Kai’s Alexa Controlled Waterbox Reef 130.4 Build (DIY Heavy, Tinkerers Welcomed)

[ChaetoFarm_Kai]

A few months ago I was gifted a somewhat neglected 75 gallon Reef, it came with a few fish, a few frags, and minimal equipment, most of which was in very rough shape. Notice the blue LED’s only work on one half of the fixture. The tank and stand were also in terrible condition, the stand has a rotten floor panel inside and was falling apart, and the tank has extensive scratching. On the flip-side, the system was mature, stable, and the previous owner had made some nice rock structures that were solid purple with coralline algae.

 

[ChaetoFarm_Kai]

I added a few fish and after a few visits to WWC and TSA I was fully hooked on reefing again after 10 years out of the hobby. I purchased a pair of purple queen anthias and quickly realized I needed an automatic feeding system. After spending a few weeks trying to get them to eat anything, I discovered that pumping food into the display through the return pump produced a much better feeding response from the anthias as opposed to pouring food directly into the DT. After a few days of research and brainstorming, I decided that using smart plugs and an Alexa compatible wifi auto feeder would be the most cost effective solution. I spent roughly $145 on amazon and got a Kasa smart power strip, iLonda auto feeder, 4th gen Echo Dot, and a cheap powerhead to mix food into the water column in my return pump compartment. I found this system to be extremely effective and reliable for dispensing food into water column. I created “routines” in the Alexa app that turn on the powerhead in the sump for 15 minutes and dispense the food 5 seconds later, the Alexa app with the echo dot also makes it easy to add in some fun theatrics to the feeding sequence as well. To increase the reliability of the system, I set up a dedicated 2.4gHz Wi-Fi router/network (“ReefNet”) for the related equipment, and a second echo dot which serves as the “hub” for all this equipment. The Kasa power strip also proved to be very convenient for controlling my other non-essential equipment as well such as my skimmer, ATS lighting, and ATO … “Alexa, turn off the skimmer for two hours”

COMING SOON: An Alexa compatible sump level float switch to shut off the skimmer, ATO, and rollermat when the sump level rises.

 

[ChaetoFarm_Kai]

I happened to have an extra AR-15 collecting dust, and managed to score an older Waterbox Reef 130.4 in an even trade. It did come with a few useful extras but unfortunately it was completely filthy, and had some damage. A few razor blades and some Muriatic acid remedied the filth, but the damage would need some additional attention. There was a large half-moon chip in the top edge of the front glass, the side seams on the front glass had been damaged by a scraper or razorblade, and the floor of the sump area had some mild water damage in the cracks. I started with the damage to the cabinet, salt was flushed out of the exposed particle board using RO water and dried with a heat gun, the damaged wood was then soaked with CA glue, and then I Sealed all the cracks in the cabinet using white GE advanced silicone, to prevent further damage. I also smeared the silicone all over the cracks and edges on the Back of the stand to waterproof that as well. The halfmoon chip was easily remedied with some UV Resin from a windshield repair kit. Once I get some polishing compound, I should be able to make the edges of the repaired area look seamless. The damaged/separated silicone was cut out of the seams with an exacto knife since it was no longer functioning as a sealant or an adhesive, the new void in the seam was then pressure washed by running rubbing alcohol through a waterpik to remove the remaining sand and dead algae, and filled flush using Momentive 103, which is the strongest aquarium safe RTV silicone I know of. After calculating the approximate strength of the remaining silicone before repair, I do not anticipate any strength issues.

 

[ChaetoFarm_Kai]

Finally managed to get all the main pieces of equipment I needed to finalize the specs for the sump and plumbing redesign. An Aquamaxx AF-1 roller filter, a Current USA 1900gph E-Flux return pump, and a very lightly used Eshopps S-120 skimmer scored locally for only $140 (professional lowballing right here). The skimmer was chosen for its small footprint, I went a smaller skimmer for this system since it will be used with the rollermat, the build quality isn’t quite as good as my reef octopus classic but it seems to be very well engineered, much more-so than octo’s compact SSS line. As you can see it fits next to the AF-1 roller perfectly without being crammed in.

So far, I’ve only modified the main drain plumbing. I used a BRS 32mm to 1” metric converter/coupler, then a 1” street elbow to a second union just to free up some space if necessary when I want to mess with the roller or skimmer; and then used a a 1’ section of “1 inch bilge tubing” from Home Depot to connect to the roller. Awesome because it can be stretched over a piece of 1” PVC and clamped, or press fit into a female 1” slip fitting. I really dislike the literal and figurative rigidity of a system with all hard plumbing. I’m hoping that by using only a 1’ section of flexible tubing it will give me the best of both worlds without the issues that go along with using something like a floppy 2’ or 3’ long flex hose drain line. Waiting on a second metric converter from BRS to shorten up the emergency drain. And tuck it nicely in the back corner of the fuge.

As you can see the I went with something resembling a “Triton-style” sump. In the middle we have a 7.7 gallon chaeto fuge big enough to strip every last NO3 and PO4 molecule out of the system if desired. I think this will end up being a heavily stocked Acropora-dominant tank so nutrient export is a top priority, especially considering that Alexa will be dumping in Reef Blizzard 5 times a day. Once I had the rollermat, skimmer, and return pump, I was able finalize the placement of the baffles to maximize fuge space. Not wanting to wait for a glass shop to make me some proper 1/4” baffles, I settled for some paper thin picture frame glass from lowes. I made little effort to make the silicone neat and pretty, thinking it would be temporary, but I’m pretty satisfied with it and will probably just leave it until I break a pane.

I’m especially interested to see how the fuge light performs long term. It’s a 60w “COB grow light I found on Amazon for only $23, and I am so impressed with it. It throws a beautifully even circular beam of light at roughly a 90 degree angle with absolutely zero spilled light. Couldn’t bring myself to spend $550 on a Kessil A360x, or even $175 on a used H380, with so many great looking Chinese grow lights out there. I personally think a suspended fixture makes for a cleaner setup as opposed to a gooseneck mount. Especially when you have a well focused beam. I have a few items on the way to make some modifications to the light that will make it a pretty sweet fuge light for under $50.