Starting Red Sea Reefer 250

Brian Goldstein · Jan 24, 2018

Branespikin said:
Be careful with that nem. It too early to have one in an unestablished tank.
I went from mp10 to mp40s. Much better. Mp10 was spinning on my glass. I actually got 2 one on each side but inly ine is on for now. Turn it on here and there. Definitely need another kessil for coverage. Great tank you will love it

Yeah, I'm watching my parameters closely.. Frequent water changes as well.. I've had that nem for 1.5 years now and hes proved to be quite hardy. So far the MP10 is working great. I have a Jebao wave maker that I added to the left portion of the tank. One more 360 is next on my purchase list. However, I am pretty surprised with the coverage from 1 Kessil. Completely lights up the tank (no shadowing) and PAR reading are good enough for the corals I have in there at the moment.

Thanks for your post!

-BG

Flameback Pair · Jan 25, 2018

When will you start stocking livestock?

Brian Goldstein · Jan 25, 2018

powers2001 said:
When will you start stocking livestock?

The tank is already stocked.

-Variety of corals (softies/lps)
-2x clowns and 1x watchmen goby
- 1x Pistol Shrimp
- 1x Fire Shrimp

Flameback Pair · Feb 13, 2018

Can we get a picture of the cabinet with sump and all?

Brian Goldstein · Feb 17, 2018

Check below for updates!

Brian Goldstein · Feb 17, 2018

Here are some updated photos of my system. ( about 1.5 months in ) My sump is very basic, but I am currently researching how to create an effective refugium with chaeto. I just bought a captive bred mandarin from AlgaeBarn with a big supply of pods. She's already eating frozen foods and is really healthy, however, I want her to have a plethora of pods to hunt

Comments/advice is always appreciated ! Happy to answer questions as well.

-BG

Branespikin · Feb 17, 2018

Red Sea makes mesh top kits that eggcrate is an eye sore for such a beautiful tank. I had mine dine by artful acrylic but @cromag27 makes great ones. Give him a shout out.
You got pics of the Mandy? Wanted to pick one up from Algea Barn aswell. Started my pod hotel to get pods well established before ordering one.

Brian Goldstein · Feb 18, 2018

Branespikin said:
Red Sea makes mesh top kits that eggcrate is an eye sore for such a beautiful tank. I had mine dine by artful acrylic but @cromag27 makes great ones. Give him a shout out.
You got pics of the Mandy? Wanted to pick one up from Algea Barn aswell. Started my pod hotel to get pods well established before ordering one.

Yeah, I know the egg crate is an eye sore, lol. I am still deciding whether I want to go with a custom acrylic top or the regular mesh tops from Red Sea. Here are some picks of Moose

Took me forever to get her. AlgaeBarn sells out within minutes of them going on sale. I couldn't believe how small she was (0.75 inches)

Branespikin · Feb 18, 2018

Very cool. Ihear they mad small and are gone in minutes. Ill try my luck next round see if i can get me one.

Brian Goldstein · Apr 9, 2018

Hello Reefers!

I know it's been awhile since I made an update on my Reefer 250, but here it is at just under 3 months. Overall, I am generally pretty happy with the tank. I have another Kessil A360WE coming in a few days, which I think is going to help tremendously with light distribution and faster growth.

I've been battling diatoms on and off, but I've kept them under control by dropping a small bag of ROWAphos in the sump. The Deltec is also doing a great job at removing organics in my system. All of my parameters are on point, but algae has been very persistent regardless, especially since my tank still hasn't matured.

I plan on adding a little bit more live rock and changing the scape around a little bit. Any suggestions are welcome!

Thanks everyone.. happy reefing!

Brian Goldstein · Apr 9, 2018

pictures definitely came out better on my phone lol... I'll post some better ones in a few days. Lighting looks all wonky.

Flameback Pair · May 5, 2018

Is that an Elegance Coral all the way on the right? I love those.

Brian Goldstein · May 5, 2018

powers2001 said:
Is that an Elegance Coral all the way on the right? I love those.

Yep, it an australian elegance from Tidal Gardens.

I've had it for almost 2 years now.

Flameback Pair · Jul 5, 2018

Can we get a recent full tank shot?

Flameback Pair · Nov 29, 2018

@Brian Goldstein updates ???

Jefdav84 · Jul 11, 2019

Tank looks awesome. I am debating right now on a 170 vs 250. I have seen a few 170's in person, and if done right look amazing when it is filled out. On the other had I have only seen empty 250's so I haven't been able to compare. I know most will say go big or go home, but it has been a really tough decision.

Brian Goldstein · Jul 11, 2019

Jefdav84 said:
Tank looks awesome. I am debating right now on a 170 vs 250. I have seen a few 170's in person, and if done right look amazing when it is filled out. On the other had I have only seen empty 250's so I haven't been able to compare. I know most will say go big or go home, but it has been a really tough decision.

Hey, sold my reefer awhile ago. It was a tough decision for me too.

Ultimately, being new at the hobby and going with the 250 was a bit too much/overwhelming for me. I don't agree with the "go big or go home" motto. Go with what you think you'll be confident in succeeding with.
If I had to do it again, I would have gone with the 170. That's just going off of my personal experience. I think if I had more money and time, I would have enjoyed the 250 a lot more.

Best of luck to you with whichever one you choose man.

-BG

Jefdav84 · Jul 11, 2019

Brian Goldstein said:
Hey, sold my reefer awhile ago. It was a tough decision for me too.

Ultimately, being new at the hobby and going with the 250 was a bit too much/overwhelming for me. I don't agree with the "go big or go home" motto. Go with what you think you'll be confident in succeeding with.
If I had to do it again, I would have gone with the 170. That's just going off of my personal experience. I think if I had more money and time, I would have enjoyed the 250 a lot more.

Best of luck to you with whichever one you choose man.

-BG

Interesting perspective. I will definitely take that in to consideration

Brian Goldstein · Jul 11, 2019

Jefdav84 said:
Interesting perspective. I will definitely take that in to consideration

I wish I could have gotten more rock, a better pump, better skimmer, better lights, etc.
I completely underestimated how much it was going to cost me, so I essentially had to cheap out on everything. As a consequence, corals didn't do great. Also had algae problems due to the fact I didn't have the equipment to put out enough flow. This also carried over to not being able to purchase enough coral and the tank just looked empty and weird.

So, if you have it planned better than I did and have enough money to really make the system work successfully, then I would say go for it. I don't want to dissuade you from going with the 250; just wanted to give you a relevant anecdote.

-BG