Doc's Red Sea Reefer 250

DocRose · Feb 18, 2022

Get my new Red Sea Reefer 250 in a few weeks ago. Procrastinated about getting it set up, but I finally did. Right now as of this post I'm in the planning and layout stage (primarily for the plumbing since I'm not keeping the stock plumbing). Still waiting on a few things to arrive, and in the meantime I've got 40 lbs. of Marco rock in the basement (with another 60 lbs. on the way) to begin breaking apart to start my aquascape.

What's going into this build?

Going in right now...

Maybe going in...

VorTech MP10 x2 (Have leftover from previous tank. Might as well use.)

Going in eventually...

Red Sea ReefMat

My ideas for the custom plumbing...

...and yes I know there are unused branches in the manifold. It's for if I ever decide to add another reactor.

Nanojoe · Feb 18, 2022

dang dude, this is going to be a sweet build!

VegasReefer · Feb 22, 2022

Can't wait to see it wet!

blaxsun · Feb 22, 2022

Hopefully the ReefMat will be available in short order (I'm thinking I may upgrade and go that route myself).

DocRose · Feb 24, 2022

I don't think the UPS driver was too happy with me today. Lots of stuff just came in. Still waiting on some PVC to arrive and for the GHL Ion Director to be back in stock. Going to be starting my aquascaping this weekend.

powers2001 · Mar 14, 2022

Congratulations and good luck @DocRose on your Reefer 250!! I have one too. Tap or click on the Build Thread Contributor badge underneath my username!

DocRose · Apr 10, 2022

Time for a much needed (and I'm sure wanted) update. After placing several orders to ensure I had all the components needed, and waiting for them to arrive I've finally had enough free time to sit down and get the plumbing done. Or at least the main part of it. I'll be plumbing the second return pump, manifold, and UV after I do a wet test.

So I decided NOT to go with the traditional route of buying the Red Sea Part #42221 and then getting a 3/4" x 1" FPT x Slip fitting and using a bunch of blue thread tape to make the two pieces fit together. Instead, I found a 1" x 32mm Spigot Adapter at FlexPVC. I wanted a more reliable and "those are supposed to go together" connection than counting on a ton of thread tape. Works like a charm and is a snug fit.

Only issue was with the 3/4" emergency drain and return lines. I had to use a 1" coupler along with a 3/4" x 1" Reducing Bushing for those two lines.

DocRose · Apr 19, 2022

Lights up!!! Now to take down that eye sore projector and shelf.

DocRose · Jun 10, 2022

One of the final two components arrived this week!

Now just waiting for BRS to get some GHL Ion Directors in stock and I'll have everything needed. I don't really want to get her wet until I have everything (because I don't want to have to pull things out to install something later) but... I'm considering going ahead and getting the cycle going though since the Ion Director won't be needed until the cycle is complete. Especially since I finished the aquascape today!

ScubaFish802 · Jun 10, 2022

Nice, I am following along. Also just set up a new Reefer 250. Plumbing looks really good, love the orange

DocRose · Jun 23, 2022

Plumbing is finally done! Decided to go with a single reactor manifold due to space issues, but also because the ReefMat has a media tray at the bottom. That’ll be for carbon and the reactor will be on standby for GFO usage (if necessary). Also went ahead and added a clear Trigger Systems ATO reservoir to the build.

ScubaFish802 · Jul 15, 2022

Any update?

DocRose · Jul 15, 2022

ScubaFish802 said:
Any update?

I guess I could give a small taste.

DocRose · Jul 25, 2022

She's up and running wet! About two weeks into cycling. Just about done according to ammonia tests.

Still have to work on my GHL cabinet...

...as well as my cable management...

And I've yet to find a good in cabinet LED light (not rechargeable, I want one that plugs in).

Pods from Algae Barn already seeded and dosing phyto to keep them fed. I've got some ocean live rock coming this week along with some ocean live sand. Both are coming from SaltyBottom. Clean up crew is on order for this week as well from Reef Cleaners...

