HELP! New (old) Red Sea Max 250/ first timer!

[luke5150]

hello everyone! I'm super pumped( it took time......) I just got a used 250. i have wanted a saltwater tank for 5 plus years, been on marine depot for the past two years putting stuff in my cart trying to build the ultimate tank ( without any money of course!). I final bought a red sea max D 250 a few weeks ago. the tank was 2 hours away from my house but the guy assured me there were no scratches everything worked, etc. So i left at O' dark 30, so not to miss work and go get this tank. I loaded it in the dark paid and left. This is what i replaced so far, both pumps, and the complete return for pump 2. both sponges, all four cooling fans, this guy must have had a dog or something it was filthy in the hood which was scratched beyond all belief! i bought the Aquamaxx HOB-1 for the new protein skimmer a tune ATO and from reading other post the lighting is going to be new ATI bulbs. and there is no media basket so im going to drop a 11oz bag of chemi pure blue in that spot. Now i got 600+ in this thing! with no fish or water or live rock! (bought the sand while it was on sale with the salt) It took lots of vinegar to clean it out but once I get it up I think I will be happy.

So my two questions are, does anyone recommend using cerium oxide inside the tank? its not that bad. what do you use to clean the black cabinet? furniture polish doesn't work for me. I'm using the HOB (doing the mods) so im hoping that my tank will stay cooler, is a chiller necessary on these tanks?

any help would be great! im still a little nervous about making sure levels are right and testing but we will see!

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

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

Start a tank thread & share your tank with us so we can follow along, we love pics

Congrats on you new/used RSM 250D - love mine... hopefully some member can advise on your questions, I got mine new & have never used any cleaning supplies, only a damp rag with water

 

[pablomay28]

Awesome!! I ran an aquamaxx HOB-1 in my RSM 250. Here is a link on it

. I have since done more mods such as a DIY overflow and an external sump with a reactor, reef octopus int 110 and a brs GFO reactor. I run a chiller since it gets here here in Southern California and I have no A/C. Here is another link to my current set up

 

[luke5150]

Awesome!! I ran an aquamaxx HOB-1 in my RSM 250. Here is a link on it

. I have since done more mods such as a DIY overflow and an external sump with a reactor, reef octopus int 110 and a brs GFO reactor. I run a chiller since it gets here here in Southern California and I have no A/C. Here is another link to my current set up

Hey! It was you video on the hob that made me choose it! Thanks. Your new set up looks awesome and complex. How far down does the Maxx have to be when using it? Waiting for it to ship so I haven't had a chance to fool with it.

How about cleaning your cabinet?

 

[DaveK]

When cleaning around the tank you want to use very mild products. Water alone is your best first choice. If you have something encrusted you can use white vinegar. If you want to sterilize something you can use bleach. Never ever mix bleach with vinegar or any other cleaning product.

These products if used at all, should never be added to the tank. You use them on things you can remove from the system, and then rinse completely.

Cerium oxide is the stuff the use to remove very fine scratches or sun sparkle from glass, especially auto glass. It must be handled with extreme care. It's mixed and used wet and should never be allowed to dry. The material gets everywhere, including eyes, lungs and so on. I'm of the opinion that it should never be used inside your home. Now if you have a glass shop that can do it for you, then ok. I don't think this is anything an in home DIY type person should be messing with.

 

[pablomay28]

Hey! It was you video on the hob that made me choose it! Thanks. Your new set up looks awesome and complex. How far down does the Maxx have to be when using it? Waiting for it to ship so I haven't had a chance to fool with it.

How about cleaning your cabinet?

The HOB-1 needed no modification to get the water up. I just modified the outlet so that the skimmed water would go to the other side. I put the bottom of the collection cup just above the bubbles. You can see other videos on the HOB-1 it is an awesome skimmer. It is a bit loud as it makes a humming sound. I clean my cabinets and glass with some tap water and some times water with white vinegar (good alternative to windex)

 

[luke5150]

how about your live rock? i was just reading the post from the guy who got the c250, working on it with his daughter and wanted to use as little as possible to have more room in the tank. I read that you need a pound a gallon which at 5 dollars a pound for some pinkish purple rock at the shop is 300. this is for filtration, so if i do water changes and keep up on the chemipure do i need the "wall of rock"?

with your HOB-1 you just extended outlet to go further to the right (if looking from above from the back) to have that water pulled into the next chamber? how about the depth of the inlet going into the skimmer, does that need to be extended any?

when i can i will get some pictures up. right now the tank is in the garage with the new parts in a box and the cabinet in the house! i always find a reason to go to the garage to fool with the part and look at the tank. Sometimes i feel im more interested in the building of a tank, like your new set up after looking at all of the cool components and nice plumbing work! i just cant wait

 

[luke5150]

are you still using the black sponges? when i got the pumps i bought new ones as well but of course have had no reason to open them.

