Reefer 250 build. Advice please

[Jack.jack]

Hi all!
Ok so I’ve decided I’m going to start with a reefer 250 and see how it goes. I have been battling for months now over tank sizes and I feel that the 250 would be a good place to start. (And a 900 to end )
Anyhow I would love peoples input/advice on the equipment I have complied. I would like this tank to be predominantly sps, but I’m not in a rush to get there over night. I’d like my tank to be bare bottom too.
I kept a few tanks over 10 years ago but can’t remember hardly anything... well I remember the tank crash
So what do you guys think of my shopping list

Reefer 250
2x reefLed 90
Red Sea 300 skimmer
Reef octopus vairo s 4
V2therm digital heater 200w
2x mp40

Rock wise I’m unsure of the best way to go but I do like the new man made stuff that comes in the different shapes for creating arches etc but I’m not that worried about that at this point as I’m not in a rush for the tank to cycle quickly.
Lastly do I need any reactors or dosing units now or can I add that when the time is right?
Livestock wise CUC invertebrates and a few utility fish.
What do you guys think?

 

[Jack.jack]

Anyone?

 

[Blitheran]

I have my reefer 170 only about 20 gallon difference if you would like to see the my equipment and build progress. It’s in my build thread

 

[DanH86]

I have the same tank, lights and skimmer, very good combo. I think 2 mp40’s might be too much, but others with more experience can comment on that - I have a feeling 1 would be enough or 2 mp10’s.

Dosing & reactors can come later.

 

[Jack.jack]

I have the same tank, lights and skimmer, very good combo. I think 2 mp40’s might be too much, but others with more experience can comment on that - I have a feeling 1 would be enough or 2 mp10’s.

Dosing & reactors can come later.

Do mp10 fit on the 250? If so that would be great as there much cheaper which allows me to put money towards other things

 

[Jack.jack]

I have my reefer 170 only about 20 gallon difference if you would like to see the my equipment and build progress. It’s in my build thread

Wow your tank is beautiful! Making me second think about a 170 when you put the water difference that way. My problem is that I’m no good with diy or plumbing haha
I’m one of those that need instructions step by step

 

[Blitheran]

Wow your tank is beautiful! Making me second think about a 170 when you put the water difference that way. My problem is that I’m no good with diy or plumbing haha
I’m one of those that need instructions step by step

Stick with the reefer 250! More space is always better! If you have any DIY questions or equipment suggestions! I can easily help you and guide you!

 

[Xandernfs]

I have a Reefer250 with 2x mp40s. They are overkill, but some say that the MP10s won't stay on the glass. According to the specifications of the Red Sea and Vortechs, they shouldn't but some have got them to work with no issues. I'd rather play it safe than have to worry about them not sticking.

I run my MP40s at about 25% at peak time. The rest is down in the teens. I have no issue with them sticking and if I ever want to upgrade, then I don't have to worry about getting new pumps.

I have no experience with your lights. I've heard great things about them though. What do you plan on keeping? The same goes for your skimmer. I run Reef Octopus 150-sss and it works very well. Have you thought about getting an Algae Turf Scrubber (ATS)? I have one and I have zero issues with high nutrients. Actually, I'm sort of battling low nutrients but it's more of a good problem to have.

 

[Jack.jack]

I have a Reefer250 with 2x mp40s. They are overkill, but some say that the MP10s won't stay on the glass. According to the specifications of the Red Sea and Vortechs, they shouldn't but some have got them to work with no issues. I'd rather play it safe than have to worry about them not sticking.

I run my MP40s at about 25% at peak time. The rest is down in the teens. I have no issue with them sticking and if I ever want to upgrade, then I don't have to worry about getting new pumps.

I have no experience with your lights. I've heard great things about them though. What do you plan on keeping? The same goes for your skimmer. I run Reef Octopus 150-sss and it works very well. Have you thought about getting an Algae Turf Scrubber (ATS)? I have one and I have zero issues with high nutrients. Actually, I'm sort of battling low nutrients but it's more of a good problem to have.

Hi thanks for your reply!
Actually I haven’t thought about a algae scrubbed until you mentioned it. What I was thinking was to convert the ATO into a refugium, but I was going to wait a while until the tank is cycled and see how all my levels are.
Livestock wise mostly sps corals with A handful of invertebrates. Fish wise I’m unsure as I want a bare bottom and to be honest I don’t want much rock work so will be putting blocks of media in the sump to make up for it. So any fish would be purely for aesthetic purposes. Maybe some small gobies or something gammas for pop of colour
What do you think?

 

[Eight]

I'm in the process of putting my Reefer 250 together right now. I decided to go with the Nyos over the Redsea skimmer because I've heard the Redsea cup is a bit tough to remove and the design and build quality of the Nyos appeals to me. (No knock on the Redsea, I hear good things about it.)

I went bare bottom on my last tank and this time I'm going to go with a simple sand bed because I missed the clean white look. Barebottom can be nice, but it unless your flow is perfect, you're going to end up with piles of detritus tucked into caves and corners. I have a lot of photos of the tank and sump so far if you're interested.

Build Thread - Jason's Reefer 250: Fish added! Sump Mod, Clarisea, custom plumbing, aquascape w/E-Marco, IKEA cabinet mod. (Pic heavy!)

Shortcuts to helpful posts in my build thread: 1. Mod the Reefer 250 v3 sump for a Clarisea (Post 6) 2. Cleaning off old live rock with vinegar and citric acid (Post 12) 3. Photos of Kessil A360s LED lights (Post 13) 4. How to adjust the Reefer 250 door hinges and door catch (Post 21) 5. Photos...

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