Waterbox Peninsula 6025 Public Service Announcment / Looking For Feedback

Brewtoszek

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Hello Fellow Reefers!

I recently took delivery of a new Waterbox 6025 Peninsula tank which I'm very excited to start setting up! I plan to document the build in a thread once i get a little bit more content together.

I ran into a snag while setting up the stand that wasn't at all clear to me, so i figured I'd share with the larger community to hopefully prevent some of you from running into the same problem.

Despite Waterbox's claims that the 6025 and 7225 cabinet offers 'accessibility from both sides', that is not true for part of the cabinet that would house all of the electronics/controllers. That compartment ONLY has the door mounted on the left side(when looking down the length of the tank). There is no way to swap the fixed panel with the door in this location. For me, because i have an obstruction in that area, its no good!
1628033257550.png


I confirmed this with Waterbox today, they initially acknowledged that it was not clear on their webiste and that they'd request updates be made to the website. After asking for a small refund to cover the hardware of adding access to this side(which I also told them I'd do myself) they basically told me there is nothing wrong with how they have it specified and basically that its on me for not realizing this-very professional. Its almost like their ad is missing the * :D Not my company to run, but certainly a little skeptical now about how much they care about their customers.

Anyway, i dont want to dwell on the negatives here. I've got this awesome looking tank and I need some way to access the electronics/controllers. I'm torn between adding an access panel like these....
1628033569541.png
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Or a proper door that could be more easily opened and closed.

I guess the main question i have around this is how frequently would i need to access this area? I'm making the transition from an AIO system where i'll shutdown the powerheads for feeding, and some additional equipment for water changes. If my new system is more automated since i'm planning to use a controller such as the Apex, could i get by with a simple pannel that might be a little more involved to remove if i'm only going in there every week or so? Any others thoughts on how i could make this work for me?

Whatever i end up doing, I'll document it in the DIY section to help anyone else in the same boat as me.

As always - appreciate the input!!
 

ninjamyst

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I have a chance to buy an used waterbox peninsula for half the cost of new. I went to see it in person and noticed the same thing with the doors. What a dumb design. My advice is to put nothing in that part of the stand. I assume it's the part where the pipes are. You can mount your controllers on the outside of the stand or buy a small cabinet and put the controllers and wires in there. It's too late for you since you already received the tank...but I went with the Innovative Marine 200 peninsula with more water volume, aluminum stand, and doors on both sides.
 

Frostblitz20

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this is the exact tank im looking into buying when i buy a house.. thanks for the heads up
 
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Brewtoszek

Brewtoszek

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so this is kind of funny, after Waterbox told me that there is nothing wrong with the way they specified the product on their website and it was basically on me for not realizing it, they updated their ad(original in post #1)... I guess its still my fault for not realizing that :D

In any event, glad they corrected it, not so happy they left me hanging with the issue to figure it out on my own.

1628111951409.png
 

F i s h y

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Keep in mind that if you modify the stand in any way you could potentially void any warranty on the stand , tank, or both... if you have a warranty you may want to ask.
 
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Brewtoszek

Brewtoszek

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Keep in mind that if you modify the stand in any way you could potentially void any warranty on the stand , tank, or both... if you have a warranty you may want to ask.
Thats a very good point, and an awkward situation Waterbox has put me in to use the product as they've described i would be able to when i purchased it. Its a shame they wont step up and accept accountability.
 
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Brewtoszek

Brewtoszek

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Despite my best efforts of coming to a resolution with Waterbox, they're taking the 'blame the customer' approach. Certainly one of the most difficult companies I've ever had to resolve an issue with, especially considering the ask was effectively a refund equivalent to about 2% of the overall cost to cover materials. Way more than fair. Sharing this as a heads up to others that may be considering a Waterbox product. Looks like I'm not alone per the BBB rating.

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ninjamyst

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Glad I didn't get the used waterbox. I will never buy another big tank with wood stand. The used one was less than a year old and already one of the nails popped out. There is a reason why more and more companies are switching to aluminum. I have also heard about poor customer service from waterbox.

Did you figure out a way to change the stand so it's accessible from the other side?
 
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Brewtoszek

Brewtoszek

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Glad I didn't get the used waterbox. I will never buy another big tank with wood stand. The used one was less than a year old and already one of the nails popped out. There is a reason why more and more companies are switching to aluminum. I have also heard about poor customer service from waterbox.

Did you figure out a way to change the stand so it's accessible from the other side?
Aluminum would be nice, would probably make leveling a heck of a lot easier as well. The Waterbox stand has 28 feet. From what i can tell so far though, the hardware seems very nice. Can't comment on longevity at this point - fingers crossed!

After Waterbox confirmed this morning they had no interest in addressing my concerns nor taking the equipment back without a punitive restocking fee and shipping, I started to make the mods.

I decided on going with a door just because i wasn't sure how often I'd need to access, went on the side of 'frequently'. My plan is to paint it white/silicone it in place and re-enforce the opening with a welded steel frame. I'll share some details later this weekend when i get it all together.

Here is a picture of the door along with the link where i got it (Amazon)

1628288806050.png
 

ScampyTank

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a little late to the post but i ran into the exact same issue. very frustrating to pay top dollar for a tank that has such a resolvable design flaw...even if you could even choose which side that solid panel goes on it would make a difference. When I contacted waterbox it was the same thing like a shrug "sorry"!

did your mods work out? i wondered if this was used as one of the main supports for the tank.
 
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Brewtoszek

Brewtoszek

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a little late to the post but i ran into the exact same issue. very frustrating to pay top dollar for a tank that has such a resolvable design flaw...even if you could even choose which side that solid panel goes on it would make a difference. When I contacted waterbox it was the same thing like a shrug "sorry"!

did your mods work out? i wondered if this was used as one of the main supports for the tank.
Yeah, top dollar product with bottom dollar support. One of the WORST experiences i think i've ever had with a vendor. I'll personally never buy a Waterbox product again, nor will i ever recommend their products after i saw how quickly they will distance themselves when there is a problem.

The mod did work out fine, i ended up cutting an access hole in the panel where i wanted a door and supporting it with a steel frame, should more than make up for the loss in plywood in that area. Here are a few pictures of it.

Here is a pictures of the finished project, picture taken while the tank was filling
IMG-1891.jpg

Here are a few pics of the frame being built/installed

IMG-1862.jpg
IMG-1864.jpg
IMG-1867.jpg
 

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ScampyTank

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Yeah, top dollar product with bottom dollar support. One of the WORST experiences i think i've ever had with a vendor. I'll personally never buy a Waterbox product again, nor will i ever recommend their products after i saw how quickly they will distance themselves when there is a problem.

The mod did work out fine, i ended up cutting an access hole in the panel where i wanted a door and supporting it with a steel frame, should more than make up for the loss in plywood in that area. Here are a few pictures of it.

Here is a pictures of the finished project, picture taken while the tank was filling
IMG-1891.jpg

Here are a few pics of the frame being built/installed

IMG-1862.jpg
IMG-1864.jpg
that turned out really well and yeah probably a better support than the original plywood. this is great
 

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