Red Sea Reefer 250 G2 SPS dominant build

[spectral_ranger]

After several stints at reefkeeping over the past few decades with mixed success, got bitten by the bug again and going to give it another shot. Finally at a place where I'm fortunate not to be as cost averse as I had been before, so looking to get quality build and KEEP IT SIMPLE. I think messing around with the latest and greatest magic potions is what did me in last time. My wife gave me a nudge to start a small, fish only system. Not sure she realized what all she kicked into motion! Have a BioCube 32 running and stocked with cool fish and artificial corals, which she absolutely loves, but it's left me wanting more. So, here we go!

Pulled the trigger on ordering a Red Sea Reefer 250 G2 last night. Should be here in 2-4 weeks... Starting to research equipment and be ready to go when the tank arrives, at least with the most important stuff. Very appreciative of any feedback on my selections. Plan is to start with LPS, and build to SPS dominant as it matures. I'd like to have grown out colonies pretty quickly so looking at the easier, faster growing SPS. But I know that will give way to the more challenging ones before long! Relatively lightly stocked with fish, not sure what yet. I've been really liking Abe's videos at Coral Euphoria, and am gravitating towards his approaches.

Rock and substrate:
Planning mostly CaribSea LifeRock, with a few live rock pieces from LFS to seed it. I think with the arches and whatnot, it'll make for an interesting aquascape. I have a few pieces in the BioCube now and think they look quite natural, and no ill effect yet. Planning a relatively shallow sandbed (CaribSea AragAlive special grade), I just don't like the look of bare bottom.

Lighting:
I loved the contrast and shimmer of my Kessils back in the day, but it seems like hybrid is the way to go these days. Planning on Aquatic Life 36" Coral Cover Hybrid LED fixture with two AI Prime 16 HDs, and add a third Prime later on if needed. Mount with their floating suspension hanging system, looks very convenient.

Update: Going to go with two Kessil 360s instead of the AI Primes.

Pumps:
EcoTech Vectra S2 return pump. Haven't looked much into in-tank flow yet... I did really like my Maxspect Gyre back in the day with the pulsing broad flow, but definitely need to read up more. Suggestions welcome!

Skimmer:
Leading towards the Nyos Quantum 120 right now, also looking at Reef Octopus (S-130? Classic?). But really, I'm pretty open on this...

Roller Mat:
Timing seems great on this, being able to get a Reefer G2 with the sump pre-configured for the Red Sea ReefMat. Definitely going to do this, as I've HATED dealing with filter socks in the past, which probably led to nutrient issues.

Dosing and whatnot:
Far way off from actually getting dosing system, will likely just start w/ simple kalk dosing at first then manual 2-part dosing as things progress then work into full dosing system from there. Generally following Abe's approach. No other dosing other than couple drops of iodine.

Refugium:
Love Abe's black bucket in-sump refugium, but the Red Sea sump is TINY. It's the one thing that really made me think twice about it vs. a Waterbox. But this is for later...

Salt:
Think I'm just going to stick with Instant Ocean. It's always worked well for me, either purple or Reef Crystals. Every time I start researching other salts I just see horror stories of bad batches and whatnot.

Lid:
My biggest customization thing that will be needed upfront, and the one causing me the biggest headaches, is a lid. Want to go open top, but we have cats that would love to go for a swim. They love jumping on top of the BioCube and looking down through the side and swatting at fish. Cute, but... I don't think the netted lids would be strong enough to support a cat. And what about with the Aquatic Life fixture hanging over? Not sure how high off the water that would be. Or if the cats would even jump on that. Wouldn't it put it past them. Custom glass sounds like a pain, and of course not happy with the PAR reduction. Not sure what to do, ideas welcome!!

I'm sure I've forgotten some things, but that's a good start. Just writing it down is helping me think it through!

 

[Cooper2]

Have you thought about putting the cat in its own glass box?...

 

[Cooper2]

 

[spectral_ranger]

Don’t think the wife would go for that, but not a bad idea! Truth be told, the cats are pretty cool. And they sure love watching the fish.

 

[ChrisV]

After several stints at reefkeeping over the past few decades with mixed success, got bitten by the bug again and going to give it another shot. Finally at a place where I'm fortunate not to be as cost averse as I had been before, so looking to get quality build and KEEP IT SIMPLE. I think messing around with the latest and greatest magic potions is what did me in last time. My wife gave me a nudge to start a small, fish only system. Not sure she realized what all she kicked into motion! Have a BioCube 32 running and stocked with cool fish and artificial corals, which she absolutely loves, but it's left me wanting more. So, here we go!

