Nervous.....Waterbox 270.6 build thread! I could use help from the community!

[Brett Miller]

After 3 years and 1000s of hours of youtube researching (I think I have watched every BRS video available) and learning coral reef biology with my mixed reef 65 gallon tank I have started my next reef project. I feel like Ryan and Randy are family!! I have purchased the Waterbox Reef XL 270.6. It is a 6' 200 gallon display tank with 65 gallon sump. The tank will be delivered in late December but the build project will last 4-6 months. I am pretty detail oriented but there are so many variables with these builds. I could really use the help of the community so I don't make mistakes that are hard to recover from. I am going to install in my office. Next steps:

- Build a wall in the crawl space under floor to support the 2000 pounds of water weight (contractor hired)
- Run dedicated 20amp circuit to backup generator sub panel
- Run all dosing lines and infrastructure from current fish room to new tank.
- Start building aquascape with 150 pounds of marcorock!

Hardware bought so far:
1. 3 Neptune Sky lights
2. Custom light bar from 80/20
3. K2 Kalk reactor - I want to replace 2 part dosing
4. Neptune GRO light
5. 150 pounds of Marco Rock
6. COR 20 return pump
7. Another Neptune DOS

Bringing over from old 65 gallon tank:
1. Apex
2. Neptune Trident
3. Neptune ATK
4. 3 Neptune DOS (1 waterchange, two part, Amino, Nitrate)

This is going to be a lot of work but fun build process! I could use everyones advice (positive and negative)

 

[blaxsun]

Don't forget a UV. At least a 57-watt and possible larger.

 

[MnFish1]

Sounds like you have almost everything planned out - the only 'warning bell' I see - is building a wall in the crawlspace. Hopefully you hired a very very experienced contractor.

Second - I would be planning how you are wanting to cycle the tank. Curious why is it taking 6 months (i.e. your plan)

Best of luck in any case

 

[nereefpat]

Any powerheads/wavemakers?

 

[MnFish1]

PS and a skimmer? and other plans for nutrient export? Bare bottom vs sand?

 

[dedragon]

Hardware bought so far:

2. Custom light bar from 80/20
3. K2 Kalk reactor - I want to replace 2 part dosing
4. Neptune GRO light

What custom light bar is this just curious?
On that large of a tank you may want to look into a good calcium reactor instead, with a co2 scrubber on the protein skimmer
Honestly I think the neptune grow light is just an acke grow light with Neptunes name marked on it for another $120. You could save a little if you wanted using either of the ones i linked below, but nothing bad with the actual Neptune Gro itself. Just to give you some extra money to spend on other things like fish and coral

 

[Pntbll687]

Congrats on the new build! It's my second favorite part of reefing (scaping and cutting coral is #1).

Just a couple thoughts
1. replacing two part dosing with kalkwasser is doable. You can use regular saturated kalk (2 tsp per gallon of water) or you can use a "Kalk slurry" to maximize dosing and ensure you'll never need to worry about evaporation being a constraint on the kalk.
2. Bare bottom or sand?
3. Skimmer?
4. Power heads, I'm guessing you'll be bringing some over from the old tank.

 

[dedragon]

Oooh yea forgot about the skimmer, you looking at any right now? Love to see a nice huge skimmer doing work

 

[Brett Miller]

Any powerheads/wavemakers? Right now own 2 Neptune WAV in my 65 gallon tank. I bought 2 more. I thought about purchasing the MP40s but I could not stomach double the cost and I have been very happy with my WAVs. They are powerful and have lasted over 3 years. Thoughts?

 

[Brett Miller]

Oooh yea forgot about the skimmer, you looking at any right now? Love to see a nice huge skimmer doing work

I have not bought a skimmer yet. Was thinking about the NYOS 220? Thoughts?

 

[Brett Miller]

Congrats on the new build! It's my second favorite part of reefing (scaping and cutting coral is #1).

