Randy's Red Sea Reefer 250
- Thread starter RandyC
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RandyC
Supporting Member
I used Rust-Oleum Protective Enamel - Glossy Black, though I'm not using for in-water usage since I only painted the exterior surfaces of the fuge, so your mileage may vary since I think you're using it for a baffle. I've read both ways about it being underwater reef-safe or not, but I don't think there's definitive, scientific proof one way or the other. Some say, once it cures and the solvents have evaporated it's okay, but it's all anecdotal.
Instructions say to wait 24 hours for complete cure time before recoating. You'll def need at least 2 coats to get a nice even cover to black out all light. I cheated though and only waited 12 hours. If you choose to use this and put underwater, I'd definitely wait 24 hours (or more) to make sure all the solvents have evaporated and it's completely cured. BRS also has a video on this for painting the back of an aquarium:
And got a cheap smooth surface roller with paint tray from home depot ($4?).
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Thanks Randy for the advice. I'm about to paint my baffle and maybe the ATO tank black. I watched the video too.
The baffle will be in the water so I'm a bit wary of the rustoleam spray paint. Read on some threads it can flake off over time. Should be fine on the ATO above water.
The baffle will be in the water so I'm a bit wary of the rustoleam spray paint. Read on some threads it can flake off over time. Should be fine on the ATO above water.
RandyC
Supporting Member
Day 51: I may be going for an award for most crap stuffed into one Reefer 250 stand. I'm stocked, locked and fully loaded! Don't expect to put anything else in there now. So, I'm lazy and I know I'm lazy, so there's no way that I'd be able to keep up with manual dosing. Most likely, I'd forget after 2 days. I added a couple of BRS 2-part dosers and just used digital timers to dose 5 minutes a day right now (around 5.5ml of 2-part per day to start). I've never dosed before, so I'm starting slow and building up to what I need so I don't overdose. I also threw in a Koralia Nano 425 I had laying around to create a high flow area for the dosing in the sump that's on a timer to match the 2-part dosing so that the 2-part doesn't precipitate.
I built a makeshift stand with a old shelf that was made of MDF and used some of the leftover black enamel from the fuge to paint it black and hopefully help make it a little water resistant, let's hope it works since MDF is like a sponge. I also found these nice little 1.5L dosing containers on Amazon that fit nicely since gallon jugs don't.
I built a makeshift stand with a old shelf that was made of MDF and used some of the leftover black enamel from the fuge to paint it black and hopefully help make it a little water resistant, let's hope it works since MDF is like a sponge. I also found these nice little 1.5L dosing containers on Amazon that fit nicely since gallon jugs don't.
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Vhuang168
Guest
A couple of suggestions.
Do not dose 2 part until there is a need. Keep records of what your alk /ca/mg and when you start seeing a steady measureable drop in levels signaling steady uptake, then start dosing.
Honestly unless you are going to do a bunch of sps, you may never need to dose alk/ca.
Put your dosing ends in the return chamber. Stagger your dosing times so you don't dose both alk and Ca at the same time. You will not need to worry about precipitation.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Do not dose 2 part until there is a need. Keep records of what your alk /ca/mg and when you start seeing a steady measureable drop in levels signaling steady uptake, then start dosing.
Honestly unless you are going to do a bunch of sps, you may never need to dose alk/ca.
Put your dosing ends in the return chamber. Stagger your dosing times so you don't dose both alk and Ca at the same time. You will not need to worry about precipitation.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
RandyC
Supporting Member
I started noticing a drop over the pass two weeks. Salt mix has a dKh of 9, but I was down to 7 already. Getting rid of the circulation pump would be nice. Gonna move the dosing lines to return section later tonight. Thanks for that suggestion.
How far apart do you suggest staggering the dosing?
RandyC
Supporting Member
Alk went from 9 to 7
RandyC
Supporting Member
Yes. I tested before I put livestock in.
RandyC
Supporting Member
Did you rough up the surface that you painted at all so it would adhere better?
On my algae scrubber, yes. Sanded with 320 grit I think. Been a while.
When painting the back of an old tank, no.
Neither had an issue, but since the scrubber was handled a lot more, I thought it would make sense to sand it.
The back of a tank is really never touched, so a poor bond does not matter.
Sanding is slightly visible from inside depending on technique/grit.
You might like it better though. Less glossy. But you better make sure it is uniform.
* I would suggest doing a test on some scrap acrylic.
* After a year, walls are generally covered with Coraline, so almost irrelevant.
Yesterday I used black epoxy "aquaculture safe" paint from Pentair on my ATO and baffle. It was expensive (relative to a spray can), but I only mixed a small amount (comes in two cans that are mixed prior to use). I saved the rest, so if anyone in the area wants to use it...I've got it. Pretty easy, safe, and I know it'll stay forever.
Flagg37
Guest
If it went from 9 to 7 over 2 weeks then a weekly water change would handle the drop. My tank uses up over 1 dkh a day. I think I'm at 1.5 right now.
RandyC
Supporting Member
Day 58: Sad to report first loss of the tank. I got a new 6-line wrasse and it was looking healthy and exploring through all the cervices, but then after a week, it thought it would be smart to take on the VorTech pump after a nice mysis meal. VorTech 1, fish 0. Think it got confused when the MP40 was in feed mode and it started up again.
Other than that, tank is doing well. Everything has finally been migrated over from my 12G Fluval Edge. Corals have good extension and fish/shrimp are looking happy. Diatoms are mostly gone, water params are stable, dosing is going well. I'm up to around 10ml/day and dkh is holding around 8.0, going to push this up to 9.0 slowly. (I know it's only been a week - so time will tell), but I suspect that the dosing amount will go up with the SPS I just added.
Chaeto is growing crazy mad in the fuge. It's 3-4x the size then when I started it 2.5 weeks ago and is taking up over half of the 2.1G fuge I converted from the stock ATO. I'm also getting hair algae growing in there (and not DT - thank goodness). Blue Tuxedo urchin is eating like crazy in the fuge since I put him in there instead of DT for now since there's no food really in the DT for it yet. Props to that $20 LED grow light panel I got on eBay.
Took advantage of the halloween sale at California Reef Co. and picked up some frags and a green/orange with fuchsia ends bubble tip anemone (Rainbow BTA I think?). I also picked up cool looking yellow and mint green yuma mushrooms (no pic yet), but in my attempt to make this a foreign rock & frag plug free tank, they're sitting in a container with rock rubble waiting for them to reattach their feet.
Other than that, tank is doing well. Everything has finally been migrated over from my 12G Fluval Edge. Corals have good extension and fish/shrimp are looking happy. Diatoms are mostly gone, water params are stable, dosing is going well. I'm up to around 10ml/day and dkh is holding around 8.0, going to push this up to 9.0 slowly. (I know it's only been a week - so time will tell), but I suspect that the dosing amount will go up with the SPS I just added.
Chaeto is growing crazy mad in the fuge. It's 3-4x the size then when I started it 2.5 weeks ago and is taking up over half of the 2.1G fuge I converted from the stock ATO. I'm also getting hair algae growing in there (and not DT - thank goodness). Blue Tuxedo urchin is eating like crazy in the fuge since I put him in there instead of DT for now since there's no food really in the DT for it yet. Props to that $20 LED grow light panel I got on eBay.
Took advantage of the halloween sale at California Reef Co. and picked up some frags and a green/orange with fuchsia ends bubble tip anemone (Rainbow BTA I think?). I also picked up cool looking yellow and mint green yuma mushrooms (no pic yet), but in my attempt to make this a foreign rock & frag plug free tank, they're sitting in a container with rock rubble waiting for them to reattach their feet.
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