Courtney's Red Sea Reefer 350

Courtney

Well-Known Member
You guys got any suggestions for a good all in one power strip where I can turn off each individual socket like the rsm 250 and Red Sea max s series have?

Also I'm looking for a decent heater for the sump as I have seen people using 2 heaters hooked up to a temperature sensor and controller but not sure if I need all that haha

I'm still deciding if I need to hook up my chiller or not as well as I don't think the temperature here in England fluctuates that much although we have had some heat waves and it was on and off quite a lot but most of the time it comes on maybe 2-3 times a day sometimes less or not at all.
 

SPR

Well-Known Member
Yeah something like that as I was looking and using all different words to try and find them and I saw this one but it is really expensive and I can't see why haha

Aquatronica Power Unit 6 Plug (UK)
https://charterhouse-aquatics.com/s.../power-units/aquatronica-power-unit-6-plug-uk
Hi Courtney

From what you’ve said I think you just want a switched extension lead for example, there are many 2 choose from:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...0&_nkw=6+way+switched+extension+lead&_sacat=0

On the Max S series’s the power centre is nothing fancy it’s just a front plate with switches and behind it, it has power strips so just a similar principal but just a different layout.

I think the aquatronica you mention is part of a control system which is why it’s more expensive.

I would recommend 2 heaters just for redundancy although in the U.K. they aren’t on that much and also a temperature controller such as Simply Aquaria. In my system I use 2 Eheim Jaggers 200w hooked up to th Simply Aquaria as backup to the heaters own thermostats. I’ve also just plugged the Simply Aquaria into my Neptune Apex so I’ve got triple redundancy in case they get stuck ‘on’. Overkill probably but you never know!
 

Courtney

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the reply and info SPR. Think I will get one of the Simple Aquaria Temp controllers but was wondering if I get one larger heater for now as running a bit low on cash haha

I have seen the Jagger heaters a lot also just seen a Schego 300w Titanium Heater which doesn't have a thermostat built in so would only be controlled by the Simple Aquaria controller don't know if that is better or not.

https://charterhouse-aquatics.com/s...MIqLys7tnt1wIVg7ftCh14xQaWEAQYASABEgLkPPD_BwE


Also seen an alternative to a chiller which was a HOBBY 4 Cooling Fan unit don't know if this would be better here in UK as our temperature dissent fluctuate that much and if it does it's only if the rare occasion haha

http://www.h2oaquatics.co.uk/heating-cooling/temperature-controllers/hobby-4-cooling-fans
 

SPR

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the reply and info SPR. Think I will get one of the Simple Aquaria Temp controllers but was wondering if I get one larger heater for now as running a bit low on cash haha

I have seen the Jagger heaters a lot also just seen a Schego 300w Titanium Heater which doesn't have a thermostat built in so would only be controlled by the Simple Aquaria controller don't know if that is better or not.

https://charterhouse-aquatics.com/s...MIqLys7tnt1wIVg7ftCh14xQaWEAQYASABEgLkPPD_BwE


Also seen an alternative to a chiller which was a HOBBY 4 Cooling Fan unit don't know if this would be better here in UK as our temperature dissent fluctuate that much and if it does it's only if the rare occasion haha

http://www.h2oaquatics.co.uk/heating-cooling/temperature-controllers/hobby-4-cooling-fans

If the heaters have their own thermostats then when hooked up to to the Simply Aquaria controller you have redundancy straight away otherwise your just relying on the controller. You set the heaters slightly higher than the controller on position, so they always come on when commanded, but not hot enough so they also switch themselves off at what their set to in case the controller fails. The Eheim s are also half the price if your looking to save money

I’ve seen those fans and you can probably use them to good effect and control these with the cool function on the Simply Aquaria. I just have a large fan pointing down at the tank (S 650) and switch it on in hot weather. There is a picture of my engineering prowess on my build page.
 

Courtney

Well-Known Member
I think I will go for the jagger heater with the controller and one of those fan units just have to decide which one as there is the aqua medic artic breeze, hobby cooling fan and JBL cooler fan not sure which is the better out of them really.

And I will put my chiller away for now and install it if needed if the weather was to change dramatically.

What do I search to find your tank SPR?
 

NickF

Well-Known Member
Also ordered this which should be turning up soon just need to find a decent light to put over the refugium was looking at the UFO led lights but not sure what is a good light to get decent growth.

Reefer 350 Baffle Kit
http://littleocean.co.uk/shop/reefer-350-baffle-kit.html

I like the sound of that. I’m getting a reefer 350 in a couple of weeks and a refugium is definitely something I’ll be looking into down the line, think I’m just going to get the hang of the tank for a bit before I start changing the sump around but I’ll be following your thread with interest.
Still need to get a heater myself, pity the Schego doesn’t have a thermostat, it looks nice and compact.
Was looking at extension strips the other day, thinking of getting this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B074J74KNZ/
 

Courtney

Well-Known Member
Yeah saw it and though it looked like a good way to keep everything separate and away from my skimmer. I'll keep my thread updated with pictures and stuff and I'll follow yours to see how your getting along as well once your get your Reefer 350 [emoji2]

I'm going to go with what SPR has the Simple Aquaria temp controller and a jagger 300w heater but I'm looking into fan cooling instead of my chiller at the minuet which will also be plugged into the temp controller.
 

