MtrSkllz first Mixed Reef, Reefer 170

[MtrSkllz]

I have had quite a few fishtanks in my life, but only 1 salt. And that was an aggressive FOWLR. I was really cheap about that build, and I had a lot of problems because of it, so this time i wanted to try to do everything as right as I possibly could.

Tank - Red Sea reefer 170
Light - radion xr30 pro w/mount
Skimmer - Reef Octopus 110sss
Return - Reef Octopus Varios-4
Heater - finnex hmx 150
Powerhead - Vortech mp10wqd
Control - Reeflink w/ecotech live
Rock/Sand - Tampa Bay Saltwater 25# "the package"

I plan to upgrade the ATO next to the new ATK kit, and Also to get a full apex, as soon as i save up enough money

Everyones favorite part, Pictures.

Here is first getting it leveled

Setting up the sump

Freshwater leak test

Found a leak here at the drain connection. Tryed to re-seat it a few times to no avail, Contacted red sea and they sent me a new one.

With that fixed i started running RODI, mixed and filled with salt, ran the skimmer in vinegar solution for a while and then put it in the sump and got everything running

 

[MtrSkllz]

At this point I contacted TampaBaySaltwater and placed my order. 25# "The Package" plus an extra 10# of live sand

My ammonia peaked around 1.2 on day 3, Did a 5 gallon water change and by day 6 i was pretty steady at ~.2 so I contacted TBS again and they sent out the second part of my shippment

I waited a few days and never saw any kind of ammonia rise above .2. So about 9 days after initially filling with water and went and got my first two fish, A pair of Davinchi Clowns from my LFS.

That brings us up to today. I think the next purchase i will make is the ATK kit and a 5 gallon container, filling this thing every few days is getting annoying. I want to get a Goby/Pistol pair. And i still have a lot of research to do before i start getting corals, so that is at least a few weeks away. Not including the ones that came on the rock.

 

[Tahoe61]

Looking good, love all the sponges, awesome clowns.

 

[MtrSkllz]

Here are some pictures of the things that came on my rock.

And my two decorator crabs that came with the rock

 

[MtrSkllz]

Some modifications i have made.

1, I did the broadfield return mod so i could direct flow into the two back areas that were not getting flow.

2, I got one of those DIY screen top kits. I actually really like how it turned out. I made a cut out in the back for the light, and epoxied tabs in the front to hold it up and a little tab for a handle.

 

[MtrSkllz]

I also picked up a few new corals. I added one piece that was reactive under actinic and now i am hooked.

 

[Eatapeach]

Looks great! I just picked up an Red Sea E260 and getting ready to order "the package" from TBS as well, but had a question for you first. How did you decide which size package to get? I like the look of the amount of sand and rock in your tank and want to achieve the same balance in mine. I don't want the whole tank to be stuffed full of rock and if I buy the package size he list for my tank size I'm afriad it will be way too much. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[MtrSkllz]

I ordered the 25 gallon package, and added 10 pounds of sand to it. I ordered based on a little over 1 pound per gallon. Honestly it was still too much rock and i traded like 8 pounds in at the LFS. But i am also not sure exactly how much he shipped me. I would basically order a a package that has a little over 1 pound per gallon of rock for your tank, and add enough extra sand to make that about 1 pound per gallon. You might have some extra rock, but you can pick out the good stuff and sell or trade the rest.

 

[MtrSkllz]

Made a few changes this weekend.

Added 1" hard plumbing with a 3/4" manifold and two 1/2" valves for two reactors, one has brs ROX carbon and the other I made into a Chaeto reactor. Both are AquaMaxx FR-SE. The picture of the chaeto reactor is before i removed about half the light strip and then wrapped it in red vinyl.

Also added a neptune ATK and used a innovative marine 5 gallon reservoir because it fit my cabinet perfectly and i like the slide out drawer for filling.

 

[kinetic]

Following along your build thread!

I just setup my reefer 170 a week ago (https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/kinetic-red-sea-reefer-170.323097/)

I'm using a Skimz QuietPro 4.0 for the return, and a QuietPro 2.0 for my chiller/reactors. The pumps are pretty quiet at low flow, but when I cranked them to what I needed (about 50%), they are pretty loud. I'm thinking of getting the VarioS S-4, and saw you have one!

How is yours running? Is it on max with all your manifolds? Also, how is the noise level?

 

[MtrSkllz]

I'm using a Skimz QuietPro 4.0 for the return, and a QuietPro 2.0 for my chiller/reactors. The pumps are pretty quiet at low flow, but when I cranked them to what I needed (about 50%), they are pretty loud. I'm thinking of getting the VarioS S-4, and saw you have one!

How is yours running? Is it on max with all your manifolds? Also, how is the noise level?

The VarioS S-4 is dead silent. But yes i have it running at max, and it is honestly just enough flow. I kinda wish it had a little bit more, but there is no question it is enough. Before I had the manifold though it was only on like setting 3 I think. EcoSmart just came out with their new pump also that looks pretty good.

 

[MtrSkllz]

Finally got tired of manually dosing and bought a doser. I went with the Kamoer x4, I liked the idea of having 4 heads on one unit for space saving, and the WiFi adjustments are really nice. Although getting it programmed was a real pain (getting the wifi working, after that it was super easy).





I was going to get a custom made tank to hold additives, but then i seen the komoer tanks and was instantly sold, I just put them next to the tank, only like $15 each and they come with a level sensor that plugs right into the unit.

 

[kinetic]

The VarioS S-4 is dead silent. But yes i have it running at max, and it is honestly just enough flow. I kinda wish it had a little bit more, but there is no question it is enough. Before I had the manifold though it was only on like setting 3 I think. EcoSmart just came out with their new pump also that looks pretty good.

Glad to hear it's dead silent! I measured my QuietPro 4.0, and it registers about 55 dB when running at 50%. Pretty loud for a DC pump!

Anyway, I have the VarioS S-4 and S-2 coming next week. The S-4 will be dedicated return pump, with the S-2 powering everything else.

That doser looks really nice! I'll probably need to pick one up eventually.