Radman73
Valuable Member
Most people don't consider a huge loss in volume as an upgrade. I didn't either until yesterday. When my 220 started leaking yesterday morning I started to consider my options. Get out completely? Find a 180 or 220 at a LFS, tank only? Dare I trust the stand?
So, I started shopping online before the LFS' opened. My amazingly supportive and enabling wife gave me a budget of 3k, +/- if it made sense. I checked out the Red Sea series first. Beautiful with a price to match. The Innovative Marine dropoff 70 was tempting as I'd always wanted a drop off tank. But it was also smaller than what I wanted. Then I remembered that one of my LFS usually stocked Waterbox aquariums. So I started researching those. The 130 was about as small as I was willing to go but at a price much lower than 3k. They looked good online so I sent a FB message, before they opened, asking what they had in stock. Got an immediate response that they'd be there in 10 minutes. I asked for a call as it's a good 35-40 minute drive and tolls to boot. Got a call back 15 minutes later, they had the 130 in stock, in black, and at a great price. The great price came even after I told them my current tank was leaking. So no attempt to take advantage of me. Told them I'd take it and be by later to pick up.
Now, with a plan, I was able to get the 220 stable by siphoning out about half of the water so my daughter could baby sit it. Took off with my mother-in-laws minivan to pick the tank up. Got the tank, sand, and a heater(mine were way too big) and a few extras while I was there. Verified that my Fluval SP6 would fit in the return section(barely). So, good to go.
Get home and start getting the fish ready to transfer to a 20 Brute, get heaters and power heads in all the tubs with rock. 5.5 hours of non-stop laborious work later, finally ready to have some neighborhood buddies over to move the 220 to the back lanai. 8pm, ready to get the new tank rolling!
So, this is what I am/was rolling with:
Waterbox 130.4 in Black
2 Kessil AP700's
Fluval SP6
Aquamaxx ConeS CO-2
2016 Apex
Trident
DOS
Gyre XF-250
Tunze Stream 3(2)
Mp-40
Tunze 3155 ATO
75gal garage based refugium
Kessil A380 refugium light
Rock from the 220
Current Livestock:
2 ocellaris clowns(10 years old this summer!)
2 male lyretail anthias
2 female lyretail anthias
1 Yellow eye Kole tang
1 Yellow Watchman Goby(only one I haven't seen since transfer)
1 Melanarus wrasse
1 Lubbock's Wrasse
1 Potter's Angel(My fave)
1 Blackfin McCosker's flasher wrasse
1 Royal Gramma
1 Cleaner Shrimp
Planned Livestock:
Not certain as it's already fairly full but I don't have a 75gal refugium for nothing.
Yellow Coris Wrasse
Pintail Fairy Wrasse
Potter's Wrasse
Labout's Fairy Wrasse
Tailspot Blenny
I'm pretty sure I can get those in, anything else would be gravy.
As for corals, I had just started adding back after beating dino's in the 220. Hopefully they survive the transfer process. I have a neon green hammer in particular that has grown quite well and an acan enchinata that has done well too. Anything after that is just frags.
First snag, the Fluval SP6 doesn't have a barb small enough for the WB plumbing. Thank God I had a Sicce Syncra 5 for water changes in the garage! Took a little work but got everything plumbed up, tank and stand in place and level, and sump in the stand. Decided to use the Gyre XF-250 to start.
Dumped in sand and placed my 2" unions down as spacers between rock and bottom. Picked a 32Gal Brute full of rock and water to be the rock supply. Turns out it was near perfect in the amount, though not what I will ultimately use. Got the rock in place and started putting old tank water into the new tank. Added in ~45gal freshly mixed water and another 20-25 gallons from the refugium and the tank was full and starting to fill the sump. Got enough water in the return section to set functionality and it was time to transfer the fish back in.
By chance, the temp was only .2F off. Not too bad. So, at 11:30 I took the lid off the 20 brute and started catching groggy fish as fast as I could. The clowns practically swam into the net. I discovered that anthias are accomplished jumpers lol! The poor melanarus wrasse was still trying to swim down into sand. Definitely glad I didn't wait until morning to move them over.
I couldn't be happier with the tank. We always loved my rimless 60 cube and this is that on steroids. My wife and kids all love it. My daughter said she remembers the 60 cube when it was full of fish and healthy, growing corals and this tank reminds her so much of the cube. That was music to my ears. I have about 18" of space between my desk and the tank which opens some options on where I put the desk now. Not nearly as crowded
.
Currently, the refugium isn't tied in. I had to cut the PVC connections when removing the old tank. I believe I got the needed plumbing parts at Lowes today. I also bought Iron piping to hang my lights from. The lights are currently sitting on 1x4's lol! Which in turn or sitting on egg crate until I get a nice acrylic lid in. That, unfortunately, looks like it will be several months, so I also picked up some window screen to go below the egg crate and ensure the fish stay in the tank. I don't love the look of the egg crate, but necessary until I get a more elegant solution in place.
