San Diego Red Sea Reefer 250

RyanHoan

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Hey everyone! I’d like to start off by thanking y’all for having me. I’ve lurked this forum for a while as I toyed with the idea of getting back into the hobby. Anyhow, I’m excited to be back, and I look forward to being more involved with the forum. I had my last reef tank in 2007 (I was 21 and in college at the time), and finally got a freshwater tank about two years ago. While that was cool, it just made me want to get back into the reef scene :p.

SO, I bought my dream tank- RedSea Reefer250, along with all the equipment I’ll ever need for $2000 off OfferUp! Supposedly the guy just bought it and decided that he didn’t have time for it, but who knows. All that matters is that I got a brand new tank, plus all equipment for next to nothing.

Tank Age: Added water on 22 June 2019 (~2.5 months old)
Tank: Red Sea Reefer 250
RO: Aquatic Life 4-Stage
Sump: Precision Marine Pro Series Sump
Lighting: Originally 2x Current USA LEDs, recently replaced by 2x Red Sea ReefLed 90s
Mechanical Filtration: 2x Red Sea Filter Cups x Filter Floss
Chemical Filtration: BRS GFO (in PhosBan reactor), BRS Carbon (small + large grade) (in media bags placed in filter cups). ½ cup of each.
Biological- Marinepure block and balls
Skimmer: Eshopps S-120 G4
Refugium lighting: Kessil H80 Tuna Flora set to opposite schedule of main lights
Return Pump:
Circulation: 2x Gyre + Current USA eFlux wave pumps
ATO: 10 Gallon + Tunze Osmolator
Doser: Bubble Magus T-11
Rock: Pukani ~ 40 lbs
Sand: Caribsea Fiji Pink, ~40 lbs
Wifi Power Strips: 3x Kasa Smart Wifi PT-Link
Salt: Red Sea Reef Pro
Additives: Dosing ESV B ionic calcium and magnesium, as well as dilute NOPOX. Kalk in the ATO.


Aquascape- I used a bunch of Jurassic Gel and just a little bit of GreatStuff Spray foam to adhere the rocks together.

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Tank:

ULVA! It was a lot worse a few weeks ago, and now seems to be fading away. Here's hoping!

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Challenges:

Well you see the ulva haha. Luckily I haven't had cyano , hair, bubble, or any other nuisance stuff yet.

Right now I'm trying to tune in my doser, which has been really frustrating. Calcium and Magnesium are super high while Alk stays at 7.5. Ugh! I keep increasing my dosing ml by ml every few days, and hopefully I'll get to the 8-10 mark soon. pH stays at 8.3.

Thanks for looking! I'll add pics as the tank matures, and hopefully I'll get better at this blue light photography o_O

Ryan
 
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RyanHoan

RyanHoan

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Here are some top-down shots to show the aquascape layout

How do most people take pictures of reef tanks? Do they increase white light on their LEDs?

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RyanHoan

RyanHoan

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3 months old.

Ulva is still a pain, but it's definitely growing slower and looking more pale. Added a pencil urchin but the thing barely moves. Increased NOPOX to 2ml per 25 gal.

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Just some fun shots:

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RyanHoan

RyanHoan

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I pinch off what I can while doing water changes, but it always grows back (I'd say about .5" a week). I think I'll try a sea hare if I come across one at a lfs.

I'm also going to run my fuge light 24/7 for a while to see if that helps.
 

Squirrellyman

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Really nice. Thanks for sharing. Looks like we started our Reefer 250,s around the same time.

Looks gorgeous, and I’m super jealous of the pics you can take! Today’s r2r poll is about cameras. Maybe this is all a sign I need to get a camera...
 

powers2001

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@RyanHoan I couldn't find any information on Precision Marine's website on Pro Series sumps. Are they still making that line? Which model is it? Also, do you have any fish grazing on your Ulva?
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 64 36.8%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 33.9%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 14.4%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 26 14.9%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
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