Waterbox INFINIA 215.5 Build

[RuneScapeReefer]

Hey guys, here it is! First build thread, so enjoy this long journey of organized chaos. I feel I'm pretty scatterbrained, so please forgive me if I jump around/get off track. I intend to be as detailed as I can about this. For some background, this tank is replacing my very first tank, which is a close-to 2 y/o 46g Bow FOWLR. The 46 is on the other side of the basement, so I don't need to tear it down right away, although I'm dying to tear it down because it's kind of a disaster waiting to happen due to the lack of fail-safe redundancy. I'm home pretty much all of the time, so I can act quickly if need be, and I'm also an idiot haha. I am thinking of maybe changing out the return pump to a brand-new one before leaving. I can't do too much as I'll be away from 7/16-7/23 and I don't want to make any big changes this close.

Anyways, that's some background, so back to the INFINIA. The goal is a mixed reef. As you can see, it's in the basement. The concrete underneath the padded carpet is level where the tank sits, leveling feet on the stand, and then a leveling mat underneath the tank. Then went around with a level and double-checked. I know this part is incredibly important to the longevity of this tank, so I think we're pretty set in that department. The stand is aluminum alloy, aluminum composite front panels, and topped with a protective coating. It's insane that there isn't a single piece of wood in there. Electrical compartment is on the right side; hidden with a door that comes off if I want it on display. All the hinges are stainless steel, but I'll be keeping an eye on them because the hinges in my 46 are looking pretty rough after almost 2 years. I'm impressed by the 3/4" glass, and how clear it is. The stand is pretty tall; 38"H. Total system height is as tall as me lol (5'1"), so I got a nice ladder that folds perfectly in between the fridge (left) and tank. That's a quick overview of the outside.

Here are the specs.

Once I get a few more things put together I will add more pictures of the tank including plumbing, sump, and electrical cabinet. After that I will talk about the livestock I currently have that I plan on transferring over. Then, I will talk about equipment. Thanks for reading so far, looking forward to sharing more updates.

 

[blaxsun]

I see Radions - so that's always a good sign...!

 

[RuneScapeReefer]

I see Radions - so that's always a good sign...!

Super excited!

 

[RuneScapeReefer]

Update: 08/16/2022​

Apologies for the long stretch of time; my mind has kind of been all over the place. Anyways, plumbing is all connected and I have a little more motivation.

Primary, secondary, emergency, and return. I love how clean this looks. I don't plan on utilizing the manifold as I don't want to add any extra steps at the moment, but at least the option is there. I'm also probably going to soak that flex-tubing in hot water, it's a bit too stiff. Because it's transparent I want to wrap the upper portion in electrical tape to prevent any algae formation. I kind of want some cool lighting under here.

Top-down view. Love the opposing double return outlets; I want to try RFG's here. There are guards on both the secondary and emergency inlets, and a big check valve on the return line towards the bottom of the box. There's a nice glass overflow cover, too.

Alright, so that's plumbing. Next is the electrical cabinet.

It's beautiful, I want to try my best to make this look nice.

I just realized I skipped over the sump. That'll be my next update. Lol

 

[RuneScapeReefer]

Update: 08/18/2022

Sump stuff. I'm normally used to a tiny 10 gal DIY sump. This is NICE. I do want both a refugium and a skimmer. I want to create the largest space I can for the refugium, and if I have to have a slightly undersized skimmer I'm willing to do that.

The ATO reservoir; about 16.4 gal.

I decided to ditch the filter socks so I switched them out for media cups. 7". They fit on my head like a hat lol.

 

[RuneScapeReefer]

Update: 08/20/2022

I'm going to talk livestock; what I have currently that I plan on transferring over. In the 46 gal, I have:

• Pair of ORA Fancy Ocellaris
• ORA Smith's Blenny
• (I think ORA) Yellow Watchman Goby
• Pistol shrimp
• Green Clown Goby (I may end up putting him in another tank)

Over in the quarantine room, I have a baby Biota Yellow Tang who has been doing great since May. He will also be transferring over. Now with that being said, I know tangs can be tangs, and if I need to order a FishofHex tang punching bag decoy I absolutely will. So that's it for livestock at the moment, I just want to focus on what I have, and save all future fish thoughts for a later time. All I know is that I would like to keep the captive-bred theme. Next update will be all about the equipment.