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
I moved tanks across town couple of times now. Luckily you aren't moving across town, so it is a little easier. The larger challenge is that you want to set up the new tank in the old tanks position. The number one priority is your livestock - getting them moved and back into the tank as quickly as you are able. Time is essential here.

Firstly I was planning on using everything from my old tank as the Reefer has to go in the same place as the 250. Now is it going to be fine using all of my old live sand from the tank? As I have read that it could cause issues and possibly kill everything or start a cycle again and I don't want that. I could but a couple of bags of new live sand and then take some from the old tank to help seed it further.

I'd actually either get rid of the sand or set it aside to thoroughly clean before using it in the new tank. What I'd do with the sand depends on the state of the sand. Sometimes it isn't worth keeping.

Secondly I will have to add 100ltrs of extra water to the system which I can mix up the day before but will that cause any problems add that much new water to the system? As it is particularly a massive water change.

Having that additional water on hand would come in handy when filling the new tank up.

You can use the old water as long as it isn't stirred up. If I was making this move, I would save as much of the DT water as possible. Not only for the container that will hold your fish/critters, but also as backup water (this is unless the water is foul and unusable). I would first siphon the water from the upper part of the tank into those containers that you plan will hold the fish before the water gets fouled (the water will foul once you start to move rocks around). You can choose to lower the water in the DT to a 1/4, 1/2, or 2/3rds. I'd personally use about half the water. Then pull your inverts/fish/corals out and place them into the containers that have the tank water in them.

Then pull live rock out. You can use all the old rock in the new tank and I recommend that so that you aren't cycling a new tank. Sometimes it is hard to catch the fish with the rock in the tank and the rock will have to be transferred out while you are also catching the fish. Be careful of stirring up gunk off the bottom of the tank. Keep all your live rock in water while you take down the old tank and set up the new tank. You can keep the rock in with the fish if there is room. I've done this before.

I found it useful have two (or more depending on the size of your tank) of brute trash cans with ready to go salt water in them as a backup before you break down your tank. You never know what you will need the extra water for. And if you get an ammonia spike in the container with your fish, you will want to change out that water as soon as you can.

Thirdly is it a good idea to transfer over my old filter media and sponges and put them in the sump for the time being to help with the filtration?

You can use the old media as long as it is still good to use (i.e. not old). If it is old media and it is about time you would have changed it out in the old tank, then I wouldn't use it. If it is fairly new and still good, then it wouldn't hurt to use it for a couple of weeks in the new tank. I don't think I'd use the sponge, I'm not a big fan of sponge filtration in tanks.

I have a good idea about housing the fish and corals and rock temporally in massive bucket with a heater, air pump and air stone but was just the extra water, old sand and filter media transfer as I want to get it all right.

I've used ice chests (isolated) for live rocks/ corals/ inverts (w/heaters/air stones). Action Packers for wet tank equipment (waterproof and has a lid) and large plastic trash cans (Brute) for fish (w/heaters/air stones/pumps).

How long do you anticipate the fish being in the buckets? If you have them in there more then 24 hours I'd pick up an ammonia alert badge (or ammonia test kit) and have PRIME on hand just in case there is a spike in ammonia levels.

I wouldn't add the sand or media in the temporary container with the fish/critters.

Thanks! [emoji4]Would love to have the rsm 250 somewhere else whilst the tank cycled but I have to put the new tank in the exact place the old one is and I haven't got anywhere else to set up the old tank which is a pain.I don't think there is anything I can even add to the tank to stop a cycle as I think the first time I moved everything I had a small cycle but I have a lot more more fish and corals this time and I don't want to loose them.

In the newly set up tank that you moved your old tank into can have mini-cycles. If you used much of your old rock and water then the chances of a mini-cycle are lower. But if you used all new water with your old rock you may see a mini-cycle. And if you used new rock you will pretty much be cycling a new tank. By moving your rocks you are exposing them to air and disrupting some of your established bacteria. Keeping the rock in water as much as possible is key, don't let them dry out. Yes, much of the bacteria in center of the rock should be fine. But, since you are disrupting the rock anything that dies on the outside of the rock can lead to a cycle in your tank. Just watch your ammonia levels in the tank once it is set up and prepare to do large water changes if you see the levels rise.

I find that having these items on hand makes things easier: heavy duty gloves (moving rock); nets; heaters; pumps; siphon; buckets; containers for livestock/rocks. Items that clean up spilled water from the floor/carpet. Think about other items you may need. Have them all on hand at the beginning of this move.

