Jon’s Waterbox 70.2 build

[Nfd552]

Here is the link for anyone doing an assembly in the future...these instructions are much easier to follow than the supplied ones. https://www.waterboxaquariums.com/manuals/

 

[Nfd552]

Heard back from waterbox today. They will be sending me a door. Quick responses from their customer service!

 

[JDtimk]

Looks good so far! Maybe think about using some white paint to seal any possible area on the tank stand that could be exposed to water. Paint over the screws that are behind the plastic caps and try to soak the paint into any area that could absorb moisture over time. Any stand I have ever had that was made of composite wood/fiberboard material would eventually start to absorb water in an area where the wood or fiberboard was not sealed behind the veneer. Maybe even run a bead of white silicone around the inside of the stand at the junction between the walls and the bottom of the stand. I know it might sound like overkill, but two or three years goes by quick and damage to those types of stands adds up fast.

 

[Nfd552]

Looks good so far! Maybe think about using some white paint to seal any possible area on the tank stand that could be exposed to water. Paint over the screws that are behind the plastic caps and try to soak the paint into any area that could absorb moisture over time. Any stand I have ever had that was made of composite wood/fiberboard material would eventually start to absorb water in an area where the wood or fiberboard was not sealed behind the veneer. Maybe even run a bead of white silicone around the inside of the stand at the junction between the walls and the bottom of the stand. I know it might sound like overkill, but two or three years goes by quick and damage to those types of stands adds up fast.

I may caulk it around the bottom edge like u said...the panels are coated on every side and edge with what appears to be a thick enamel paint I’m guessing...and ill look into siliconing the metal parts

 

[Nfd552]

Ordered a cabinet i planned on returning as an equipment cabinet. Ordered it from target and received it put it together and I’m actually pretty happy with it. Especially for $32 after post Black Friday discounts they had. Next option was about $110, so i figured worse comes to worse I’ll return it, but i like it. Built it last night. Today i ran out for some various supplies at Home Depot. The room the tank is going in needed to be painted in the near future so i figured I’d get that out of the way on the wall where the tank was going. I also picked up a piece of closet shelf to use as a panel to mount the electronics on within the electrical cabinet($6). Also grabbed wire wall grommets and a 2” hole saw to install those into the cabinet. Also, grabbed some silicone to run a bead around the edges like @JDtimk mentioned in a previous post. Also a waterproof outlet cover due to the location of the outlet. I want to be as safe as possible but moving now the outlet or tank are not an option. Today i started measuring and laying out how I’m going to get up the electronics cabinet.

 

[Nfd552]

Couple other items that came yesterday...

 

[Ranjib]

Great thread . Thank you for sharing this with us

 

[Nfd552]

More progress for today, around Christmas decorating and letting the paint dry..as I’m mentioned earlier my outlet placement kind of sucks...can’t really move it, and this is the place i like the tank the most. So i installed the weatherproof outlet cover(gfci will be installed, but electric isn’t my thing so that’ll happen at some point) but installed it over the existing outlet. Was simple..two screws, tighten down to compress the weatherstripping against the wall.

 

[Nfd552]

Couldn’t resist checking out how the sump looked unwrapped and in the stand...pretty sharp i think. Now to level the stand which i heard can be a project

 

[Nfd552]

Made some more progress tonight on the equipment cabinet. Cut the false wall I’m mounting everything to length. I wanted it to have gaps around the side so i can add leds behind it. Cut the 2” holes for the wire grommets to go to make the wiring all neat once it’s all in. Added the grommets. Mounted the controller for the dc9000 with the included mounting bracket and the pre installed mounting tape. I got to the mp40 and was lost since they were both attached to each other. After some posting in r2r i got the answer to open up the driver and pull the connector and that was that. Mounted the driver with 3m 12lb Velcro. About all i could get done today and I’m stacked with work the next few days so It’ll be a little bit until i get anything else done. Also, looking at heaters since that’s the last important part I’m missing. I have $10 reward points to saltwater and I’m looking at the finnex 300w with controller. With the reward points it would be around $78....heater input anyone?

