First Build - Toadie's Reefer 250 V3

[Toadstool92]

Have you considered paying your LFS to come over and fix this issue?

Hadn't considered it yet. RedSea contacted me yesterday about the issue and I responded, but seems like they won't be getting back to me until Monday.

Here's a video on REEFER plumbing. It's on a Red Sea 170 but you get the point.

Yeah, I put those in just as he did and snug. The leak is coming from underneath where the nut meets the glass. This morning, it was just a little trickle but still a leak. I dried it and applied more silicone to the area. It seems to be ok so far after about 7 hours since that application.

 

[Toadstool92]

Well I ended up apply more silicone to the small trickle Saturday morning and as of this morning its remained leak free. Been in contact with Red Sea and they are going to send me new o-rings and upper piping as a precaution should a leak happen. Otherwise, the cycle has begun. This was my final scape design. I feel good about it. Have to figure out a good placement for the powerheads, they seem to cause a blowup at both bottom corners as you can see.

 

[Toadstool92]

Hey guys. 2 Weeks into the cycle. Leak free still. Dosing with Dr. Tims Ammonia as needed. Ammonia seems to be at .50 ppm every two days. Nitrites are around .50-1.0 ppm. Nitrates around 5 ppm.

Still working out the powerhead kinks. I have pink Fiji carib sand and I didn't even realize how fine it was. Also feel the sand bed isn't as deep as I'd like it to be for sand sifters. So I ordered more, this time two different kinds. Plan to put the large grains on the corners that seem to blowup easily.

Since my sump is v3, I'd like to utilize the fuge compartment for chaeto and copepods because I realized how cool mandarins are. Plus having that would be great for phos/nitrate control as well.

 

[powers2001]

@Toadstool92 when do you figure you'll start stocking with livestock?

 

[Toadstool92]

@Toadstool92 when do you figure you'll start stocking with livestock?

I'm not sure. Still waiting for parameters to settle out. Dosing Ammonia as needed still. I haven't added lights yet, but still no sign of any algae growth so I can't add CUC yet which I want in there first before any fish.

 

[Toadstool92]

Well I ended up adding more sand, larger grain size, and that seemed to tremendously help with the blowing around plus now it looks so much better and sand sifters will love it.

I wonder if this set the cycle back some though. Ammonia seems to be near 0 ppm now, but Nitrites are taking longer, however, Nitrates are quite high it seems. Any one have thoughts on the cycle? Salinity is at 1.026.

 

[powers2001]

@Toadstool92 how and what ammonia are you dosing?

 

[Toadstool92]

@Toadstool92 how and what ammonia are you dosing?

Hey! Sorry, home life has been crazy. So I've been dosing Dr Tims Ammonia. The tank seems to be completed cycle. I'm double checking these next couple days though because I might have to do a mini cycle as I neglected to check and dose ammonia so some of the bacteria might have died off. I dosed 4-5 ppm ammonia on Monday, and by Wednesday both Amm and Nitrites were at zero. Nitrates are super high though so definitely will need to do a water change. I haven't done one since the startup back in March. Salinity and pH have been stable at 1.026 and 8.2.

So, once I'm sure the tank is cycled I'll add my first life to it. Still no algae growth/detritus though, not sure if thats normal. Id like my first to be a yasha goby and randalli pistol shrimp.

 

[Toadstool92]

So, Tank is officially cycled. I have the lights setup now to get algae growing so I can introduce my CUC first. However, my nitrates are at 160 ppm or greater I still need to keep feeding the bacteria with ammonia, but I need to get this 160 down. Any thoughts on how to best approach this? I've read other people saying to do 50% WC, one each day. So it'll go from (estimation) - 160=>80=>40=>20=>10=>5. So I need to do 5? Thats a lot of water so rapidly haha. I want to try and get some chaeto in there to help with this process so maybe I won't have to do as many or even 50% changes. Any thoughts/advice here?

 

[Toadstool92]

Well I added some Scarlet hermit crabs (6)! They seem to be settling in nicely. A couple explored while a few others stayed at the front where they went in. Started munching on some algae wafers I tossed in. One even changed shells.

