Upgrade: WaterBox Reef 130.4

[MR2MAS]

After 4 years in the hobby, it's finally time for an upgrade — I'm moving up to a WaterBox Reef 130.4!


Here's a link to my previous build for anyone interested:
44 Gallon Bow Front with 20 Gallon Custom Sump


I’ll admit I didn’t do the best job finishing that last build thread — but this time around, I’m going to make a real effort to document everything properly. I've learned a ton from this community, and hopefully this thread will give something back and help others as well.


I’ll be breaking this build down into several posts, each focused on a different part of the journey. I’m taking my time with this one to make sure every detail is done right.


Let’s get started!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along!

 

[MR2MAS]

Lighting Track System

The WaterBox came with quite a bit of gear, including two 47" Quanta Helix Light Bars — Meso Blue and OG Pop. I knew right away I wanted to pair these with the AI Prime 16HDs from my previous setup.

My goal was a lighting system that:

• Didn’t interfere with the tank lid
• Didn’t require hanging from the ceiling

I looked into both the EcoTech RMS and AI HMS mounts. While each had its pros and cons, nothing quite fit my needs.

Enter the 80/20 Solution

Shout out to @exnisstech who recommended going with a custom 80/20 track system! He wasn't kidding when he said it was like tinker toys for grown ups!

After weeks of reading, watching videos, and sketching out ideas, I finally pulled the trigger. I went with a wall-mounted “T” configuration using 1515 series extrusions. These extrusions are compact but incredibly strong — and in my opinion, offer a super clean look.

Did I over-engineer it? Probably.
But I didn’t want to leave anything to chance.

The lights are mounted about 11” above the tank, with the flexibility to raise or lower them if needed. Here’s a shot of the track system mounted to the wall — I was lucky to hit three studs, so it's rock solid.

Light Rails

I’ve been following Kris Cleven on Instagram for a while. He runs an Etsy shop where he sells some really clever designs, including Adjustable Aquarium Light Mounts.

I picked up a set made specifically for the Quanta Helix bars and 15/15 track — and they’re perfect.

Quick tip:
The mounts place the lights about 4” below the top of the extrusion, so if you go this route, make sure to factor that into your height planning. Here's a side-view shot so you can see the clearance.

I like to tinker with CAD and print useful components for the tank on my 3D printer. I designed custom mounts for the AI Prime 16HDs, which are suspended from the center extrusion. But I’ll dive deeper into that setup in a future post!

 

[MR2MAS]

Aquascaping
So apparently I'm not very creative! lol! I ran into a slump when I was trying to create my aquascapes. The tank came with a ton of dry rock, so I wanted to see if I could create a negative space aquascape. This took me allot longer than I anticipated. But then again, I wasn't in a rush during this build. I wanted to take my time and be sure I was happy with everything.

I used a combination of BRS Extra Thick Super Glue Gel and E-Marco-400 Aquascaping Mortor. I bought some acrylic tubes, but ended up not using them.

One of the lessons learned from my previous tank was pre-drilling holes in various spots, so I can just drop in frag plugs everywhere.

I decided to go with three main aquascapes all together. I only needed to make two since I'm planning to move the main structure from my old tank into this one. Plus give me the benefit of seeding this tank quicker.

I plan on dropping in smaller rocks around these fixtures to create little islands my coral will grow on. But this is something I can do once I put everything together.

 

[MR2MAS]

Equipment List

Return Pump
This setup came with a Simplicity 3200. I really don't see a need to change this, so I plan on using this. I plan on running a mixed reef, so even at 50% this pump will do just fine.

Heaters
I decided to go with two 300W Titanium Heaters from BRS. They will be controlled by my InkBird WiFi ITC-308

Filtration
In my current setup, I'm running a Klir DI-4 Fleece Roller. Just so happen, this tank came with one as well! Still haven't decided if two is overkill, but why not? I thought about running them in a Master/Slave setup, but decided not to because I will be burning through both rolls of fleece equally. Because of this, I decided to run them independently.

The previous owner of this WaterBox was very generous. So I also came with two 10" canister filters. I plan on adding one to my RODI setup making it a 5-stage filter and the second one will be used on the tank as a carbon filter.

Protein Skimmer
I'll be planning on moving over my Reef Octopus Classic 110-S

Powerheads
I used a pair of SLW-10 in my old setup and they did not disappoint. With that being said, I heard allot of good things about their DMP line. So I decided to get a pair of DMP-30M's. More than likely, I'll be using the DMP's on the side of the tank and the SLW's on the back of the tank. Can't have too much flow right?

UV Sterilizer
This part I'm still debating... I'm currently running an Aqua UV 15W Advantage 2000 Sterilizer. Obviously this will be underpowered in my new build, but what if I run two of them? For the time being, I will run this guy, but I think I will be making a three way manifold and plumb two of these hanging off the back of the display tank.

I think that's enough for now. LOL! I still have all my dosing plans to cover another time.

In terms of controllers, I haven't pulled the trigger yet. But when I do, more than likely I'll be going with the HYDROS line. I like their modular approach and I think it'll work well with my mixing setup.