 

[RuneScapeReefer]

Update: 08/22/2022

Hey so I'm gonna talk equipment, finally. First things first, the display glass is 3/4", so I kind of struggled on finding things that were rated for that. I'm just sticking with the basics for now, as this is entire journey is going to be a long process, but I'm open to any suggestions about additional equipment I should add down the line based on my goals for this tank.

Equipment List

• Return: Maxspect Jump DC 12K
  • Flow rate range was pretty impressive; 740-3,170 GPH, and 20 different flow speed settings. I don't think I'll have any issues tuning in the flow. I'm very open to trying different brands rather than sticking with what I'm comfortable with. I read some good reviews, seems like these larger models people are pretty happy with, plus it's looks really slick (looks like a jet engine). It's sturdy and is similar in weight & size of a brick, and even then I still have a bunch of room in the return section of the sump. So as of now, I'm just using one larger return rather than two smaller returns, however, I won't count it out as I can always add that in down the line. This pump is also Apex-compatible.
• Heat: BRS 300W Titanium element (x2), InkBird ITC-306A dual controller
  • Hoping this combo works out, have heard a lot of good things about it.
• Display circulation: Reef Octopus Octo Pulse 4 (x2), HYDROS WaveEngine LE Controller
  • I was intrigued by the HYDROS bundle, so I kind of wanted to try it out. These pumps have a wide-angle flow, and put out 4500 GPH. Starting out with the two for now and if I like it I'll add more, but if I really end up hating it I can ditch it entirely and just switch back to gyres. These pumps are rated for up to 5/8" glass, however they sell stronger dry-side magnets for anything above that. I have them mounted, and they definitely need those stronger magnets so I'm going to get an order in for those soon. I've been struggling to find guards for these, too. The furthest pump doesn't reach anywhere close to the controller so I need to get an extension cable as well.
• Skimmer: -
  • Had a hard time with this one because pretty much every skimmer I find is either way undersized or way oversized. Currently have no idea what I'm going to choose for a skimmer.
• Lighting: EcoTech Radion G5 XR15 BLUE (x3)
  • This was before Gen 6 was revealed. I'm not sure if it's worth getting the upgrade kit for XR15's. I guess I won't know for sure until I get proper readings from a PAR meter. I don't know why I was afraid to pull the trigger on XR30's.
• Lighting (Refugium): -
  • Haven't decided yet, only because I'm still debating between the different size options for the refugium. I'm worried about light spillage and causing growth in other areas in the sump. I don't want to utilize a reactor because I want to keep some misc. livestock and maybe a few different types of macro in there. And I want to try mangroves, too. I've had an increased interest in refugiums lately and I can only get so much out of the existing one I have, so I'm really excited to have the opportunity to greatly expand.
• ATO: Tunze Osmolator 3155
  • Was considering having it pull from my RODI storage garbage can on the other side of the wall rather than the ATO reservoir. Should that pump go rogue, I'd much rather have it dump 16 gallons of water into the tank instead of 32.. Now if I end up going that route, I'd have some room in the cabinet itself (the reservoir is a completely separate tank and can be removed)

I guess so now my question is, what kind of power strip would be best for this? Something with individual shut-off capabilities or just a standard surge-protected strip? Or even better, a battery back-up? Or both? My 46 gallon is hooked into a 12-outlet CyberPower tower (1500VA/900W). I should probably use that for this tank.

For rock and substrate:

CaribSea purple dry LifeRock, it's gonna be expensive for sure. But I want to have a really nice scape, it's going to be a main focal point of the tank. Bought the first 40 lbs. so I wouldn't feel overwhelmed with rock. Looking at 200 lbs. total.. is that right or should I be going by solely the display volume rather than the whole system volume? I also have not bought any substrate yet. I just plan on dry aragonite. Any suggestions as to of what grain size I should pick? Looking for a perfect medium; don't want it to be blown all around in a pretty good amount of flow, but also don't want it to become a detritus trap.