Also before the move, think about what livestock you have, any special needs? What about your corals/snails/seastars/etc. Think about what you have and how you are going to store them; how long your will be storing them for; and how you are going to transfer them. What additional equipment are you going to want on hand: bags, rubber bands, styrofoam dividers, etc. Do any fish need to be separated or all together? If kept more then 24 hrs, how will you handle the ammonia spike?

Take time to run through the move in your mind. Make note of anything that you may need.

I think you can get it done over a weekend if well planned out.
 

Courtney

Well-Known Member
Thanks Oxylebius for the detailed moving guide :)

I'm picking up another couple of bins and containers to store the water/fish/coral and rocks in so I will have around 400ltrs of contains ready for the move.

I decided to get rid of my old sand bed as it is around 12 years old I think although I will use a bit of it to help further seed the 2 new bags of live Red Sea Reef Base I have.

I was going to store all the fish, inverts and corals together with enough live rock for them to all hide away in and the container I'm putting them is black with a lid so hopefully that will keep them calm and thinking its night time so no fighting hopefully haha. There will be an air stone and heater in there with them but will keep an eye on them constantly through the move.

As for the filter media I have in there it was a couple of sponges, a bag of ceramic media from the old tanks canister filter, a bag of purigen and a bag of rowa carbon. I did buy a bottle of
fritz-zyme turbo start saltwater 9000 to help with any cycle that might occur after the move.

I'm making all the new salt water up today ready for Tuesday. I'm thinking the move would only take a day or less if it all goes smoothly as I have everything close by and ready to go.
 
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SPR

Well-Known Member
What do I search to find your tank SPR?

Same place as yours on here:

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forum/...uns-red-sea-max-s-650-led-design-build.96917/

I would also get a bottle of ATM Colony as mentioned before as it instantly cycles the tank. I used it when i got my first tank, and then again when I upgraded from Max E260 to the S 650 and had no issues whatsoever and if your adding new sand as well should be a good start from fresh. I would keep as much of your water as you can so the parameters are similar until it all settles down but if you read up on Colony it’s very good stuff and well documented.

The 300w heater is very powerful for your tank (think failure on’scenario) and if you look on the Eheim website you only really need 150-200w of power but it’s your tank so you can get whatever you want.

PS. Just read you’ve already got the fritz stuff so....
 
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Courtney

Well-Known Member
Yeah that is a good point about the heater so I went with the 200w instead and got the temp controller as well just still trying to work out which fan unit is best to get for the cooling side of things instead of my chiller which will be used as a back up in really hot weather.

I think the fritz turbo start and ATM colony are pretty much the same but will let you know how it works tomorrow with the move but today is a bit more planning and setting up haha
 
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Nobbygas

Well-Known Member
One thing to watch out for is the fish that 'hide' in the rock. I've had situations where I thought I had removed all the fish that I could see, only to later find fish like Dottyback's actually hide in, and hang onto the rock. It wasn't until later when I checked the rock that I had place in the rock container only to see a fish swimming around in there !
 

Courtney

Well-Known Member
I have 2 fish that are going to hide in the rock work and the is my bi colour blenny and the tiny coral green goby. I'm going to try and get all the coral and fish in one bucket and rock in another separate one but I'm gunner have to put a couple of chunks of the rock in as my BTA's have attached themselves to one piece haha
 

Courtney

Well-Known Member
Just a quick update forgot to do it yesterday once I had finished installing the tank.

Well all went well took about 6 hours total. Added the turbostart 900 after everything was in and it is still clearing today. Haven't put the protein skimmer on as it said to leave it off for 5 days although I think that would be if you was cycling the tank from scratch so don't really know if I should turn it on or not what you guys think?

Tested the water today ammonia, nitrate and nitrite is 0 which is a good sign. Everything seems happy fish are still adjusting to everything and the corals are getting used to the new lights and I have a new arrival in the form of another anemone as they are splitting again so have another one defiantly so that brings the total to 5 but I think another one is splitting as well which is a good sign.

Got the ecotech vectra m1 running at 50% and the water in the overflow and sump is holding steady. I haven't set up the ATO yet but I assume it will be an easy job to do.

Also draw your attention to my diy tank top netting whilst I'm waiting for my Red Sea tank top to arrive. It is some window fly netting with some cloths pegs to hold it in place as never owning an open top tank I'm paranoid about my fish jumping out haha

Only have a couple of pictures from today but will upload more once the tank clears properly [emoji16]


2171cae3d075c92cbbb711300446e122.jpg


d2faca980607637ce09cb9a8b99b0095.jpg
 

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
oh watch your fish closely for any sign of stress and be ready for big wc if needed - sure the
fritz turbo start and/or ATM colony will work for you (though no experience with them) but products like this do mask test results ... just fyi - want all your fish the be healthy and happy !
Tested the water today ammonia, nitrate and nitrite is 0
 
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