56G Tank

[Chrism1330]

March 28,2024 I bought a Red Sea reefer 250 tank from a member on BAR. Process was long that day. Didn’t expect a tank this size to be so much work. Borker helped me break down the tank. All the live stock and rocks went into the orange buckets as for water I saved about 40g of it.

Specs and equipment:
* Red Sea Reefer 250
* 2 Red Sea LED 50S
* 1 MP10
* Red Sea Gyre (ReefWave)
* Vortech S2 Return
* Quantum Nyos Skimmer
* Apex Neptune with PM2 Controller
* Tunze ATO
* 2 Bags of Sera Siporax
* 40-50# (Approx) of Live Rock
* flipper Magnet Cleaner
* 150 GPD RODI that's a couple months old

LIVESTOCK
* 2 clowns
* 1 Blue Tang
* Large Number of RBTAs
* Snowflake Blenny
* Cleaner Shrimp
* Melanurus Wrasse
* Lots of hermit crabs
* crabs and various other livestock
* trochus snail
*Pitho crab

CORAL
* 2 torch head
* Ultra Aussie Trachophyllia
* Blood Shot Favia
* Orange / Green Lobophyllia (receding a bit)
* 1 massive Green Toadstool
* 2-3 green mushrooms
* A large frogspawn (7-8 heads)

FEEDING REGIMEN:
* 2x daily TDO Chromaboost
* R.O.E

 

[Chrism1330]

Made it home with the tank loaded everything off the U-Haul van with a buddy. The cleaning process began, I started scraping off all the algae from the glass. The tank seemed to have been neglected for some time. Which is understandable considering the previous owner had other responsibilities. I was still up for the job and cleaned everything the best I could to make the tank look new again

 

[Coral reefer]

Nice work making a journal! This will make it easier to help you. Are those current pics?

 

[Chrism1330]

Nice work making a journal! This will make it easier to help you. Are those current pics?

Not current, I took these pix when I acquired the tank. Finally getting around to making a journal.

 

[Chrism1330]

Beginning to put water in the tank if I remember correctly I used about 60% of the water I saved and 40g of new saltwater. Setting up all the equipment was a hassle considering I didn’t know anything about how all this high end stuff works, it’s very advanced to me considering I’m used to tanks like AIO setups. Thanks to @Apon and @Turkeysammich coming by the house they walked me through it and helped me and gave me lots of knowledge on how all these things worked super grateful to have other friendly reefers lend a hand.

 

[Chrism1330]

I had all the live stock put into a 40g breeder. Once the tank was ready and up and running with water I started adding live stock little by little sculpting the rocks how I like although it’s a little challenging with the anemones on the rocks it limits me on placement. I ended up sculpting it with an arch lights where running tank was flowing. All was good!

 

[Chrism1330]

Tank was running well. I started buying coral stocking up on frags. I borrowed the par meter from the club got my par reading with all the lights set to 100% as someone else recommended to do to get an accurate reading of how strong the lights are at full power

 

[Chrism1330]

May 2nd I bought a lemonpeel from Aquatic Collection. I didn’t know they weren’t reef safe but hey here we are so far doing good. Nips here and there at corals but noticed it’s mainly my acans and zoas. Hasn’t touch the hammers or torches. Fish caught my attention due to its color and blue ring around its eyes

 

[Chrism1330]

A few weeks ago i ended up buying a foxface a malanarus wrasse and a CCB from Violet Aquarium which ended up dying due to starvation. Eventually the fox and wrasse will outgrow the tank and I’ll have to give them another home.

 

[Kensington Reefer]

Stop adding livestock
Let the tank settle in and begin to grow
Save your money
Spend time
Patience is your friend
Don’t add any fish or corals until October
Maintenance maintenance maintenance

 

[Chrism1330]

Stop adding livestock
Let the tank settle in and begin to grow
Save your money
Spend time
Patience is your friend
Don’t add any fish or corals until October
Maintenance maintenance maintenance

Rodger that. I’m gunna sticky by this comment. It’s hard not to buy but your 100% correct.

 

[Chrism1330]

In return of my CBB dying, violet Aquarium ended up giving me my money back as credit for the CBB. @Invictus was nice enough to help me out and meet me at Violet Aquarium he helped me picked out two corals and a diamond Gobi for my 8 gallon tank. I ended up getting a pink Goni and a bleached torch.

 

[Chrism1330]

Tank recently had cyano on the back of the rocks I’m not sure if maybe I’m not getting enough flow back there but since then I added chemiclean powder. I started using it on the 11th Saturday. Gave it 48 hours to cycling the tank. Before doing this, I vacuumed out the cyano. Gave it another dose just yesterday waiting to do a big water change in the next day or so. Recently bought 14 Turbo snails to clean up the tank because I’ve been getting a lot of brown algae buildup on the glass. Almost every two days I was cleaning the glass with scraper.

 

[derek_SR]

Man I wish I only had to scrape my glass every two days

My least favorite part about the hobby…

 

[Turkeysammich]

Chris. Don’t add additives / chemicals too much. It damages the bio. Then other problems arise.

 

[Kensington Reefer]

@Chrism1330
The most difficult aspect of the hobby is NOT buying new livestock
And…patience
Nothing good happens fast in this hobby
If you wanna buy something, buy foods and BOOKS

 

[Chrism1330]

Did a big water change after using the chemi clean. Made space for a regugium down in the sump. added chateo and the springs burning bush that I got from our fellow members. Using a Neptune refugium light hooked it up to the apex. Have it running when the display tank is off. Missing the goose neck so for now I have it on its side.

 

[Alexander1312]

Did a big water change after using the chemi clean. Made space for a regugium down in the sump. added chateo and the springs burning bush that I got from our fellow members. Using a Neptune refugium light hooked it up to the apex. Have it running when the display tank is off. Missing the goose neck so for now I have it on its side.

My recommendation is to go easy on the refugium with a new tank. It can take out a lot of nutrients (and traces) in the beginning that you will regret later. I am currently dealing with the fallout from a too-strong refugium on a new tank. Limit light in refugium to 6 hours or less at night, and watch the nutrients. Ideally ICP too, but you might not want to do this.

Oh, and I echo the no-chemical sentiment above. Try not to use any of this stuff. I have heavy cyano right now and would still not chemiclean.

 

[derek_SR]

My recommendation is to go easy on the refugium with a new tank. It can take out a lot of nutrients (and traces) in the beginning that you will regret later. I am currently dealing with the fallout from a too-strong refugium on a new tank. Limit light in refugium to 6 hours or less at night, and watch the nutrients. Ideally ICP too, but you might not want to do this.

Oh, and I echo the no-chemical sentiment above. Try not to use any of this stuff. I have heavy cyano right now and would still not chemiclean.

Agree with this too.

Rarely do @Alexander1312 and I agree but that’s twice in one day today!

 

[Chrism1330]

My recommendation is to go easy on the refugium with a new tank. It can take out a lot of nutrients (and traces) in the beginning that you will regret later. I am currently dealing with the fallout from a too-strong refugium on a new tank. Limit light in refugium to 6 hours or less at night, and watch the nutrients. Ideally ICP too, but you might not want to do this.

Oh, and I echo the no-chemical sentiment above. Try not to use any of this stuff. I have heavy cyano right now and would still not chemiclean.

Got it I didn’t know a refugien can mess up the whole tank.