Randall's Pistol Shrimp x1
Astraea Snails x10
Dwarf Ceriths x20
Nassarius Vibex x10
Nerite Snails x10
Tiger Conch x1
Trochus Snails x3

All of this is going into 20g QT that's been setup in my basement. Waiting for a couple more components that will arrive on Wednesday.

Fish stock has been settled on by the family.

Shrimp Goby (specific species undecided)
Ruby Longfin Fairy Wrasse
Yellow Coris Wrasse
Red-Lined Wrasse
McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
Filamented Flasher Wrasse
Melanarus Wrasse (maybe)

Only issue is none of my LFS have these wrasse in stock, and the only online source I trust for fish is LiveAquaria, and they don't have any of them either. Hopefully somebody will have one or two of them in the next 45 days... If not I'll have to either set up a second QT tank for just the fish (don't want to put them into the same QT with the rock and inverts half way through their QT period) or just wait until the rock and invert are done QT'ing, and get put into the display.

ScubaFish802 · Jul 25, 2022

DocRose said:
She's up and running wet! About two weeks into cycling. Just about done according to ammonia tests.

Still have to work on my controller cabinet...

...as well as my cable management...

And I've yet to find a good in cabinet LED light (not rechargeable, I want one that plugs in).

Pods from Algae Barn already seeded and dosing phyto to keep them fed. I've got some ocean live rock coming this week along with some ocean live sand. Both are coming from SaltyBottom. Clean up crew is on order for this week as well from Reef Cleaners...

Randall's Pistol Shrimp x1

Astraea Snails x10

Dwarf Ceriths x20

Nassarius Vibex x10

Nerite Snails x10

Tiger Conch x1

Trochus Snails x3

All of this is going into 20g QT that's been setup in my basement. Waiting for a couple more components that will arrive on Wednesday.

Tidal 35 HOB Power Filter - Seachem

75W Eheim JAGER Aquarium Heater

VIPARSPECTRA 165W LED Coral Grow Light

Marineland Maxi-Jet Powerhead 1200

Fish stock has been settled on by the family.

Shrimp Goby (specific species undecided)

Ruby Longfin Fairy Wrasse

Yellow Coris Wrasse

Red-Lined Wrasse

McCosker's Flasher Wrasse

Filamented Flasher Wrasse

Melanarus Wrasse (maybe)

Only issue is none of my LFS have these wrasse in stock, and the only online source I trust for fish is LiveAquaria, and they don't have any of them either. Hopefully somebody will have one or two of them in the next 45 days... If not I'll have to either set up a second QT tank for just the fish (don't want to put them into the same QT with the rock and inverts half way through their QT period) or just wait until the rock and invert are done QT'ing, and get put into the display.

You could try emailing the support at ‘coralnerd’.com
Will can find specific fish usually if requested.
Tank is looking great. Nice rock work

DocRose · Jul 27, 2022

Rock, sand and clean up crew all arrived today at the same time! This is also my first ever live shipment (I usually get my livestock from LFS and local reefers). First up...the live rock! Ordered it from Salty Bottom Reef. Got a pretty good deal on their specials. 10 lbs. of rock for a good shipping rate. By the description it seems to just be random rock they're trying to get rid of. I'm very pleased with it. Since the DT is already going through its cycling, I wanted the ocean live rock just to give some bio-diversity. The same for the sand. The rock will go into the DT (after its QT) to seed the display rock with more life. The sand will be going into the refugium. Once the rock has spent enough time "infecting" the display, it too will be moved to the refugium (since it's not a part of my scape).

Of course, some critters survived the trip up from Florida and came out to play.

Some worm looking things...they're long and white. I counted three.

A few hermits. So far I've only been able to I.D. one as a Blue Legged Hermit.

A few snails...one confirmed nassarius piggy-backing on a worm.

Some macro algae, coraline, and some corals (possible I.D.s being Oculina robusta in the first image behind the macro algae and Cladocora arbuscla in the second image dead center), and lastly an anemone of some sort (hard to make out in the last photo). The nem retracted the moment I turned the lights on.

And lastly, everybody in the family's favorite hitchhiker...a red mythrax crab whose name is pending (either Side-to-Side Poly or Crabby Crocket).

