Rekkie's RSM250

[Wrangy]

One thing you could try with the clowns so that you're able to get the eggs out without having to remove the entire rock is, placing a small tile right in front of where they usually lay and that may cause them to lay on the tile which you can then easily remove Someone who breeds them does that with a pretty good success rate and they always lay on the tile too

Always good getting an insight light that to the more complex workings of our tanks, probably also time to get a new heater too. A 0.3 pH swing is pretty good too

 

[Rekkie]

Thanks Wrangy i will give it a go, we can normally see her get very fat a few days before she lays so it is worth a shot. We are going to try a small net with a draw string a day or so before they hatch and tie them off. They have laid on a small outcrop so it may be possible and then move them to the small nano tank i have setup with an under gravel filter.

I also got a new 300w heater yesterday and the temperature stayed between 25.8 and 26 the whole day. Goes to show what a constant monitoring shows up, i had no idea the tank was having such a large temp change very day.

I thought about a Apex or Reefangle controller but everything else is already automated on the tank, all i needed was a PH monitor with remote access and have been happy with the Seneye so far.

 

[Rekkie]

Some updated FTS and the clowns have laid another batch of eggs a week after the last batch. We got them laying on video as it was during the day.

I tried to put some PVC pipe where they normally lay but they just pushed it out the way. Still have to get a piece of tile and try to see if they lay the next batch on it. The nano tank with the under gravel filter seems to be fully cycled now i just need to get the fry in there some way.

 

[Wrangy]

Awesome that they're laying so frequently!! Must be some seriously happy fish Love the dosing setup mate!! Kamoer's are an awesome unit! Mine is a little less busy but no less vital!
Full Red Sea compliment? Trace's and foundations? anything else? Tank looks awesome too

 

[Rekkie]

Thanks Wrangy, yes RS foundation A = 13 ml, B = 45 ml, C 3 ml daily
Then 3 ml of NOPOX and 1 ml of RS colours B, C, D daily.

However i have stopped the Potassium as it has crept up slightly so i may change this to 1ml every 2 days.

Everything has been stable using the above and currently Ca around 440, Kh 10.1 and Mg 1340 however I am going through way more RS foundation B compared to the A so have purchased a 5l container for better value.

 

[clairebear]

I really like your dosing set up! Can I ask, are you running it to the "coral growth" parameters?

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[Rekkie]

Hi clairebear,

Thanks, i have recently added a SPS coral and a new clam so i want to try for the accelerated growth levels Red Sea recommend for these.

I haven't really had too much luck in the past keeping these corals and thought it may have been the lighting and upgraded to LED, I added a new SPS frag and still had an issue, since i have changed from dumping the RS powder into the back of the tank once i week and moved to dosing with the liquid daily it has become way more stable and very happy with the growth so far on the two new ones added a few weeks back.

My assumption is the sudden change when adding RS Buffer may have been my biggest issue in the past, but will give an update on this in a couple of months.

 

[clairebear]

Thanks for the info! I was thinking about using the powder too, so that is good to know.

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[Naj117]

Tanks looking great mate hopefully u will be able to save the clown fry and start selling to pay for all the products you have to use!

 

[Rekkie]

Thanks for the info! I was thinking about using the powder too, so that is good to know.

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Hi Clairebear,

The RS powder is great but IMHO you would have to work out the daily amount and dose correctly which i never figured out with 2 years of using the RS power and tended to dose this weekly. I should have premixed the powders especially the buffer and added it slowly over a longer period but was too busy to do this daily.

I tried the ABC version but my Magnesium always went too high so i purchased the separate Calcium and Kh Buffer. I think not adding the buffer daily was my issue hence automating it with the doser and only have to test once a week now.

 

[Rekkie]

Tanks looking great mate hopefully u will be able to save the clown fry and start selling to pay for all the products you have to use!

Thanks Naj, they just laid a new batch again today. I did have some roof tiles i could have used but they were a bit to porous for my liking so they have laid in the same spot. I got a good portion of it on video but haven't figured out how to compress and post video yet.

 

[Rekkie]

They laid again yesterday as mentioned above, i will give the roof tile a go once this batch have hatched.



Some growth progress shots the piece of live rock is ontop of the left pump outlet just below the water line.

 

[Wrangy]

Awesome that they're laying constantly mate Definitely give the tile a go, make sure the terracotta side is the side they can access I'm sure you could have figured that though

 

[Rekkie]

Tried the tile with little success, they have just laid again yesterday.

I have also changed the profile, dropped the Radions intensity to 55% and put the stock skimmer back in.

 

[Wrangy]

Looks amazing, loving the clams!! And that dragonet!!

 

[mcc21]

Awesome tank!! I love the toadstool!! I just got my RSM 250 as well, hope it can be just as nice as yours.

 

[Rekkie]

Thanks Wrangy.

Looks amazing, loving the clams!! And that dragonet!!

 

[Rekkie]

Hi mcc

Thanks for the kind words, the RSM is a great tank and really didn't need to be modified IMHO.

After 3 years i have figured out one of the most important factors IMHO is stability in elements and dosing.

I thought it may have been the skimmer and upgraded to the deltec for $500 and still had issues with corals only lasting a month or two and have recently put the stock skimmer back in and actually prefer the wetter skim the stock skimmer produces and being able to close the back flap is also a bonus.

I thought it was the lights and spent around $1,900 upgrading to LED's which i can only run at 55% or lower anyway even with the wide angle lenses on (but they do look cool and very controllable).

The auto doser is by far the best investment i have made besides the chiller and has been running for a few months now and i haven't lost a single new coral addition they are all growing well, even my goniospora seems to have grown somewhat as well.

I have also not touched the sand bed at all for at least a year, compared to syphoning it ever water change initially.

Awesome tank!! I love the toadstool!! I just got my RSM 250 as well, hope it can be just as nice as yours.

 

[Rekkie]

In regards to the above currently i have the Radions at 55% as per the below, these lights are like miniature nuclear power plants i am not sure if 55% is still to high.



Here is an example of some really fast growth from something out of the live rock, would like to know what both of them are but will post in the reef ID section later.

It started as the small pink branches in the below pick taken on the 17-5-14



This was taken on the 25-07-14



And this today overgrowing the acan.

 

[merdel]

Hey mate, I just got 2 gen 1 radions for a decent price and am going to pop them in my rsm 250 hood like you did. I've read all your posts but through your trial and error what power % do you suggest I start them at now?(coming from t5). And I'll need to buy some lenses for them so I'm guessing I go the wide lenses? Thanks