My mixed reef Waterbox 130.4 build

[mrbacony]

Finally added a custom made lid from Clearview lids. It fit like a glove.

 

[mrbacony]

First Acro added to the tank. I have lots of SPSand LPs, but not acros. A little nervous to keep it alive

 

[RickLRMS]

Still waiting on the cycle to finish.... In the meantime, finished up the controller board. Painted and installed with half the equipment. I will have to wait until the current tank is broken down to finish adding the rest of the components.

First Hydra 32 added. Again, I will have to wait until the current tank is broken down before adding the second Hydra 32.

I hope I can make my purchased controller board look half as good as your home built one. Looks good!

 

[mrbacony]

It was actually very easy to build. Just take good measurements so it will fit in the cabinet snugly. I ended up putting small wood blocks with double sided tape behind the controller board so it would not slide around when I pushed on the front.
Also, I bought the plastic rings used for cords in desks. This will give the hole a smooth finish and keep the cords from abrading on the side.

I considered a premade one but just didn’t want to come off the money. I can be cheap sometimes.

 

[mrbacony]

Went to a coral show yesterday and came back with a coral I have been wanting for a long time but haven’t since they can be so expensive. I got a good deal on this Scoly

 

[mrbacony]

I purchased a Firefin Tomini Tang and a Blue Hippo Tang from Dr. Reef's Quarantined Fish. The Tomini came alive and well (still doing very well), but the Blue Hippo came DOA. I reached out to Dr. Reef and he sent a new one a few weeks later. Unfortunately it came DOA as well. I got my money back and will be buying one from the LFS. I just set up a QT tank to put him in. Maybe I will have better luck.

 

[john90009]

Hey bud How do you like the skimmer in there so far. Was it easy to adjust or did it need leveling up. Is it silent? I’m getting a 130 as well and have a really old reef octopus but it is not as compact as the newer ones.

 

[mrbacony]

It is actually a Reef Octopus 150 SS. I love the skimmer. It does a great job. I have it flat on the sump floor. It did not require any raising up. It has a pretty wide operating range (between 7-9 inches deep I think) so it probably will not require a stand.
As far as noise, it is not silent, but pretty dang close. You don't hear the pump at all since it is DC, but you can hear the whoosh of the bubbles. But you have to be pretty close and silent to hear it.
All in all I am very impressed. It was worth a little more now to get a decent skimmer that is DC controllable.

 

[mrbacony]

The Blue Hippo Tang is still alive and doing well in QT. Although he does seem a bit thin, he is eating though.

 

[torresj36]

Good looking Reef. I really like the top. I have the same aquarium with a Red Sea top. Like you said, not pretty but does the job. Your picture convinced me to pull the trigger on a custom top. How long was the turnaround time with the Clearview? Also, love the Scoly. Congrats on that.

 

[mrbacony]

Thanks! On the website it says about 3 months for the Pisces EXO top. But I had mine in less than 6 weeks. I would recommend getting that one even though it is a bit more expensive. It helps keep condensation from building up as well as much lighter when having to remove the top.