TG's First Reef Build (in Slo-Mo)

[ThunderGoose]

Welcome to my Build Thread! I'm brand new to the hobby so I'm taking things nice and slow.

I ordered a RedSea Reefer 250 (54 gallons in display) from Marine Depot the monday before Thanksgiving. I expected I wouldn't get it for two weeks. Imagine my surprise when I got a call to schedule delivery the monday after T'giving! That was fast!

Unfortunately when I unpacked the kit I found this.

hmmm... Not sure that image uploaded....

If you can't see it the bottom of the tank was SHATTERED.

I immediately called Marine Depot and they couldn't have been nicer. The replacement is on it's way, fingers crossed.

 

[helen ann]

Hi! No Image.
+1 on Marine Depot customer service.
Congrats on the tank!
Patience is key.
Be sure to check here ...
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

Will follow along!

 

[Diesel]

Welcome to my Build Thread! I'm brand new to the hobby so I'm taking things nice and slow.

I ordered a RedSea Reefer 250 (54 gallons in display) from Marine Depot the monday before Thanksgiving. I expected I wouldn't get it for two weeks. Imagine my surprise when I got a call to schedule delivery the monday after T'giving! That was fast!

Unfortunately when I unpacked the kit I found this.

hmmm... Not sure that image uploaded....

If you can't see it the bottom of the tank was SHATTERED.

I immediately called Marine Depot and they couldn't have been nicer. The replacement is on it's way, fingers crossed.

Great thread, great tank!
I use "smugmug" to download pic, it's so simple that my fish can do it.
Bravo for @MarineDepot always a great sponsor and great customer service.
Be sure to check this out, https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/toys-for-kids-2016-lets-make-some-kids-happy.276313/
Great prices to win for your build.

 

[Alfrareef]

Welcome to my Build Thread! I'm brand new to the hobby so I'm taking things nice and slow.

I ordered a RedSea Reefer 250 (54 gallons in display) from Marine Depot the monday before Thanksgiving. I expected I wouldn't get it for two weeks. Imagine my surprise when I got a call to schedule delivery the monday after T'giving! That was fast!

Unfortunately when I unpacked the kit I found this.

hmmm... Not sure that image uploaded....

If you can't see it the bottom of the tank was SHATTERED.

I immediately called Marine Depot and they couldn't have been nicer. The replacement is on it's way, fingers crossed.

Great response from vendor!
It's always very good to have support. Don't forget that when ordering next things....

 

[ThunderGoose]

Let's try the picture thing again...

And here's the broken tank.

 

[helen ann]

Let's try the picture thing again...

And here's the broken tank.

WOW!!! Glad you got it worked out and a new tank is heading your way!

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Following the build. That's a rough hiccup right at the beginning, but kudos to @MarineDepot for their awesomeness! They're one of the vendors that I trust completely and do business with full confidence!

 

[ThunderGoose]

Well @MarineDepot sent out a replacement tank quickly. BUT the dang delivery company hasn't delivered it yet. They've had it since last Tuesday. I'm not happy with them. Yelp reviews here I come!

In the meantime I set up the stand and have been putting all of my purchases on or in the stand while I wait. You'll notice the stand is in a corner; my limitation is not as much budget as space. We live in a mid-50s cape with lots of small rooms instead of the modern open floor plan. I actually like the layout but it does limit my tank size. At least until and unless we finish the basement.

Sorry for the image quality. Once I really get going I'll pull out the camera instead of taking pict with my phone.

 

[Scurvy]

Nice, Another Reefer to follow! There's a lot of of really great Reefer builds on here for you to pull ideas from. I also have a 250 and my only regret is that I couldn't go bigger. My next tank when we move in a year or so will be the Reefer Peninsula they're releasing sometime in 2017. Have Fun!

 

[ThunderGoose]

The shipping company had a truck break down last week so I only got my replacement tank yesterday afternoon. Frustrating. But now it's here and it's sitting on its stand in the living room.

[So you can probably tell I'm a biologist from the photo - in addition to the tank you can see a dog bed (out of its normal place due to Christmas tree) and a reflection of our oldest cat, Katydid.]

I keep discovering things I need that aren't part of the set up or that I forgot. Like buckets. A new powerstrip (I ordered an American DJ power strip this morning). Need a pump or powerhead to mix saltwater. Thermometer. A faucet splitter to set up my RO/DI unit (can I use brass if it's upstream of the RO unit or do I need to use plastic...), food grade silicone lube for the protein skimmer... You get the picture and I'm sure you all remember these sorts of things from when you first set up. I know I have to go to the not-so-local LFS Saturday and I suspect I'll be making runs to the hardware store, too.

Still, I expect to get the tank wet this weekend! I'm so excited!

 

[ThunderGoose]

Yesterday I started "making" RO/DI water. Today I fasten all the parts together, leak test, re-fasten all the parts because I forgot the teflon tape, re-leak test, re-fasten the parts because plumbing is my nemesis skill...

 

[ThunderGoose]

And we're wet!

Filled with RO/DI for the initial leak test and now I'm adding salt. Then I'll have to pull out some water in order to add my live sand. I want to wait till the temperature is adjusted first. The basement where I made the RO/DI water is cold and I didn't run a heater in the barrel. That's for future water changes (I have a small heater I used in another tank that will fit nicely in buckets.

I'll also add my bottled bacteria tomorrow. Let's get this cycle started!

How long till I can add anything?

I know, I know, patience and monitor the cycle.

 

[Alfrareef]

Good luck!!!

 

[ThunderGoose]

New addition to the tank. I've part-way through the Red Sea Reef Mature process and I went to my not-so-local LFS today and picked up a piece of live rock. Lots of coraline algae and a feather duster! woo-hoo!

It looks a little strange right now since my other rock is white but I'm sure that will change and it will all blend eventually.

 

[ThunderGoose]

I said I was going to start slow and so far I've been true to that. I just started to get algae/diatoms late last week so I added a small clean up crew: a few nassarius snails, some Mexican turbo snails and one fighting conch.

The fighting conch is very fun to watch!

Next week I'm starting my QT tanks and starting to quarantine my first fish (two clownfish, of course) and shrimp (starting with Sexy shrimp, since they're small). Separate QT so I can treat the clownfish with copper.

I'm still struggling with my coral stocking plan. I look at suggestions for beginner corals and see that most of them are also on the lists of corals to avoid/ biggest regrets. That's not surprising. I've been gardening for years and I long ago discovered that the easiest garden plants are the same ones that can take over a garden. So I'll probably start with some toadstool or leathers and then move to LPS as soon as my skill level and tank stability allows.

Next update planned for about 10 days when I get my QTs running.

 

[powers2001]

@ThunderGoose can we get an update on this tank?