Glen's new Reefer250 build

[Jpuck18]

Getting back into the hobby from about 20+ years out. ordered a Reefer 250 which as of today 7/31 is not here yet. lol. But for the sake of documenting progress, I'm going to start with all the prep work that I've done so far.

first I had to decide where I was putting the tank, after some structural investigation I decided this corner would be best, there's a basement under this floor but in this corner is a bathroom with some support beams to give a little extra strength to the floor. I sealed the floor with a poly wax and then used a clear silicone to seal all baseboard molding in case of spills/leaks. I then wasnt sure what power requirements i was going to need so I put in 2 stand alone circuits, 15 amp and 20 amp GFCI's.

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• Jpuck18
• Jul 31, 2018

location

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• Jpuck18
• Jul 31, 2018

outlets

This is Corky, he's a 4 month old furry clumsy ninja ferret who fell asleep watching me work (after annoying me for 3 hours)

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• Jpuck18
• Jul 31, 2018

Corky

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• Jpuck18
• Jul 31, 2018

Corky fell asleep watching me work

 

[Jpuck18]

here's some boxes of some of my stuff I've gathered so far.
Orbit IC Pro dual's 38" with Bluetooth hub
Tank mounts for them.
matching Eflux 1000 and 2100 GPH wave pumps
Octo essense 130 skimmer
Syncra 3.0 714gph pump
Finnex 300W heater
Ink Bird heater control (probably changing out for Apex system)
return mod split piping
test kits
refractometer
some drip acclimation thingy i got for free from Saltwateraquariums.com
glass cleaner
Life Rock 40lbs (not pictured)
Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite white #1 (not pictured)

Tracking says my tank should be here today, but I'll be pretty shocked since the last update of the trailer says it left IL at 2am this morning and I'm 12 hours away in New Jersey.

UPDATE: 6 stage RODI just showed up seems like a nice setup from LiquaGen (through amazon)

8/2 update:
apparently my tank is on tour of the US, so far its been mis-routed 2 times with the latest delivery stated for tomorrow. if not then I'm going to have a reef Bathtub very soon.
Got my Apex and UV today at least.

 

[Vivid Creative Aquatics]

Looks like you're off to a great (re)start. Hopeful the tank shows up quick

 

[James Mikell]

Depending how much flow you want in your system you might want to consider upgrading the syncra return pump. Otherwise off to a great start.

 

[Savo]

Congrats on the new reefer 250. Take your time with the aquascape and really plan it out on what type of corals you plan on keeping. It is one of my biggest regrets. I wish had made shelves and not two big rock structures. I could of had a lot more room for coral if i planned it out properly.

 

[SPR1968]

That’s a great start so far and thanks for all the pictures

And welcome to R2R as well!

 

[Jpuck18]

The tank finally showed up last night. Then I had to help the truck driver reattach the phone lines to my neighbors house that he ripped out with his rig. I live on a one way street and there's lots of low hanging wires so when the guy finally left I had to lead him out with an 8 foot 2x4 that I used to push wires up out of his way so he could get through. Yeah fun. Especially since it was raining and still about 90 degrees,not sure if I was wet from the rain or sweat lol.
Now on to the tank, I was happily surprised to find out I received version 3 of the cabinet and sump. The plumbing is routed different and there's pipe holders mounted inside the cabinet. They moved the adjustment valve towards the front of the cabinet. The sump has an area for refugium and a larger ato tank. They removed one sock and added a strainer cup. Also the level in the skimmer area is adjustable now.

Now my big dilemma is the area I'm putting the tank is not level or plane. I been trying to think of the best way to level this stand and still keep the little feet on the bottom in case of spillage. I'm open to suggestions as I think i might just go drinking for the rest of this afternoon and maybe a fantastic idea will hit me. Lol

 

[powers2001]

@Jpuck18 Off to a great start and welcome to R2R !!! I've got a RSR 250 too. B-)

 

[powers2001]

I'm thinking about getting the Octo eSsence 130 skimmer. I had the Regal 150sss but had to send it back it didn't fit in my sump.