 

[DarthSimon]

I am a tad late to this thread, but sorry to hear you had leak issue. I hope the Silcon solves the problem. Enjoy the RSR250!! Great tank and perfect size!!!

 

[Toadstool92]

I am a tad late to this thread, but sorry to hear you had leak issue. I hope the Silcon solves the problem. Enjoy the RSR250!! Great tank and perfect size!!!

Thanks! I'm excited to finally have some life in there now! Next will be snails once some algae starts to grow, and then the plan is to add a randalli pistol and yasha goby after that.

 

[powers2001]

So, Tank is officially cycled. I have the lights setup now to get algae growing so I can introduce my CUC first. However, my nitrates are at 160 ppm or greater I still need to keep feeding the bacteria with ammonia, but I need to get this 160 down. Any thoughts on how to best approach this? I've read other people saying to do 50% WC, one each day. So it'll go from (estimation) - 160=>80=>40=>20=>10=>5. So I need to do 5? Thats a lot of water so rapidly haha. I want to try and get some chaeto in there to help with this process so maybe I won't have to do as many or even 50% changes. Any thoughts/advice here?

Just to let you know I learned in a R2R article that when you do a 50% water change it decreases nutrients by 75%. Taking out half the water cuts the AMOUNT of nutrients in half. But when you add back half the water that has no nitrates it dilutes the CONCENTRATION of the nutrients and the reduced AMOUNT from taking water out is diluted by an equal amount of fresh salt water you're putting back that has no nutrients so it is diluted. It is still half the nitrate but when you double the water to the original volume the concentration is diluted. I hope this makes sense. I'll try to find the article. So with your example above when you do a series of 50% water changes the nitrate is reduced like this 160PPM=>40PPM=>10PPM=>2.5PPM Like they say, "Dilution is the solution to pollution !!!"

 

[Toadstool92]

Just to let you know I learned in a R2R article that when you do a 50% water change it decreases nutrients by 75%. Taking out half the water cuts the AMOUNT of nutrients in half. But when you add back half the water that has no nitrates it dilutes the CONCENTRATION of the nutrients and the reduced AMOUNT from taking water out is diluted by an equal amount of fresh salt water you're putting back that has no nutrients so it is diluted. It is still half the nitrate but when you double the water to the original volume the concentration is diluted. I hope this makes sense. I'll try to find the article. So with your example above when you do a series of 50% water changes the nitrate is reduced like this 160PPM=>40PPM=>10PPM=>2.5PPM Like they say, "Dilution is the solution to pollution !!!"

Oh wow! Yeah that makes complete sense! Awesome, well this will be a faster process. Hermits are in and doing well. Nitrates were just at around 40-80, hard to say. Did a 33% WC this afternoon and I'll check the parameters again after things settle down. I'm noticing some greenish spots on some of the rock work. Very small but I check out every inch daily for changes lol so I'm assuming its the start of algae. My plan is to get snails and a randalli pistol shrimp for next saturday. Then let those stay in for about 75 days and I'll get a yasha into QT halfway between that.

 

[Toadstool92]

Finally starting to get some algae growth now that lights have been on a schedule and the hermits are in! Thinking of adding chaeto still to my sump to help keep those nitrate levels down. Good idea? Will the chaeto prevent the algae to grow and thereby also preventing me from adding snails or should I just add the snails now that the algae process is beginning?

 

[Toadstool92]

Well algae is nearly in full bloom now! Ordered 5x cerith, Astraea, Nassarius, and trochus each for now. Also ordered some chaeto to help keep the algae down a little bit.

 

[james Shawn bleacher]

I have been looking for the internal dimensions for the cabinet. If you get a minute could you measure the internal dimensions on the cabinet? Would like to build a shelf to go beside the crystal Reef sump I am going to be putting in to the unit.

Thank you,

Shawn

 

[powers2001]

@Toadstool92 can we get an in-cabinet shot with all the equipment?

 

[powers2001]

@Toadstool92 updates please!!