My 270

[Mike]

On the other reef board I am known as Mike (that is my name). I have taken my old sreen name here (Neo) since Mike was already taken. ANyway......

Here is my 270 gallon reef. It has gone through a few versions of itself. I now have less equipment running on it (in the form of OZone, UV, Ca reactors, Nitrate reactors, phosphate reactors) and instead rely on the RHF 3 part method for CA/ALK/MG and the brightwell aquatics NeoZeo method. I am currently using the MB7 and Bio-fuel. I dose these and other elements with my Profilux controller. The reef is dominated by Acropora.

This is an older picture and the aquascaping is ongoing but you get the point. I have added a sand bed as well to this tank.

[speedstar]

I was just gonna ask what you were running now. Please get a current pic up when you have some time. Nice to see you here.

[jimsflies]

Hi Mike! Great to have you here on CR.

I am also going with less equipment on the new setup. Having had it all hooked up, I don't think the extra maintenance and clutter is worth the hassle. I think the new cube I am working on will use Kent A/B for Ca/Alk. When I think back to my times of best success it was using the premade purchased stuff. I think there are some trace elements in that stuff that seemed to keep the algae from growing and the corals colors popping.

[Mike]

I am glad there is another place to gather. I love variety and I also like the chat feature. I will geta pic in a few days.

[Mike]

JIm I am finding that using the stuff from BRS on the dosers keeps the tank from drifting and I have tighter control on the alk and calcium that way. I never thought it would work (I kept the reactor around just in case) but It is.

[jimsflies]

I'm thinking about turning my Ca reactor into a denitrifying reactor and then using the CO2 tank for a kegerator.

Once the site is completed, hopefully by next weekend, I will send out a message to the existing 2500 members of the former board and we should have more people to talk to (and trade with) here!

[Mike]

Jim,

I unhooked my De-nitrator as well. It was too efficient and my stuff was bleaching out. I am getting good results on the pro-biotic method (bacteria + carbon) without the bleaching issues.

The Kegerator is always a good idea though.

[speedstar]

What skimmer are you running? Does it need to be oversized for the blooms you might get or don;t they happen like on vodka? It is kind of funny because 2 years ago everyone was saying the vodka method i was using would kill everything and now it pretty much accepted.

[Mike]

I am still using MY H&S A-250. The thing is rated for 700 gallons and pulls a ton of gunk daily. I thought about getting the alpha cone but it is hard to spend that kind of money when the skimmer I have is working and is a beast.

[Mike]

I also just fired up my Reeflo Blackfin. I had to change a bad seal on it but now I have it running along with the BArracuda.