 

[Nfd552]

Recieved and mounted the power strips late last night. The cord on them was about a foot shorter than i expected so after positioning them in a few spots i found this to be that u liked the most since i can then see all the indicator lights for each outlet. (And now I’m not in a rush to mount less behind the wall. These are WiFi strips with individual outlet control via their app so being able to see each outlet led i like. It does force me to move the mounting wall forward in the cabinet since the plugs will stick out forward toward the front. So i will be putting the radion power supply back there instead of in front, but overall i think it actually looks better closer to the front then where i had originally intended on putting it.

 

[Nfd552]

Just a teaser of the unfinish product, but this is what I’m going for...only thing is the decision to flush mount the wall to the top or the bottom(as pictured).... mounting to the top is going to be much more difficult, where mounting it like it’s shown is easier, i don’t really know how i feel about seeing those leds, i just want the glow eventually

 

[PNW_reefer]

Can’t wait to see the finished product!

 

[Nfd552]

Speaking of, i just finished the mounting brackets and magnets to hold the wall. Ordered the finnex heater and controller today also. The controller will be mounted when it comes. Sorry for out of order pics i don’t know why it does that some times.

 

[Nfd552]

Oh looks it’s not just a cabinet in the corner, it’s actually turning into something!! Tank was placed on stand today. I leveled off the stand late last night so it was ready for it. Even as the smallest reef serie waterbox, you should definitely have two people for this. The glass is super thick and makes this pretty heavy. Add in the size and shape and theirs no way you can do it alone safely. I could wrap my arms around it, but didn’t want to destroy my back or risk dropping it. I was confused at first as to why it overhang the back more when the front edge was even with the cabinet, then i remembered i don’t have the door on (dumb moment.) I then lined the mat up with the stand instead of the glass and all looks good. Still waiting to hear from @Waterbox Aquariums about shipping of the replacement door to install, but won’t hold up moving forward. Just waiting on the heater basically equipment wise. Besides the rock going in and sand, only other thing I’m tossing around right now is buying @MarineDepot 4” high flow filter cups and running floss or running socks. I run nothing in my current tank (occasional socks, but only for a few days then pulled.) The setup came with two socks, both diff micron, but I’d have to buy a ton more to run on the normal, or just buy the cups and floss...not sure what to do any input is much appreciated!

 

[Nfd552]

All the hard plumbing is in and ready to go. Would’ve prob made it easier to install with a second person but i was home alone so i made due with some tape to hold bulkheads on to the bottom while starting the tread the actual pipes on. I did use Teflon, not really mentioned by @Waterbox Aquariums but i did it. If you’re doing a platinum reef tank build, watch the waterbox plumbing YouTube video. They made it simple already and the video only makes it easier. They include two styles of in tank return nozzles , will test out and see what works best.

 

[rs1831]

Everything looks great. What do you think of the quality of the tank?

 

[Nfd552]

Everything looks great. What do you think of the quality of the tank?

Glass is very clear, and much thicker than what I currently have. The glass sump is also a big diff from my plastic eshopps...Silicon looks good. I like the pre-installed matts under both the sump and tank. Glass overflow and cover are sharp looking as wel

 

[Nfd552]

Unboxing and assembly of the nyos 120. Was pretty simple, similiar assembly process as my s-120. Was quick, took about 10 mins. Not sure if I’m going to leave it in the back or move it to the front of that section of sump. Also not sure if i turn it around so the adjustments are easier to see and reach. The collection cup doesn’t just slip on, it slips and and then twists. I’ve heard people like and dislike this feature so we will see. Also, i will have to see what the water level is in that chamber to see if I’ll have to raise it or not. Recommended that the water line be just shy of 8”....i think 7.9x” something like that

 

[Nfd552]

Prior to the nyos going in i installed the marine aqua dc9000 return pump. Pump comes with multiple sizes of barbed connectors to make it easy for installation since the return tube is soft piped from @Waterbox Aquariums. I did have to cut the return pipe since it was about 8” too long after being attached to this pump.