Nick's Waterbox 100.3

[nickkohrn]

Yes. I wonder how hard it is to apply that stuff. It has a clean look.

I’ve seen it done to another Waterbox (70.2), but the member hasn’t been active for a while. I want to see how it’s been holding up.

 

[nickkohrn]

My replacement tank came today, and a friend is coming over this weekend to help me get it onto the stand.

They sent another plumbing kit with it, so he is taking the original tank and plumbing kit with him. He will need a stand and a sump, and then he’ll be in good shape.

There seems to be a couple of scuffs on the glass overflow box, but I won’t be able to see how noticeable they are until I get the lights over the tank. Either way, they are fairly small, so I’m almost certain that my structure and corals will hide them.

My plumbing fittings come tomorrow, depending on the weather. If they come, then I’ll get to spend the weekend building my drains and planning the return and manifold.

I need to get this tank set up and running; my wife is getting aggravated by the mess of equipment that had been laying around for months.

 

[Deiblerj]

And the build continues!

 

[nickkohrn]

I did some plumbing today. Now, I just need to plan the return plumbing to include a manifold, and I will be ready for water.

I am going to email Waterbox because I received my replacement aquarium on Thursday, but I noticed two issues;

• There is a bubble in the rear vinyl, and there appears to be scratch marks around it.
• There are two scratches/scuffs/gouges in the black glass of the overflow, which appear on the right and left sides.

You can see the issues in the images below:

I'm starting to get upset by the quality issues that both of my Waterbox aquariums have been delivered with.

 

[Deiblerj]

Just get some coraline algae going and you won’t even notice it!

 

[nickkohrn]

One of the reasons that I got the Waterbox is so that I can scrape all of the algae off it the glass, including the overflow box since I like sterile-looking glass. It’s just frustrating that they tout their quality assurance process so much; it’s clear that their quality assurance team does not do what they say they do.

 

[Hybrid Ken]

You are right, patients is a big part of this hobby as most of the things that happen fast.....are not good things.

I also have been looking at the Water Box Reef Pro 230. I like that they have two return ports, I just wish it was plumed for two return pumps. I like to split the load on a big tank and have two of everything so if one goes out the other can at least reduce the chance of an instant crash.

 

[Deiblerj]

One of the reasons that I got the Waterbox is so that I can scrape all of the algae off it the glass, including the overflow box since I like sterile-looking glass. It’s just frustrating that they tout their quality assurance process so much; it’s clear that their quality assurance team does not do what they say they do.

100% agree! If you’re providing a service or product to a customer you need to make sure your product is up to standards and of high quality; especially at the price tag we’re paying!

 

[nickkohrn]

I started compiling a list of equipment for plumbing my return and manifold. After measuring and looking at parts and fittings, it seems more appropriate for me to plumb my return with the 1” flow sensor and appropriate fittings and to power the manifold via a separate pump. I don’t have much room in the sump, but I think I can make it fit. Doing so will give me more control over maintenance, and it will allow me to make changes to the manifold without shutting down the return pump.

This will allow me to get my system up and running sooner since I can build the manifold after the system has water in it.

 

[Tom Stevens]

I started compiling a list of equipment for plumbing my return and manifold. After measuring and looking at parts and fittings, it seems more appropriate for me to plumb my return with the 1” flow sensor and appropriate fittings and to power the manifold via a separate pump. I don’t have much room in the sump, but I think I can make it fit. Doing so will give me more control over maintenance, and it will allow me to make changes to the manifold without shutting down the return pump.

This will allow me to get my system up and running sooner since I can build the manifold after the system has water in it.

You may not even need to build a manifold. I just put a small pump like the cobalt 1200 in the sump for each reactor. I ended up plumbing the UV filter on the return though. If you take that route you will need a beefy pump since the UV slows the flow quite a bit. I have my return at 400 gph which is fine. I have the 1” flow sensor too, which helps in the beginning.