So, plan is to get refugium plumbed back in today or tomorrow and back on line. I'll get the light hangers up by the end of this weekend as the hanging kits for the lights are due in on Monday.
Pics will be coming later today!
So, I started shopping online before the LFS' opened. My amazingly supportive and enabling wife gave me a budget of 3k, +/- if it made sense. I checked out the Red Sea series first. Beautiful with a price to match. The Innovative Marine dropoff 70 was tempting as I'd always wanted a drop off tank. But it was also smaller than what I wanted. Then I remembered that one of my LFS usually stocked Waterbox aquariums. So I started researching those. The 130 was about as small as I was willing to go but at a price much lower than 3k. They looked good online so I sent a FB message, before they opened, asking what they had in stock. Got an immediate response that they'd be there in 10 minutes. I asked for a call as it's a good 35-40 minute drive and tolls to boot. Got a call back 15 minutes later, they had the 130 in stock, in black, and at a great price. The great price came even after I told them my current tank was leaking. So no attempt to take advantage of me. Told them I'd take it and be by later to pick up.
Now, with a plan, I was able to get the 220 stable by siphoning out about half of the water so my daughter could baby sit it. Took off with my mother-in-laws minivan to pick the tank up. Got the tank, sand, and a heater(mine were way too big) and a few extras while I was there. Verified that my Fluval SP6 would fit in the return section(barely). So, good to go.
Get home and start getting the fish ready to transfer to a 20 Brute, get heaters and power heads in all the tubs with rock. 5.5 hours of non-stop laborious work later, finally ready to have some neighborhood buddies over to move the 220 to the back lanai. 8pm, ready to get the new tank rolling!
So, this is what I am/was rolling with:
Waterbox 130.4 in Black
2 Kessil AP700's
Fluval SP6
Aquamaxx ConeS CO-2
2016 Apex
Trident
DOS
Gyre XF-250
Tunze Stream 3(2)
Mp-40
Tunze 3155 ATO
75gal garage based refugium
Kessil A380 refugium light
Rock from the 220
Current Livestock:
2 ocellaris clowns(10 years old this summer!)
2 male lyretail anthias
2 female lyretail anthias
1 Yellow eye Kole tang
1 Yellow Watchman Goby(only one I haven't seen since transfer)
1 Melanarus wrasse
1 Lubbock's Wrasse
1 Potter's Angel(My fave)
1 Blackfin McCosker's flasher wrasse
1 Royal Gramma
1 Cleaner Shrimp
Planned Livestock:
Not certain as it's already fairly full but I don't have a 75gal refugium for nothing.
Yellow Coris Wrasse
Pintail Fairy Wrasse
Potter's Wrasse
Labout's Fairy Wrasse
Tailspot Blenny
I'm pretty sure I can get those in, anything else would be gravy.
As for corals, I had just started adding back after beating dino's in the 220. Hopefully they survive the transfer process. I have a neon green hammer in particular that has grown quite well and an acan enchinata that has done well too. Anything after that is just frags.
First snag, the Fluval SP6 doesn't have a barb small enough for the WB plumbing. Thank God I had a Sicce Syncra 5 for water changes in the garage! Took a little work but got everything plumbed up, tank and stand in place and level, and sump in the stand. Decided to use the Gyre XF-250 to start.
Dumped in sand and placed my 2" unions down as spacers between rock and bottom. Picked a 32Gal Brute full of rock and water to be the rock supply. Turns out it was near perfect in the amount, though not what I will ultimately use. Got the rock in place and started putting old tank water into the new tank. Added in ~45gal freshly mixed water and another 20-25 gallons from the refugium and the tank was full and starting to fill the sump. Got enough water in the return section to set functionality and it was time to transfer the fish back in.
By chance, the temp was only .2F off. Not too bad. So, at 11:30 I took the lid off the 20 brute and started catching groggy fish as fast as I could. The clowns practically swam into the net. I discovered that anthias are accomplished jumpers lol! The poor melanarus wrasse was still trying to swim down into sand. Definitely glad I didn't wait until morning to move them over.
I couldn't be happier with the tank. We always loved my rimless 60 cube and this is that on steroids. My wife and kids all love it. My daughter said she remembers the 60 cube when it was full of fish and healthy, growing corals and this tank reminds her so much of the cube. That was music to my ears. I have about 18" of space between my desk and the tank which opens some options on where I put the desk now. Not nearly as crowded
. Currently, the refugium isn't tied in. I had to cut the PVC connections when removing the old tank. I believe I got the needed plumbing parts at Lowes today. I also bought Iron piping to hang my lights from. The lights are currently sitting on 1x4's lol! Which in turn or sitting on egg crate until I get a nice acrylic lid in. That, unfortunately, looks like it will be several months, so I also picked up some window screen to go below the egg crate and ensure the fish stay in the tank. I don't love the look of the egg crate, but necessary until I get a more elegant solution in place.
So, plan is to get refugium plumbed back in today or tomorrow and back on line. I'll get the light hangers up by the end of this weekend as the hanging kits for the lights are due in on Monday.
Pics will be coming later today!
20200221_111955
