Purchased a board I was originally going to mount things on, but didn't go through with it yet.
Started the skimmer after moving livestock and all and after a day it's skimming well. Impressed with it so far.
My only issue right now is flow in the tank. I want the Gyre's on the back wall so I'm not staring at them when at my desk, but this placement doesn't seem ideal. On the left side of the tank is some leather and xenia (my partner loves soft coral...) and if I have that left Gyre on any sort of "+" flow they get blasted and are unhappy (as is the frogspawn), due to the water bouncing off the front glass. I'm going to play around more with it, but does anyone have any recommendations here or experience with having Gyre's on the rear wall?
I think that's about it for now. I'm going to continue working on coral placement/scape, cable/device management in the cabinet, and monitoring everything.
clabern
Community Member
I had considered alternate placement along the back, but wasn't sure how that'd work out. Does he run them vertically placed near the side glass?
Joey Merrell
Community Member
Yes, directly up against the sides facing forward. Creates the gyre in the front of the tank from what I can tell.
clabern
Community Member
I'm going to have to try this out tonight, thanks for the advice!
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