Jake's Ohio Reef - RSR 250

[powers2001]

@jakesweep Is the adhesive on the LED strip strong enough to hold them up for years do you think? A lot of times adhesives aren't strong enough and they might have to be stapled up somehow?

 

[jakesweep]

@jakesweep Is the adhesive on the LED strip strong enough to hold them up for years do you think? A lot of times adhesives aren't strong enough and they might have to be stapled up somehow?

It's hard to say. So far so good, but I think only time will tell. I did take the time to clean the surface with alcohol, and it seems to be sticking well so far.

 

[powers2001]

@jakesweep can you give us an update on this tank?

 

[jakesweep]

@powers2001 It has been awhile since I've updated things over here at R2R. Sorry about that!

I've been keeping a build log over at our local forum, buckeyereef.com. I'll repost the updates here and try to keep up!

 

[jakesweep]

June 22, 2019:

Not much to update. The tank is still cycling. I've been ghost feeding and taking some measurements here and there to make sure the cycle doesn't stall.
I am however having an issue with one of my MP10s where it is making a really obnoxious rattling sound. After talking with EcoTech support, it seems like I have a bad wet-side on one of the powerheads. Looks like I'll be RMA-ing it next week, so we'll see how that goes.
Here's a video of the rattle if you're curious:

 

[jakesweep]

June 25, 2019:

Update on the MP10: EcoTech is sending a new wet side and it will be here tomorrow. Looking forward to getting rid of that rattle!
Cycle-wise, things are coming along. Starting to see a hint at some brown spots on the rock and sand. Looks like we're getting a bit of a diatom bloom. I'm just happy to see some life in the tank!
Aaaaand I got an awesome email today...after a bit over a month of waiting...

 

[jakesweep]

July 2, 2019:

I got the lid from Clearview. Unfortunately it was completely out of square. They screwed up a measurement when cutting out the hole for the overflow and it threw everything else off. Their customer service has been great though. They promptly sent me a return label and are going to expedite getting it fixed and back to me. We all make mistakes, but they owned it and are making it right which is great in my book.
Some good news though: I do believe my tank is cycled! I've been consistently testing Ammonia and Nitrites @ 0. I've got a slight diatom bloom, but nothing crazy. I think we're good to go!

 

[jakesweep]

July 2, 2019:

I just got back from Triton Aquaculture up in Macedonia and ended up with 6 hermits (3 Blue-legged and 3 Red-legged) and 6 snails (3 Nerite and 3 Trochus). Also ended up with two beautiful Mai Tai clowns. Hopefully it's not too early for them, but they're here. I'll be keeping an eye on things and am prepped for water changes if need be.

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

Great start and looking good. I have the 250 and it's a very nice piece of kit.
Will be following along.

 

[jakesweep]

July 12, 2019:

A couple more fishies joined the fray yesterday! A pair of Bangai Cardinals acclimated just fine and promptly went to try to hide in the same corner as the clownfish. The clownfish both freaked out and went to hide. Then the cardinals went and found another spot to hide. They are starting to poke their heads out a little bit now. I had a Bangai in my old tank and it was one of my favorites. Happy to have a pair in here!

 

[jakesweep]

Great start and looking good. I have the 250 and it's a very nice piece of kit.
Will be following along.

Thanks! Sorry for the incoming barrage of posts. Just trying to get caught up on this build thread. More incoming!

 

[jakesweep]

Sept 2, 2019:

Sorry it has been so long since an update. The tank is doing well. It's been slow going. We lost a Cardinal. He was never really strong in the first place, but he never seemed particularly unhealthy. We found him sucked up into the side of an MP10 in the morning

We picked up a new little Purple Firefish yesterday from Triton in Macedonia. My daughter named her Sushi. She thought it was pretty funny. I guess I did too LOL.

On the way back from Triton, we stopped by Tidal Gardens to have a look. Ended up buying a few corals. That is a really nice facility.

Here's a FTS from today. When I turned all the pumps off to get the photo, our little Purple Firefish came out of her hidey hole. As soon as I restarted them, she darted back in. She's pretty quick!

 

[jakesweep]

A few new tank inhabitants entered the fray last week.

Meet Gilly, the Yellow Watchman Goby. Gilly is terrified of fish, shrimp, hermit crabs, sudden movement, and life in general. He's been hiding in a hole in a rock since we got him a week ago. He does come out to eat though, and he's been brave enough to come out for a swim or 2.

Here's Spike, the Orchid Dottyback. Spike is an ORA bred-in-captivity fish, and is the smallest fish in the tank. She is also the complete opposite of Gilly and isn't afraid of anything. She and the Purple Firefish got into a little territorial spat when she was introduced to the tank. Spike lost that battle, and everyone has gotten along just fine ever since. I'll try to get a better pic of her soon.

I also picked up a couple of mushroom corals. The blue one is doing great, but the orange shroom isn't fairing too well after being dipped:

 

[jakesweep]

And this brings things up to date. I'll do my best to keep things updated better! Here's the latest FTS:

Edit: I forgot to mention we also got our Goby a Candy Cane Pistol Shrimp over the weekend. It's tiny (maybe 1" long). And I don't have a pic, because it hasn't come out of the initial burrow it dug. They haven't found each other yet, but hopefully they do soon!

 

[jakesweep]

Lots of new corals over the last week or so. I grabbed a bunch off of a local reefer and made another trip to Tidal Gardens.

Blue Eyed Blonde Zoas

Blue Pavona

GSP

Yellow Birds Nest (with bonus hermit photobomb)

Montipora

Neon Hammer

Pink Floyd Chalice

Rasta Zoas (also another type it appears)

Scrambled Eggs Zoas

Teal Eyed Favia

Trumpet Coral

Ricordea Yuma (with bonus zoa)

Some other Zoas

 

[jakesweep]

And the current FTS:

 

[powers2001]

@jakesweep are you still using the stock ATO? I couldn't get mine to work very well.

 

[jakesweep]

Sorry I haven't been keeping up on this. I need to figure out how to make it part of my routine for the next tank. This tank is no more. We were anticipating a move across the country and I ended up selling it and the livestock. Looks like our move is delayed, so in the meantime I'll be setting up a nano! I'll get a thread going when that gets started (soon).

 

[powers2001]

@jakesweep We will miss your Reefer 250 thread. Post a link to your nano thread here.