Nick's Waterbox 100.3

[Rukk]

Interesting what you have planned. I have the 100.3 as well. I know you are going for sps and high flow and the two mp 40s. I only use one mp40 and ramped up it will rock the water (right out of the tank). The two though will help alternate the current, and you probably would do this anyway, but I would suggest starting low speed and gradually ramping them up. The bare bottom is probably a good way to go for you since those two pumps turned up much would definitely stir up any bottom substrate.

 

[NY_Caveman]

I added copepods to rock while I was maturing them in a bucket. I wanted to get their population started and use them as a CUC for the rock. I then added more to the display later after adding these rocks and other live rock.

 

[nickkohrn]

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you partaking in today’s holiday festivities!

I’m celebrating by getting a start on kicking the crap out of my dinoflagellates.

I’ll be using the DŌS to dose NeoNitro and NeoPhos to the system so that I can raise my nutrient levels. I picked up the Pentair UV sterilizer to see if it makes a difference; it seems to be a heavily-debated topic. Even if it doesn’t help fight the strain of dinoflagellates that I have, I’ll be happy to have the level of water clarity that they provide. I ordered a microscope from Amazon so that I can identify the strain of dinoflagellates that I have. I’m hoping that these products will help me defeat them.

I received an email from BRS yesterday, which stated that my Waterbox should be ready to ship around December 7th. I’m getting antsy since I placed my order over three months ago. I’m saddened and frustrated by how long it is taking to receive it. They had to contact Waterbox and inquire about the significant delay. Hopefully they can get their act together for all of the people that have started ordering recently, which brings me to a point: if they can’t keep up with demand, why would they introduce their new partnership with AI and also add a free Nyos skimmer with orders?

Anyway, that’s my holiday update. I hope everyone has a great day!

 

[Tom Stevens]

I have a 25 watt UV and so far no dynos. Still get algae though.

 

[nickkohrn]

I have a 25 watt UV and so far no dynos. Still get algae though.

I’m okay with having some algae as long as it’s outcompeting dinoflagellates. Do you find the clarity of your water to be better since adding it? I’ve read that can be a nice effect of adding a UV sterilizer.

 

[Tom Stevens]

Water is crystal clear all of the time. I have been running UV from the start.

 

[nickkohrn]

I picked up a gorgeous McCosker’s Flasher Wrasse this evening. It is currently being acclimated to my system, so I’ll grab some better photos over the next couple of days. I’m elated!

 

[Deiblerj]

Beautiful fish, but don’t wrasse need a sandbed?

 

[nickkohrn]

Beautiful fish, but don’t wrasse need a sandbed?

Flasher and Fairy wrasses build a mucus cocoon to sleep within inside of rock-work, whereas other wrasses do sleep in sand. I’ll be ordering a cave from West Mariculture, where I ordered my bonsai structure, that will give it a nice place to hide and sleep.

 

[Deiblerj]

Didn’t know that...that’s pretty awesome haha

 

[nickkohrn]

Yesterday was a good day. I came home to a few boxes on the porch.

I also picked up a second wrasse. It was labeled as a Tricolor Fairy Wrasse, which I believe is an alternate name for a Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse. It's a gorgeous animal, and it is eating well. I went with a Fairy Wrasse and a Flasher Wrasse because they can typically be housed together without issue and neither require sand. I will be keeping an eye out for any aggression, which doesn't seem to be happening thus far. I thought that I may have issues with the clownfish since they have been the sole inhabitants for the last few months, but they are playing nicely. There is plenty of PVC in the quarantine tank, so all four fish have been behaving. I don't have any issues with ammonia or other products of the nitrogen cycle. I will be waiting to add any more fish until after my Waterbox arrives (~December 7th).

Below is a video that I just took of the tank. Please excuse the mess; I quickly wiped and scraped the glass since I have been letting algae build up to battle any dinoflagellates trying to make a comeback.

 

[nickkohrn]

I picked up some products on my lunch break so that I’ll be prepared if I see any outbreaks of external parasites or diseases.

These products combine into one of the kits that you should always have around because you never know what a new fish may introduce into your system. This is a benefit of having purchased my fish before my new system arrives. I can monitor everything closely, and the fish should be able to go into the display at once, which will aid in the prevention of territorial aggression.

Also, I may be setting up my DŌS this evening to start dosing NeoPhos and NeoNitro. I’m still getting undetectable levels of nitrates and phosphates, and it appears that the dinoflagellates are still reproducing. They get worse as the day’s photoperiod progresses. However, they aren’t nearly as bad as before. I’ve been feeding more heavily, and I haven’t been performing water-changes.

 

[nickkohrn]

I just wanted to give a quick update on my wait for my Waterbox 100.3 since I spoke with Rich yesterday. It’s been three months since I’ve ordered it, and I’m hoping that his words are accurate.

Also, my furniture has been arriving over the recent few days, so I was able to get my tv stand built and I slid the tank over a bit to accommodate its size. I’ll be putting together my furniture this evening, so watch for updates! If anyone is curious about why my furniture is in boxes, check out www.lovesac.com! We have a sectional upstairs from them and recently added a few pieces. It’s amazing stuff, especially for apartment-dwellers.

Sorry for the mess, but I have a lot to get done!

The Waterbox will be going on the wall to the right of the tv, and the loveseat will be going in front of the tv. That will give me the ability to watch tv and have a beautifully blue glow to the side. I have tons of storage in the tv stand, which is a bonus! I’ll likely pick up a nice cabinet from IKEA to place to the left of the Waterbox, to house my controller and other equipment that I don’t want near the water or under the cabinet. The only downside to the room is that I’ll easily be distracted when working at my desk!

Regarding my bonsai structure from West Mariculture, I received a shipping notice that it will arrive tomorrow. I can’t wait to get it unpacked and let you see what it looks like!

