Red Sea Max S 500 Build

[Rctreece]

This is my first reef tank and I have been out of the hobby for quite awhile an only had FISH ONLY tanks prior. So please let me know what I am doing wrong and any suggestions you have.

Equipment
Red Sea Max S 500
AI Hydra 26 HD x3
Stock Skimmer
Apex 2016
Apex DOS x3
Dry rock
Fiji Live Sand

 

[Rctreece]

Tank has been up for about a month and seems to be doing well. I am testing with Red Sea kits and using Red Sea Coral Pro salt. I was upset to find out that I should not mix this up any longer then 4 hours as I spend $180 on a storage tank to keep it mixed and ready. Oh well I will try it for now. I also bought the 5 part RODI kit from BRS and two Brute cans to hold my water and help with water changes.

 

[Lowell Lemon]

Forget the Dry Rock and find some good quality Live Rock and you will avoid many problems associated with the use of Dry Rock. Just a suggestion. Now the rest of you can throw your usless dry rocks and comments my way. LOL! There is more biodiversity in live rock that makes a better ecosystem in the long run that translates to stability.

 

[SuncrestReef]

Tank has been up for about a month and seems to be doing well. I am testing with Red Sea kits and using Red Sea Coral Pro salt. I was upset to find out that I should not mix this up any longer then 4 hours as I spend $180 on a storage tank to keep it mixed and ready. Oh well I will try it for now. I also bought the 5 part RODI kit from BRS and two Brute cans to hold my water and help with water changes.

The 4 hour rule just means you shouldn't circulate the new salt water for longer than 4 hours because it will begin to precipitate. Once it's mixed, there's no problem keeping it in your storage tank until you need it. I mix up batches of 50 gallons at a time in my mixing station and keep it stored for weeks with no problem while my Neptune DOS performs small daily water changes automatically. You can see my mixing station in this post from my build thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/s...eefer-xl-425-build.358990/page-4#post-4624113

 

[Rctreece]

 

[Rctreece]

Forget the Dry Rock and find some good quality Live Rock and you will avoid many problems associated with the use of Dry Rock. Just a suggestion. Now the rest of you can throw your usless dry rocks and comments my way. LOL! There is more biodiversity in live rock that makes a better ecosystem in the long run that translates to stability.

yeah I should have asked before. After the tank wasn't doing much I ended up getting 10lbs of Florida Live rock and finished my cycle.

 

[Rctreece]

The 4 hour rule just means you shouldn't circulate the new salt water for longer than 4 hours because it will begin to precipitate. Once it's mixed, there's no problem keeping it in your storage tank until you need it. I mix up batches of 50 gallons at a time in my mixing station and keep it stored for weeks with no problem while my Neptune DOS performs small daily water changes automatically. You can see my mixing station in this post from my build thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/s...eefer-xl-425-build.358990/page-4#post-4624113

Thanks a lot. I am glad to hear that.

 

[Rctreece]

Here is the tank up and running I only have three fish but they are doing very well

 

[Rctreece]

This is my apex set up. I bought a board and painted it black to mount everything to. I bought three dos and now after I find out Red Sea reef energy a and b have to be refrigerated I guess I bought one to many.

 

[Rctreece]

My new fish. I bought six but three Chromis died in shipping. The two clowns and the flame angle are doing great in my qt tank. The qt sucks because I can’t wait to see them in the dt. Going to be a long 21 days but I start copper on Friday and they are all eating good

 

[Rctreece]

Today I am receiving my first corals. Never messed with them before so I have been doing a lot of reading. Going to dip them in Bayer and put them on new plugs then put them in the bottom of my tank on a frag rack to let them adjust to my lighting

 

[Rctreece]

Few more

 

[Rctreece]

Well corals are dipped and I put new plugs on them. They have only been in the tank a few hours but have started getting their color and I think opening. Still not 100% on that.

 

[SPR1968]

Great build thread and very exciting times with a new tank so following along!

I’ve got the 2016 Max S650 and I also follow the full Red Sea Reef Program so if you need to know anything just ask. @GoVols has the S400 and @Frizzles7 has the same as you the S500.

The Reef Energy does need to be kept cold or it will go ‘mouldy’ hence the refrigeration requirement.

