Sean's Waterbox Platinum 130.4 Build

[PookieGV]

Really like the auqascape

 

[Hurdbird88]

Looking great. Tagging along.

Thanks! Much appreciated. Glad to have you aboard!

 

[Hurdbird88]

Really like the auqascape

Thanks! It actually came together kind of quickly because I got rock that worked with what I was thinking design wise. I like island approaches but my goal is a shelf of SPS in the center for this tank.

 

[justmee]

Nice build!!

You are definitely brave by having your build on top of carpet...

 

[Hurdbird88]

Nice build!!

You are definitely brave by having your build on top of carpet...

Yes... haha. The only spot I have carpet in my house is in my man cave but this was by far the best spot for the tank for a lot of reasons. Don’t share your thoughts with my wife either because the carpets brand new... Minus leaks, any other issues with carpet? I have a piece of thick poly, that I already cut to fit around stand for maintenance drips, etc but it’ll be a constant battle I’m sure. Neptune leak detectors going everywhere as well.

 

[fishybizzness]

Let the starboard silicone set for 24 hrs with the weight on it and it seems to have set really well. No loose sections. Very happy with it. Pictures make it look grey but it has a nice black color in person.

Drilled out my 10g tank with the ESHOPPS eclipse overflow for the remote refugium. Happy with the kit and super simple install.

Set the finish control board in the cabinet as well. Tough to get good pictures with the cabinet lights on but worked out well. Still have room in front for storage / other equipment and power block mounting behind. Thinking about adding an exhaust fan to pull air out around the power blocks as well.

Waiting for a few final fittings to come in to plumb the return lines up and then we’re getting salty!!!

I would run a small bead of silicone around the edge of the starboard to seal it completely. I'm figuring that if water gets under it it could create a dead zone and cause problems in the long run

 

[justmee]

Yes... haha. The only spot I have carpet in my house is in my man cave but this was by far the best spot for the tank for a lot of reasons. Don’t share your thoughts with my wife either because the carpets brand new... Minus leaks, any other issues with carpet? I have a piece of thick poly, that I already cut to fit around stand for maintenance drips, etc but it’ll be a constant battle I’m sure. Neptune leak detectors going everywhere as well.

New carpets too...!!! You are definitely braver then I thought... May the force be with you...

 

[Hurdbird88]

I would run a small bead of silicone around the edge of the starboard to seal it completely. I'm figuring that if water gets under it it could create a dead zone and cause problems in the long run

Thanks Fishy. That was my concern too. I put a thick, continuous bead underneath the entire edge of the starboard and concentrated on setting this edge to avoid this but I may still seal the outside edges again to be sure. If it sealed good which it seems it did, I should be able to just vacuum this during water changes. Also did a back and forth strip in the center of this solid outside strip to hold it down throughout.

 

[Hurdbird88]

Thoughts on this return plumbing / manifold set up? Any comments for improvement? Tight on space and have to convert to standard plumbing because of Waterbox.

Notes:
- 10g remote fuge and calcium reactor will live directly behind the tank in the mechanical room. Thinking about keeping this feed line 3/4” to allow for future possibilities of adding something else off this. I will be putting a gate valve and 1/2” Neptune flow meter on this line. 1” drain off of ESHOPPS overflow. Should the fuge drain back into skimmer section?

- (2) 1/2” feeds for carbon and GFO reactors will have 1/2” gate valves and reactors will sit in sump or be supported above tank somehow. Going with the Aquamax standard reactors with barb fitting connections for now. Worth just flipping to RODI style push connect now or keep barb connections?

- Will have at least a foot to 16” of flex tubing between M1 return pump and barb return connecting to mitigate vibration issues.

Thanks in advance!

 

[fishybizzness]

Thoughts on this return plumbing / manifold set up? Any comments for improvement? Tight on space and have to convert to standard plumbing because of Waterbox.

Notes:
- 10g remote fuge and calcium reactor will live directly behind the tank in the mechanical room. Thinking about keeping this feed line 3/4” to allow for future possibilities of adding something else off this. I will be putting a gate valve and 1/2” Neptune flow meter on this line. 1” drain off of ESHOPPS overflow. Should the fuge drain back into skimmer section?

- (2) 1/2” feeds for carbon and GFO reactors will have 1/2” gate valves and reactors will sit in sump or be supported above tank somehow. Going with the Aquamax standard reactors with barb fitting connections for now. Worth just flipping to RODI style push connect now or keep barb connections?

- Will have at least a foot to 16” of flex tubing between M1 return pump and barb return connecting to mitigate vibration issues.

Thanks in advance!

If possible, the flow meter should have a straight run of pipe on each end between the flow meter and any fittings to assure an accurate reading. Not sure if you have the space though.

 

[onetootreefor]

Thoughts on this return plumbing / manifold set up? Any comments for improvement? Tight on space and have to convert to standard plumbing because of Waterbox.

Notes:
- 10g remote fuge and calcium reactor will live directly behind the tank in the mechanical room. Thinking about keeping this feed line 3/4” to allow for future possibilities of adding something else off this. I will be putting a gate valve and 1/2” Neptune flow meter on this line. 1” drain off of ESHOPPS overflow. Should the fuge drain back into skimmer section?

- (2) 1/2” feeds for carbon and GFO reactors will have 1/2” gate valves and reactors will sit in sump or be supported above tank somehow. Going with the Aquamax standard reactors with barb fitting connections for now. Worth just flipping to RODI style push connect now or keep barb connections?

- Will have at least a foot to 16” of flex tubing between M1 return pump and barb return connecting to mitigate vibration issues.

Thanks in advance!