Stay tuned, friends!

 

[nickkohrn]

This weekend has been a fun one!

I received my bonsai structure from West Mariculture. It was packaged incredibly well; I couldn't believe the amount of bubble wrap that was protecting the pieces!

Then, I put my furniture together, which is wonderfully comfortable. Though the furniture looks to be too close to the TV, it sits at a comfortable viewing distance.

I bought a TV stand that will give me plenty of room for storage.

Next, I reached my breaking point with battling dinoflagellates in my quarantine tank. I stacked two storage totes, to provide strength, and I filled the top one with saltwater from a local shop. I also picked up a piece of live rock from the same shop, which has been in the system for four months, and I dropped it in with my MarinePure plate that will be going into the sump of my new system. I tested the water, and everything looked good. Then, I added Dr Tim's ammonium chloride to ensure that the bacteria can consume it within a desirable timeframe. At that point, ammonia was at ~2ppm, so I added Fritz-ZYME Turbostart 900 to make certain that there is enough bacteria present. I will give it another test tomorrow and dose a little more ammonium chloride, if necessary.

With a little caffeine, I cleaned up the room.

Now, I am ending my evening with a glass of Johnnie Walker Black Label and browsing REEF2REEF for inspiration.

 

[mmw64]

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you partaking in today’s holiday festivities!

I’m celebrating by getting a start on kicking the crap out of my dinoflagellates.

I’ll be using the DŌS to dose NeoNitro and NeoPhos to the system so that I can raise my nutrient levels. I picked up the Pentair UV sterilizer to see if it makes a difference; it seems to be a heavily-debated topic. Even if it doesn’t help fight the strain of dinoflagellates that I have, I’ll be happy to have the level of water clarity that they provide. I ordered a microscope from Amazon so that I can identify the strain of dinoflagellates that I have. I’m hoping that these products will help me defeat them.

I received an email from BRS yesterday, which stated that my Waterbox should be ready to ship around December 7th. I’m getting antsy since I placed my order over three months ago. I’m saddened and frustrated by how long it is taking to receive it. They had to contact Waterbox and inquire about the significant delay. Hopefully they can get their act together for all of the people that have started ordering recently, which brings me to a point: if they can’t keep up with demand, why would they introduce their new partnership with AI and also add a free Nyos skimmer with orders?

Anyway, that’s my holiday update. I hope everyone has a great day!

Following this build.

 

[jbrewer]

Looks great!! Are you using any medication in the quarantine tank?

 

[nickkohrn]

Looks great!! Are you using any medication in the quarantine tank?

Thank you!

I’m not currently dosing any medication to the quarantine tank. I’ve been monitoring the fish daily, and I haven’t seen any signs of disease or strange behavior.

With that said, I will likely be removing the fish and discarding the MarinePure plate and PVC that are currently in the tank, prior to bleaching and drying the tank. Once that is done, I will use the sponge that I seeded with bacteria, in the new saltwater with rock, and add that to the quarantine tank to provide bacterial filtration. I’ll replace the PVC with new pieces and re-add the fish. I don’t want to bring the dinoflagellates over into my new system when it arrives.

 

[nickkohrn]

I need help with deciding how to care for my two wrasses regarding hiding spots.

As you can see in the photos of previous posts, and in the attached photos below, my structure from West Mariculture is minimalistic, which doesn't give my wrasses many places to hide. I picked up a Tricolor Fairy Wrasse and a McCosker's Flasher Wrasse because they are compatible and don't require sand for hiding and sleeping. Currently, in the quarantine tank, they are housed with my two clownfish and a handful of PVC fittings. The wrasses don't explore the PVC fittings much, and they seem to sleep near them rather than in them.

I thought about picking up a couple of Coral Cave structures from West Mariculture to match my current bonsai structure, but the smallest available is 7"x6.5"x5". So, I made a structure out of egg crate to match those dimensions, and it appears that they will be too large. They would fit in the back, on either side of the overflow box, but they would be very close to the main structure. I did message West Mariculture and express that the dimensions that I would prefer are 4”x4”x3”. That would allow for multiple of them in the tank, on either side of the overflow, with plenty of room to spare, and they wouldn’t be so close to the main structure. I’m doubtful that they will make them to my desired dimensions, but maybe I’ll get lucky.

I have been thinking about building my own structure, similar to the bonsai structure, out of black PVC. That would allow for many hiding places in the PVC. The downside is that it would take a long time for corals to grow and fill in enough to hide the PVC. However, I don't care about that; I have the patience. I just want my animals to have a healthy environment. You can see something similar, which was created by ncaldwell in this post. A couple more advantages of a PVC structure would be that I could easily disassemble it for maintenance or for a move if it's not glued together, and I could rearrange the pieces if I decide that the structure would look/function better in a different configuration. Holes could easily be drilled into the piping to allow water to flow through it.

Keep in. mind that I want to have a minimal aquascape, which will allow for easier maintenance and the ability to easily move it since we will be moving within the next couple of years.

I would love your thoughts!

 

[Fudsey]

Why not make something small out of live rock for the back corners? Break it into small pieces and then cement it into a shape you like.

 

[nickkohrn]

Why not make something small out of live rock for the back corners? Break it into small pieces and then cement it into a shape you like.

It may sound strange, but I prefer to have things that match in my display. I wouldn't like having some things in my display be made from live rock while others be made from other materials. I don't know why, but I have always been that way. You'd hate how boring our apartment looks because everything matches. Haha

If I went the PVC route, then that would prevent the addition of separate structures on the bottom of the tank because the hiding places would be incorporated into the main structure. I've never felt more conflicted and indecisive than when dealing with my aquarium. It's been a struggle, and my wife sometimes wants to kill me.