Nick's Waterbox 100.3

[nickkohrn]

So they will refund or you will wait till a new batch is arriving?

I called them this morning because I never received a shipping confirmation. I was told that they will keep the order open for two weeks, and that I will receive an email if one becomes available. I’ll be able to accept or decline at that time. If I decline, then the charge will be refunded. If I accept, then I will receive a shipping notice when it ships.

I don’t mind waiting for something, but the process needs to be transparent. Instead, based on their posted shipping schedule, I would have been waiting at home today for a shipment to arrive that never would have, and I didn’t receive any communication from @LiveAquaria to make me aware that I wouldn’t be receiving what I ordered. I thought that it was odd that I didn’t receive a shipping notification or an email stating that it was unavailable.

This was my first online order for a fish. I was excited to get the beautiful fish today, but I guess I’ll wait to see what happens.

 

[count krunk]

online fish ordering, kind of roulette. even from the best vendors.

I'm lucky to live where i do now. Until i move from orlando, i will never buy a fish online

 

[mch1984]

We have one LFS and it sucks, so most of my fish are ordered online. It's about the only way to get anything out of the norm, like my golden dwarf eel. I've been pretty lucky so far.

 

[nickkohrn]

I picked up a stand for my PMUP and optical sensor for the ATO reservoir. This will keep it from toppling over, and the sensor will keep the pump from running dry.

 

[nickkohrn]

I picked up a Pygmy Wrasse and a Cardinalfish today. The wrasse was labeled as a Possum Wrasse, and the cardinalfish was labeled as a Yellow-Striped Cardinalfish.

The more that I’ve given my system thought, the more I’ve leaned toward having a peaceful system with fish from the same region; in this case, fish from the Indo-Pacific. I like that the fish aren’t incredibly bright and flashy, which should give future corals more focused attention.

 

[Devaji]

nick I just read through your build thread...spend the morning geeking out...ooops

great job. I am thinking about a WB100.3 for a seahorse build to mach my red sea reefer 750 still setting the one up..haha
all in all are you happy with the 100.3? what ever happened with the issues of the replacement tank?

 

[nickkohrn]

nick I just read through your build thread...spend the morning geeking out...ooops

great job.

Thanks for checking out my thread, and for the compliment!

I am thinking about a WB100.3 for a seahorse build to mach my red sea reefer 750 still setting the one up..haha

If you don’t need a bunch of extra equipment that will run on a manifold, and you can get by with the stock plumbing, then I think that the configuration of the Waterbox 100.3 would be nice for seahorses. You could easily fit a skimmer and a bunch of filtration media in the sump. The tank has nice dimensions, and it’s tall, so I think seahorses would appreciate it.

all in all are you happy with the 100.3

I am not happy with the 100.3 when all things have been considered. The reasons for that decision follow:

1. I am not a DIYer, so I wanted an already-made solution. However, I needed to customize the plumbing for the equipment that I wanted to use. It would have been cheaper to just go with a custom solution from the start.
2. The silicone work has been touted as excellent, but it’s isn’t on my system; it is sloppy.
3. There seems to be issues with the vinyl application on the rear pane of glass, such as discoloration, bubbles, and things stuck under it.
4. The quality of the tank and stand is hit-or-miss. Some tanks and stands have been delivered with no issues for some hobbyists, and others have had multiple issues.

• I saw a thread where someone had to have a third tank delivered because of scratches and poor quality control.
• I don’t want to name the hobbyist, but I’ve seen a stand that came with screws already in it, as if it were already assembled and returned. The same stand also had an enormous amount of scratches. The photos of that system will be at the end of this post.

I bought the 100.3 for some touted features, such as the high-quality stand, glass overflow box, and the dimensions. However, had I known what I know now, I would have passed on Waterbox immediately.

what ever happened with the issues of the replacement tank?

Nothing. I haven’t heard back from them. I moved on, and I will never buy another product from them. It isn’t worth the hassle and back-and-forth. They would rather have customers fix the issues that their systems arrive with rather than providing a high-quality product from the beginning. If they put as much effort into providing quality products as they put into boosting their social media presence, then things may have turned out better. At this rate, I don’t see them being around in the next few years. Bulk Reef Supply removed their products from their inventory.

If you decide to order a Waterbox, then I hope that you have a much better experience.

Please consider that my words above are not provided to steer you away from Waterbox. I simply wanted to provide answers to your questions and give you proper explanations of why I feel the way that I do.

