Reefer 350 (re) build!

Intheflesh

Non-member
Giggitty. I ordered a rsr350 through BRS last weds. I hadn't heard anything about the order since then, and then I received a call last night from a shipping company saying, "Hey can you be around tomorrow to receive this thing?"

:D:D:D:D:D

Needless to say I am excited. So here I am, playing hookie and waiting for the truck to come.

Most of the equipment is coming from my 80 gallon shallow which I am taking down tonight and moving everything into temporary storage.

Skimmer: Vertex Omega 150 (needs pump, might switch this out for something with an internal pump)
Circulation: 2x Tunze 6055
Return: Eheim 1260
Heaters: Eheim Jager 150 watt x2

Currently using a no named chinese knock off media reactor powered by MJ1200, with GFO (AF PH minus), carbon and zeomix. The MJ is not quite enough. I think I am going to add another reactor, step up my return pump and power the media rx off of a return manifold.

Lights: 2x Kessil 360WE

I currently run an internal, self fed calcium reactor from Skimz. Not sure if I want to keep this or move to 3 way balling system. Real estate is at a premium on these sumps, so I am trying to de clutter my equipment as much as possible, you know.

Tonight when I get home from work, I'm planning no setting up the tank in my garage and leak test. How long do you typically leak test for? My last tank was in the basement on concrete floor, so I wasnt too concerned about it leaking. This one is going in the living room so I want to be more careful ha!

That's it for now :)
 
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Congrats! It will be a sweet set up.
If you're leak testing the tank in the garage, make sure the tank is leveled. Most garage grading has a slope to it. I've never done any leak testing at a different location than the final location of the tank but I do run it with tap water for for a couple days. It is a good time to run all your pumps so that they can be flushed of any residue from the factory.
I was able to get away with just dosing in my previous 200gallons when the SPS were smaller. However, as they grow, the amount of alk, ca, and mg I needed to dose made the tank water's salinity rise slowly. So by the end of the week, my salinity would be 1.027 from 1.025.
With a 75gallon tank, I think a good dosing system should be able to handle it.
 
Yea, I've always just set the tank up in its location and filled. The only tank I think I have ever leak tested was a used 35 hex that I found sitting near the trash at my old apartment complex lol. The delivery truck just dropped off the pallet. Can't wait to get home tonight and BUILD.

I've heard about the salinity gradually rising as you mentioned above. I've always heard that keeping up with water changes should help with keeping the salinity where it should be. With the numbers you posted above, I'm quite sure if that's the case. hmm.
 
What I've done to combat the rise in salinity due to dosing was to take out a couple cup of water when I need tank water to thaw the food. This helps to certain extent. Like I said, it all depends on your system requirement.
 
Here's a few DSLR pics. A bit out of order. I need to re-do the work the rock; Not a fan of the wall look. In fairness, I was in a rush to get everything transferred, so I just kind of placed the rock wherever it fit. I want to recreate the low profile island look that I had in my 80 shallow.

I have some pics of the building and un-boxing on my phone. Need to transfer those onto my computer. Once I re do the rock, I will post a full tank shot.

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Any clue on this chalice type? I'm not good with names.
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This little toad stool is the spawn of one of my very first corals. I had its parent for about 10 years, and then one day it decided to melt away. Sad. Before it did, it dropped off a little bud. It's been growing for about 6 months from the size of a pea, and finally starting to take off.
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I seeded a meteor shower cypastrea on an ornamental submarine about a year ago. I had not growth for the longest time, then in the last month or so it is starting to encrust. Also I had a dropped an accidental frag of sunset monti on the base of the sub. I think there are about 3 polyps that have started to encrust on the sub. lol
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Like I said above, not a huge fan of the rock work. Literally just threw the rock in wherever it would fit. this weekends project I guess.

