drawman

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Guys I'm planning the build for the 250 and would appreciate your input on pumps. I'm planning on going bare bottom with a lot of flow so I can try to cater this tank more towards SPS.

Return pump: Syncra SDC 9.0
I am running in my other tank (able to swap if needed) and will provide more than enough flow to support multiple reactors without diminishing my return flow. I am thinking of using a biopellet reactor (Reef Octopus 110)to replace the need for a refugium.

Powerheads: 2 WAV's for powerheads
I'm already running 4 WAV's in other tank

Does anyone see a fatal flaw in my pumping strategy? WAAAY too much flow?
I think you're on the right track. For a mature SPS tank you're going to be happy that you have a lot of water movement.
 

adrianr514

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How are you testing the gph?

By calculating head pressure and GPH per percent at 0 head pressure. So for an S1 100% is 1,400 gph which means every 1% is equal to 14gph. I’m running mine at 40% 560 gph at 0” output. Factor in head pressure for height of the pump output to return output which in my case is 3.5 feet it calculates to ~530gph rounded down.
 

Grigs

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pelphrey

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Guys I'm planning the build for the 250 and would appreciate your input on pumps. I'm planning on going bare bottom with a lot of flow so I can try to cater this tank more towards SPS.

Return pump: Syncra SDC 9.0
I am running in my other tank (able to swap if needed) and will provide more than enough flow to support multiple reactors without diminishing my return flow. I am thinking of using a biopellet reactor (Reef Octopus 110)to replace the need for a refugium.

Powerheads: 2 WAV's for powerheads
I'm already running 4 WAV's in other tank

Does anyone see a fatal flaw in my pumping strategy? WAAAY too much flow?

It will depend what the minimum setting for the WAV pumps is, from what I understand a few people have used them on the 250 and it’s been to much. Maybe someone with experience can chime in. I know @Scurvy is running them on a 100 gallon tank.
 

DS204

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Hello everyone:

Running into some snags trying to get my 525xl cabinet levelled and getting all 3 doors sitting straight + flush. The 2 right doors are perfect, but this left door sits a little high and has to lean out at the front in order to be flush at the bottom with the other 2 doors.

I've spent a few days on it, and this is the absolute best that I can get all 3 doors to line up. Is anyone else's this way, too? Perhaps I'm just overly picky and there's an acceptable level of gaps with these things?


525xl_1.JPG
525xl_2.jpg

525xl_5.jpg

525xl_6.jpg


Any information would be helpful. Thanks everyone!
 

Scurvy

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It will depend what the minimum setting for the WAV pumps is, from what I understand a few people have used them on the 250 and it’s been to much. Maybe someone with experience can chime in. I know @Scurvy is running them on a 100 gallon tank.
I wouldn’t try them on a 250... Too much power even at the lowest of settings. I’d say a 48”x24” tank is about the smallest I would run a pair on. I’m even now still toying with the idea of going to MP-40’s.
 

Palluk33

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I wouldn’t try them on a 250... Too much power even at the lowest of settings. I’d say a 48”x24” tank is about the smallest I would run a pair on. I’m even now still toying with the idea of going to MP-40’s.

I have 2 of them on Reefer 350 and run them max 7% after one week change them for mp40
 

adrianr514

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I wouldn’t try them on a 250... Too much power even at the lowest of settings. I’d say a 48”x24” tank is about the smallest I would run a pair on. I’m even now still toying with the idea of going to MP-40’s.
Per Neptune a single Wav at 1% is 1800 gph. The reefer 250 is 54 gal display so for an SPS tank like he wants you want a 40x - 60x flow turnover rate. Meaning they need anywhere from 2100gph - 3240gph. If they are set on alternating currents it will be completely fine to even run then at 3% or 4%. If they're both going to be continuous then both at 1% will be fine.
 

Grigs

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Thanks for the input, guys. If the MP10 had a better track record on 1/2" glass I might be tempted. 2 MP40's seem ridiculously expensive for a 54g tank. Ironically, even with it being oversized the WAV seems to be the most economical choice if I am going to run an APEX on this tank, also. What other powerheads are you guys running that you would recommend?
 

adrianr514

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Thanks for the input, guys. If the MP10 had a better track record on 1/2" glass I might be tempted. 2 MP40's seem ridiculously expensive for a 54g tank. Ironically, even with it being oversized the WAV seems to be the most economical choice if I am going to run an APEX on this tank, also. What other powerheads are you guys running that you would recommend?

Only the front panel is 1/2". The sides and back are 9.6mm if I recall correctly.
 

