Jon's Red Sea 200xl Reef

[Jon's Reef]

Long time lurker, first time reefer. Started this project for spending time with the kids, worked out well with stay at home. About 3 months out now. Big learning curve, but found lots of good info here!

Hardware
Red Sea Reefer 200xl
Radion G5 XR15 Pro with RMS and Diffuser
(2) MP40
Custom Clearview top
~30 lbs Marco rock, ~20 lb Marco shelf
Caribsea special grade sand
VCA Reefer return nozzle upgrade kit (loc line with dual RFG)
Vectra S2 return pump
25W Aqua UV sterilizer
Upgraded return line bottom and top to 3/4" fittings
CPR Aquafuge small
CPR bubble trap
Aquafuge pump repurposed for flow in the refugium
(2) Tunze 8831 Refugium lights on timer
Alage Barn Chaeto and Ecopods
Skimz quietpro 1.2 DC pump to refugium
Skimz 143 QP skimmer
Inkbird ITC-306A temp controller
300W Finnex titanium heater
Red Sea Media cup with filter floss
BRS CO2 scrubber
Vornado Fan
Seneye reef monitor
Target cabinet
Child cabinet locks!

"Soft"ware
BRS 4 stage RODI with second membrane
Tropic Marin Pro salt
Tropic Marin All for reef home-brew mix
Dr. Tim's One and Only and IO BioSpira
Arc Reef pink and purple coralline algae
Algae Barn Ocean Magik
Red Sea nutrition AB+
Food (LRS Reef Frenzy + Herbivore Frenzy)
Red Sea test kits
Hannah Salinity, Alk, Ca and ULR PO4

Livestock
Mabel and Dipper (ORA snowflake clowns)
Gale (Black Cap Basslet)
Grover and Dozer (ORA Yellow Watchman Goby and Tiger Pistol Shrimp)
Maui (Potter Angel)
Steve Rogers (Yellow Fin Flasher Wrasse)
Morty (Algae Blenny)
Pierre (Skunk Cleaner Shrimp)
Patty (Peppermint shrimp)
Mr Crabs (Emerald Crab)
Gary (Tonga Conch)
Seattle Sunburst Anemone
Snails

Purple with green tip torch
Vivid Ultra Gold torch
Frogspawn
Hammer (ORA)
Metallic Green Galaxea (ORA)
Sprung's Stunner Chalice (ORA)
Bubble Coral (ORA)
Duncan (ORA)
Sonic Boom Zoa
Misc Blue Zoa
Rainbow Acan
Rainbow Blasto
Florida Ricordea
Pearberry (ORA)
Red Planet (ORA)
Yellow Tip Acro (WWC)
Walt Disney
PC Rainbow
Forest Fire Monti
Rasta Zoa
Green Star Polyp

Typical Params
Temp: 78
Salinity: 1.026
No3: 2
PO4: 0.04
KH: 8
Ca: 440
Mg: 1320
PH: 8.3
Ammonia: 0

Pics

 

[djray77]

Nice!! I will be following you as I just got the same tank. I just set it up this week, waiting on rock, hopefully, should have it today. Nice setup for sure!!

 

[Long Island Reefer]

Following! tanks looks great! Just finished setting up my Reefer 250 and completing the cycle.

What are you using to get the water movement throughout your refuge? did you build a stand to put the stock ATO on? do you have any more picture of that setup?

 

[Jon's Reef]

Here are some more pics of my sump setup. ATO is in the stock location. On the left is the Aquafuge with a few inches of sand, Chaeto and pods. It fits with like 1/2” to spare. I have a small dc pump next to my return pump feeding it, then it dumps into the skimmer area.

 

[Jon's Reef]

Some pictures of Maui, Grover and Dozer.

The anemone is getting close to the duncan, so may have to move it.

The tissue around the mantle of this torch has retracted and the top side polyps have gotten a bit shorter. There was a white haze around the mantle area, and I had read about a possible fungus. I tried wiping it with 3% hydrogen peroxide on a q-tip, then a few days later a 5 min Coral RX dip. I also noticed that it is starting to get an indention near the midpoint (pinching) so I think it is just getting ready to split.

Still figuring this out. My pearlberry is a brown/ red color with no polyps. Tried different lighting etc. I think it is still alive as the tissue is still there with no sign of STN/ RTN, probably just needs time. I was running KH 9-10 for a while and NO3 was 0.. Now at KH 8 and NO3 ~2.

 

[Jon's Reef]

Since I don't have room (both physically and... wife aggro wise) for a QT tank, I decided to get a UV sterilizer. I checked my return flow and was surprised how low it was (~150-300 GPH). Further inspection, the included return line is not 3/4... it is like 5/8 and the barb is also small. Easy fix, just go to the hardware store and buy a 3/4" MPT to 3/4" barb and some 3/4" ID tubing. Old barb screws off, new one on. Next restriction at the top of the return pipe where it makes a 90. Saw a thread on here about replacing with PVC... back to the hardware store for a 90 Elbow 3/4" FPTxFPT and a 3/4" reducer. Some cutting sanding and we are in business. ~400 GPH with the UV in! I also added a 3/4" slip to the emergency drain to give a little more leeway in downpipe valve adjustment, and add ~2 gallons to the display volume.

