Used red sea 250, initial set up, sand, general questions

[Camron]

Hey guys, I recently got a used red sea 250 with all the trimmings, lights - skimmer- return pump- etc. Basically turn key system.

I have been lurking around BRS reefing videos for a long time and could never pull the trigger until I got a steal of a deal on this set up.

I am going to do some leak testing with clean RO water tomorrow. Any tips for this would be appreciated. I was thinking of filling up the back chamber with the pipes first to see if there were any leaks.

Is it safe to place the rock directly on the glass, or is a better practice to always use egg crate or that plastic board stuff? I have seen them all, but does it really matter?

Sand:I know this is debatable. I want sand for the looks, so BB is out. I was originally going to go Fiji Pink, but I really do not want a sand storm and that appears to be a very common complaint. I am between Reefflakes or Mesoflakes. My concern is that I would like to add a sand sifting goby down the road. Additionally, I was curious if there would be less beneficial bacteria and/or other lifeforms within an established sand bed of larger flakes. (Presumably because of the larger surface area).

Any other nuggets of advice would be super.

Thanks, appreciate you guys.

 

[Billldg]

I placed my rock on the bottom and then put the sand in. You can put the sand in and then the rock, but make sure you push the rock thru the sand to the glass bottom. I like Carib Sea Special Grade sand. I turn my tank roughly 40 to 50 times and I don't have any issues with sand blowing around. Congrats on the tank!!!

 

[Kryssie]

+1 for Special grade. I put my rocks in first then added the sand. I have engineer gobies, so I wanted to make sure my rocks wouldn’t get toppled by shifting sand from my snakey boys.

 

[lapin]

I have a sand sifter and some wrasses that sleep in the sand. I use a mix of all 3 of these sizes depending on where the flow is more or less
Mesoflakes - 2.7mm
Reefflakes - 3.0mm
Reefflakes Grand Select - 4.5mm

 

[JasonC80]

Congrats on the tank, I really like the red sea reefer series.

Confirmed fiji pink will move around, especially in the corners. That being said I have it in my tank and i'm happy with it, doesn't cloud the water. I think larger grains will be easier to clean over time whatever you go with.

You can place rock directly on the glass, just make sure it's as stable as possible.
Some rocks are available that are cut flat on the bottom just for this purpose.

Agree, fill the overflow first to check for leaks. Wait 24 hours, then fill the display.
The bottom pipes can be finicky.
If you're using RODI water and there are no leaks, you can slowly add salt right in the tank for the first fill.