Scurvy

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Thanks for the input, guys. If the MP10 had a better track record on 1/2" glass I might be tempted. 2 MP40's seem ridiculously expensive for a 54g tank. Ironically, even with it being oversized the WAV seems to be the most economical choice if I am going to run an APEX on this tank, also. What other powerheads are you guys running that you would recommend?
I loved the Gyre 230’s when I had my 250 running. Gives a nice wide flow pattern. One would suffice for quite a while on a 250 with a fairly open scape. Eventually you may hit a point where things have grown in blocking off flow and can add a 2nd. Part of the issue as I see it with the WAV on a smaller tank is they seem to have a narrower flow pattern than the MP-40 or Gyre does. With that narrow pattern you need more distance for it to spread out. Does the math work as far as getting to 30 or 40x turnover, sure but I don't think you’ll be happy with it once you have it running. JMO of course but I see folks selling them off here in the Marketplace all the time saying even at 1% its too much.
 

Grigs

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I loved the Gyre 230’s when I had my 250 running. Gives a nice wide flow pattern. One would suffice for quite a while on a 250 with a fairly open scape. Eventually you may hit a point where things have grown in blocking off flow and can add a 2nd. Part of the issue as I see it with the WAV on a smaller tank is they seem to have a narrower flow pattern than the MP-40 or Gyre does. With that narrow pattern you need more distance for it to spread out. Does the math work as far as getting to 30 or 40x turnover, sure but I don't think you’ll be happy with it once you have it running. JMO of course but I see folks selling them off here in the Marketplace all the time saying even at 1% its too much.

Appreciate the logic. The flow is fairly narrow. I have 4 WAV's on my WB 230.6, but they have a LOT more distance to spread out. How were the Gyres on noise? I've heard grumbles, but you seem to with everything...
 

Scurvy

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Appreciate the logic. The flow is fairly narrow. I have 4 WAV's on my WB 230.6, but they have a LOT more distance to spread out. How were the Gyres on noise? I've heard grumbles, but you seem to with everything...
So I guess noise is a relative to the room they're in but there’s definitely an audible sound to the motor. I ran them between 60-80% depending on how clean they were and it only bothered me if the room was silent which is rare. Supposedly the new 300 models are silent with no motor noise but I haven't seen (Heard) them in person.

I also ran an Icecap 1K on a 40B for a while and that didn't bother me or my girl in our bedroom. Same general sound from both pumps.
 

adrianr514

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Using a plate of marine pure to keep me Chaeto from being sucked into my skimmer. Seems to be working for now. I definitely want to add about an inch and a half on that baffle to bring the water level up for my skimmer. Optimal height for bubble magus C5 is 9 inches and it's currently sitting around 7 1/4".
 

Pennywise the Clown

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My Reefer 250 diaphragm valve is driving me nuts. I can set the height of water in the overflow to half an inch below the top of the emergency drain and it will hold this level for hours. Then suddenly the water level will rise and literally gush down the emergency drain. If I slowly open the valve and touch at a time, nothing happens (i'm waiting in between adjustments). The only way to get the levels to drop is to open the valve a good quarter turn, then the level drops in an instant and I can re-tune to the get the level right again.
Then a few hours later the whole process repeats.
The very big problem that this creates is that every time the water level rises suddenly, my ATO dumps a load of RO into the sump. Keeping my salinity constant is impossible.
This has been getting steadily worse for the last couple of months, the first 6 months of the Reefers life the system was perfect.
I have cleaned the valve and my return pump several times and it has made no difference.
Please help, I will soon have no hair left to pull out.
 

Palluk33

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Steve - I understand your problem
Mine isn't quite as bad as what you're describing, but trying to get it dialed in and stay put is nearly impossible.

Close the valve completely and slowly turn it on just by half a centimeter at a time, each time you have to wait and see it’s slow process. I promise you the overflow is silence [emoji86]
 

Westside Guy

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My Reefer 250 diaphragm valve is driving me nuts. I can set the height of water in the overflow to half an inch below the top of the emergency drain and it will hold this level for hours. Then suddenly the water level will rise and literally gush down the emergency drain. If I slowly open the valve and touch at a time, nothing happens (i'm waiting in between adjustments). The only way to get the levels to drop is to open the valve a good quarter turn, then the level drops in an instant and I can re-tune to the get the level right again.
Then a few hours later the whole process repeats.
The very big problem that this creates is that every time the water level rises suddenly, my ATO dumps a load of RO into the sump. Keeping my salinity constant is impossible.
This has been getting steadily worse for the last couple of months, the first 6 months of the Reefers life the system was perfect.
I have cleaned the valve and my return pump several times and it has made no difference.
Please help, I will soon have no hair left to pull out.

Welcome to the club, many (myself included) have complained about the very same thing. It is a shame that Red Sea doesn't use a good Spears valve instead. :mad:
 

Westside Guy

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Steve - I understand your problem
Mine isn't quite as bad as what you're describing, but trying to get it dialed in and stay put is nearly impossible.

Whenever I put my Vectra S1 pump into "feed mode" and that 10 minute feeding time ends the water level in the tank does not return to the same level as before and I have to play with the Red Sea valve allover again!
 

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