Red Sea Reefer 200 G2

[flyingscampi]

My experience with Trochus is that when they start flipping themselves upside down, they keep doing it until a hermit makes a meal of them. I hope yours don't suffer the same fate

As you've seen from my build thread, I'm performing a very similar upgrade and your experience has put the brakes on my plan to transfer everything after cycling for a couple of weeks. I'm moving all my current rockwork over. I might move a couple of small rocks and some sand, then feed for a few weeks and observe the critters...

 

[CoachRichardson]

My experience with Trochus is that when they start flipping themselves upside down, they keep doing it until a hermit makes a meal of them. I hope yours don't suffer the same fate

As you've seen from my build thread, I'm performing a very similar upgrade and your experience has put the brakes on my plan to transfer everything after cycling for a couple of weeks. I'm moving all my current rockwork over. I might move a couple of small rocks and some sand, then feed for a few weeks and observe the critters...

I had no choice but to do it at one time. Wish I could have gone that route. I read and researched up and despite all that it never goes exactly to plan. I am convinced that the dry rock must leach off some Alk because of how high mine went. I seem to have a little ammonia, could be a false positive but with the way the corals are acting it's got to be something. The other parameters are right in check.

 

[flyingscampi]

I had no choice but to do it at one time. Wish I could have gone that route. I read and researched up and despite all that it never goes exactly to plan. I am convinced that the dry rock must leach off some Alk because of how high mine went. I seem to have a little ammonia, could be a false positive but with the way the corals are acting it's got to be something. The other parameters are right in check.

Fortunately the new tank is in a different location so I can run both. Test kits can only tell you so much about the water in the tank. My canary will be a small Duncan that I have got on a shelf. I'll see how it gets on before moving anything else.

 

[CoachRichardson]

My ClearView Lids came in today. It was a little over 3 weeks with the holidays. I just order one of the quick order ones not a custom one. Very pleased with it! I’m afraid I’m going to loose my frogspawns. I think the flesh is starting g to recede. These guys were some of my favorites and doing so well before the move. Hoping the torches turn around. This is a close up of my pink tip frogspawn below.

 

[Raincoatman]

I'd love to get one of those clearview lids. I just recently did a tank transfer from a 130max to a reefer 250 gen1. I used the old aquascape and freshly made water. I rinsed the new sand well, ran the tank for a couple days and transferred the aquascape and livestock. Fortunately for me I lost nothing and my parameters stayed the same. I used some brightwell microbacter 7, but not sure I needed to.
I run red sea reef spec carbon, chemipure elite in the sump and dose tropic marin all for reef powder for all, cal and mag. This seemed to be a stable combo for me. Hope things turn around for you. Stick with it.

I

 

[CoachRichardson]

I'd love to get one of those clearview lids. I just recently did a tank transfer from a 130max to a reefer 250 gen1. I used the old aquascape and freshly made water. I rinsed the new sand well, ran the tank for a couple days and transferred the aquascape and livestock. Fortunately for me I lost nothing and my parameters stayed the same. I used some brightwell microbacter 7, but not sure I needed to.
I run red sea reef spec carbon, chemipure elite in the sump and dose tropic marin all for reef powder for all, cal and mag. This seemed to be a stable combo for me. Hope things turn around for you. Stick with it.

I

Looks nice.

 

[CoachRichardson]

Had to go to South Carolina for a business trip... It's too soon, I can't stand not knowing how the tank is coming along! Dying to know what my parameters are right now and hoping the corals are adjusting better when I get back.

 

[nuxx Verified Sponsor]

Tank looking great!

 

[CoachRichardson]

Got back from the trip and the tank was looking much better than expected. The copepods seem to be doing the job on the diatoms. There isn't even film on the glass to clean off. They only remain on the top of the rock up high closer to the lights. I have not determined what killed all of the trochus snails. I pulled out about 5-6 empty shells. I think I only have 3-4 left after the die-off. I'm afraid I have lost the frogspawns... I have left them in hoping that some way the may come back. One of my Zoa islands have been closed up for several days but they seem to be turning around now. The torches have not yet come back to their extension and fullness like before but they seem to be hanging in better. The Candy Cane coral has bright color but the heads are still very closed up and the tissue seems to be recessing a good bit. Relocated my Riccordea because I think it was in too much shadow. I think they like a little more light than that. The other two mushrooms are making progress.
The Biota Yellow Tang is doing awesome. His body is about the size of a quarter. He is a hearty eater and was even finally working on the Nori I put in for it yesterday. I picked up a juvenile 6 line wrasse yesterday, he has been awesome. Great with the other fish and swims around with the Yellow Tang who seems infatuated with it.
The tank transfer was not as easy as I had read. I hate to loose the two beautiful frogspawn I had. I hope the torches continue to do better. The only thing that seems to have never missed a beat is the clove polyps.
Still trying to figure out the best flow out of the two Nero 3's.
I plan to do a small water change today of a little less than 5 gallons to bring Nitrate down a hair. I know its not a bad level but right now I would prefer it to be about 8ish.

