Kman's Red Sea 250

[Kman237]

Brand new to the website and my first post I've been looking for a good red sea forums home! Looks like I have found one!

Quick question here. I bought this tank roughly 2 months ago. The previous owner had neglected the tank for a while. He had this tank running for close to 3 years. After looking at the pumps and flirtation area this look extremely dirty to me. Can I clean this brown looking dirt out of the sump area? I'm new to saltwater so I want sure if doing this would hurt my good bacteria.

 

[pablomay28]

I got my RSM 250 the same way. Remove both pumps and nozzles and soak them in water with white vinegar. You can run the pumps in the solution. They will come out looking new. Dont forget to clean the inside of the pump any calcium build up on the impeler shaft or magnet can be scraped with the back of a butter knife. For the rear sump you cn scrape calcium or coraline build up wth a razor. The brown stuff you can soak up with a clean towel after removing as much water as possible and wring it out clean and repeat. Once pumps are clean rince to remove any vinegar and reassemble. If you have live stock in the tank just keep water in the tank circulating while you clean your sump and pums.
Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[Snelly40]

hi! and welcome!!!

this may be a dumb question... is there water and a reef in the tank now? i only ask because that will change peoples suggestions on how to clean it...

if it's running.. go with the above... if it's empty i'd do a full tank vingar bath and run that for a few days in the actual tank...

 

[pablomay28]

When performing the cleaning with live stock the water level will drop to where the return nozzles are. I did my cleaning with corals and fish in the tank. I just haz a tunze nano stream circulating the water while i cleaned the sump and pumps

 

[DianaKay]

Hello Kman
WELCOME to Reef Sanctuary
Hope you will make yourself right at home here and Start a tank thread for your tank. (Or, We can change the thread name & this can be your journal thread if you'd like)

Congrats on your RSM 250 It's a great tank with lots of potential
If the tank has set dry or not in use for a couple of months, then I would suggest a very thorough Cleaning. Using white (clear) vinegar and tap water mixture makes some of the tougher to remove residue come off easier.
You will most likely have to start NEW with building your good bacteria.
We can help you each step of the way....lots of good here & there are no dumb questions. If in doubt or wonder, just ask
Good starting pictures, looking forward to more!!
VERY BEST WISHES....

 

[Kman237]

Wow that was fast! Thank you very much for the info! I do have live stock, rock, and corals in the tank! I will go with what pablomay28 suggested. Again thank you for this info!

 

[pablomay28]

No problem. I learned the same way. Just ask and members will help.

 

[Kman237]

Dinakay, thank you for the very warm welcome! If you don't mind making this my tank thread that would be great. I didn't realize this is how it worked. I will post some pics of the tank shortly.

 

[DianaKay]

Thread name changed....let me know if you'd like it different than
Kman's Red Sea 250

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members

 

[Kman237]

Thank you everyone! Dianakay that's perfect!!! Here is an older pic of my tank about two weeks ago. Pardon my algae I've been battling a phosphate problem. My snails and I have been doing some crazy work over the past few weeks to get this under control.

I actually ordered a Red Sea max 250 Nano Skimmer from reef dynamics due to getting fed up with the stock skimmer. The skimmer is currently being shipped.(Ps- I hope it's ok I state where I bought the skimmer from?)

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

right click on your pics & copy the Copy Image URL, then click on the little "picture frame icon" and add it there - it will show up BIG, we love big pics & seeing details

Pretty Tank !

Unlike some reefing forums... on sharing links & where you bought something... here on RS we are pretty relaxed with anything that helps other members, as long as the one posting does not have a financial interest in the product or business

 

[Kman237]

nanoreefing4fun, thank you very much for the info. I was wondering how that worked!

 

[Kman237]

Pablomay28, how much white vinegar should I mix in the bucket. Isn't it pretty strong so I don't need much?

 

[Snelly40]

i know some people who just do straight vinegar depending on their goal... powerheads caked in coraline need more... calcium and regular algae maybe a 50/50 split... that vinegar will do some amazing stuff

 

[pablomay28]

The last time I did the cleaning I used 1 gal. and about 1-2 of water. You can use pure vinegar with no problem. I did it when i flushed my chiller. Look up vids on youtube. You will be amazed at how clean they come out. It is not strong enough to damage the equipment at all even if used pure. The more you dilute it the longer you will have to soak. Make sure you clean the interior and run the pumps in the solution.

 

[pablomay28]

I used a 5 gal bucket. Here is a good link.

 

[pablomay28]

 

[Kman237]

I planed on using a 5 gallon bucket. Thank you very much for the info and videos. I'm going 50/50!

 

[Kman237]

I'm back!! I've got a question. Do i need a chiller for this tank? I've been running the tank without a chiller for close to 3 months now. I've monitored the temperature of the tank and I've only seen a 1 degree change from night to day. The owner before me didn't have a chiller. That or he removed the chiller before I came to pick up the tank. The Tank was up and running and we broke it down together after i made the decision to take it home.

Do most saltwater tanks need chillers? - sorry newbie question

I should probably mention the temperature remains between 77-78F