Sanborn's Waterbox Infinia 150.4

[jsanbor1]

Been browsing for a few months. First post. Yeah so, I got the green light to order the tank. Can you guys make recs on the rest? It looks like I have some time before the tank gets here...

I want to start slow, order some live rock/sand from Tampa or Gulf shops, get some soft corals, and clean-up crew with some easy fish. What is a good middle of the road setup, so I won't be looking at new lights in 6 months but I also don't want to spend $800 on a skimmer...

Edit - changed from the Marine 110.4 X to the Infinia 150.4 so I could fit a refugium. Is refugium an option with this tank?

This doesn't need to be plug and play but I don't want to get in over my head setting this up either.

Cheers!
J

 

[Red_Beard]

Sweet! That will be an awesome setup!
I, personally, am very partial to Reefbreeder meridians. I also really like to use bars on the sides once things grow out and you start to get some shading. Quanta helix are fantastic for that.

That sump looks like the skimmer/media chamber MIGHT be big enough to also add a mesh separator to run a macro fuge. If you just want rock and an area for pods to grow, that should be no problem. Just put the skimmer upstream of all that as far to the one side as it will go and stack in some rubble.

Reef Octopus skimmers are awesome, I run a redsea RSK on my 75 gallon display, it has been doing a great job too. The non-DC pump models are all going to be the best budget option, but you won't be able to turn the pump up and down, just adjust the gate and air volume (which i have found to be wholly sufficient).

What kind of scape are you going to want to build? How you lay out your rocks as well as personal preference will dictate what style of wave makers I'd recommend. Whatever you decide on for heaters, i also would recommend using an inkbird controller in addition to the heater's built in thermostat (unless you go titanium with another controller). Set the heater to just above what the inkbird would have them kick off at, so if it fails on, you still have another failsafe.

For rock, if at all possible for you, i would recommend not starting with dry dead rock and go with actual 'live' rock from the ocean preferably or LFS if not. That will shortcut you a ton on the uglies and be a lot better experience for the first go-round.

 

[Acanthaopolis]

Congratulations on the new tank!
I just started with the same premise of a middle of the road setup that I could upgrade if needed. Simplicity makes a decent DC return pump that is affordable. I would recommend waiting for a skimmer until you can find a good deal on a used one. You won't need one until you start adding in a bioload anyhow. For circulation pumps there are plenty of options on AliExpress that will work just fine. I would not cheap out on a heater. Stick with one of the titanium type heaters with a controller and invest the $20 in a grounding probe so you don't have stay voltage affecting your animals. I would highly recommend some sort of Auto top off as it will save you time and make your reef more stable. There are so many lights too choose from with so many different aesthetic considerations. Figure out what kind of corals you want to keep and then research lights that will match their needs and your aesthetic preferences. For example you might want lights that are very blue or lights that lean a bit more white. You might want lights that spread across the tank and have great coverage or maybe ones that have a small for factor.

 

[jsanbor1]

Thanks guys! I've got some research to do now. I need to figure out the scape for sure.

I should have mentioned that I'd like to automate everything as much as possible, eventually. I also want to spread out the cost as much as possible.

Noted to wait on the skimmer. What is the short list that I need to just get started with some live sand and rock?

Oh yeah - do you guys recommend all live rock or does it make sense to get some from the local shop and some from the gulf? If it's red and in a bucket at the shop - is that really live rock like from the ocean?

 

[Red_Beard]

You can mix and match ocean rock with lfs rock. Like get the most from the lfs and just a couple ocean rocks to give it some biological diversity.
For right now, tank, light, sand (tropic eden is my reco), rock, heater, return pump (jebao is also a good one as is simplicity), and a wavemaker(just one for now to keep stuff moving. Once you finish your scape you will start to see where it needs more and how much) and maybe an RO unit. If not ro, make sure to get RO water from the lfs too.

