Waterbox 20G build

[Gargamell]

Well I'm back for a third time, got the itch again. I still have a bunch of equipment from my last build I just got rid of my tank then got lazy selling everything else. I found a waterbox 20 on Facebook with a bunch of items for really cheap so I picked it up. It had a primehd which I might or might not use I have a noops from my last tank. it came with ato, power heads and a Kraken lid. I had an old hutch that had recently worked for my I'm 20 but different dimensions. I was going to bite the bullet and get the waterbox stand but read some bad reviews (but we know how that goes) so it is tough to find a 18x18 stand. I found a cheap stand at Petco that will work for now hopefully. not the best quality but we will see.

 

[kevgib67]

Welcome back!

 

[Gargamell]

I spent the last couple of days working on the dry rock scape, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. I used JB Water Weld and Nyos reef cement to secure everything. I’ve already mixed up the saltwater and am hoping to get the tank wet and start the cycle tomorrow night. It’s hard to stay patient when I’m this excited to get things moving, but I know it's all part of the process!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along! Can't wait to see how your tank comes together!

 

[Gargamell]

the day is here, time to fill the tank and add fish and coral(just kidding) I did get the sand and water in and my pump and power heads in I upgraded the pump to one of these small hygger pump on prime day.got the ato setup and got my ammonia in, dosing starter bacteria and aqua forest life source. picked up some soaked media from BRS which is new for me to use we will see. I am probably going to get some rubble and sand from a reefer friend to get some real bacteria in here. Last time I started a tank with dry rock I had a pretty big dino outbreak, trying to avoid that this time around.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

the day is here, time to fill the tank and add fish and coral(just kidding) I did get the sand and water in and my pump and power heads in I upgraded the pump to one of these small hygger pump on prime day.got the ato setup and got my ammonia in, dosing starter bacteria and aqua forest life source. picked up some soaked media from BRS which is new for me to use we will see. I am probably going to get some rubble and sand from a reefer friend to get some real bacteria in here. Last time I started a tank with dry rock I had a pretty big dino outbreak, trying to avoid that this time around.

Congrats on getting the tank wet! Good luck with the cycle!

 

[Gargamell]

well it's been a week so I decided to run some test tonight to see where my cycle is at.
my ammonia is down to .50 ppm, my nitrite is somewhere between 2-5 ppm these API test colors for nitrite look the same color for 2-5 ppm, my nitrates are at 40 ppm and looks like my phosphate are lower than .25 ppm per my test, I am taking this one as a grain of salt until I get new regents for my hanna. making some progress after the first week

 

[Gargamell]

with a new tank like this with all dry everything rock and sand, I was thinking about ordering some gulf live rock grunge, I read some post on here about it. Do you think that would be sufficient or should I throw some rubble in the order also? the only issue with the rubble is I would just throw it in the back chamber so I feel like there would be some die off with no light on it. I just want to make sure my nutrients don't bottom out as I had a bad dino outbreak once from this happening