One day I will get a filter so its not so blue.
Parameters:
1.026
77 degrees
9.3 Alk
10.1 Nitrate
.11 Phosphate

 

[flyingscampi]

Looks like things are hopefully settling down.

 

[CoachRichardson]

Added a cleaner shrimp and a hammer coral today to see how a new coral would do that didn't come from the old tank. I have it on the sand bed to see how it will acclimate to the new tank. There still seems to be a polyp or two down in the skeleton of my green tipped frogspawn, hanging on to hope but there hasn't been any extension in days. The pink tipped looks worse. I'm afraid that one is totally gone. I'm still trying to hold out hope that something will come back. The torches still will not extend more than maybe an inch. They were so nice in the previous tank. I keep hoping each day they will be just a little bit longer.

Before the move

After the move

All I can assume is that with all the new water the Alk was too high of a bounce. I kept the Alk about 9.5 in the old tank and didn't realize the new salt was about 11.5 when I added them to the new tank. The euphyllia were using about .2-.3 dkh per day.

 

[CoachRichardson]

Sitting here watching one of my two torches dying as I type this. Expelling its zoozentheli and almost down to skeleton now. This tank move has just been awful.

 

[flyingscampi]

Heartbreaking. There must be a reason for this, try a new post to see if any experts can offer advice?

 

[CoachRichardson]

Well the torch has come back from the brink... They aren't yet still as open as before but they look the best the have been in there. The new corals being added are doing well. Just the ones from before have been stressed and are recovering. I added two new frogspawn from Corals Anonymous today to replace the ones I have lost. They are acclimating on the sand bed for a few days. The gold hammer I picked up about a week ago is doing very well and moved to its final spot. I have 10 corals coming next Tuesday from Top Shelf Aquatics big sale. Went a little crazy there. Things are coming along.

 

[CoachRichardson]

Happy Friday! Seem to have hit a rhythm now. The new frogspawn are open nice and big and acclimating. They will go to their permanent location in a couple of days. Have 10 new corals coming on Tuesday. Much more room to add corals in this new setup and I am loving the Reefer 200 G2.

Parameters today:
1.026
76.7
Alk 9.1
Nitrate 10.4
Phosphate .11

The phosphate is climbing a little on a daily basis but the Nitrate is staying fairly constant. Would like to see the Phos stay a little lower and hold.

Just the 4 fish right now
2 Mocha Storm Clownfish
Yellow Tang (A little larger than a quarter no)
Six Line Wrasse
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Emerald Crab
5 Trochus snails
1 Tiger Conch
3-4 hermit crabs...never know from day to day whether its 3 or 4 lol

Today's tank shots

Water is clear, you can see the TV through it : )

Eye candy coming Tuesday:

 

[CoachRichardson]

Traded some frags with a friend today and he hooked me up with a Superman Rhodactis and some Rasta Zoas. My Bob Marleys have never opened from a shipment that was delayed an extra day. Have a nice assortment of zoas now so hopefully they will fill out and spread.

 

[CoachRichardson]

I've been struggling to decide what direction I wanted to go in on a skimmer. I have been running about a month and a half without one and everything has been fine on nutrients other than phosphate has crept as high as .14. Nitrate stays very stable around 9-10. I am about to add another fish and I know that the load is increasing so I felt it is time for the skimmer.
I've been trying to hold out for the new Red Sea DC skimmer. I feel that the RSK is a little too much for the 200G2 but I know people run it. I know you can upgrade the current ones and have looked around for a good used one. There isn't any solid idea of when it is releasing also other than Spring...I feel that the price is a little high on that unit and I don't need to add their controller for anything other than the skimmer...
Well BRS had a good President's Day sale going so I pulled the trigger on the DFC-80. It comes out to about half the price of the new Red Sea and controller and it is a DC pump. At that cost I can afford to offload it if I don't like it and move on to something else. Anyone have any experience with it?

I have added a nice frag of Rasta zoas and a Superman Rhodactis as the only new things. My Utter Chaos has already added 2 new polyps so I am very excited about that.

Picture of the tank today. I also finally have a filter kit coming so I can take some better pictures.

 

[ptrick21186]

Big fan of the arches!

 

[Petcrazyson]

I’d personally not get skimmer but run some sort of bio-media. The skimmer could potentially take out too much of the good.

 

[CoachRichardson]

I’d personally not get skimmer but run some sort of bio-media. The skimmer could potentially take out too much of the good.

Yes taking too much out is a concern and why I think the RSK 300 is a bit too much for this tank. With the Aquamaxx already being a DC skimmer I figured I can really dial is back or only run it a limited time. I am really doing all I can to stay away from media. I have a tiny bit of carbon in now and a little phosphagen but hoping to pull it when the phos becomes more dialed it. I also wanted a skimmer for the gas exchange.