 

[reefinatl]

Attached is a par map for 4 Noopsyches mounted across the top of a 4ft long 24" high 90g.
18
71
5
60
70
5

I've run this for 4 years or so but lost all the big SPS in a power outage in July, so don't take the tank only have frags as a sign they can't work.

 

[AgentKooper]

Great tank choice, congrats. I set up a Waterbox 50.3 a year ago, and now wish I’d held out for the 110.4. I’m following and looking forward to seeing yours come together. I’ve started a tank with all dry rock, and another one (the Waterbox) with mostly dry rock and a few pounds of live rock from KP Aquatics. I’ve had way fewer uglies with the live rock. In terms on equipment, you’re going to hear a million different recommendations. I’ve had good luck with Aqua Illumination lights (Primes and Hydras) and circulation pumps (Nero’s), which can be run together on a pretty good app.

 

[Red_Beard]

Attached is a par map for 4 Noopsyches mounted across the top of a 4ft long 24" high 90g.
18
71
5
60
70
5

I've run this for 4 years or so but lost all the big SPS in a power outage in July, so don't take the tank only have frags as a sign they can't work.

That is a huge bummer, those looked like they were fantastic pieces too.
Par map is great!

 

[Acanthaopolis]

The basics to get started would be:
Return pump
Heater
Rock
Sand
Salt mix
Refractometer or hydrometer
5 gallon water jugs
Somewhere to obtain RO water
Circulation pumps are nice to have but can wait

Live rock is great, however is pretty cost prohibitive. A good source would be Tampa Bay Saltwater. The stuff in the LFS is usually just painted dry rock that has been put through a cycle and therefore contains bacteria. It can reduce the time needed to get a tank up and going, but usually isn't worth the extra cost. I good approach is to use base rock and add a smaller portion of live rock and or live sand from TBS. Many of us have started tanks with dry rock and have not had any problems. All rock will eventually turn purple once the tank matures and coralline algae starts to grow.

 

[reefinatl]

I'm a massive fan of actual live rock. Order a small amount of gulf rock or TBSW. It will help stabilize things quicker, get you a pod population up and running. I still have many live clams and stuff going strong years later that survived a multi-day power outage while I was out of the country. To keep a budget down a bit just do a small order of live rock and otherwise use dry. 20 years off and on in the hobby and I think total dry rock starts are the cause of many early failures to be honest.

Absolutely look into QT for fish, TTM is my preference or order directly from Biota or ORA.

Be prepared to have a crappy looking tank for up to the first year. Once it stabilizes a lot of issues fix themselves.

 

[reefinatl]

That is a huge bummer, those looked like they were fantastic pieces too.
Par map is great!

was not a good time to arrive home from a 20 hour flight and immediately see nothing but dead fish and cloudy water. Was enough for me to buy a hydros controller after never using a controller for 20 years just so I can tell if the system is working or if i should call a neighbor.

 

[Red_Beard]

I'm a massive fan of actual live rock. Order a small amount of gulf rock or TBSW. It will help stabilize things quicker, get you a pod population up and running. I still have many live clams and stuff going strong years later that survived a multi-day power outage while I was out of the country. To keep a budget down a bit just do a small order of live rock and otherwise use dry. 20 years off and on in the hobby and I think total dry rock starts are the cause of many early failures to be honest.

Absolutely look into QT for fish, TTM is my preference or order directly from Biota or ORA.

Be prepared to have a crappy looking tank for up to the first year. Once it stabilizes a lot of issues fix themselves.

Yep. just make it through the first year and you will be on your way.

was not a good time to arrive home from a 20 hour flight and immediately see nothing but dead fish and cloudy water. Was enough for me to buy a hydros controller after never using a controller for 20 years just so I can tell if the system is working or if i should call a neighbor.

Absolutely, the worst. No time to relax after a long journey, just a massive gut punch. I have a camera on the sump and one on the display too just in case. We spend weekends out of town at least every other month.

 

[jsanbor1]

So we have a cleaning crew that comes in for an hour every 2 weeks.