​

 

[RuneScapeReefer]

UPDATE: 10/20/2022

It's DONE! I have no idea how I managed the scape but I did it. I made sure not to get mad if it didn't look exactly the way I wanted it to, I even took breaks instead of doing it all in one go. I also wore gloves, so I didn't end up with bloody hands again. And now I firmly believe it's perfect. Lots of swimming room for the fish yet plenty of surface area for corals, and given the placement of the dual outputs, hopefully no dead spots. This is about 140 lbs. of rock in the display. I'll probably add some to the sump later. So far, 80 lbs. of a medium-ish grit dry aragonite. Have 20 lbs. crushed coral coming to mix in with it. After that I could probably go with more aragonite. I didn't rinse any of this. There's no way I'm lifting all that wet substrate up a ladder 5' and over into the tank, all while keeping balance to not fall in lol. I'll deal with the cloudiness later (the included filter socks will come in handy for that).

Anyways, XR15's are mounted and secured. Had to get the extra-strong magnets for the Octo Pulse 4's, and even then they still have some give to them. I finally found nem covers for that model, so those are coming soon. With the electrical stuff being on the right, the left pump's cord reaches just far enough that I needed an extension cable (got that), only to use like maybe 2" of its 6' span. The driver cable has to go before the extension cable, but the other end of the extension cable can't go directly into the module, so I have another adaptor cable (which adds even more length that I don't need lol) coming soon. But it's nice that I can ditch 2 big power bricks. Once that is all sorted out I'll feel more like I have my ducks in a row. I'll probably add more pictures of various angles of the scape and include whatever my thoughts are at the time.

 

[jnbrex]

Hey @RuneScapeReefer looking good! Any update? I'm considering going with an Infinia for my next tank.

 

[Hemmdog]

Lookin good! What’s the total water volume? Did you decide on a skimmer yet?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

UPDATE: 10/20/2022

It's DONE! I have no idea how I managed the scape but I did it. I made sure not to get mad if it didn't look exactly the way I wanted it to, I even took breaks instead of doing it all in one go. I also wore gloves, so I didn't end up with bloody hands again. And now I firmly believe it's perfect. Lots of swimming room for the fish yet plenty of surface area for corals, and given the placement of the dual outputs, hopefully no dead spots. This is about 140 lbs. of rock in the display. I'll probably add some to the sump later. So far, 80 lbs. of a medium-ish grit dry aragonite. Have 20 lbs. crushed coral coming to mix in with it. After that I could probably go with more aragonite. I didn't rinse any of this. There's no way I'm lifting all that wet substrate up a ladder 5' and over into the tank, all while keeping balance to not fall in lol. I'll deal with the cloudiness later (the included filter socks will come in handy for that).

Anyways, XR15's are mounted and secured. Had to get the extra-strong magnets for the Octo Pulse 4's, and even then they still have some give to them. I finally found nem covers for that model, so those are coming soon. With the electrical stuff being on the right, the left pump's cord reaches just far enough that I needed an extension cable (got that), only to use like maybe 2" of its 6' span. The driver cable has to go before the extension cable, but the other end of the extension cable can't go directly into the module, so I have another adaptor cable (which adds even more length that I don't need lol) coming soon. But it's nice that I can ditch 2 big power bricks. Once that is all sorted out I'll feel more like I have my ducks in a row. I'll probably add more pictures of various angles of the scape and include whatever my thoughts are at the time.

Aquascape looks great!!

 

[RuneScapeReefer]

Hey @RuneScapeReefer looking good! Any update? I'm considering going with an Infinia for my next tank.

Thank you and yes! I'm terrible with updating haha, I just realized I had a long draft typed out since December 1 lol. Back on track now, and I'll definitely be adding pictures!

 

[RuneScapeReefer]

Aquascape looks great!!

Thank you!! I still can't believe I managed to do it lol

 

[RuneScapeReefer]

Lookin good! What’s the total water volume? Did you decide on a skimmer yet?