Just a couple thoughts
1. replacing two part dosing with kalkwasser is doable. You can use regular saturated kalk (2 tsp per gallon of water) or you can use a "Kalk slurry" to maximize dosing and ensure you'll never need to worry about evaporation being a constraint on the kalk.
2. Bare bottom or sand?
3. Skimmer?
4. Power heads, I'm guessing you'll be bringing some over from the old tank.

I was going to try bare bottom but I am afraid of the unstable nature of BB. Ryan from BRS and his 360 gives me pause but I think I am going to try anyway. I can always go back to sand. Thoughts?

 

[Brett Miller]

Congrats on the new build! It's my second favorite part of reefing (scaping and cutting coral is #1).

Just a couple thoughts
1. replacing two part dosing with kalkwasser is doable. You can use regular saturated kalk (2 tsp per gallon of water) or you can use a "Kalk slurry" to maximize dosing and ensure you'll never need to worry about evaporation being a constraint on the kalk.
2. Bare bottom or sand?
3. Skimmer?
4. Power heads, I'm guessing you'll be bringing some over from the old tank.

1. Interesting you talked about Kalk slurry. I have been watching many videos on the new topic. Have you tried it? do you keep a container of Kalk slurry? Can you do Kalk Slurry with a K2?

2. Bare Bottom - wish me luck.

 

[Brett Miller]

AHHH right. The major wall has been built and I could not be happier. I have also finished putting up crown molding and painted the new room!!!!!

 

[Brett Miller]

Sounds like you have almost everything planned out - the only 'warning bell' I see - is building a wall in the crawlspace. Hopefully you hired a very very experienced contractor.

Second - I would be planning how you are wanting to cycle the tank. Curious why is it taking 6 months (i.e. your plan)

Best of luck in any case

Check out the picture of the wall. I got a contractor to work under my house to 2 days building the wall. How would you suggest cycling the tank? I have 2 brightwell bricks that have been soaking in my current sump for 2 years. Should I just use them along with bacteria or go through the cycling process from the beginning? Thanks.

 

[dedragon]

I have not bought a skimmer yet. Was thinking about the NYOS 220? Thoughts?

i just switch from a nyos 120 to an akula 160. The akula is much better built and the sound is half as much as the nyos. 100% would recommend akula if you want the best of build quality. Another great option is the division 500 ext (lower build quility but perfect design and sicce 1000 pump) or the reef octopus ext 200. Another one i would recomend would be the aquamaxx rc3 protein skimmer but change the pump out to the new sicce psk sdc 1200 and run it at like 50-75% (option for lower space requirements but great build quality, not nearly at the level of akula but way less money and ext sicce brand dc pump)

 

[dedragon]

Also want to put lifereef skimmer into the running if you are into that sort of skimmer, they do work amazingly as well just need a really strong pressure rated pump

 

[Brett Miller]

i just switch from a nyos 120 to an akula 160. The akula is much better built and the sound is half as much as the nyos. 100% would recommend akula if you want the best of build quality. Another great option is the division 500 ext (lower build quility but perfect design and sicce 1000 pump) or the reef octopus ext 200. Another one i would recomend would be the aquamaxx rc3 protein skimmer but change the pump out to the new sicce psk sdc 1200 and run it at like 50-75% (option for lower space requirements but great build quality, not nearly at the level of akula but way less money and ext sicce brand dc pump)

Interesting. The akula seems pretty nice. About the same price as the NYOS. Is the Akula ozone safe?

 

[dedragon]

I dont think it has an ozone port on it, the akula would be the absolute highest grade materials though so it should be fine to run ozone in conjunction

 

[dedragon]

i dont run ozone myself i run a sochting oxydator and co2 scrubber on my skimmer and test for pH, much smaller tank though so i can see how ozone makes sense

 

[dedragon]

I would actually lean towards the typhoon for your tank, they are really efficiently rated. RC3 with sicce sdc 1200 is a good alternative as well as external skimmers which are also beasts, matter what you want to do

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