Hi All, I have been in and out of the saltwater hobby since 1978. I have been running a 40gal breeder and just this week upgraded to a Red Sea Reefer 450. The tank is spectacular to say the least. Using an EcoTech Vectra M1 pump, 2 Radion xr30W's - though I need to add another light - probably an XR15. Looking forward to participating here and at meetups.
New tank, old Reefer!
- Thread starter marlene
- Start date
Hi again, sorry I didn't answer these messages! I am using a EcoSmart Reeflink to control the 2 XR30's and the M1 Vectra pump. I also installed a Maxspect Gyre last week, and it works beautifully. When I feed the tank it is amazing to watch the flow of the food in the Gyre pattern and it has added the needed flow to accompany the M1. The best thing is that it doesn't interfere with the balance of the pretty much silent Reefer. I am going to play with other Gyre modes but am so happy with how it is working I am hesitant to mess with it!
For those who may not know, the Reefer 450 has a 92 gallon display tank and a 24 gallon sump. It includes an auto top off 3 gallon tank and a float switch in the return pump chamber. It's a very nice setup and I learned the hard way not to dose Kalkwasser using the auto top off as the tube in the top off tank is at the very bottom of the 3 gallon tank and the Kalk residue winds up being sucked into the system and raised my alkalinity way too high destroying my almost but not quite indestructible Pulsing Xenia and clove polyps. Live and learn.
The skimmer is a Reef Octopus Classic 152-S 6" Internal. The thing is a beast both in size and performance, there was literally no break in period.
I set up the tank with 150lbs of Tampa Bay Saltwater live sand and 50 lbs of their live rock as I already had rock in the 40 Breeder. If you aren't familiar with TBS they lease a number of acres in Tampa Bay and take their live rock and sand out of the bay, package it fully submerged and send it to you same day. You pick it up at Southwest's cargo building at DIA. The rock and sand are gorgeous, there is no die off, the water they come in is so fresh you would be tempted to put it in your tank. The creatures that show up are amazing. In the sand I had a decorator crab, 3 urchins, a serpent star and who knows what else, the rock produces even more creatures including, pistol shrimp, Astrea Snails, sunflower anemone, probably 20 porcelain crabs, sponge, tunicates, barnacles, and of course baby gorilla and stone crabs and possibly mantis shrimp.
The inhabitants so far are a non-mated pair of Tomato Clowns who I had gotten as babies - the female is now huge the mail pretty small. An ORA Pygmy Spotted Filefish, a Tailspot Blenny, a Transparent Cave Blenny, a Melanarus Wrasse, a Coral Beauty, a Royal Gramma and a Ruby Dragonette. Corals, various zoas and mushrooms, a small Chalice frag, small brain coral frag, some Green Star Polyps, some palys, a leather mushroom and a Blueberry Gorgonian, various other things I can't think of right now. (Not too much yet) A fairly large Green Bubble Tip Anemone, 3 Cleaner Shrimp, 1 Flame Shrimp, 2 mithrax crabs, 2 pom pom crabs, 5 sexy shrimp, 1 anemone shrimp, and a bunch of snails. (I have the urge to add "and a partridge in a pear tree" here, but will resist the temptation.
I am leaning toward a soft coral/gorgonian/planted tank. I have ordered some macro algae and will see if I can make a go of it. Excuse the overly blue pictures, I need to use something other than my iPhone...
I haven't been to any meetings or events but intend to start participating, Look forward to meeting you all!
marlene
For those who may not know, the Reefer 450 has a 92 gallon display tank and a 24 gallon sump. It includes an auto top off 3 gallon tank and a float switch in the return pump chamber. It's a very nice setup and I learned the hard way not to dose Kalkwasser using the auto top off as the tube in the top off tank is at the very bottom of the 3 gallon tank and the Kalk residue winds up being sucked into the system and raised my alkalinity way too high destroying my almost but not quite indestructible Pulsing Xenia and clove polyps. Live and learn.
The skimmer is a Reef Octopus Classic 152-S 6" Internal. The thing is a beast both in size and performance, there was literally no break in period.
I set up the tank with 150lbs of Tampa Bay Saltwater live sand and 50 lbs of their live rock as I already had rock in the 40 Breeder. If you aren't familiar with TBS they lease a number of acres in Tampa Bay and take their live rock and sand out of the bay, package it fully submerged and send it to you same day. You pick it up at Southwest's cargo building at DIA. The rock and sand are gorgeous, there is no die off, the water they come in is so fresh you would be tempted to put it in your tank. The creatures that show up are amazing. In the sand I had a decorator crab, 3 urchins, a serpent star and who knows what else, the rock produces even more creatures including, pistol shrimp, Astrea Snails, sunflower anemone, probably 20 porcelain crabs, sponge, tunicates, barnacles, and of course baby gorilla and stone crabs and possibly mantis shrimp.
The inhabitants so far are a non-mated pair of Tomato Clowns who I had gotten as babies - the female is now huge the mail pretty small. An ORA Pygmy Spotted Filefish, a Tailspot Blenny, a Transparent Cave Blenny, a Melanarus Wrasse, a Coral Beauty, a Royal Gramma and a Ruby Dragonette. Corals, various zoas and mushrooms, a small Chalice frag, small brain coral frag, some Green Star Polyps, some palys, a leather mushroom and a Blueberry Gorgonian, various other things I can't think of right now. (Not too much yet) A fairly large Green Bubble Tip Anemone, 3 Cleaner Shrimp, 1 Flame Shrimp, 2 mithrax crabs, 2 pom pom crabs, 5 sexy shrimp, 1 anemone shrimp, and a bunch of snails. (I have the urge to add "and a partridge in a pear tree" here, but will resist the temptation.
I am leaning toward a soft coral/gorgonian/planted tank. I have ordered some macro algae and will see if I can make a go of it. Excuse the overly blue pictures, I need to use something other than my iPhone...
I haven't been to any meetings or events but intend to start participating, Look forward to meeting you all!
marlene