 

[JEMM55]

You do realize that ..That wall of rock as you call it is your main line of biologic filtration.
Live rock...bacteria...you know...reef system!

 

[pablomay28]

how about your live rock? i was just reading the post from the guy who got the c250, working on it with his daughter and wanted to use as little as possible to have more room in the tank. I read that you need a pound a gallon which at 5 dollars a pound for some pinkish purple rock at the shop is 300. this is for filtration, so if i do water changes and keep up on the chemipure do i need the "wall of rock"?

with your HOB-1 you just extended outlet to go further to the right (if looking from above from the back) to have that water pulled into the next chamber? how about the depth of the inlet going into the skimmer, does that need to be extended any?

when i can i will get some pictures up. right now the tank is in the garage with the new parts in a box and the cabinet in the house! i always find a reason to go to the garage to fool with the part and look at the tank. Sometimes i feel im more interested in the building of a tank, like your new set up after looking at all of the cool components and nice plumbing work! i just cant wait

The intake on the HOB-1 is long enough to pick up the water. In regards to the sponges I ran them with floss on top to keep the water clear before I installed my sump with filter sock.

 

[pablomay28]

I do recommend atleast 1lb per gallon. I have always run live rock on all 3 tanks i have had.

 

[luke5150]

I know, but in a tank my size i want to have room for the fish and for coral to grow. It would be nice to have room behind the tank and in front. I still have the tank in my garage so i have no idea what 60lbs of live rock will look like in the tank, and other from the pictures on line i haven't seen a 250 in person stocked. did you see the post that i was talking about? If I only used say 40lbs of live rock and kept up on water changes and cleaning how would it impact the reef?

With the wall of rock, in an established tank with lots of coral, man it looks nice! I can only imagine the cost that is going to be accumulated! Same time i have my kids telling me what kind of fish they want and im thinking that once they get bigger there's going to be no room! "dory" for instance when grown is a big fish and finding fish that are compatible... with limited work space if modifying the seascape would work I would like to try it, that's why im asking now before I start, how cool is it to be responsible for an ocean in your house? even though i live in Florida the thought blows my mind and i want to take care of the live stock just as I would my dog.

 

[dgilbert2]

on board

 

[Oxylebius]

When cleaning around the tank you want to use very mild products. Water alone is your best first choice. If you have something encrusted you can use white vinegar. If you want to sterilize something you can use bleach. Never ever mix bleach with vinegar or any other cleaning product.

These products if used at all, should never be added to the tank. You use them on things you can remove from the system, and then rinse completely.

I 100% agree here.

Always use white vinegar and bleach outside the tank, away from any tank water.

White vinegar takes all kinds of calcuim build up off of the tank and tank parts. You can use a mixture of white vinegar and water ratio if the build up isn't that bad, needed to only wipe down things. Or you can soak parts for heavy build up. Rise well and then you are good to go.

Bleach to sterilize only. Then rinse well. You can get a de-chlorinator at a lfs to clean up any lingering bleach from the tank or tank parts.

Cerium oxide is the stuff the use to remove very fine scratches or sun sparkle from glass, especially auto glass. It must be handled with extreme care. It's mixed and used wet and should never be allowed to dry. The material gets everywhere, including eyes, lungs and so on. I'm of the opinion that it should never be used inside your home. Now if you have a glass shop that can do it for you, then ok. I don't think this is anything an in home DIY type person should be messing with.

This stuff I know nothing about, so I'm glad DaveK was able to address your question here. Sounds like a horrible chemical.[/QUOTE]

 

[luke5150]

I'm taking about the black cabinet. It has a coating on it that shows wipes.