Return to Reefing

[myreefinabox]

Returning to the hobby after a 6-year hiatus. Have about 20 years experience and have had success running 30-gallon nano, 65 gallon all in one, and a DIY 180 gallon in the past. I'm sure things have changed since I was last active and wanted to put this out there for input from the community.

Plan for the tank is mixed reef. Bio-load will be moderate.

Current plan is as follows:

Waterbox 230 with Sump
Radion G6 LED Lighting (3)
MightyJet XL Return Pump
RedSea DC900 Protein Skimmer
ClariSea SK-5000 Filter Roller
UV Sterilizer- Researching
MP 40 (2)
Tunze ATO System

Please let me know your thoughts!

 

[griss]

Sounds like you have a great start. I love following new builds so, I’ll be following you on your journey.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

You have everything you need minus the pending UV sterilizer. Remember to take it slow while cycling. I'm looking forward to following your new tank adventure!

 

[myreefinabox]

Sounds like you have a great start. I love following new builds so, I’ll be following you on your journey.

Thanks! I’m hopeful to start the build in early June.

 

[myreefinabox]

You have everything you need minus the pending UV sterilizer. Remember to take it slow while cycling. I'm looking forward to following your new tank adventure!

I won’t be running the skimmer or sterilizer while cycling. Are you thinking I don’t need the sterilizer at all?

 

[griss]

I won’t be running the skimmer or sterilizer while cycling. Are you thinking I don’t need the sterilizer at all?

I haven’t used a UV sterilizer since the late 1980s.

And, many people keep very successful reefs without a skimmer.

 

[myreefinabox]

I haven’t used a UV sterilizer since the late 1980s.

And, many people keep very successful reefs without a skimmer.

Perhaps I will start without the UV sterilizer. Would be a nice cost avoidance!

 

[Dustin07]

Have you ordered the waterbox yet? there is a good WB group on FB. I almost replaced my 425xl with a waterbox but one of the reasons I didn't was because people on FB and on R2R reported disliking the stand (not strong/rigid enough). They have solutions to make the stands more robust, but in the end I went with the shopps Mariner 100 (a bit smaller) and I couldn't be happier with both the tank and stand construction. I have a skimmer for the first time ever, now for about the past 6 months and I'm not even sure why I have it or if I need it. live rock, flow, and socks seem to be more than enough. I do really like the reefmat a LOT more than socks for the ease of cleaning, although the socks I think catch FAR more waste. they're just a bit of a pain to clean.

 

[JohnL]

Returning to the hobby after a 6-year hiatus.

Welcome back

 

[myreefinabox]

Have you ordered the waterbox yet? there is a good WB group on FB. I almost replaced my 425xl with a waterbox but one of the reasons I didn't was because people on FB and on R2R reported disliking the stand (not strong/rigid enough). They have solutions to make the stands more robust, but in the end I went with the shopps Mariner 100 (a bit smaller) and I couldn't be happier with both the tank and stand construction. I have a skimmer for the first time ever, now for about the past 6 months and I'm not even sure why I have it or if I need it. live rock, flow, and socks seem to be more than enough. I do really like the reefmat a LOT more than socks for the ease of cleaning, although the socks I think catch FAR more waste. they're just a bit of a pain to clean.

I have not ordered the Waterbox yet. I will check out the FB group. Had not heard the dislikes about the stand. Do you know if they are referring to the new stands made with aluminum and have the leveling feet? I personally run skimmers for not only the waste removal but to oxygenate the water. I also tend to over design builds in the event that I have to travel unexpectedly for work and miss a water change.

 

[myreefinabox]

Welcome back

Thank you. This round of reefing will be interesting because now I have two young children that are very interested. Whether that continues when they see the work it requires remains to be seen!

 

[Dustin07]

I have not ordered the Waterbox yet. I will check out the FB group. Had not heard the dislikes about the stand. Do you know if they are referring to the new stands made with aluminum and have the leveling feet? I personally run skimmers for not only the waste removal but to oxygenate the water. I also tend to over design builds in the event that I have to travel unexpectedly for work and miss a water change.