 

[nickkohrn]

You may not even need to build a manifold. I just put a small pump like the cobalt 1200 in the sump for each reactor. I ended up plumbing the UV filter on the return though. If you take that route you will need a beefy pump since the UV slows the flow quite a bit. I have my return at 400 gph which is fine. I have the 1” flow sensor too, which helps in the beginning.

I ended up placing an order at Bulk Reef Supply for the 1” flow sensor, a 1.25”-to-1” reducer, and a 1”-0.75” reducer. I am going to use the 1.25” union that came with my COR-15, so I will grab a small piece of 1.25” PVC to attach the 1.25”-to-1” reducer to. Then, I’ll attach the flow sensor to that. I’ll add two 45° fittings on top of the flow sensor, and then reduce that to 3/4” before it enters the tank.

I decided that I want to get the system up and running, and this will let that happen. Then, I can order another COR-15 next month, and I’ll plumb a manifold off of that to run the UV sterilizer and algae reactor. It’s more than I want to spend, but it will allow me to have more control over the system, and I can maintenance the manifold without having to turn off the return pump. Also, it will give me a second COR-15 that I can use as a backup if the main return pump fails.

I’ve been taking notes, and there is a lot that I want to do differently on a future system, but this has given me plumbing experience that I didn’t have. The conversion from metric to U.S. standard plumbing, and the dimensions of the stand, tank, and sump haven’t left me with much room to run the equipment that I want to off of the return. I think that my solution will be best in the long-term because I will have more independent control.

 

[Tom Stevens]

If you can, try to keep the number of 45s to a minimum. Each turn will cost you flow rate. The sensor also slows flow too.

 

[nickkohrn]

I'm just going to leave this here...

 

[Deiblerj]

I'm just going to leave this here...

Wow...sounds like quality is not high on their priority list. That’s upsetting for sure. You nailed it with the response though.

 

[count krunk]

if the vinyl is really an issue for you. I would take it off and paint it black. the $1 can from HD works really well. I recently used a gloss black slightly nicer can, as that was what i had. Worked really well

 

[nickkohrn]

if the vinyl is really an issue for you. I would take it off and paint it black. the $1 can from HD works really well. I recently used a gloss black slightly nicer can, as that was what i had. Worked really well

I'm not too worried about the vinyl since I can remove it and paint it, like you recommended, which I should have done with the original tank. However, the scratches on the black glass of the overflow box are highly visible under the lighting since they are white. I know that they are there, so I see them immediately when I look at my tank. I'm wondering if a permanent marker can cover them up without being as noticeable. I'm going to do some research and see what I can find with regard to fixing scratches and scuffs on colored glass.

 

[count krunk]

i think paint would work there too. only concern i have seen is critters nibbling the paint off if algae is growing over it

 

[nickkohrn]

I plumbed my return last night, but the length of the flow sensor and conversion fittings left little room for soft tubing to connect to the barbs without kinking, so I had to loop the tubing. That was not a good solution, so I found a way to get rid of some fittings, which will allow the plumbing to be much, much better. Parts ordered!

Here’s a look at the current setup:

 

[nickkohrn]

Well, my final wrasse in quarantine died overnight. It stopped eating and became incredibly lethargic. I’ll be taking the quarantine tank down today and putting some thought into future livestock.

My plumbing fittings arrive Monday and Thursday, so I’m hoping to fill the tank with water next weekend and test the connections between the fittings. It’s my first plumbing application, so I’m anticipating something needing to be fixed.

Also, im looking at purchasing Marine Depot’s controller board because I’m not handy at all, and some of the cords for my equipment won’t reach the TV stand’s cabinet. I would like to mount the board on the wall, to the left of my tank. And if you have any experience with that product, then I’d love to get your thoughts about it!

 

[nickkohrn]

I finally got to hang my prints from Coral Morphologic. They are beautiful, and they add a lot of color to the room!