Not sure which model you have, but the newer platinum waterbox plumbing come with a ½ inch threaded input on the return line Tee already. I emailed them the other day and they confirmed the nut is ½" threaded input so you won't have to convert much unless you want to truly run ¾" off your return line.

 

[DoctaReef]

Thoughts on this return plumbing / manifold set up? Any comments for improvement? Tight on space and have to convert to standard plumbing because of Waterbox.

Notes:
- 10g remote fuge and calcium reactor will live directly behind the tank in the mechanical room. Thinking about keeping this feed line 3/4” to allow for future possibilities of adding something else off this. I will be putting a gate valve and 1/2” Neptune flow meter on this line. 1” drain off of ESHOPPS overflow. Should the fuge drain back into skimmer section?

- (2) 1/2” feeds for carbon and GFO reactors will have 1/2” gate valves and reactors will sit in sump or be supported above tank somehow. Going with the Aquamax standard reactors with barb fitting connections for now. Worth just flipping to RODI style push connect now or keep barb connections?

- Will have at least a foot to 16” of flex tubing between M1 return pump and barb return connecting to mitigate vibration issues.

Thanks in advance!

This is very similar to what I'm planning for my RSR 425XL (on order). I have the same idea for the fuge with that overflow, too. My plan is to T off the return through the wall to the unfinished part of the basement, then make branches off on that side for a BRS Carbon/GFO reactor & Refugium, but I'm going to add extra ball or gate valves for at least a future frag tank and UV sterilizer. This way I can get at everything and I have alot more room to play with.
I just asked that question about the fuge return in a separate thread today, and i have two votes so far for it returning, if possible, between the skimmer and return, basically into the baffle where there is a sponge/mat.

 

[Hurdbird88]

If possible, the flow meter should have a straight run of pipe on each end between the flow meter and any fittings to assure an accurate reading. Not sure if you have the space though.

I tried finding a manual on the flow meter that would suggest mininum dimensions but couldn’t find anything. I’ve installed a ton of flow meters on big mechanical systems for work and there’s always minimim straight pipe lengths before so I will definitely be trying to maximize but space is definitely tight.

 

[Hurdbird88]

Not sure which model you have, but the newer platinum waterbox plumbing come with a ½ inch threaded input on the return line Tee already. I emailed them the other day and they confirmed the nut is ½" threaded input so you won't have to convert much unless you want to truly run ¾" off your return line.

Mine does have a 1/2” threaded on it but it wasn’t going to work from the layout I’m going for so I’m going to convert it all. I decided this after I pulled the drain gate valve off and painted red haha. If anyone wants the stock plumbing, let me know.

 

[Hurdbird88]

This is very similar to what I'm planning for my RSR 425XL (on order). I have the same idea for the fuge with that overflow, too. My plan is to T off the return through the wall to the unfinished part of the basement, then make branches off on that side for a BRS Carbon/GFO reactor & Refugium, but I'm going to add extra ball or gate valves for at least a future frag tank and UV sterilizer. This way I can get at everything and I have alot more room to play with.
I just asked that question about the fuge return in a separate thread today, and i have two votes so far for it returning, if possible, between the skimmer and return, basically into the baffle where there is a sponge/mat.

Appreciate it Docta! I was thinking of returning right before the sponge to help avoid any micro bubble issues. I will be doing the same and leaving off a valve for a future UV or other equipment at some point. Much more room in the mechanical room haha.

 

[DoctaReef]

Appreciate it Docta! I was thinking of returning right before the sponge to help avoid any micro bubble issues. I will be doing the same and leaving off a valve for a future UV or other equipment at some point. Much more room in the mechanical room haha.

That's exactly why I asked the same question... do I want pods or microbubbles in the DT?
Looks like we are living parallel reefing lives... I'll be interested to see how your reef turns out!

 

[fishybizzness]

I tried finding a manual on the flow meter that would suggest mininum dimensions but couldn’t find anything. I’ve installed a ton of flow meters on big mechanical systems for work and there’s always minimim straight pipe lengths before so I will definitely be trying to maximize but space is definitely tight.

I found this in a download I had from Neptune. Hope it helps.

 

[Hurdbird88]

I found this in a download I had from Neptune. Hope it helps.

Thanks Fishy! I definitely won't be getting 5" or so but I'll try and maximize it. At the end of the day, the flow meter is for informational purposes only and I do not need it for critical operation of the tank. It will be used for alarm purposes and monitored for steadiness to identify potential pump issues or maintenance being required. They are also just cool... haha. The smaller flow meter on the fuge return line will be more important in my mind.

 

[Hurdbird88]

To finish out my build, I need to select a calcium reactor setup. I have been looking at the Reef Octopus Varios CR140 / 200. The CR140 is only rated for 100 gallons of heavy alk usage while the 200 is rated for 200 gallons. I would love to be able to stuff this tank with SPS at some point. Thoughts or anyone have experience with these products? Is the Varios pump adjustability worth the cost?

Looking at the aquarium plant life CO2 regulator as well and controlling by another PH probe off the Apex. I already have CO2 bottles used for my prior indoor grow set up. The plants loved CO2 as well haha!

 

[mch1984]

Just found the build and read through and caught up. Already looking good and I'm glad I got on board before there was water. I think the remote bigger fuge was a good idea and the little eshopps overflows are good. Plus with it being behind the tank in another room you wont have to worry about the annoying red light when your enjoying the tank.

No issues on carpet other than the spills. I have a 180 freshwater on carpet and it's fine. I also have a 50 gallon frag tank on carpet and just the other day it dumped about 10 gallons of water and the whole house smells bad right now. I just about have it dried out and will be shampooing around the tank best I can to help get the smell out. Just be careful of spills on the carpet.

I can't comment on the calcium reactor, I plan on adding one when I do my garage take over but haven't used one to this point.