Legendary's Red Sea E260

LegendaryCG · Dec 7, 2019

I'm starting a new tank as my previous one was damaged during a move. Disappointing but I guess a good excuse to upgrade! I expect to run this on a hybrid-Triton method and make it a mixed reef. Tank will be bare bottom and I'm intending on letting it cycle for around 4 months before adding any corals in.

Filled tank and poured a bottle of BioSpira in the tank on Dec 4th.

Tank - Red Sea E260 Max 69 gallon AIO with white sand. Includes 2x 570gph return pumps, Red Sea ReefLed 90s. MSK 900 Skimmer
Controller - Apex
Dosing pumps - 2x Neptune DOS
Powerhead - 2x MP40
ATO - SmartATO from previous build
Heater - 2x 100W Jager Eheim Heater with Inkbird controller
Rock - About 10lbs of seeded Caribsea Liferock rock from previous tank, and 50 lbs of Marco Shelf rock.

LegendaryCG · Dec 7, 2019

Rocks

LegendaryCG · May 10, 2020

Time for an update.

LegendaryCG · May 10, 2020

Replaced the gyre with a mp40. I’m doing a 1 gallon water change each day with the dosing pump and putting in 15ML All-For-Reef. Candy Cane coral colony was off to a really good start but developed brown jelly disease. I was able to frag off some healthy heads and dip them and removed the rest of it. It appears to have been succesful.

LegendaryCG · May 24, 2020

LegendaryCG · May 24, 2020

Tank will be about 6 months soon. Had a cyano outbreak but it seems to be improving and isn’t causing any problems that I can see.

Kevind0905 · Jun 26, 2020

Your build seems to be coming along quite nicely. I am 3 weeks into a build with the Red Sea E260 as well (https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/red-sea-max-e260-the-ks260.729935/).

Was wondering how your experience with the MSK900 is going. Mine seems to be very finicky and either doesn't want to skim or jumps straight to overskim mode. When the primary skim adjuster is at or below the one-third setting the skimmer won't skim. There are bubbles in the skim neck but they never reach the top. If I move the primary skim adjust much past the one-third setting it starts to overskim and fills the cup with tank water in just a few minutes. My understanding of the optional air valve is that it should only be used if the skimmer overskims when the primary skim adjustment is at its lowest setting. Mine is fine at the lower one-third of the adjustment range so I'm left with the possibility that I just don't have enough proteins in the water yet (??). I am feeding the tank to keep the cycle going and have a few snails and hermits controlling the little bit of algae that has started but the algae growth has not been significant (the CUC is doing its job nicely).

Any thoughts, advice or even just comments on your experience with the skimmer through the first couple months would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Kevin

LegendaryCG · Jun 26, 2020

LegendaryCG · Jun 26, 2020

Kevind0905 said:
Your build seems to be coming along quite nicely. I am 3 weeks into a build with the Red Sea E260 as well (https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/red-sea-max-e260-the-ks260.729935/).

Was wondering how your experience with the MSK900 is going. Mine seems to be very finicky and either doesn't want to skim or jumps straight to overskim mode. When the primary skim adjuster is at or below the one-third setting the skimmer won't skim. There are bubbles in the skim neck but they never reach the top. If I move the primary skim adjust much past the one-third setting it starts to overskim and fills the cup with tank water in just a few minutes. My understanding of the optional air valve is that it should only be used if the skimmer overskims when the primary skim adjustment is at its lowest setting. Mine is fine at the lower one-third of the adjustment range so I'm left with the possibility that I just don't have enough proteins in the water yet (??). I am feeding the tank to keep the cycle going and have a few snails and hermits controlling the little bit of algae that has started but the algae growth has not been significant (the CUC is doing its job nicely).

Any thoughts, advice or even just comments on your experience with the skimmer through the first couple months would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Kevin

I leave the water level adjust at the lowest setting and use the air adjuster to control it. I target a pretty dry skim and what collects in the cup is quite nasty. I think it does need to break in a bit before it works well.