GEM red sea reefer 350

[CourtNjoeZreef]

Hello everyone! Last year about this time My wife and I started our first salt tank after having fresh water for a few years. The first tank was a huge learning curve for me and her.

In September of 2021 we had our first child Gemma. So in looking to the future we decided to upgrade to a much nicer looking setup that would be more of a show piece as these tanks truly are.

I modeled the rock work to spell out GEM when viewed from the front but unrecognizable as letters when viewed from different directions. I feel that I accomplished just that.

This build thread is a bit of an after thought but I will update this as we go along this journey where ever it takes us!

I Hope you enjoy this as much as we will and look forward to the communities help along the way with any trials and tribulations that will inevitably pop up.

So without further rambling lets "Dive in"

First I had to build the rock work! (just some pics this process took 2 weeks and many many fumes! strong glue!)

 

[CourtNjoeZreef]

The next thing I had to do was make a bunch of salt water. So from Tractor Supply I ordered a 100g feed trough to fill up with RO water. this took about 24 hours through my 4 stage aquatic life RO system.

 

[CourtNjoeZreef]

While getting the water salty the tank arrived SHATTERED! The shipping company was not gentle. Picture 2 sides of this tank in a pile of glass shards. that took the wind out of my sails. so the project was halted for about a month till a new tank arrived. Once the new tank arrived BAM tornado in my sails and within a day we had the tank built and put together!



So at this point I realized that I had made a bit of a mistake. I didn't order any new pumps for this tank. I factored in that I would be using all the pumps and power heads from my old tank! So after getting everything buttoned up that I could we started the move.

We filled a brute trash can up with the old tank water a circulation pump, heater and the livestock. All in all there were a few casualties. I ended up losing a crab and 2 corals that still have not turned up even after cleaning all the old rock and sand. (none of which was reused needs more cleaning)

So ultimately I was able to reuse a bio brick that was in my old sump power heads gyre pump & return pumps. Skimmer is still appropriately sized for the system as well (more so now then before)

 

[CourtNjoeZreef]

Now for the fun part! here is the parts list for this build!

1- Redsea Reefer 350
1- Trigger systems saphire 26 sump w/roller mat
1- octo 110 classic skimmer
1- Sicche dc return pump
2- Icecap 2k gyre pump
2- Hydros ac power heads
1- icecap kalk stirrer w/ kamore x1 dosing pump from ato->stirrer->sump
1- trigger systems 5g ATO tank
1- Tunze osmolator ato pump
1- Neptune apex
1- Neptune sky light fixture

 

[CourtNjoeZreef]

The live stock in the tank is as follows (this is updated to today some things were added since the tank went up)

1- Yellow tang (Tangy)
1- flame tang (Toothy)
1- Lawnmower blenny (Lenny the Blenny)
1- six line wrasse (David Wrassie)
1- Clown Fish (Penny)
3- Green Chromis (The Chromy Gang)
1- Bengai cardinal (petco 3 were bought 1 was worth it)
1- Cleaner shrimp ( Jacques )
1- peppermint shrimp
2- conch snails
5+ nassarius snails
1- carpet Anemone (Andrew)
1- long tentacle Anemone (Annie the Anemone)

 

[CourtNjoeZreef]

And the stars of my tank and the real reason I have such an infatuation with this hobby THE CORALS

I have a hard time keeping track of all the technical names and flavors of corals but this is a mixed reef. I don't do anything easy on myself since well.... its not fun if its too easy!

so I have a mix of everything!

3- Acropora frags
2- Torches
1- Hammer
1- Blasto
1- Flower Pot
1- Gonipora
1- Micro Gonipora
1- Montipora
3- Mushrooms
3- types of Zoas
1- Duncan (this thing is growing like mad bought 1 headed frag now has 5 full with possibly 5 more forming)
1- Fox coral (my wife loves this thing but I am having issues getting it to pop)
1- Brain coral (lime green massacre how could I resist that name!!!!!)
1- Acan ( I think!?!? )
1- Dragon soul (kinda looks like the acan but no tentacles when feeding so might be more like my brain corals)
1- Gator back thing!

I have some pictures of the corals after a week or two of acclimation. I will certainly be adding more this evening!

 

[CourtNjoeZreef]

Here's a few more shots some more corals I think I missed earlier you get the jist!

 

[Reef_prop88]

Awesome! I like the rockscape and you have some great looking corals!

 

[CourtNjoeZreef]

Awesome! I like the rockscape and you have some great looking corals!

Thank you! i put alot of effort into this hobby o.o im an all in full throttle kinda guy ... lol

 

[CourtNjoeZreef]

I recieved a CO2 monitor and I set it up in the room near the tank. 500ppm while no one is in the room and 750's while we are in there talking. now this is in the "good" range on the meter and it only goes down to 400ppm. I don't believe co2 is the problem with my PH "issue"

Still waiting on calibration fluid for my probe. I tried my API kit for the high range ph for salt (apparently the fresh kit is different) and that reads (by my eye) between 8.2-8.4. I am planning to take a sample to my LFS and see his opinion as well.

