Reefer 250 Build :)

[Matt Jackson]

Hi, I have been lurking around in the background on this forum for a year ago and think it’s about time I start my tread for my own build.

So after about 2 years of owning this tank and gathering equipment it’s about time to make a start and put it together. I purchased the tank new and have had it in storage while slowly finding equipment. Here is a list of what I have so far...

1x Reefer 250
2x XR15 pros Gen 4’s
2x RMS Mounts
2x Ecotech MP10’s
1x Quantum Nyos 120 protein skimmer
1x Vectra S1 return pump
1x Neptune Systems Apex system
1x Ecotech Reef Link
1x Skimz MBR127
1x Clearview Lid with feeding cutout (needed to stop the kids feeding the fish Cheerios
1x Grounding probe

I obviously still need to get a few more bits and plan on getting them soon. I’m thinking about going with dry rock and live sand, 2 heaters in the sump and adding a dosing pump to the apex, test kits etc...

My history in the hobby goes back 10 years ago in England, I purchased a complete set up already established, mainly kept fish and really enjoyed the hobby. Fast forward 10 years and I’m settled in Canada and want to get back in to it, only this time I want to start from scratch and not purchase an established aquarium.

This time I plan on getting in to more sps corrals but still want to have a few fish. Before I get this system wet I wanted to reach out to fellow members (especially those with the reefer 250) to see what suggestions you have with the set up, what I could do to improve on it before I fill it with water.

I'm going to try and keep this thread up to date as much as I can and track my progress along the way. I’m definitely going to need a bit of guidance as I have never set one up from scratch.

for the moment I have a few questions...,

1. How many lb’s of dry rock should I put in it?
2. How much live sand shall I put in it and is live sand the better way to go?
3. What else should I put in the sump? It has the carbon pad and filter socks and that’s about it. (First time using a sump, before I had canister filters)

I will try and attach a few pics

 

[S.Pepper]

Welcome to R2R. GL on the build.

 

[SicZ06]

When I started my 250 - I didn't put enough sand & live rock. My first order was 30 pounds and I ended up buying 25 more. Do it right and aquasape it first to your liking and then add water. Good luck!

 

[MERKEY]

Hello and welcome! Fill that thing up already!!!

 

[DreadedReefer]

Welcome!!

 

[Redfoxtang]

Welcome to R2R!!! Looking good so far! Now let’s put some water in that thing!!

1. Rock scraping or how much rock is totally up to you. Do you want a lot of nooks and crannies then add 1lb per gallon. If not keep it light and go with what you like.

2. Kind of the same deal here. 1lb per gallon rule or go with what’s going to suit you.

3. For right now I would leave the sump as is. Wait for the tank to mature a little bit to start adding more equipment that suits the situation. Hope this helps a little bit.

 

[Oropher]

Hey hey, Welcome to R2R.
Whoa, those are pro-equipments.

I heard that with the new Mobius apps, you won't need a Reef Link.

For the sump, I'm a refugium believer. But it's a thing... not a necessity.
And if you're into gears, maybe you could consider Kalkwasser with Kalkstirrer. It may come handy even with Carx or 2parts later down the road.

 

[Matt Jackson]

Thanks for your comments!

Today I went to the LFS and purchased the following,

40 LB of Marco rock, a mix of flat and roundish...
60 LB Fiji pink live sand
2x 150w heaters
Led thermometer
API test kit
Salt
Refractor
Rodi filter

This week I plan on filling the tank and checking for leaks and then if all is good I will start with the aquascape.

Has anyone heard of placing the rock on pipe work connected to a pump in order to stop any debris settling under there and causing nitrates?

While at the FS I asked them about what bacteria to start the tank off with (expecting to hear them say doctor Tim’s or something) they recommended seachem Stability (see pic) has anyone used this?

 

[S.Pepper]

Has anyone heard of placing the rock on pipe work connected to a pump in order to stop any debris settling under there and causing nitrates?

No, but that's saying a whole lot. I place my rock on egg crate to keep it off of the glass and to give it stability. Others are fine placing it directly on the glass.

