Buying a used RSM 130D

L

LAKERSFREAK

Member
Hey everyone I'm planning on buying a used 130D soon. What do I need to know regarding updates and all.....I've read that the skimmer is not good and I would have to purchase the tunze skimmer. Also what chiller should I connect to it? I used to own the RSM 250 and the one problem I always had waa that the tank.would run hot.

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BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
My RSM130D has been running over a year with the RSM skimmer with no problem. I'm sure the Tunze is better but I'd give the RSM one a try for a while before chunking it.

Also I've never needed a chiller with the RSM130D. There is an additional cooling fan you can add to the back that will help a lot but it will also increase evaporation.
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
There is an additional cooling fan you can add to the back
Click to expand...

The 130D model comes with this stock - but if you don't get one... they are pretty cheap & imo - a must without a chiller, I had to run one & keep my home at 73F

RSM Cooling Fan Kit

and as Allen said... my stock skimmer did "okay" for me, consistant water level was key
 
reefer gladness

reefer gladness

Well-Known Member
Lakersfreak you in the LA area by chance? Watch craigslist, lots of good stuff comes up there. I'd say the stock RSM skimmer is functional, it was just too loud for my taste.

You can get away with running just the cooling fan if you have the tank in an air conditioned room. If you're in the LA area you'll need more than the cooling fan to keep up with the summer heat waves if the room isn't air conditioned. I'd go with the 1/10th HP JBJ chiller next time after trying a cheaper brand that has an inaccurate thermostat.

An ATO is a good option to keep the water level consistent for just about any skimmer and is really needed if you use the cooling fan IMO.
 
Setragni

Setragni

Member
I am upgrading to a bigger tank soon and will sell my 130 D. With the tunze and media rack. Also the stock lights have never been used. I also have a sump overflow and better skimmer if you are interested. Im in south florida.


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Sapphire

Sapphire

Active Member
Hi,

I have the 130 and replaced the skimmer with Deltec - which I really love. You can the cup above the hood but I don't mind that - it's easy to monitor. I also added a Tunze 6025 powerhead which I also am really pleased with.
 
L

LAKERSFREAK

Member
Sound interesting but I'm on the complete other side of the country in LA so not sure how that would work... :)

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L

LAKERSFREAK

Member
so do I need to have live rock in talk during one month cycling period, or can I add live sand and water and deal with live rock later??

Also, how many pounds of live rock and live sand should I put? Also I will be using saltwater from the local fish store...Will that speed up the cycling process at all????
 
reefer gladness

reefer gladness

Well-Known Member
Add LR and sand at the same time, adding the LR later will start another cycle. How much sand is up to you, generally folks try to have 2 inches or less or 4 inches or more. 1-2 lbs of LR per gallon but it really depends on how porous the rock is. More porous rock will be lighter for the volume it occupies and has more surface area for bacteria, etc. to grow.

Throw an uncooked deli shrimp or two in the tank to kick start the cycle and be patient. Nothing good happens fast in a saltwater tank. Water from the LFS might speed things up a bit if it's from their display tank but it won't make a bit of difference if they're just selling you pre-mixed RO/DI salt water.
 
ChrisY

ChrisY

Active Member
I have been down this road myself. The stock RSm equipment is pretty good. If you want to mod you can get better skimmers etc, but my stock system works fine. It is a tad noisy but annoyingly so.

I do recommend an ATO unit. I went with the Tunze. I also removed the stock carbon and bio media and replaced with ChemiPure Elite and Purigen. Works great! Placement then becomes the issue. I havent gone for a media rack like some people use, mainly because it would also require that I go to a Tunze Skimmer setup and I think mine works fine. So I have been testing with using my CPE and Purigen in bothe the right back and left back chambers instead.

Take my comments with the usual grain of salt, but this has beem my experience on the 130D.

Also, as to I think it was Glenns comment earlier. When I run the aux fan I have a lot more evap so need to top off more often, but the ATO takes care of that. I keep my house at about 72 deg F and without running the aux fan I dont have as much evap, but I do see a degree or two of temp swing without running a chiller on it. so say 78 nominal to maybe 80 without the fan on a hot day. Some other things to keep in mind is try and keep the tank away from direct light sources, windows, etc. if your place has AC and you set it to a decent temp and you have good airflow and not in front of a direct sun source, I imaging it will do fine.

best of luck!

Chris
 
L

LAKERSFREAK

Member
reefer gladness said:
Add LR and sand at the same time, adding the LR later will start another cycle. How much sand is up to you, generally folks try to have 2 inches or less or 4 inches or more. 1-2 lbs of LR per gallon but it really depends on how porous the rock is. More porous rock will be lighter for the volume it occupies and has more surface area for bacteria, etc. to grow.

Throw an uncooked deli shrimp or two in the tank to kick start the cycle and be patient. Nothing good happens fast in a saltwater tank. Water from the LFS might speed things up a bit if it's from their display tank but it won't make a bit of difference if they're just selling you pre-mixed RO/DI salt water.
Click to expand...

So if I buy the porous rock ( which sells for $6 a pound at local store!!!!) Would 30 pounds be enough?

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reefer gladness

reefer gladness

Well-Known Member
Sure, 30 lbs is a good number to start with and doing some rockscaping in your tank. If you're like most of us you'll re-arrange rocks several times while the tank is cycling. If it doesn't look like enough to you it's best to add more sooner than later though.

Also good to leave a little extra room in case you find a nice colony rock with some zoas or mushrooms you want to add. I remember looking at a couple nice colonies for sale at vividaquariums and was stuck trying to figure out which piece of LR I would remove from the tank to make room.
 
L

LAKERSFREAK

Member
ChrisY said:
I have been down this road myself. The stock RSm equipment is pretty good. If you want to mod you can get better skimmers etc, but my stock system works fine. It is a tad noisy but annoyingly so.

I do recommend an ATO unit. I went with the Tunze. I also removed the stock carbon and bio media and replaced with ChemiPure Elite and Purigen. Works great! Placement then becomes the issue. I havent gone for a media rack like some people use, mainly because it would also require that I go to a Tunze Skimmer setup and I think mine works fine. So I have been testing with using my CPE and Purigen in bothe the right back and left back chambers instead.

Take my comments with the usual grain of salt, but this has beem my experience on the 130D.

Also, as to I think it was Glenns comment earlier. When I run the aux fan I have a lot more evap so need to top off more often, but the ATO takes care of that. I keep my house at about 72 deg F and without running the aux fan I dont have as much evap, but I do see a degree or two of temp swing without running a chiller on it. so say 78 nominal to maybe 80 without the fan on a hot day. Some other things to keep in mind is try and keep the tank away from direct light sources, windows, etc. if your place has AC and you set it to a decent temp and you have good airflow and not in front of a direct sun source, I imaging it will do fine.

best of luck!

Chris
Click to expand...

Thanks Chris you gave me the idea of adding an ato!!! Can I see a pic of how you installed it? If I'm not mistakes doesn't it have to clip on to the top of the tank? Not possible with Rsm hood

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ChrisY

ChrisY

Active Member
There should be some pictures in my build thread. If not I'll see if I can dig some up, but basically yes, I have the optical sensoe and float in the back to the left of the skimmer cup in the skimmer section and the water comes in into the same section. Just make sure of two things that I have run into. #1 make sure the return water hose is ABOVE the waterline you want otherwise it will backsiphon to your ATO tank. And #2 try and keep it against the glass so that it doesnt splash and make micro bubbles.

other than that its really a matter of just tuning it right and getting the levels right.

Hope this helps,
Chris
 
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