To do list:
  • Set up Calc. Reactor
  • Re arrange rock work
  • Organize wires
  • Switch out omega 150 for skimmer with internal pump. I'm thinking an Aquamaxx ConeS Q2 or FC180
  • T off return pump to feed media reactor. Trying to minimize pumps.
  • Kessil on the right needs to be RMA'd. fan doesn't turn on, the light overheats and shuts off.
  • Seek out another mounting option for the lights. not a huge fan of the goose necks. Need to hide those wires.

Full tank (for now):
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I love this brain.
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These are just some simple purple mushrooms, but there;s some cool minute details when you look at them up close
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Any ID on this thing? Color is pretty close to accurate, but the yellow eyes are admittedly blown out.
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Haven't updated this in a LONG time. Been through 2 crashes, cyano that wouldn't go away, and now hair algae lol. I have tried several methods of nutrient export: Zeovit , AF Zeomix, AF -np/bro bio s, NoPox; I am going back to Zeovit. To be honest, I had the most success with Zeo on my 80 gallon shallow than any other method. The maintenance isn't too terrible, but it FORCES you to interact with the tank on a daily basis. Here's an over simplification of the process:

Basic 4:
Zeolite stones: in a reactor. 1L per 1000L water; 100gph thru reactor per 1L of media. Exchange every 6-8 weeks. Pump reactor 10-12 times twice daily.
Carbon - .5L per 1000L water. Passive in a filter sock. Knead daily. replace monthly.
Zeostart3 - (carbon source): 1-2ml per 1000L x2 daily
Zeobac - (bacteria source): 1 drop per 100L daily for 2 weeks after zeo stone exchange. After that 1 drop/100L 2-3 per week.
5% weekly water changes

Additional Basics:
Sponge Power
- 1 drop/100L daily ( i honestly have no idea what this snake oil does. I have been dosing it daily even without running a zeo system)

Zeofood7 (amino acid formula) - I wont start using this until my phosphate drops. 6 drops/100 daily for 1 week per month, then 1 drop/100L daily
 
Here is this week's project. I want to rebuild my electronics rack. I build one back in February or so. This cleaned up my under cabinet area significantly, but I but it together a little hastily. Cuts are uneven, lots of extra holes, its painted 3 different colors lol, and the cable management behind the facade is atrocious. I build my own cable raceways out of 1/4" MDF with screw on covers. It makes it REALLY hard to add new equipment. So I want to rebuild the existing:

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And here's the new design. Using proper cable raceways, I freed up a lot of space behind the facade. I am going to move the Apex head unit to inside the cabinet, since I really wont be needing access to it often. I also now have room to add 2 more modules that I have been wanting: PM2 and WXM. These can easily fit inside the cabinet as well (as long as I scaled my model correctly). After reshuffling some equipment on the front face, know have a big open space. I may using my old gen1 iPad as a monitor in this space, or just cut a hole in the face so that I have access to the EB8s.

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I have never done Zeo, but it has a track record of success when done properly.

Is it weird I get jazzed up over your electronic board cable management plan? I love when the whole setup looks so clean.. gotta work on mine..
 
I have never done Zeo, but it has a track record of success when done properly.

Is it weird I get jazzed up over your electronic board cable management plan? I love when the whole setup looks so clean.. gotta work on mine..


Zeo definitely worked for me. I had great coloration, low residual phosphate and nitrate levels despite heavy feeding. I never got that "pale" look that is typical of Zeo tanks; that is usually caused by dosing of ZeoSpur.

I am also very excited to rework the cable management lol. I just hope this one comes out as cleanly as the model :p
 
Zeo reactor is up and running. Slight problem though, I bought it on eBay advertised as a 1.5L model.... its actually a 3.0L model! it BARELY fits in my sump. For the first 4-6 weeks, I have it on a 3 hour on/off cycle. This is so nutrients aren't stripped too quickly as to shock the system. .8L of media, with about 80-90gph running through the reactor. Because this is a larger model with a bigger pump, I have to throttle back the pump significantly. Reactor flow was calculated by filling a 1L container ~ 12seconds = 86.45 gph.

Also added an MJ1200 in the sump that will turn on for 60 min per day to stir up detritus in the sump.

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