While at the FS I asked them about what bacteria to start the tank off with (expecting to hear them say doctor Tim’s or something) they recommended seachem Stability (see pic) has anyone used this?

I used Dr. Tim's to cycle my tank and wasn't completely satisfied with it. I supplemented with bio-spira which worked great. I'll be using that with the new system i am setting up in the next couple of weeks.

 

[hans4811]

Here's a shot of my RSR 250, 60 lbs of rock and 60lbs of sand...

 

[hans4811]

Here's a side shot to get a better of idea of how much it filled it...

 

[Butuz]

Here is my RSR 250 full tank shot. Link to the build thread is in the signature field below. Also check out @Eight ‘s build, he has got some great things going on with his RSR 250.

 

[Matt Jackson]

Here is my RSR 250 full tank shot. Link to the build thread is in the signature field below. Also check out @Eight ‘s build, he has got some great things going on with his RSR 250.

I was reading through your build thread, a lot of pages lol but what a great build! I would keep the cupboard doors off if mine looked like that

I read that you used silicone on the three pipes that go through the bottom of the tank, I think I will definitely do this before I fill it.

I plan on making some progress this weekend and filling it.

 

[Matt Jackson]

Here's a shot of my RSR 250, 60 lbs of rock and 60lbs of sand...

Yeah 60Lb of rock doesn’t look like a lot in there. I’m going to play around with the 40Lb I have and seen what it looks like, but maybe add some more.

 

[Phil D.]

I have the Red Sea E-260, which is similar to the Reefer 250 and has the same sump. I recommend putting Bio type media in the sump as I have to help with biological filtration. Here's my tank.

 

[Butuz]

I was reading through your build thread, a lot of pages lol but what a great build! I would keep the cupboard doors off if mine looked like that

I read that you used silicone on the three pipes that go through the bottom of the tank, I think I will definitely do this before I fill it.

I plan on making some progress this weekend and filling it.

yes, definitely apply silicon before you get it wet. No downside inputting extra effort, but significant upside in terms of avoiding problems down the road.

 

[Matt Jackson]

So here is a quick update about the progress so far...

I played around with the rock I had, definitely needed more so went back to the lfs and got an extra 24LB so now have a total of 64LB. I got it looking how I wanted and then took it all out and sealed the pipe work going to the sump.

After that cured I put back in the rock added the sand and started to fill it. (I placed the rocks directly on the glass and made sure it was all stable and then added 60Lb of sand around it) It took a full day to get it filled!

Anyways it filled now, I got the return pump set up and sorted out the flow so it was nice and quiet and then heated it so I could add the salt. It’s crystal clear and I started the cycling with seachem.

I read the directions on the bottle, it’s pretty vague, just an 8 day process but it mentions nothing about testing for ammonia etc.. should I be doing any testing or just keep to the routine dosing, what happens after the 8 days?

I will try and upload some pics of it tomorrow

 

[Matt Jackson]

Here are a few pics.
It’s looking a little cloudy today. Should I have anything else in the sump yet, at the moment it’s literally just the filter socks, heater, black sponge before the return pump (maybe a carbon pad) and the return pump. I plan on getting the skimmer set up tonight so I can start breaking it in and if I have enough time I will start mounting the lights and looking into the apex etc...

 

[Matt Jackson]

Hi guys,

so it has been cycling for just over a week now, I gave it the last dose of the seachem stabilizer 21 hours ago, I just checked the ammonia levels and it’s currently at 0.25ppm.

On day 4 of the cycle I added in 2 small fresh shrimp in one of the socks in the sump, I left them in there for 3 days and then removed them, I have also put some marine pure blocks in the sump.

I have the skimmer up and running, lights mounted (they have not been turned on yet) and the mp10’s hooked up. I have everything going through the apex but I have not yet got around to fully setting it up yet. The temp is currently 78.

What shall I do now while I’m waiting for it to mature a bit, should I be ghost feeding it to feed the bacteria, if so how much and how often?

When is a good time to add a few blue legged crabs, There isnt really any noticeable algae growing anywhere.

TIA

 

[Matt Jackson]

Does anyone have any input lol?