Thank you! Seems like total water volume is somewhere in the 180-ish. I was trying to keep track initially but then I somehow got confused in the beginning. I'm a little nervous not having an exact number, but I'm hoping it's somewhere in that area. Hard to find others with this model to compare haha. And yes I did find a skimmer! I just so happened to come across a used Simplicity 240DC for $175; it was barely used and it looked like it too. Very happy with my decision, it's a fantastic skimmer! I've never had a DC skimmer before so I'm pretty geeked about the controllability haha

 

[RuneScapeReefer]

UPDATE: 02/03/2023

I'M SO TERRIBLE AT UPDATING THIS I'M SO SORRY LOL.
So I achieved my goal of getting water in the tank by Halloween. Started cycle the next day. Initial fill-up was pretty easy (and so are water changes thankfully) as my 150gpd RODI system is on the other side of the wall. Brute trash cans to mix saltwater in, Sicce utility pump to send it up and over. Started the cycle off with Fritz Ammonium Chloride, followed by TurboStart. Lots of 2+ y/o seeded media (bricks, balls, etc.) I also added a new MarinePure giant brick. Threw in some soft coral overgrowth I had from upstairs. Fireworks clove polyps, RDE zoas, AOI zoas, and Goblins on fire zoas. Things that literally do not die hahaha. From then I started up the lights, I chose the AB+ schedule on a low intensity. Back to the cycle, I'd say it took about 8 days to see no2 dropping. No3 just slowly climbed and I was so eager to start changing water. After changing enough water to have no3 sitting at about 5 ppm, I went ahead with finally transferring over the first fish; my fancy ocellaris pair, and Smith's blenny. The blenny loves those clowns, they all hang out with eachother and seem much more comfortable when in their 'trio', so I treat them as a unit lol. I put them through SafetyStop 2-part baths (45 min. each), and finally into the tank. Since the first fish went in I started the 2-week Microbacter7 'seeding' regimen. That stuff is great, seriously. As far as fish, I felt I was moving a little fast because at that point I so desperately wanted to take down the 46 gallon, it was a huge hazard and I was constantly worrying about it (ZERO failsafes, that tank was a ticking time bomb. Plus because of my excitement for the new tank, I regrettably paid way less attention to it; wasn't doing as much cleaning, just generally started to look like total garbage, long periods of time in between Chaeto harvests (to where it was literally at capacity and couldn't grow anymore); cue the GHA explosion. Meanwhile, the amphipod population absolutely exploded and they were thriving. I was scooping them out and tossing them in the new tank most days. So all I had left in the 46 was a Yellow Watchman goby, a green clown goby, and a pistol shrimp. Somewhere along the line I tossed the pistol in the new tank. Tbh he never paired with the YWG, they stay on opposite sides of the tank and typically avoid eachother. Next fish I put in was my Biota YT. I've had him since late May '22, when he arrived he was super super tiny and had since been in a 20g QT/observation. I felt bad since it had been so long and he was really growing so I was eager to get him in the big tank. So after the YT went in, I prioritized getting the lid built; a RedSea DIY kit. Incredibly frustrating, and let me just say I'd rather pay the arm and leg for a custom/pre-built, I wasn't able to do it myself other than rolling the spline lol. 6 HOURS LATER it looks nice and I like that it's recessed, you can barely tell it's there. So once the lid was done, I did another WC, and started preparing to get the YWG and clown goby until.. I realized that I should prioritize just one more fish. Funny story about this fish, but to sum it up I unintentionally ended up with a baby Melanurus wrasse sometime in early September. He spent his time in my upstairs reef and did very well. Not only was he growing quickly, but he was also decimating my cleaner crew despite being fed very well. That tank looks like a graveyard of shells lol. It was a pain trying to catch him and I pulled the rockwork entirely apart, but surprisingly I caught him within an hour. Next I put him through the 2-part dip again, and then into the big tank. I did this in the evening while the lights were ramping down to keep him as calm as possible. So once that was done, I waited a few days and finally got around to getting the YWG and clown goby. Tbh the YWG/clown goby were very much enjoying being in the 46 all by themselves for a while lol. Got them in their 2-part baths, then into the tank. Finally pulled the plug entirely on that 46, drained it and pulled it apart. One thing I regret with that tank was letting all of that live rock just die. I was afraid of what was lurking in those rocks microscopically I guess, because I was never careful with the LFS water getting into that display when adding any livestock. I did feel really bad watching it dry out, there were tons and tons of those big amphipods that were deep within the rock that started to emerge, along with a million bristleworms. I spent a while picking the pods out w forceps and dropping them into the Infinia. I should've saved all of that rock and given it to someone who would've wanted it. Shortly after I ended up losing my female clown. Despite having the lid, she managed to LAUNCH herself out through a tiny gap between the overflow box and the lid. Found her on the floor behind the tank one morning. It happened not too long after I introduced a Biota blue tang; like not even 48 hours after. I noticed she was pretty afraid of it. Why, I have no idea, the little guy was SO small and she was much bigger. Her and her mate slept at the surface of the water so I'm thinking she got startled by the tang and launched out. I've had that little tang for over a month in QT/observ. before I added him to the Infinia. I see why tiny tangs are such hazards in big tanks.. he slept in the rocks but the flow would dislodge him and send him on a lifeless cruise at night. Glad I had powerhead covers, and glad I draped some netting over the overflow weirs.. he would've fit in perfectly like a quarter in a vending machine.. and in the event I need to get in that overflow box, I'd have to take off one of the lights entirely as the bracket sits down on the lid. I was not about to be doing that lol. But my theory is that during one of his lifeless nighttime cruises he must have freaked the female clown out, making her jump. I know she was just a normal fancy ocellaris, but that fish meant a lot to me as she (and her mate) were my first saltwater fish. So now that the male clown was alone, he stopped eating and spent his time trying to jump out, looking for his mate. Started attacking the baby blue tang out of nowhere. I'd never seen an ounce of aggression in that clown, had them since 2020. It was extra upsetting to see. He wouldn't move from his spot, wasn't eating, wouldn't stop attacking others, so I made the decision to swap him out with my pair of orange storms from upstairs. Within that same week I lost my engagement ring. If I didn't find it I was gonna take down this tank. I was desperate and kinda losing my mind. But a week later it was found (in the very last garbage bag that wasn't checked) Turns out it was inside one of my gloves I use for when I change out floss in the media cups, in dirty bag of old algae and detritus. Lol. So back to the male clown, he (or now she) has improved a great deal. Lives with a yellow clown goby and a six-line. So now that the orange storms are in the Infinia, they've been doing great since. Weird they picked the SAME spot to sleep as the previous pair did. I added strips of egg crate over every tiny gap on that lid.


