The Bonsai Reef- Red Sea Reefer 300XL G2 Build

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Thought of posting some pictures I took today-

Garf bonsai
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Bill Murray
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BC Adam bomb
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Strawberry shortcake
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dragonfruit milli
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Vivid confetti
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Looks Great!!!!! I started reading from the beginning and didn't think you could pull off SPS such a new tank but you are pulling it off with flying colors!!! Gives me ideas for my 200 gallon going in soon :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:
Thank you! I would give full credit to @Roberto Denadai for showing us the way with repeated success. I highly recommend that you read his build thread. As he says- reefing is simple but we reefers make it complicated. We can’t wait to make new changes/ fiddle all the time following others and thats when complication starts.

What I am trying at the moment is keep my params stable and thats all. Also, try not to introduce any pests by sourcing your corals from reputed retailers. I cut the base of all my acros and discard frag plugs to avoid pests/ algae introduction. Measures to eradicate pests and nuisance algae often lead to instability. And be patient- I may not see much growth for months and for some even a year but as long as they start to encrust, I am a happy reefer.
Well, all that being said, its still very early for me to draw conclusions.

All the best for your 200g. If you plan to keep acros- give them good flow, light and stick to your water params. I also believe T5s are something to look at when you talk about stable diffused lighting with best end to end coverage. I hope you will have a wonderful tank. All the best!
 

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I can’t understand why they don’t extend the cabinet an extra 1/2 inch to support the whole tank. Although they are beautiful tanks. Best wishes for your endeavor
It doesn't seem to make sense, but if the tank was flush with the cabinet then the doors would stick out. They way they do it the doors are flush with the tank and it's a really clean look. You only notice the tank overlap when the doors are open.
 

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Have you never seen a cabinet with recessed doors. A very nice look and then the stand can support the whole tank. I agree Red Sea tanks look great however they have had trouble with their tanks. One only has to do a quick search of this forum
 
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It doesn't seem to make sense, but if the tank was flush with the cabinet then the doors would stick out. They way they do it the doors are flush with the tank and it's a really clean look. You only notice the tank overlap when the doors are open.
This is how its done. The door goes under the top.
7139D76D-CFCE-4E55-9FF5-866407EF443A.jpeg
 

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Good it seems they have changed their design. Much better to have the cabinet support the tank
 
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Week 8 update -

Tank is sailing along. All the diatoms gone and started seeing some greens on the rocks.

Water Params-

Salinity - 1.025
Alk - 8
Cal - 400
Mg - 1280
Nitrate >10
Phosphate 0.02 (hanna ULR)

currently doing 8-10% WC weekly.

Added a juvenile yellow eyed kole tang (will rehome once it outgrows)

They are all friends now-Feeding 4-5 times a day so they are fat and happy. Rotating btwn frozen (rods original, spirulina mysis, krill, nori) , flake and spectrum pallets )
66E29895-8048-4D62-9F89-350A01AAA966.jpeg


Added few SPS and a LPS

Super Green Birdsnest :
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jack-o'-lantern lepto:
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Monti cap: (gifted by a friend)
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Orange setosa: (gifted by a friend, he got his from mother colony in my last setup :) )
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And who says acros/ SPS don’t grow in a new (8 weeks) tank?!

Milli- March 11th
CE35EBC2-4500-4EED-BCDB-51B5D3A460BA.jpeg

April 3rd (already encrusting)
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TSA Bill Murray March 11
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April 3rd base well encrusted
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Digi on March 9th
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Apr 3rd - new growth tips
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so do many other frags which are hard to capture in camera.

all they need is stable params, crazy flow and good lighting. And yes they are all from tank grown mother colonies.
 

High pressure shells: Do you look for signs of stress in the invertebrates in your reef tank?

  • I regularly look for signs of invertebrate stress in my reef tank.

    Votes: 41 32.0%
  • I occasionally look for signs of invertebrate stress in my reef tank.

    Votes: 29 22.7%
  • I rarely look for signs of invertebrate stress in my reef tank.

    Votes: 25 19.5%
  • I never look for signs of invertebrate stress in my reef tank.

    Votes: 33 25.8%
  • Other.

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