One other tip with the Aqua UV 25W. If you install it horizontally and hear a banging noise after installation, it is air trapped in the tube. Just tip it around a bit and you will see a big burp of air come out and you will be in business.

 

[Jon's Reef]

Took some par measurements with my Seneye.

Light: Radion G5 XR15 Pro
Standard RMS mounting height (~8.5" off the water)

PAR at 2 pm settings (similar values with 8 am and 8 pm settings)
Top Shelf (~6" down): 270
Mid Tier (~12" down): 175
Sand(~18" down): 160

Settings (Modified AB+)
(Some ramping in the AM and PM, with moonlight until 11 pm)
8 am:
Point Int: 65%, UV: 100, Violet: 100, Royal: 100, Blue:100, Green: 24, Red: 24, Warm White: 24, Cool White: 50 (~50% max power)
2 pm:
Point Int: 60%, UV: 100, Violet: 100, Royal: 100, Blue:100, Green: 24, Red: 24, Warm White: 50, Cool White: 75 (~50% max power)
8 pm:
Point Int: 65%, UV: 100, Violet: 100, Royal: 100, Blue:100, Green: 24, Red: 24, Warm White: 24, Cool White: 50 (~50% max power)

At max power, top shelf (~6") can reach more than 400 PAR

 

[Jon's Reef]

Installed the new CO2 scrubber. BRS scrubber with medvet media.

Removed the BRS mount as it does not fit between the sump and wall. Intake connected to the bottom of the silencer and out goes to the skimmer. Drilled the air intake holes of the silencer to fit 1/4" tubing, then ran the other end to the lid.

PH was ~7.85 with air coming from a window. About 2 hours in and the PH is at 7.97 and rising.

 

[Jon's Reef]

Update on the Ph battle. Few days in and now steadily reach 8.1-8.3.

Decided to try to get phosphates down using Brightwell Phosphat E.
Bottle says 1 ml reduces 4 gal by 1 ppm.... ~52 gallons currently at 0.12.
52/4 =13 ml to reduce by 1 ppm.... want to reduce it by ~0.07 ppm, so dose should be ~0.9 ml.
Day 1: Tried 0.5 ml, did not make a dent still 0.12 ppm. water turned cloudy right where i poured it in, but dissipated immediately.
Day 2: Tried 5 ml, dropped to 0.08 ppm. water was cloudy for ~10-20 min
Tried 5 ml again. Still 0.08 ppm. similar ~10-20 min of cloudy.
Day 3: Tried 10 ml, water has been cloudy for about 1 hr. Results to come....
I am guessing there is some stored phosphate somewhere in the system that is coming out.

I noticed my seneye was starting to give very odd Ph drops. Took the sensor out and cleaned it with a toothbrush, also cleaned off the slide. I am guessing that there was some precipitation of the phosphate flocculant in it. Ph is going back to expected now.


Also ordered a CUC from Reef Cleaners. Unfortunately the emerald crabs did not make it. The hermit crabs and snails went right to work. Between the phosphate reduction initiative and the CUC, amount of algae is dropping quite a bit.

 

[Jon's Reef]

Some new additions. Algae Blenny (Named Morty) and red emerald crab to help out with the algae.

Also had not seen my pom pom crab for a while. Looked at my Nero 5 and saw it partially sucked into the fish guard. Thought RIP...
Then we are eating dinner the other day and who pops out to watch... the Pom-Pom! Must have molted and was hiding out.

 

[Jon's Reef]

Some new corals arrived from boomcorals.com. They came in great condition with expert packaging. On the DIY frag rack, waiting from my GLO solo racks to arrive.

Rasta Zoa
Forest Fire Monti
Yellow Tip Acro
PC Rainbow (2-3 inches long!)
Walt Disney

 

[Jon's Reef]

Decided to do a Triton ICP test just to make sure I did not have anything crazy going on.

Mostly good. High Sn? Don't know what that is about. no Fe or Ni, so probably not rust.
High Al... well lots of Al I imagine. I had some blocks that came with my Algae barn starter kit in the fuge pulled those out just in case.
High La... from the PO4 treatment (Brightwell), again will water change to drop that.
Mg is a bit higher than my red sea test typically shows (Red Sea 1320-1360 vs ICP 1439)
Good news is my PO4 is spot on where I was testing (Red sea 0.04 vs ICP 0.037)

Overall things seem to be in good shape. Will do a few 5-10 gal water changes over the next weeks to drop the Sn, Al, La.

 

[Jon's Reef]

Received 2 new things. Radion Diffuser and Nero 5 official fish guards.