I’ve never had an issue with the salt precipitation but then I only mix it just before a water change. There is a Red Sea Video about this ‘somewhere’ so maybe do a search.

 

[SuncrestReef]

I’ve never had an issue with the salt precipitation but then I only mix it just before a water change. There is a Red Sea Video about this ‘somewhere’ so maybe do a search.

Here's the Red Sea video. Jump to 2:10 into the video where he demonstrates what happens if you over-mix the saltwater.

 

[Rctreece]

Great build thread and very exciting times with a new tank so following along!

I’ve got the 2016 Max S650 and I also follow the full Red Sea Reef Program so if you need to know anything just ask. @GoVols has the S400 and @Frizzles7 has the same as you the S500.

The Reef Energy does need to be kept cold or it will go ‘mouldy’ hence the refrigeration requirement.

I’ve never had an issue with the salt precipitation but then I only mix it just before a water change. There is a Red Sea Video about this ‘somewhere’ so maybe do a search.

Thanks. I am cool with the only mixing for four hours now that I understand I can still store the water longer. @GoVols, I love that user name, I am the biggest Vols fan in MS. Ended up here after I retired from the Air Force but will always be a Vols fan. Thanks for the help guys. I am really enjoying this hobby since it has given me what I wanted, to learn something and then see the results of that learning.

 

[Rctreece]

Got another question for you guys. I am dosing Alk, Cal, and Nopox, all Red Sea and yesterday I noticed a white cloud or clump in my sump where this is dosed. I assume it is due to low flow in the sump and I moved my skimmer return arm from the right side to left to try and mix up the water in that area to see if that will help. Should I extend my tubing to have it dose where the water returns from the DT? I have all of them set up to slowly drip over a long period with the Apex.

Edit: I read where people have put a small powerhead in the sump, I think I might try that. Also my chaeto has been in there for about a week under my grow light but has not grown. Could this be because I have no Phosphate

 

[SPR1968]

If by white clump you mean slime, it’s bacterial blooms and caused by the NoPox. If you increase the flow (ripples on water surface) it will prevent it forming. I have a small power head in the return chamber pointing upwards and it causes ripples on the surface. I also do something similar in the left hand chamber with the Rhowaphos reactor outlet, as I use quiet a high NoPox dose of around 20ml per day. The slime forms were there is not much surface water movement.

If the white clumps are solid, it’s maybe from the foundation elements forming. I get a few as well.

I don’t know about cheato, but whatever you do make sure Phosphate is locked down to around 0.03ppm by whatever method (maybe NoPox on its own but I also use Rhowaphos due to high bioload) and you will avoid many of the unwanted algae issues in your tank.

The cheato will help with this but if you have no phosphate that may be the issue with no growth. Also if your using NoPox as well it will be removing what the cheato feeds on so maybe you don’t need both at this stage. NoPox is a very powerful reefing weapon especially on Nitrate removal but don’t get Nitrate to low or you will have other issues (cyno bacteria etc).

My Nitrate is around 10-15ppm, phosphate 0.03ppm and I have zero algae now infact the Tangs hate me lol!

 

[Rctreece]

I wouldn't call it slime. Just looks like where the material is dosed and does not disperse. I checked all my measurements last night and I have zero nitrate, Phosphate, ammonia, and nitrite. I think I will stop the NOPOX for awhile and just keep checking the nitrate everyday. How to you add phosphate? Oh and I do have a small issue with cyno, I have a red algae in a few areas.

 

[SPR1968]

I wouldn't call it slime. Just looks like where the material is dosed and does not disperse. I checked all my measurements last night and I have zero nitrate, Phosphate, ammonia, and nitrite. I think I will stop the NOPOX for awhile and just keep checking the nitrate everyday. How to you add phosphate? Oh and I do have a small issue with cyno, I have a red algae in a few areas.

Feeding your fish more will raise both Nitrate and phosphate naturally and hopefully reduce the cyno as well.

At this stage as you suggest maybe stop NoPox as you don’t need it if you don’t have any readings. Just do weekly checks and then you can start using it again when they start to increase but just go slowly with it. Again you don’t want 0 Nitrate.

If the white material is un dissolved foundation elements, I get a bit as well but maybe it needs to go we’re there is more flow through.