Should I be concerned about their cleaning chemicals getting into the tank?

If so then is it traumatic to turn off the lights and cover the tank with a sheet for a few hours mid day every other week?

 

[jsanbor1]

Sweet! That will be an awesome setup!
I, personally, am very partial to Reefbreeder meridians. I also really like to use bars on the sides once things grow out and you start to get some shading. Quanta helix are fantastic for that.

That sump looks like the skimmer/media chamber MIGHT be big enough to also add a mesh separator to run a macro fuge. If you just want rock and an area for pods to grow, that should be no problem. Just put the skimmer upstream of all that as far to the one side as it will go and stack in some rubble.

Reef Octopus skimmers are awesome, I run a redsea RSK on my 75 gallon display, it has been doing a great job too. The non-DC pump models are all going to be the best budget option, but you won't be able to turn the pump up and down, just adjust the gate and air volume (which i have found to be wholly sufficient).

What kind of scape are you going to want to build? How you lay out your rocks as well as personal preference will dictate what style of wave makers I'd recommend. Whatever you decide on for heaters, i also would recommend using an inkbird controller in addition to the heater's built in thermostat (unless you go titanium with another controller). Set the heater to just above what the inkbird would have them kick off at, so if it fails on, you still have another failsafe.

For rock, if at all possible for you, i would recommend not starting with dry dead rock and go with actual 'live' rock from the ocean preferably or LFS if not. That will shortcut you a ton on the uglies and be a lot better experience for the first go-round.

Updated thread title! Pulled the trigger on the Waterbox Infinia 150.4! I really wanted to start with a regugium and the 110.4 seemed too tight.

Question - This rock on FB Marketplace close by me for $40. I know I'll need more but, is there any reason not to get this to start?

 

[kevgib67]

I like how you are taking it slow and thoroughly planning your build. I upgraded to a Waterbox 150.4 in January. I got 90 lbs of TBS sand and 50 lbs live rock ( I love this rock!) in addition to the rock from the the tank I was transitioning to and an additional 20 lbs from my lfs. You’re going to love this tank. Feel free to hit me up with any questions since this was pretty recent that I got it up and running. I’ll include my sump and refugium pictures to give you an idea.

 

[Red_Beard]

So we have a cleaning crew that comes in for an hour every 2 weeks.

Should I be concerned about their cleaning chemicals getting into the tank?

If so then is it traumatic to turn off the lights and cover the tank with a sheet for a few hours mid day every other week?

What kind of cleaning are they doing? Just normal stuff? Or hospital level sterilization? If its just normal stuff you are probably fine, id just ask them if they would not go crazy with spraying around the tank.

 

[Red_Beard]

Updated thread title! Pulled the trigger on the Waterbox Infinia 105.4! I really wanted to start with a regugium and the 110.4 seemed too tight.

Question - This rock on FB Marketplace close by me for $40. I know I'll need more but, is there any reason not to get this to start?

Awesome! That will be a nice setip! If you have your heart set on that rock, just make sure you clean it good beforehand. If you can get some actual live rock with it youll have an easier time with the uglies.

 

[jsanbor1]

OMG! OMG!! OMG!! - Finally got a Shipped Email. Ordered on 4/3. Shipped on 8/10.

Tracking info doesn't work yet but I'm guessing 6-9 weeks from now?

 

[kevgib67]

OMG! OMG!! OMG!! - Finally got a Shipped Email. Ordered on 4/3. Shipped on 8/10.

Tracking info doesn't work yet but I'm guessing 6-9 weeks from now?

Congratulations! I ordered mine in early November and got it in mid January. Worth the wait, someone is going to have a fun weekend!

 

[jsanbor1]

Congratulations! I ordered mine in early November and got it in mid January. Worth the wait, someone is going to have a fun weekend!

Thanks! Have you been happy with the Waterbox skimmer in there? I'm guessing it is the 270?

Would you get that one again I guess is my question? I have zero experience with skimmers.