Reef nutrition

RedSea Reef 525

S

Slingfox

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I have decided to start a tank journal for my RedSea Reefer 525 G2.

This is my first aquarium and it has been running for 10 months now. I have gone through a lot of ups and downs but I believe the tank is finally starting to stabilize.

Theme
  • Mixed reef with strong emphasis on SPS coral, torches, and a variety of small to medium sized fish
  • 1" sandbed using Aquaforest Bio Sand. This is the third sand I used and like the Aquaforest the best since it is bright white and does not move around much despite being very fine grain. I previously used CaribSea Special Grade which got blown around a lot as well as Tropic Eden Reef Flakes which did not move but grew algae over time.
  • Aquascape to be built using Marco rocks, super glue from Gluemasters, and Marco mortar. Aquascape was colored using pink/mourned/magenta colorant from addictivereefkeeping.com. That was a waste of money since the coloring faded within a few months. The rock is now coloring up bright purple as coraline spreads.
  • Around 3 months in I added some live rock from KP Aquatics. I wish I did this form the start since it would likely have helped with the ugly stage.
Lighting
  • 58" AI Blades: Started with 2 Grows and added one Glow after 7 months. I am pleased with the form factor and light output from the Blades. I did have to get the two Grows replaced under warranty since both became defective a few months in. The replacement process was seamless.
Refugium
  • I started with a "bucket refugium" but it was a pain to deal with
  • I then switched to growing ulva in floating pond baskets but the ulva went sexual and started spread all over my display tank
  • I eventually got rid of the ulva and grew chaeto
  • The chaeto kept on getting overrun with turf algae so I ultimately gave up on the chaeto and started growing turf algae via a make shift turf algae scrubber which I clean every week or s
Key Equipment
  • RODI: 6-Stage system from BRS paired with Smart Buddie RODI Booster Pump
  • RedSea ATO with 20 gallon ATO reservoir
  • Powerheads: Vortech MP40 (2)
  • Mechanical Filtration: RedSea Reefmat 1200
  • Protein Skimmer: RedSea Reefrun DC 600
  • Return Pump: RedSea ReefRun DC 7000 Pump
  • RedSea ReefRun Dual Controller (needed to control the skimmer and return pump)
  • Pump for 4-valve Manifold: Reef Octopus Varios 6 (will also serve as backup for the return pump)
  • UV Sterilizer: Vecton Titan 27w
  • 4-Valve manifold: Built with parts from BRS
  • Water / Leak Sensor: Included with RedSea G2 system
Key lesson: The Sicce pumps used by RedSea were definitely not silent early on but thankfully quieted down over time. Next time around I will get pumps from a manufacturer that are quiet from the start.

Controller Ecosystem: CoralVue Hydros
  • I debated between Apex and Hydros and opted for the Hydros since the hardware looked more study and I like the design philosophy.
  • Hydros has worked flawlessly for me so I highly recommend.
  • I have thought about getting the Hydros Kraken but can't justify the cost.
 
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Above is the tank at the start and below is the tank 10 months in.
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Livestock list
  • Yellow Tang
  • White Tail Bristletooth Tang
  • Da Vinci Clownfish (2)
  • Bimac Anthias (2)
  • Blue Green Chromis (11)
  • 5 different type of wrasse: Adorned, Pencil, Pintail Fairy, Lubbock's Fairy, Blue Star Leopard
  • Yellow Candy Hogfish
  • 3 gobies: Yellow Clown, Green Clown, and Purple Firefish
  • Allen's Damsel (2)
  • Longnose Hawkfish
  • Algae Blenny
The male Bimac chases the chromis around every so often. That forces the chromis to stick together rather than killing each other off.

I also have two small emerald crabs, 4 conches which clean the sand, and a variety of snails and hermit crabs.
 
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My tank has been running for one year now. I recently dealt with an outbreak of greenish dinos and algae on my sand. I siphoned out the top layer, rinsed it with tap water multiple times, RODI (2x) and saltwater (2x) and added microbe life and silicate to the bucket and put it back junk the tank. One day later the sand looks good still.

Earlier in the week the sensor on the RedSea ATO died so I had to purchase a new sensor. I have added some SPS to the tank in the last month but they are small frags so barely show up in the photo.

Tank is relatively stable nowadays. My Biota Yellow Tang is 9 months old now and is a big girl. The Blue Star Leopard Wrasse became an adult and is a mix of purple and turquoise. The 11 Chromis added 9 months or so ago are doing great---zero deaths amongst them so far!

I hope to get some coral if there are good Labor Day sales. I hope everyone else is enjoying the last week of summer!
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Wow that tang is huge for just a few months old! Definitely well done keeping all the chromis alive too. I wonder if the bullying by the anthias keeps them from bickering among their species.
 
Darkxerox said:
Wow that tang is huge for just a few months old! Definitely well done keeping all the chromis alive too. I wonder if the bullying by the anthias keeps them from bickering among their species.
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The tang came as a 1" fish with barely any coloration. Within 3-4 months she tripled in size and colored up nicely. Growth has slowed down but she is the biggest fish in the tank now.

For the chromis, yes, the male Bimac Anthias chases the chromis around every so often which keeps them from fighting each other. The Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse has also been joining in the chromis harassment lately. Overall the tank is super peaceful since I have an auto feeder which goes off 4 times a day and I feed frozen by hand once a day. Some chasing of the chromis every so often shakes things up just a little bit.

One thing I don't like about my tank is the clownfish mostly stay in one corner because the flow is quite high. I have a few periods of low flow and that is when I see the clownfish swim around more. At some point I will start a smaller second tank that is low flow and dedicated to LPS and softies.
 
finalphaze987 said:
Very nice set up..I like the low profile look with the blades...clean and sleek.
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Thanks! I like the aesthetics of the Blades as well. Unfortunately I had two of them breakdown after 8 months or so. Thankfully getting them replaced via a warranty claim was relatively quick and painless. I hope the replacements last!
 
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