So as of today (2/3/23) we've hit the 3-month mark. I know there was quite a gap in time, but I'm glad I kept going. Pictures to follow



I chose XR15's instead of XR30's, I was kind of afraid to make that jump, I wasn't sure if I really needed to replicate the surface of the sun.. like looking into the future I definitely cannot see myself with SPS-dominant or anything so I'm sure these can do the job. Worst-case I can replace that middle XR15 with a 30 down the line or something.

I believe this gap in front of the overflow box is where the clown went carpet surfing.. up and over, then a 5ft fall.

A more recent picture; nothing fancy. Gonna take some time, just going through the various stages. Microbacter7, tons and tons of pods- it's nice to see all of the fish snacking on them in between feedings. I even bought some EcoPods from AB to have more pod diversity- I believe it has 4 different species. And along with some phyto of course. Last week I ended up making a pretty early start on the 'fuge. GHA in the display already, especially on the rocks, so I figured I want to get started on that competition. But as long as I'm implementing a decent amount of nutrients, (I don't want to strip them out) I have the skimmer off for now. My next update I can show the ridiculous contraption I have down in the sump.. lol

Thanks for reading!

 

[chrisriker]

Did you have to do anything special to adjust the leveling feet? I just got my cabinet in place and it needs to come up on one corner but the feet only seem to want to come out like a half inch or so, if that. I can't for the life of me figure out how to get them to come out any more.

 

[RuneScapeReefer]

Did you have to do anything special to adjust the leveling feet? I just got my cabinet in place and it needs to come up on one corner but the feet only seem to want to come out like a half inch or so, if that. I can't for the life of me figure out how to get them to come out any more.

I didn't have to adjust the feet at all surprisingly. What kind of floor is yours on?

 

[chrisriker]

I didn't have to adjust the feet at all surprisingly. What kind of floor is yours on?

Mine is in the basement, which is vinyl flooring on top of a concrete foundation. It's a little bit off in one corner, but for the most part it's super close if not already perfect.

 

[RuneScapeReefer]

Mine is in the basement, which is vinyl flooring on top of a concrete foundation. It's a little bit off in one corner, but for the most part it's super close if not already perfect.

Same with mine, except on padded carpet. Hope you get yours figured out, it could also level out as you add water

 

[bisteclol]

Did your Infinia come with the control box?