Below are the aforementioned photos that another hobbyist sent me to show the horrendous state that their system arrived in. The hobbyist is receiving a refund since that is their second system that came in like that, and their third leaked.

 

[Devaji]

Thanks for checking out my thread, and for the compliment!


If you don’t need a bunch of extra equipment that will run on a manifold, and you can get by with the stock plumbing, then I think that the configuration of the Waterbox 100.3 would be nice for seahorses. You could easily fit a skimmer and a bunch of filtration media in the sump. The tank has nice dimensions, and it’s tall, so I think seahorses would appreciate it.


I am not happy with the 100.3 when all things have been considered. The reasons for that decision follow:

1. I am not a DIYer, so I wanted an already-made solution. However, I needed to customize the plumbing for the equipment that I wanted to use. It would have been cheaper to just go with a custom solution from the start.
2. The silicone work has been touted as excellent, but it’s isn’t on my system; it is sloppy.
3. There seems to be issues with the vinyl application on the rear pane of glass, such as discoloration, bubbles, and things stuck under it.
4. The quality of the tank and stand is hit-or-miss. Some tanks and stands have been delivered with no issues for some hobbyists, and others have had multiple issues.

• I saw a thread where someone had to have a third tank delivered because of scratches and poor quality control.
• I don’t want to name the hobbyist, but I’ve seen a stand that came with screws already in it, as if it were already assembled and returned. The same stand also had an enormous amount of scratches. The photos of that system will be at the end of this post.

I bought the 100.3 for some touted features, such as the high-quality stand, glass overflow box, and the dimensions. However, had I known what I know now, I would have passed on Waterbox immediately.


Nothing. I haven’t heard back from them. I moved on, and I will never buy another product from them. It isn’t worth the hassle and back-and-forth. They would rather have customers fix the issues that their systems arrive with rather than providing a high-quality product from the beginning. If they put as much effort into providing quality products as they put into boosting their social media presence, then things may have turned out better. At this rate, I don’t see them being around in the next few years. Bulk Reef Supply removed their products from their inventory.

If you decide to order a Waterbox, then I hope that you have a much better experience.

Please consider that my words above are not provided to steer you away from Waterbox. I simply wanted to provide answers to your questions and give you proper explanations of why I feel the way that I do.

Below are the aforementioned photos that another hobbyist sent me to show the horrendous state that their system arrived in. The hobbyist is receiving a refund since that is their second system that came in like that, and their third leaked.

thank you for your honest review its really important for us hobbyist to be well informed and keep the industry honest and accountable.
well for the money I think I will pass on the WB 100.3 that was totally going to be a splurge and if there is any chance its not gonna be worth it i'll still to my petco dollar per gallon 40br. was thinking I would have better success talking the GF in a tank if it matched my new red sea reefer 750

good luck with the build despite the flaws in tank your build looks amazing!

oh that pmump stand is killer where did you find that?

 

[nickkohrn]

thank you for your honest review its really important for us hobbyist to be well informed and keep the industry honest and accountable.

You’re welcome! If I can save another hobbyist from the frustrations that many of us have had with Waterbox, then I’m glad to help.

well for the money I think I will pass on the WB 100.3 that was totally going to be a splurge and if there is any chance its not gonna be worth it i'll still to my petco dollar per gallon 40br. was thinking I would have better success talking the GF in a tank if it matched my new red sea reefer 750

You never know! Maybe she will enjoy having a system of her own that stands out to her because of a different design, color, or configuration. Regardless, I hope that she enjoys the hobby just as the rest of us do, and that you can share in that together.

good luck with the build despite the flaws in tank your build looks amazing!

Thank you for the kind words! I’ll have an update this evening. I’ve been spending a lot of time working on everything this weekend.

oh that pmump stand is killer where did you find that?

I saw a hobbyist, Harry Singer, post them in the #askBRStv Facebook group; he made them and sold them on eBay. It wasn’t cheap ($29), but I like that the pump won’t topple over, it won’t run dry, and I’ll get an alert when my top-off water is low since I have a sensor to integrate into the stand.

 

[Brock0019]

Below are the aforementioned photos that another hobbyist sent me to show the horrendous state that their system arrived in. The hobbyist is receiving a refund since that is their second system that came in like that, and their third leaked.

I heard that this person only received a partial refund and had to pay for the "free item" that came with the purchase...