CUC from Reef Cleaners did not disappoint! Especially out itty-bitty (yet to be named) pistol shrimp. Everyone's been acclimated (floated and dropped in) and put into their home in QT for the next three months.

Guess I'll spend the next weeks cleaning up my QT area. It's a mess.

Oh! And my 8 year old had a good eye and noticed one of the hermits was messing with another shell. Got lucky and got a shell change on video.

Hope I included everything you wanted to see about the rock and sand @BrittneyC !

DocRose · Aug 5, 2022

Cycle’s done!

Unfortunately I still can’t find the fish I want anywhere.

butchhe · Sep 12, 2022

Any updates?

DocRose · Nov 13, 2022

butchhe said:
Any updates?

Gah! Sorry it took forever! Life got me super busy. Got my ClearView lid in, but I still need to handle my wiring.

Current inhabitants are a Carpenter’s Flasher Wrasse, Red Mandarin Dragonet, Melanurus Wrasse, Yellow Watchman Goby with a Randall’s Pistol Shrimp, and a Tiger Conch. Serpent star fish hitchhiked in on some ocean rock. He was the size of a dime when he came in. Given the size of the rock he's under now, I'd say he's MUCH bigger now. lol

We got a Yellow Coris and Ruby Longfin Fairy Wrasse at the same time as the Melanurus and Mandarin but the Yellow Coris disappeared (possibly jumped and got eaten by dog); and the Ruby Longfin suffered from unknown neurological wrasse disease. He survived through QT (barely), but disappeared after three days in the DT. Most of the time he was seen laying upside down on a rock.

We now have another Yellow Coris just about done QT’ing and a Ruby Longfin Fairy Wrasse coming on Tuesday.

Corals are done with QT and will be going in this week to the DT. For now just some GSP, a single headed Duncan, and some Kenya Tree. Once the Yellow Coris is out of its QT tank I’m going to clean it and reset it up for the next round of coral QT. The GSP came on a frag with a monti on it as well, but the monti isn't doing well. It looks practically dead, but there's a tiny bit of flesh left in the center of each head. The Duncan has been a pain. It had some bubble algae and bryopsis on the frag with it. I managed to get the bubble algae off by scraping and the bryopsis via a Reef Flux treatment. Now there's a patch on the skeleton stalk where there was no skin, and GHA has grown there. Gonna pull it off and then just rub that area with some peroxide with a Q-tip before it goes into the display. The Kenya Tree isn't doing well because it came inside of a mexican turbo snail shell, and the shell always ends up knocked off the frag rack and face down in the sand smothering the coral.

And somehow I’ve managed to grow some thick sponge in my DT in two places! Never had it in my display before. Just the sump. Also never had this colony tube type before. I’ve only ever had pineapple.

DocRose · Jun 14, 2023

Haven't done an update in quite some time. We have a major power outage here in South-East Michigan over the Winter. I lost EVERYTHING in my DT with the exception of the GSP (I thought it was dead but it came back to life after about a month and a half). Presently we've got a pair of clowns and a cleaner wrasse in the display. There was also a Royal Gramma, Lantern Basslet, and Six-Line Wrasse. All have since been deported to the coral QT tank in the basement as punishment for harassing other fish. I also ordered a Sleeper Gold Head Goby, but Live Aquaria sent me one way too big for my tank.

I've got some corals already going in QT to repopulate the DT...

...but in the meantime...

I'm doing some cabinet/sump rearranging. Had to move the ReefMat. It used to be on the left of the skimmer, and the main drain extended over the top of it, and was fed in from the right side. The pipe being above it got in the way of changing the roll. So, swapped the skimmer and the ReefMat, and redid the main drain to go straight down into the sump, and turned the valve to face to the right (so it doesn't block the door from closing).

After re-doing my main drain line, I was still able to keep my refugium by putting the skimmer to the left of the ReefMat.

Also moving the GHL system from the side cabinet, to a spot inside the main cabinet. My water supply lines were just way too long, and lead to never getting accurate readings. Having the units inside the cabinet will allow for much shorter lines.