Pulled the trigger on ordering a Red Sea Reefer 250 G2 last night. Should be here in 2-4 weeks... Starting to research equipment and be ready to go when the tank arrives, at least with the most important stuff. Very appreciative of any feedback on my selections. Plan is to start with LPS, and build to SPS dominant as it matures. I'd like to have grown out colonies pretty quickly so looking at the easier, faster growing SPS. But I know that will give way to the more challenging ones before long! Relatively lightly stocked with fish, not sure what yet. I've been really liking Abe's videos at Coral Euphoria, and am gravitating towards his approaches.

Rock and substrate:
Planning mostly CaribSea LifeRock, with a few live rock pieces from LFS to seed it. I think with the arches and whatnot, it'll make for an interesting aquascape. I have a few pieces in the BioCube now and think they look quite natural, and no ill effect yet. Planning a relatively shallow sandbed (CaribSea AragAlive special grade), I just don't like the look of bare bottom.

Lighting:
I loved the contrast and shimmer of my Kessils back in the day, but it seems like hybrid is the way to go these days. Planning on Aquatic Life 36" Coral Cover Hybrid LED fixture with two AI Prime 16 HDs, and add a third Prime later on if needed. Mount with their floating suspension hanging system, looks very convenient.

Pumps:
EcoTech Vectra S2 return pump. Haven't looked much into in-tank flow yet... I did really like my Maxspect Gyre back in the day with the pulsing broad flow, but definitely need to read up more. Suggestions welcome!

Skimmer:
Leading towards the Nyos Quantum 120 right now, also looking at Reef Octopus (S-130? Classic?). But really, I'm pretty open on this...

Roller Mat:
Timing seems great on this, being able to get a Reefer G2 with the sump pre-configured for the Red Sea ReefMat. Definitely going to do this, as I've HATED dealing with filter socks in the past, which probably led to nutrient issues.

Dosing and whatnot:
Far way off from actually getting dosing system, will likely just start w/ simple kalk dosing at first then manual 2-part dosing as things progress then work into full dosing system from there. Generally following Abe's approach. No other dosing other than couple drops of iodine.

Refugium:
Love Abe's black bucket in-sump refugium, but the Red Sea sump is TINY. It's the one thing that really made me think twice about it vs. a Waterbox. But this is for later...

Salt:
Think I'm just going to stick with Instant Ocean. It's always worked well for me, either purple or Reef Crystals. Every time I start researching other salts I just see horror stories of bad batches and whatnot.

Lid:
My biggest customization thing that will be needed upfront, and the one causing me the biggest headaches, is a lid. Want to go open top, but we have cats that would love to go for a swim. They love jumping on top of the BioCube and looking down through the side and swatting at fish. Cute, but... I don't think the netted lids would be strong enough to support a cat. And what about with the Aquatic Life fixture hanging over? Not sure how high off the water that would be. Or if the cats would even jump on that. Wouldn't it put it past them. Custom glass sounds like a pain, and of course not happy with the PAR reduction. Not sure what to do, ideas welcome!!

I'm sure I've forgotten some things, but that's a good start. Just writing it down is helping me think it through!

I have an unruly Bengal cat and I had to tackle this same problem. I built a wooden canopy to house the lights. I used 1 inch square tubular aluminum stock bolted to the back of the stand and to the back of the canopy. This held most of the weight. For stability, I added 1 inch square stock aluminum legs that rested on the tank itself. These also provided the perfect attachment point for a mesh cage I made that went around the space between the canopy and the tank. I used stainless steel hardware to bolt a black powder coated steel mesh around the tank. No fish could jump out and no cats could get in.

Happy to go into more detail if it would help/be of interest.

 

[Owen386]

For what it's worth your mileage may vary but I use to run a canopy and switched to a open top rimless and let me tell you it only took the cat one jump up to the rim front paws wet to realize to never do it again.

 

[spectral_ranger]

I have an unruly Bengal cat and I had to tackle this same problem. I built a wooden canopy to house the lights. I used 1 inch square tubular aluminum stock bolted to the back of the stand and to the back of the canopy. This held most of the weight. For stability, I added 1 inch square stock aluminum legs that rested on the tank itself. These also provided the perfect attachment point for a mesh cage I made that went around the space between the canopy and the tank. I used stainless steel hardware to bolt a black powder coated steel mesh around the tank. No fish could jump out and no cats could get in.

Happy to go into more detail if it would help/be of interest.

Very interesting! Sounds like quite a bit of construction involved. Do you have a pic or two I could see to get a better sense of it?

 

[spectral_ranger]

For what it's worth your mileage may vary but I use to run a canopy and switched to a open top rimless and let me tell you it only took the cat one jump up to the rim front paws wet to realize to never do it again.

I was wondering about that! Better they take a dip during the cycle than when it’s stocked, if it only takes once…

 

[mandarin]

I have a 36” aquatic life hybrid t5 fixture I’m thinking about selling let me know if your interested

 

[spectral_ranger]

I have a 36” aquatic life hybrid t5 fixture I’m thinking about selling let me know if your interested

I really like the tunable nature of the LED panels in the newer one and not having to deal with T5s, but thanks!