Radio Diffuser is great. It really evens out the last bit of disco. Also the recess of the diffuser helps with glare from the light when looking at the tank. Overall 100% worth the $23. Used the Seneye to readjust par, did not lose much up top, but definitely helped lower the sand. Current settings are 60% AB+ @ 8 am, 55% mod AB+ @ 2 pm (warm@ 50%, cool@75%) and 60% AB+ @ 8pm. ~250 par @ 6", 170 par @ 12", 100 par @18"

New Nero 5 guards (you can get them free + shipping from AI part store) look great. Lower profile and smoother finish than the previous ones I was using. One trick.... remember that the guard clips onto the magnet.... that is you have to push the magnet into the guard. I was originally putting it between the magnet and the pump. I also took the chance to better balance the flow. Moved the left Nero to the side wall middle to get better flow across the "SPS" shelf.

 

[cale0721]

Looking good! I'm sure your blenny will help with the algae issue!

 

[Jon's Reef]

Some new updates. Decided to re-aquascape to give the fish a little more swim room and the corals a little more flow.

Replaced the NEROs with MP40s. Partly because I wanted full control in mobius and partly because I wanted to use the preprogrammed modes.

Got a new fish, Rey the Tomini Tang. Maui (potter angel) did not like her to begin with. I applied from reflective window cling to one side of the tank for ~2 weeks and the aggression stopped. Combined with the re-aquascaping and everyone is getting along now.

Fighting a little bit of Cyano, hopefully the increased flow will take care of that.

Upgraded to Hanna checkers. They are amazing. Alk, PO4 and Ca. I can see where the packets are a little tricky, but tapping a few times on the sides before cutting on the line works well. Ca gives good results. One issue was that it was reading high when I used my RODI water as the base, I switched to distilled from the store and now numbers are right where expected.

Last thing for now, tank was heating up a few degrees. The cabinet felt a bit warm so I added a few fans off of Amazon to ventilate.

 

[clifg]

Great looking tank, love the re-scape. I'm getting this tank shortly as sort of a side-grade. Less gallons than now but nicer form. I had a couple questions if you have time? I'm wondering if the sump could be used exclusively as a fuge? Right now I'm running no sump but a 10 gallon fuge with a Skimmer that hang in it. I'm curious if there is enough room to do that but just with the sump. Do you know if the water level can be kept pretty high in that chamber? Do you think their is room for more than one reactor if you don't have the hang on fuge? Thanks so much!!

 

[Jon's Reef]

There is an adjustable baffle between the skimmer section and the return, so you could set that high and then use it as a fuge. I don't know if a hang on skimmer will have enough gas exchange for a tank this size.

(see picture below) I would recommend moving the crash divider back towards the pipes, removing the filter sock and putting a divider where the front green panel is. This should leave a nice sized fuge and a big reactor/ skimmer area. You could skip the back green divider and just have the drain go direct into the fuge also.

 

[Sharkbait13]

There is an adjustable baffle between the skimmer section and the return, so you could set that high and then use it as a fuge. I don't know if a hang on skimmer will have enough gas exchange for a tank this size.

(see picture below) I would recommend moving the crash divider back towards the pipes, removing the filter sock and putting a divider where the front green panel is. This should leave a nice sized fuge and a big reactor/ skimmer area. You could skip the back green divider and just have the drain go direct into the fuge also.

Love the red sea tanks, thought they messed up the sumps pretty bad. Stuck between this one and the waterbox 60.3. I want a fuge more towards the return pump to minimize the loss of pods, do u think thats possible?

 

[Jon's Reef]

Love the red sea tanks, thought they messed up the sumps pretty bad. Stuck between this one and the waterbox 60.3. I want a fuge more towards the return pump to minimize the loss of pods, do u think thats possible?

Between those 2, I would go with the Waterbox. I would also strongly consider an IM EXT tank with trigger sump.

 

[Tchung23]

Took some par measurements with my Seneye.

Light: Radion G5 XR15 Pro
Standard RMS mounting height (~8.5" off the water)

PAR at 2 pm settings (similar values with 8 am and 8 pm settings)
Top Shelf (~6" down): 270
Mid Tier (~12" down): 175
Sand(~18" down): 160

Settings (Modified AB+)
(Some ramping in the AM and PM, with moonlight until 11 pm)
8 am:
Point Int: 65%, UV: 100, Violet: 100, Royal: 100, Blue:100, Green: 24, Red: 24, Warm White: 24, Cool White: 50 (~50% max power)
2 pm:
Point Int: 60%, UV: 100, Violet: 100, Royal: 100, Blue:100, Green: 24, Red: 24, Warm White: 50, Cool White: 75 (~50% max power)
8 pm:
Point Int: 65%, UV: 100, Violet: 100, Royal: 100, Blue:100, Green: 24, Red: 24, Warm White: 24, Cool White: 50 (~50% max power)

At max power, top shelf (~6") can reach more than 400 PAR

What do you set your scheduled intensity at??