Steve's Reefer 250

[Flameback Pair]

Can we get an equipment list?

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

Can we get an equipment list?

Sorry, only just seen this.

Jecod DC4000 return pump
2 X Jecod OW-8 wave makers
Bubble Magus Curve 5 skimmer
2 X Hydra 26 led lights running Pirates of the Caribbean setting

And that's pretty much it.

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

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My tank is now 10 weeks old. These pics are from this morning when everything is starting to wake up.
I'm very pleased with how things are going so far. Fish and corals doing very well and growing fast.
I'm struggling to get any nitrate and phosphate readings at all so I have started to up the feeding.
I do seem to be getting a second diatom bloom, the first one was really bad but cleared up pretty quickly. Is it normal for diatoms to reappear, nothing new has been added to the tank?

 

[Flameback Pair]

Can we get a picture of the diatom bloom? Do those Jebao wavemakers have a bluetooth connection?

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

Can we get a picture of the diatom bloom? Do those Jebao wavemakers have a bluetooth connection?

I didn't take a picture of the diatoms.
I believe that the wavemakers can be linked via Bluetooth. I haven't tried it yet and the instructions are pretty poor but it is a feature.

 

[Flameback Pair]

Looks like display tank is doing good !!! Can we get a picture of the inside of the cabinet?

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

It's been a long time since I posted an update. Unfortunately, just before Christmas, the tank suffered a terrible dino outbreak and all my efforts have gone in to ridding the display of the little beasts. Thankfully I am now dino clear but I'm still running a UV sterilizer in the display as a precaution.
I've also tweaked the scape. The original scape looked good but wasn't very practical for coral placement.
I've added a bunch of zoas in the hope of forming a zoa garden and several LPS which seem to be thriving. I've also added my first SPS in the shape of a birds nest and that is doing very well too.
No new equipment (apart from the UV) so still a very basic setup compared to some but it's doing very well.
Only issue at the moment is hair algae due to the fact that I have been keeping my nitrates and phosphates high to battle the dinos. But hair algae is a small price to pay to be rid of dinos.
Happy reefing.

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

Hopefully this shot is a bit better

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

Obligatory side shot.

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

Approaching my Reefer 250 1st birthday so I thought it was time for an update.
The tank is beginning to look really good but it certainly hasn't been plain sailing.
Before Christmas I had a bad dino outbreak which too 4 months to sort out. They are gone now bit my UV sterilizer is still in place as a precaution.
The dinos were followed by GHA but I finally have that under control.
My corals are thriving and I have recently added a few SPS in the shape of a couple of birds nests (which are growing so fast), a monticap, which I thought was a goner but has recovered, and a little purple bonsai frag, which has started to encrust.
Things are still pretty basic, equipment wise, and I am manually dosing but plan to add a doser soon.
Also will be upping the flow with the addition of a Nero 5.
All in all I would say that it has been a challenging, but extremely enjoyable first year.

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

Approaching my Reefer 250 1st birthday so I thought it was time for an update.
The tank is beginning to look really good but it certainly hasn't been plain sailing.
Before Christmas I had a bad dino outbreak which too 4 months to sort out. They are gone now bit my UV sterilizer is still in place as a precaution.
The dinos were followed by GHA but I finally have that under control.
My corals are thriving and I have recently added a few SPS in the shape of a couple of birds nests (which are growing so fast), a monticap, which I thought was a goner but has recovered, and a little purple bonsai frag, which has started to encrust.
Things are still pretty basic, equipment wise, and I am manually dosing but plan to add a doser soon.
Also will be upping the flow with the addition of a Nero 5.
All in all I would say that it has been a challenging, but extremely enjoyable first year.

Approaching my Reefer 250 1st birthday so I thought it was time for an update.
The tank is beginning to look really good but it certainly hasn't been plain sailing.
Before Christmas I had a bad dino outbreak which too 4 months to sort out. They are gone now bit my UV sterilizer is still in place as a precaution.
The dinos were followed by GHA but I finally have that under control.
My corals are thriving and I have recently added a few SPS in the shape of a couple of birds nests (which are growing so fast), a monticap, which I thought was a goner but has recovered, and a little purple bonsai frag, which has started to encrust.
Things are still pretty basic, equipment wise, and I am manually dosing but plan to add a doser soon.
Also will be upping the flow with the addition of a Nero 5.
All in all I would say that it has been a challenging, but extremely enjoyable first year.

 

[hdsoftail1065]

Your tank is looking fantastic!

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

Your tank is looking fantastic!

Thank you. It wasn't for a long time though.

Here's a better shot, I had the wrong settings on my phone.

 

[hdsoftail1065]

Thank you. It wasn't for a long time though.

Here's a better shot, I had the wrong settings on my phone.

Very nice!

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

I'm slowly starting to add more SPS. Recently a Purple Bonsai, pocilllopora, millepora, a tiny forest fire digi frag and a monticap have been added.
They all look to be doing well and in the last month my alkalinity dosing has gone fro 5ml a day to 15, so something is growing.
My newly added mille was very fuzzy when I added it but unfortunately I caught my yellow clown goby ripping it to bits so now the polyp extension has been drastically reduced. Hopefully, now that my goby has gone onto pastures new, it will recover.
My priority now is a doser.

 

[Flameback Pair]

@Pennywise the Clown your corals are looking great. What doser are you using?

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

@Pennywise the Clown your corals are looking great. What doser are you using?

Thank you.
At the moment I am manually dosing but my next purchase is definitely a doser. Probably will be a 2 pump model. My magnesium seems to stay pretty stable.

 

[DarthSimon]

Hey Steve!!! Nice Aquascape!!! Can't wait to see this rocks filled with Corals!!!!
Enjoy it!

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

A new Jebao DP-3 dosing unit has been added. I'm still tuning it but all I can say is, where have you been all my life :D The doser took about 30 minutes to set up and program and I have got to say, for £60, I am incredibly impressed. I am only dosing alk and calcium at the moment as my magnesium seems to be sorted by weekly water changes.
Any ideas for what I can dose on my 3rd pump? Don't need Nopox as my nutrients stay very low.

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

Some coral picks