 

[ChrisV]

Very interesting! Sounds like quite a bit of construction involved. Do you have a pic or two I could see to get a better sense of it?

I will see if I can dig up an old pic. It was for a tank that's no longer up. It was a pain to build, but I worked exactly as planned.

 

[Sharreef]

Interesting topic to me. I looked quick but couldn't find the answer- is the G2 sump the same dimensions as the V3?

I ask because I looked everywhere for folks talking about skimmers that fit into what is more typically considered the refugium chamber of the v3 sump for the Reefer 250. But I wanted my refugium in the larger section, and doesn't it make more sense to have the skimmer before the refugium? So I have the gate in, and some macro, sand, LR in the chamber immediately before the return pump.

That leaves me with a very small footprint for a skimmer. I have a Bubble Magus z8 which is a good physical fit, but just added it so I can't really report yet how well it will work for me. I'm not planning much more than zoas/soft because I wanted more interesting inhabitants than I could have in my old home made nano. Trying to be realistic since the dwarf zebra lion, marine betta, blue spot toby puffer are all pretty sloppy eaters.

 

[Cheddah93]

Good choice of skimmer if you go that route. When I setup my 250 initially I went with the buy once cry once method and went with the good equipment first time around. Including the nyos, couple of mp40’s, orphek icon lighting, and full apex setup ect….

nyos 120 works phenomenal for this size tank if stocking heavy. Best skimmer I’ve bought. Can see what it consistently pulls outa my 250.

 

[spectral_ranger]

Interesting topic to me. I looked quick but couldn't find the answer- is the G2 sump the same dimensions as the V3?

I ask because I looked everywhere for folks talking about skimmers that fit into what is more typically considered the refugium chamber of the v3 sump for the Reefer 250. But I wanted my refugium in the larger section, and doesn't it make more sense to have the skimmer before the refugium? So I have the gate in, and some macro, sand, LR in the chamber immediately before the return pump.

That leaves me with a very small footprint for a skimmer. I have a Bubble Magus z8 which is a good physical fit, but just added it so I can't really report yet how well it will work for me. I'm not planning much more than zoas/soft because I wanted more interesting inhabitants than I could have in my old home made nano. Trying to be realistic since the dwarf zebra lion, marine betta, blue spot toby puffer are all pretty sloppy eaters.

I did see that it's still listed as a 10 gallon sump, same as before. I guess baffles might have changed a bit, not sure. But certainly no big changes. Good point on checking dimensions, I'll certainly wait to buy skimmer till I have tank in hand. I discovered the Nyos in this video, which he uses in his Reefer 250.

 

[spectral_ranger]

Good choice of skimmer if you go that route. When I setup my 250 initially I went with the buy once cry once method and went with the good equipment first time around. Including the nyos, couple of mp40’s, orphek icon lighting, and full apex setup ect….

nyos 120 works phenomenal for this size tank if stocking heavy. Best skimmer I’ve bought. Can see what it consistently pulls outa my 250.View attachment 176702

Awesome feedback, thanks! And yeah, agree on buy once cry once at this stage. Already have myself convinced I should go with Kessil A360s instead of the AI Primes.

 

[ChrisV]

Awesome feedback, thanks! And yeah, agree on buy once cry once at this stage. Already have myself convinced I should go with Kessil A360s instead of the AI Primes.

Yes, you should.

 

[spectral_ranger]

Yes, you should.

I was concerned about how much more expensive they are, but considering I should be able to do any SPS under two A360s (especially with the LED bars) rather than three of the AIs, the price difference isn’t too bad.

 

[ChrisV]

I was concerned about how much more expensive they are, but considering I should be able to do any SPS under two A360s (especially with the LED bars) rather than three of the AIs, the price difference isn’t too bad.

There is nothing wrong with the primes, but the a360 is a more powerful light over all. I’m running both currently (on different tanks). They each have their advantages and disadvantages. If you’re going with the a360, the supplemental light bars will be important to reduce shadowing.

 

[SteveDola]

I just set up (this week) a red sea reefer 250v3. I have been researching and going through much of the same processes that you have lately. Its an adventure for sure with many options but 1 thing I wouldnt skimp on is a solid controller and doser. It just makes life a whole lot easier. I said that if I ever set up a bigger tank again I wouldnt skimp on a controller to automate my ATO, dosing, monitoring, etc...

 

[SteveDola]

Also, i believe top lids has a reef lid with an insert for the 250. its more expensive than kraken but it has the acrylic insert to cover the netting for the cats. Theres always a BBgun for the cats to train them to stay way ;-)