Dragans 250g reef build

I really like the way this build is shaping up! Excited to see where it goes.

Regarding ozone and UV, I dont think the benefit is worth the cost or hassle. Just one (or two) more thing to deal with. Keeping things simple is most often best. You'll have enough to deal with one you get this tank wet.
 
Here's a little update. Yesterday I spent the day doing work on the stand. I hard plumbed the overflows and installed the Apex. Progress is slow but steady.

Only problem that came up was the Apex not communicating with my Android over the cellular network. It would work over my homes WiFi, but not otherwise. Anyone have any experience with this?
 
Sirius76 said:
Two things the wife and I have actually discussed
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I haven't read through your entire post yet, but just so you know.. I too have a 250 reef in my basement. The normal temperatures of the basement keep the entire system cool enough that a chiller is not necessary. Also, I had to buy a dehumidifier. It sits about 10 feet away from my system and drains directly into the basement drain. It's very convenient to have these drains.

And last but not least, if your system is going near your furnace system, you will end up losing more water in the winter than you do in the summer due to the heat that is produced from the furnace. I am experiencing this currently. I lose about 4-5 gallons of water every 3 days. I just purchased an ATO (hydor Smart ATO) and it should be delivered soon.. Hopefully this helps you out!

Good luck with the build!
 
Hey all,

Well, after a delay I wasn't anticipating I finally have the manifold and reactors installed. I went with 2 Nextreef MR1 reactors as I wanted the opportunity to "grow" into them as my tank does. I'd rather just do it once early as opposed to have to change things up later on.

View attachment 8974

As far as the actual plumbing goes, I went with standalone pump to supply the manifold. After much thought I didn't want to feed off the main return. So I went with a Sicce Syncra 1.0 (251gph) which will feed the four port manifold. Two ports will feed the reactors, one will be used for water changes and the fourth will be for a future add-on. (UV maybe)

View attachment 8975

View attachment 8976

The pictures actually make things look more confusing then they are. In person it isn't nearly as bad looking :D

Any thoughts/suggestions so far on my build? Next up will be one more wet run to check for leaks, siphons, drainage and the like. After that it'll be time for sand and rocks! :beer:
 
anarchy said:
Everything is so neat in the stand!

Nothing like the hot mess in my stand

ANARCHY
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Thanks!

I'm striving for organization. My last tank looked like a bomb went off beneath it! I refuse to do that this time around as I build from scratch. No reason for it.
 
Hey everyone. Its been quite a while since I posted so I thought I'd share an update. I just about finished aquascaping the tank. The left reef is epoxied and complete, so pretty much nothing I can do there. The right side can still be tweaked as it hasn't been fully epoxied yet. But the wife and I really like the way it turned out so I may just leave it. Anywho, I figured I'd share it with the group and get some opinions.

It looks waaaaay better in person than it does in these pics. In person you can see both reefs have a gentle curve to them not to mention the varying definition in all of the rock.

Whatcha think?

View attachment 10742View attachment 10743
 
Looks nice!

Only tweak I may try would be to slope the right pyramid a bit towards the back to avoid having something on top cast shade on everything under it....just depends on what you plan to grow in it :)
 
I think it looks great but I would try to add a couple of nice pieces of Tonga to add a little more dimension
 
Thanks everyone!! I had to tweak the right side anyway since, as you may know, once you move a rock it never goes back in the same spot exactly! Such a PITA!

Chewal, how do you recommend I incorporate some tonga? I have some branch rock but anywhere I put it, it just looks out of place.

chewal said:
I think it looks great but I would try to add a couple of nice pieces of Tonga to add a little more dimension
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