Winter Springs Reefer 250

Grisby_2133 · Jun 20, 2017

Hi everyone! We've been reefing for a long time (over a decade) and slowly over the years invested a tiny bit. Good things take time, after all.

About a year ago our old (rather small, I think 37 gal?) tank cracked the top support brace, so we decided to get a Reefer 250 rather than just ditch the hobby altogether.

We got the tank from a LFS (Top Shelf Aquatics) and ordered an Apex, a DOS, and an AP700. (And other misc. parts)

We couldn't go with anything larger because this is the space it had to fit in:

Here's a close-up. Almost everything is just what was left on rocks after the move, because right after setting it up I got a new job that consumed all my time and energy!

brett_schn · Jun 20, 2017

Nice tank. Following!

Grisby_2133 · Jun 20, 2017

Thanks!

One thing I really enjoy is setting up everything for efficient use long-term.

Here's my sump:

I found this awesome cable management setup on Amazon that consists of self-adhesive holders for mini zip-ties. They will stick forever, but a pair of scissors will easily free your cables, and a really good pry with a putty knife will remove them forever if you want to completely move stuff around!

I live in Florida, but I've managed to avoid a chiller by strategically installing a cooling fan in the sump. If the A/C fails, though, I need to leave the cabinet doors open and add additional fans.

For top-off I left the stock tank, but added a few floats and an aqua-lifter controlled by the Apex. It draws from a 12-gal Rubbermaid behind the couch. (Probably couldn't have done this when the kids were little...). It works really well. Aqua-lifter is kind of underpowered, takes about an hour to fill that little tank, but no priming needed or anything! (I just had it lying around anyway.)

I love the tank! I love the Apex, and I love the AP700, too, despite wifi problems. (Every few months it may go wonky, then need to re-initialize, re-connect, an revert its programming.)