Tank Journal Archive

MagicJ

Moderator
Jul 11, 2011
9,650
3,761
Hobart, Tasmania
A Change Of Direction - The Redsea Reefer 250
Due to changing needs of the family - the kids are getting bigger and my wife reckons we need a bigger couch in our family room - I have decided to downsize slightly and have purchased a Redsea Reefer 250.

I was originally told that there was no stock available in Australia and that a two month wait was expected - I then received a call last week to say that the tank was ready to be shipped - I received a text yesterday to let me know that the boxes had arrived in Hobart ready for collection - so, today, I collected the boxes :)

I'm not sure what I will do with the existing tank - I already have another 4x2x2 sitting in my shed so I'm not sure if I want another one taking up lots of room :confused: But, it would make a great tank for breeding Banggai's so I might keep it for a future project.

We had a quick look at the tank in the shop and it appears to be a very well made tank.

I will take some photo's of the unboxing over the next few days.
 

MagicJ

Moderator
Jul 11, 2011
9,650
3,761
Hobart, Tasmania
I suspect that it will be setup sooner rather than later as we already have part of the new couch in the family room and my wife is wanting to get the rest installed !!

I just need to find the time to clear out the existing tank first as the new tank will be going in the same spot.
 

macca_75

Member
Apr 22, 2012
2,125
844
I suspect that it will be setup sooner rather than later as we already have part of the new couch in the family room and my wife is wanting to get the rest installed !!

I just need to find the time to clear out the existing tank first as the new tank will be going in the same spot.
I'd offer to baby sit the Bangaii but I finally have a pair :p

Plenty of pics before and after. If you're downsizing I am guessing a smaller tank is going to be choc-full-o-goodness.
 

daveH

Team Leader
Nov 24, 2011
2,958
1,475
Brisbane Northside
Sounds like it's going to be a sweet setup. What lights are you going to run with? Putting together a DIY unit or maybe go with something like a sexy pair of Ethereals?
 

MagicJ

Moderator
Jul 11, 2011
9,650
3,761
Hobart, Tasmania
Sounds like it's going to be a sweet setup. What lights are you going to run with? Putting together a DIY unit or maybe go with something like a sexy pair of Ethereals?
Not sure about the lights at this stage - the Ethereals look nice, and they come highly recommended ;), but I am not sure I can justify the price.
 

MagicJ

Moderator
Jul 11, 2011
9,650
3,761
Hobart, Tasmania
The Ethereals have dropped in price lately, certainly more affordable.
My wife saw an Ethereal at the LFS a few weeks ago and really liked it. We were talking about lights last night and I think she could be persuaded :eek

After years of making my own LED lights would I be satisfied with a commercial product :confused:
 

MagicJ

Moderator
Jul 11, 2011
9,650
3,761
Hobart, Tasmania
For those that wanted to see some pictures ...

Two boxes - one for the flat pack cabinet, and one for everything else
RSR-1.jpg


The main box - the sump box and ATO tank box had been removed to make it a bit lighter
RSR-3.jpg


These are the sump and ATO tank boxes that were packed inside the main tank
RSR-4.jpg


And, the flat pack cabinet box
RSR-2.jpg


Everything was pretty well packed with no obvious dents or damage to the cartons.
 

MagicJ

Moderator
Jul 11, 2011
9,650
3,761
Hobart, Tasmania
The stand went together fairly easily, although I spent around 2 hours as I didn't want to make any mistakes :rolleyes You could probably do it in 1/2 hour if you had too ...

All of the panels are made from a 19mm MDF type product but with a pretty good paint job. They are all joined via the standard flat pack method of using plastic dowels and cam locks, like these
awww.home_dzine.co.za_2013_may_1.jpg

Some panels ready to be joined
RSR-5.jpg


All done - the doors took a fair bit of time to get level and aligned correctly
RSR-7.jpg


The cabinet feels strong and stable. The sump area is lined with a high density foam but I like my sump area to be waterproof as a water spill is inevitable, no matter how much care is taken. I am on the lookout for some type of plastic tray to place in this area.

The hinges have a 'slow-close' mechanism built in, although it will be interesting to see if these get affected by rust.

The cabinet is built so that only 4 of the cam locks are exposed inside the cabinet - all the rest are on the back
RSR-9].jpg


But, you are provided with some nice plastic caps to cover these up :)
RSR-10.jpg


The right hand side of the cabinet is designed for a chiller - thus the open back. I don't require a chiller in Hobart so I plan to make a semi-enclosed area for all of my power boards etc

The top of the cabinet also has some of the high density foam to place the tank on.

Overall, I am pretty happy with the cabinet - it looks well made and I should be able to adapt it to my needs.

One thing this cabinet has confirmed to me - most DIY stands are way over engineered and would probably hold up 4 times the weight that they are required too ...