Is there any gear I can cheapen out on in this list for my Waterbox 50.3?

[Tamberav]

Somewhere... haha I don't update it often though.. a lot going on and I like to mull in other threads instead of my own. My build badge keeps breaking.

This is my tank tho it looks a bit different now. I pulled out a lot of LPS and SPS to move to softies. Have a kid now and needed something I can neglect. When he's older and life calms down I will probably set up another SPS/LPS tank and then keep the softy one as well.

 

[MUB]

This is my tank tho it looks a bit different now. I pulled out a lot of LPS and SPS to move to softies. Have a kid now and needed something I can neglect. When he's older and life calms down I will probably set up another SPS/LPS tank and then keep the softy one as well.

Your tank looks incredible. Is this the one you drilled yourself?

 

[Tamberav]

Your tank looks incredible. Is this the one you drilled yourself?

No, the ones I drilled myself were years ago. This was an upgrade

 

[keithw283]

Seapora tanks are reasonably priced and you can get them predrilled if you don't want to drill them. I DIY all my sumps. if you are looking around the 50G range you can get a 20 long or 29G tank and just silicone some baffles in.

 

[MUB]

Seapora tanks are reasonably priced and you can get them predrilled if you don't want to drill them. I DIY all my sumps. if you are looking around the 50G range you can get a 20 long or 29G tank and just silicone some baffles in.

I literally just found out Seapora also sells reef ready tanks. What a coincidence. I'm 100% buying a reef ready 75 gal from Seapora. The price is only $50 more than a 75 gal tank that isn't drilled. Seems like a bargain.

 

[keithw283]

I literally just found out Seapora also sells reef ready tanks. What a coincidence. I'm 100% buying a reef ready 75 gal from Seapora. The price is only $50 more than a 75 gal tank that isn't drilled. Seems like a bargain.

I have a 180 and a 55 from seapora. I will say I hate the 55 but that's only because I don't like how narrow it is. 75 is much better imo. I'd find a 29 gallon tank on marketplace and turn it into your sump.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi all, I keep going back and forth between the Waterbox 50.3 (AIO) and 60.2 (has a SUMP but upgrades would make this really expensive). The size and simplicity of the 50.3 keep drawing me back to it. If I were to buy it, here is a list of equipment I would add:

- 2x Kessil A80
- 1x Eheim Jager 300W
- 1x Jebao SOW-4 Wavemaker
- Innovative Marine MightyJet Return Pump
- AquaFX Barracuda Glacial RO-DI Unit - 100 GPD.
- Kamoer ATO One SE

Stocking wishlist:
- 2 Clowns
- Goby + Shrimp
- Royal Gramma
- Firefish
- Soft corals (for a while, I want to properly understand how to care for them and let my tank establish)​

Considering this will be my first time, is there any gear in there I can cheapen out on for a while?

No and never cheapen. In this hobby you get what you pay for and often does not end well/perform well.
I often suggest after nearly 4 decades- Buy the best you cannot afford - It pays off both in performance/reliability and resale. Consider a hang on skimmer such as IceCap K2-100 and Ai Hydra 26 or 32hd

 

[MUB]

I have a 180 and a 55 from seapora. I will say I hate the 55 but that's only because I don't like how narrow it is. 75 is much better imo. I'd find a 29 gallon tank on marketplace and turn it into your sump.

Great idea. How was plumbing with your reef ready tank? Is it "easy" to work with a bottom corner flow?

 

[MUB]

No and never cheapen. In this hobby you get what you pay for and often does not end well/perform well.
I often suggest after nearly 4 decades- Buy the best you cannot afford - It pays off both in performance/reliability and resale. Consider a hang on skimmer such as IceCap K2-100 and Ai Hydra 26 or 32hd

Great adcice. I've moved past the AIOs and I'm focusing on building my own so I can save some $$ and invest it into better gear. What's your experience with hang on skimmers though?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Great adcice. I've moved past the AIOs and I'm focusing on building my own so I can save some $$ and invest it into better gear. What's your experience with hang on skimmers though?

I used a few from Ice cap and love them as they perform just like a full size unit