 

[nickkohrn]

I’ve been unhappy with how the aquarium room has been turning out, so I decided to start over with it. I picked up an IKEA cabinet, and it will allow me to keep all of my electrical concealed as well as provide a place to perform testing (on the top).

Here’s the start of better cable management:

Sadly, I came home to my new Gold-Striped Cardinalfish lifeless and stuck to the intake of the filter. The fish seemed skinny when I brought it home, and I hadn’t seen it eat. I wondered if it was weak and it swam too closely to the intake. I’ll be picking up some sponges tomorrow to stick over the intake tubes.

After that heartbreak, I ventured over to a local shop that was having a sale, and I brought home a small ORA Bangaii Cardinalfish. It went through quarantine at the shop as do all of their shipments. They are good about quarantine practices there, so I’m hoping that it is strong and healthy.

Also, my wonderful wife surprised me with some beautiful, fun, and delicious cookies today! She was so excited, and it was adorable. I don’t want to eat them, but they are so good!

 

[NY_Caveman]

Cannot eat art.

 

[Cmooreinor]

thank you for your honest review its really important for us hobbyist to be well informed and keep the industry honest and accountable.
well for the money I think I will pass on the WB 100.3 that was totally going to be a splurge and if there is any chance its not gonna be worth it i'll still to my petco dollar per gallon 40br. was thinking I would have better success talking the GF in a tank if it matched my new red sea reefer 750 [emoji14]

good luck with the build despite the flaws in tank your build looks amazing!

oh that pmump stand is killer where did you find that?

For the record my 100.3 is perfect and I am very impressed with the quality of Waterbox so far. It sucks Nick, along with others, have had issues.

 

[nickkohrn]

For the record my 100.3 is perfect and I am very impressed with the quality of Waterbox so far. It sucks Nick, along with others, have had issues.

I'm glad that you are satisfied with yours and that you didn't have any issues with the quality of the system. That's exactly why I don't want to sound like I am trying to convince anyone to not get a Waterbox. Hobbyists have had good experiences as well as poor.

Do you have a build thread for your Waterbox?

 

[Devaji]

I’ve been unhappy with how the aquarium room has been turning out, so I decided to start over with it. I picked up an IKEA cabinet, and it will allow me to keep all of my electrical concealed as well as provide a place to perform testing (on the top).

Here’s the start of better cable management:

yeah cable management is my down fall. so many cords and wires on my new build I am gonna try to get the rats nest some what manageable and clean looking...

Also, my wonderful wife surprised me with some beautiful, fun, and delicious cookies today! She was so excited, and it was adorable. I don’t want to eat them, but they are so good!

that amazing! I think she's a keeper for sure

 

[nickkohrn]

Came home to this guy stuck to the filter intake. I’m sick of losing fish. I’ve lost five fish in my holding tank before I’ve even finished my display. I’m at a loss of words.

I think I’m going to sell my Red Pygmy Possum Wrasse and go fishless until my display is finished. Then, I’ll order all of my fish at once since the rock that will be going into that system is already able to handle the bioload.

 

[scriptmonkey]

Came home to this guy stuck to the filter intake. I’m sick of losing fish. I’ve lost five fish in my holding tank before I’ve even finished my display. I’m at a loss of words.

I think I’m going to sell my Red Pygmy Possum Wrasse and go fishless until my display is finished. Then, I’ll order all of my fish at once since the rock that will be going into that system is already able to handle the bioload.

dang, that sucks sorry man. Was it showing any signs of distress?

 

[nickkohrn]

dang, that sucks sorry man. Was it showing any signs of distress?

None. I think that the filter may be too strong, and they get stuck to it when they get near it. Since they are smaller fish, I don’t think that they can get away.

My Red Pygmy Possum Wrasse has been acting strange as well, and I noticed that it has white, stringy feces this evening. I’m going to kee an eye on it and treat it, but only after I see it looking less stressed.

I just can’t believe how many fish I have lost already. I feel like such a jerk.

 

[Cmooreinor]

I'm glad that you are satisfied with yours and that you didn't have any issues with the quality of the system. That's exactly why I don't want to sound like I am trying to convince anyone to not get a Waterbox. Hobbyists have had good experiences as well as poor.

Do you have a build thread for your Waterbox?

Totally understand. Not yet, but I plan to.... I have enjoyed fallowing your build!

 

[PaulPerger]

Hey Nick! Just found your build thread and read through it and am now following... Looking forward to our next Columbus Area get together!