I don't have an opinion on skimmers cause I still don't really understand them. I ran my 40g for years with no skimmer, really no filter, no sump, just live rock and water flow. I only added the skimmer back in Nov when I bought the redsea 425xl because it came with it. Tim had recommended I DON"T run the macro reactor, which I did anyways and it killed my nitrates (so it's for sale now, I learned the hardway) he also lightly recommended I don't run the skimmer or at least IIRC didn't recommend that I do. I used it as a learning tool, and over time it did fill with sludge. My current setup, the Mariner 100 is a 130 g system. My sump right now only has 2 socks, the skimmer (which is still empty/clean cup despite running) and some LR, a spong filter between that chamber and the return pump. I'm contemplating pulling the skimmer entirely cause I don't think I need it, then using chamber 2 as a frag tank. that would be like a 20g frag tank.

In terms of the WB folks I had posted in R2R about the various brands I was looking at. Everyone that has a waterbox loves them. there are some great things about them. I messaged their customer service a few times and had great responses. But people still mentioned those stands (the new ones) were not great and most people with a tank over 100gallons were getting these add-on support kits to brace the stands. I believe waterbox offers them second hand if you want them, but not with the stand until you ask for it. I don't understand that.

The eshopps kit is the most robust stand I have seen. heavy duty marine grade plywood. it doesn't move/shake/shimmy. the tank itself is thicker glass. the doors are not my favorite layout as I have 3 doors instead of 2 like my 425xl had.

however the tank has amazing bottom bracing and corner protection. My original doors were mismatched paint, and eshopps sent me 3 new doors within a week:

bottom bracing:

waterbox offers the overflow both as internal and external in the size I wanted, a lot of people preferred the external... I don't... I like the internal more so the eshopps one just checked all the boxes for me...



but again, I can't stress enough, I'm in the waterbox group and they love their tanks.

 

[myreefinabox]

I don't have an opinion on skimmers cause I still don't really understand them. I ran my 40g for years with no skimmer, really no filter, no sump, just live rock and water flow. I only added the skimmer back in Nov when I bought the redsea 425xl because it came with it. Tim had recommended I DON"T run the macro reactor, which I did anyways and it killed my nitrates (so it's for sale now, I learned the hardway) he also lightly recommended I don't run the skimmer or at least IIRC didn't recommend that I do. I used it as a learning tool, and over time it did fill with sludge. My current setup, the Mariner 100 is a 130 g system. My sump right now only has 2 socks, the skimmer (which is still empty/clean cup despite running) and some LR, a spong filter between that chamber and the return pump. I'm contemplating pulling the skimmer entirely cause I don't think I need it, then using chamber 2 as a frag tank. that would be like a 20g frag tank.

In terms of the WB folks I had posted in R2R about the various brands I was looking at. Everyone that has a waterbox loves them. there are some great things about them. I messaged their customer service a few times and had great responses. But people still mentioned those stands (the new ones) were not great and most people with a tank over 100gallons were getting these add-on support kits to brace the stands. I believe waterbox offers them second hand if you want them, but not with the stand until you ask for it. I don't understand that.

The eshopps kit is the most robust stand I have seen. heavy duty marine grade plywood. it doesn't move/shake/shimmy. the tank itself is thicker glass. the doors are not my favorite layout as I have 3 doors instead of 2 like my 425xl had.

however the tank has amazing bottom bracing and corner protection. My original doors were mismatched paint, and eshopps sent me 3 new doors within a week:

View attachment 32411536


bottom bracing:

View attachment 32411537

View attachment 32411538


waterbox offers the overflow both as internal and external in the size I wanted, a lot of people preferred the external... I don't... I like the internal more so the eshopps one just checked all the boxes for me...



but again, I can't stress enough, I'm in the waterbox group and they love their tanks.

Thank you for taking the time to elaborate. I will contact Waterbox to inquire about the bracing kits. Curious if those will void warranty. I'm going to check out the eshopps website as well in case I am not satisfied with the answers from Waterbox.

 

[Reefing102]

Welcome back. I used to run a skimmer but now I don’t. Do I think they’re a good tool? Yes but only if needed. Mine stripped my nutrients too much.