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

[CourtNjoeZreef]

So this morning we are going to do a deep vac of the sand bed I have a few dead spots in my back corners where the poop likes to collect. luckily its just the two and for the most part it gets swept there.

My PO4 went up to .15 so I added a bag of GFO for 24 hrs brought it back to zero ( 3 days ago) today we tested back up at .03 which is where I think i want to be. My white flower pot got ticked when I took all the PO4 out. perhaps next time ill only do a 12hr stint and see what that gets me. Its nice to know that it will strip it that fast in my system. i can use it like a tool... for now.

I am trying to work out how I'm going to shoehorn a refugium under this tank. I might be drilling a hole to the garage and setting equipment up outside. This would also be a good place for the apex so it isn't in moisture. I'm fairly certain I could get a 5g tank under there and use my carbon reactor to fill it and have it plumbed to drain through a bulkhead back into the sump. One issue is ill have to temp control a cabinet in the winter. I don't use the garage for cars so I'm not that concerned with pollution and I don't paint anything in there (aerosol ect.)

Thoughts on that idea would be appreciated.

 

[CourtNjoeZreef]

HEY everyone Just a quick photo update and a little bit of typing!

I went ahead and did a chemiclean dose to rid myself of the cyano worked great and it has been gone for about 3 months now.

I bought a file fish that quickly ruined all my sps so I got rid of him currently waiting on a CCB. I love the way these look and totally stoke to get rid of the aptaisia that spreads like wild fire!!

Also have a pearl head Jawfish on order. I love this fish no matter the challenges! We have added more rock to the tank to give some additional hiding areas to the fish and some space to make little fishie hovels.

I went back to good old Reef crystals since the price of tropic marin has grown outside of my budget for a maintenance item. So far so good. I have gotten back to doing the 20G per week changes and this definitely keeps the corals happy.

As this tank is maturing I have noticed a considerable slow down in the amount of alkalinity and calcium used per day/week/month. I was adding quite a bit per day of 2part, all for reef, and Kalkwasser just to keep the alk swings in check through the day. Currently down to about 200ML kalkwasser solution (not paste) per day and no more 2part or all for reef. (my wallet is happy about this) I have to say this is in part due to the rock maturing and also my maintenance schedule being followed properly.

So RAPNY was awesome! I went both Saturday and Sunday. Brought the family saturday and picked out a fw items they will enjoy and then sunday me and two friends went and picked out so very pretty things =} acanaphyllia & a Scoly for starters! or finishers depends on your taste. A 3for 100 deal on hammers to get that garden started. A nice stick that is neon green except purple where it grows new. Space invade pec..... yeah who can spell this stuff PICTURES!

So the acanaphylilla Went from small to much much bigger in 24 hours! I will be getting more photos of the corals we picked up and these are just a phone through a filter pictures and does these specimens no justice at all!

 

[Miami Reef]

So beautiful! I love all the coralline algae that’s popping in!

 

[CourtNjoeZreef]

So I spent the afternoon figuring out how to show horn this algae scrubber in. I am rather pleased with my results!

So a little bit of backstory I added a cabinet in my garage on the other side of the wall or the tank is and I had a refusion in there but I kept having issues with it overflowing or slurping really bad and I couldn't quite get it to ever flow correctly so I disabled that and went back to just having a carbon reactor for a while and I then purchased this scrubber about 3 months ago I would say from then till now I have been trying to figure out where I wanted to put this thing and I believe I came up with the perfect solution for my situation.

Real simple just some brackets for shelving their space about 5 in apart which is front to rear on the algae scrubber base and a piece of plexi last just to add a flat surface for it to sit on

I have all three lines that go to and from it with the unions so that I can remove the scrubber from the position when it needs to be cleaned as I have to keep it so high. I just have to remember to drain it until like a little pan before I try and pick it out cuz it will spill all over the place.

Getting this dialed into not slurp and be just the right amount of flow for a siphon at the bottom of it which relatively easy took about three or four minutes of fiddling with it hopefully when it comes back on tomorrow evening it will go right back to flowing correctly.

So I've been having a lot better success since I got back into the routine of 20g water changes weekly and I have been keeping better track of po4 & No3

Correlation is I'm manually removing it each week. Imo a bandaid. I think there is longer term stability in controlling it other ways (fuge scrubber ect. ) As to not swing alk calcium mag ect.

I'm trying to get to where 1x a month is all I need and maintain my elements with the all for reef.

Just budgeting a bit salt is more expensive then the all for reef and if I can keep the water right for less it's a win for longevity.

Starting to wonder if I should ditch my sand bed nextI hate the look but if the reef gets healthier then so be it.

 

[CourtNjoeZreef]

so I have mixed feelings on my sump...

On the one hand I feel it is dirty. And needs a deep deep clean.

On the other Hand (full disclosure this is where my heart goes) These are different species of sponges and as far as I know sponges need good conditions to survive let alone cover the whole sump.
Also this seems to be a breeding ground for I guess amphipods.
Also there is a peppermint shrimp I believe in here and not... One... Aiptaisia.... display has too too many to keep up with.
So to me and my limited knowledge of reef tanks (only almost 2 years deep) this would appear to be a healthy area.

So do I mess with it or leave it go? Opinions & reasons would be great