Introduction...

atfs

New Member
Hello All:
My husband and I have started a reef tank for the first time, wanted to have a hobbie that we could both do together and have fun. Because our total inexperience, we thought it would be best to go with a 'out-of-the-box' system and purchased Red Sea's Max 250.
The setup was involved and lasted a whole day, but the results have been better than what we expected. We bought this tank on February 7, and put the live rock, water/salt mix, etc. on Feb 9, so we are at 15 week point at this time.
Here are few pictures, we welcome coments, criticisms, guidance.




 

deejeff442

Active Member
well congrats

looks like you two did your homework the tank looks great.
already have alot of coraline growing ,great sign of a healthy tank.
love the hammer coral.
 

shawnanthony

New Member
I think it looks great... I'm trying to get my 75 gallon tank up and running this summer. You and your husband must have done a lot of research!
 

small triggers

Active Member
I believe the tank is about 65gallons right? its looking really good
what kind of lights did it come with? I really think that all inclusive units are great for beginners, they make it alot easier to get the hang of all the reasons why things need to go a certain wey. Also, are you planning on adding anymore fish? and how easy has you calcium and magnesium been to keep stable? Anyways,, looks really great
 

atfs

New Member
Thank you everyone for the warm welcome and comments.
Originally Posted by deejeff442
http:///forum/post/3048309
well congrats

looks like you two did your homework the tank looks great.
already have alot of coraline growing ,great sign of a healthy tank.
love the hammer coral.
The water is clear, thankfully our tap water quality is pretty good, so we prepare the water a day before changing and wait about 20-24 hrs before changing. We change about 10% each week and 20% every month. All look healthy, but we do not know for sure of course. There are corals that are growing from the live rock we had purchased; like mushrooms and yellow polyps.
Originally Posted by ShawnAnthony
http:///forum/post/3048460
I think it looks great... I'm trying to get my 75 gallon tank up and running this summer. You and your husband must have done a lot of research!

This site has been tremendous help and SaltWaterFish.com people have been very responsive. Also, our two local LSF, Congressional Aquarium in Rockville MD and The Marine Scene in Reston VA have been very helpful with our efforts. We tried our best to learn as much as we can, but the more we learn, the more we realize how much we do not know; daunting...
Originally Posted by small triggers

http:///forum/post/3048461
I believe the tank is about 65gallons right? its looking really good
what kind of lights did it come with? I really think that all inclusive units are great for beginners, they make it alot easier to get the hang of all the reasons why things need to go a certain wey. Also, are you planning on adding anymore fish? and how easy has you calcium and magnesium been to keep stable? Anyways,, looks really great
Yes, the aquarium is 65-66 galons. I am not sure if this the right answer, but the top cover includes T5 bulbs, 39 Watts, three of them are labeled Max 10,000 and three of them "actinic;" and there are 8 total small blue LEDs for night lighting.
I think at this time, we are done with fish, it is relatively crowded and I want to focus more on corals. We perform tests either every week or bi-weekly for water parameters with the test kit provided from Red Sea, not sure if it is enough, but all parameters have been dead steady since the begining and at good to perfect levels.
The unit includes cooling fans for the lights and water, but as summer is getting started, it looks like we will have to have a water chiller. During the day with all lights on, the temps can reach as high as 85-87 deg. it hardly ever goes below 78, which worries us a little. Each day we need to add about 1 gallon of distilled water to the tank to compensate for evaporation and keeping salinity in check.
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum!
I am amazed how really great your tank looks, using tap water... WOW.
You must have some really good water. Everything looks just great, so just keep up what you are doing.

It is really good to hear a husband and wife team doing the tank together. Keep us posted. We love pictures!

The temp above 78 is not really a big deal. I wouldn't let it get to 90 very long but 85-87 isn't really a bad thing either. The reef loves warm water. The cooler temps are to slow things down.
 

loopy101

Member
welcome to the forums! your tank looks great!!! and yes if i was you i would look into a chiller or even just trying to keep the room temp steady with a window airconditioner the low end of 78 isnt bad but you dont want your water temp rising and falling much through out the day.
also i would try to keep your water temp under 82-83 degrees thats getting pretty warm,which makes it hard to keep dissolved Oxegon in the water collum. and various other reasons...
 

meowzer

Moderator
YES...WELCOME....Your tank looks great....
I recently purchases a room a/c to help keep my tanks cooler...I habve a 54, 29 and 225g SW...oh and a 16g FW tanks all in the same room...this room seems to run hotter than the rest of the house...About 2 weeks ago I purchased a window a/c unit for $125 (lot cheaper than chillers) and the results are GREAT...room is very comfy, and tanks are PERFECTO as far as temp is concerned
 

soulsigma

Member
Welcome to the hobby and the forum, I love you tank and the fact that you guys are working together as a team researching and learning, yeah I feel ya the learning is never ending lol.
By my tank being in the basement my temp is a constant 80 with no up or downs but since the weather is nice now I open the window to add a little warm weather oxygen to my water I read that in one of the magazines. Plus it helps keep the heat from my MHs in check.
 

big

Active Member
Welcome to the Forums...... For 15 weeks and being new at all of this, I think you two have done just about as well as anyone ever could hope to do!! I am looking toward the day things have grown and filled out the tank. Keep us all up to date on your tank as time passes. Job very well done
..........Warren
After looking back again... I am sure from talking to folks, that you know temeratures in the summer living here can be an issue........ Like someone else said, I like to see a max temp of no more than 84 for any tank in the summers.. My system is never over around 81, but that can be costlly to do ......
Additional fans or extra AC of some type are less costly than chillers........ Good Luck.......
 
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