Zeki’s waterbox 100.3

[Zekireef]

Hi everyone,
I figured I’d post my build thread here!

preface:

I’m a new father now so responsibility knocked at the door leading to the process of shutting down a 7x2x2.5 foot reef tank (due to a crash) as I just don’t have the time or cash to give it the attention it needs haha!

Given I am fairly stubborn, that has led to me downsizing to a waterbox 100.3 which will be sps dominated with a few Zoa and gsp rocks. It will also give me the space I need to set up an AWC without drilling through brick and also the ability for me to setup a apex once my wife is back at work ( I work from home so I’m happy to knock out a bucket a day for water changes!)

as far as the setup, here’s what I’ll be running.

tank: waterbox 100.3
Return: wavelike 10000
Skimmer: reef octopus regal 200int
Lighting: 1 hydra 52hd, 2 Kessil a360 we 1 aquatic life hybrid
Flow: 1 Nero 5, 1 mp40, 1 jebao rw20 (will use the other 2 for mixing saltwater)
2 200w jager heaters for now

I’ll also be slapping on a chaeto reactor post cycle.

I’ve largely nuked my live rock to see if I can get a pest free tank, I had some aiptasia before so keen to live without it!

my livestock will be predominantly acro based with a few varieties of digitalis, a Setosa, a green cap and anacropora too!

fish wise I will be basing my list around;
2 occelaris clowns
1 ctenochaetus (Tomini or truncatus, a small strig(kole) just isn’t going to happen
5 dispar anthias
1 watanabe angel

I’m hoping this will give my skimmer some work!

Here are a few pics of my old reef tank post crash attached.

 

[blaxsun]

Good luck with the new addition... and the tank, of course.

 

[Zekireef]

Good luck with the new addition... and the tank, of course.

Thanks!
I’ve got a few more pics of the frags I’ve salvaged/kept for the new tank.

I’ve currently got an occelaris clown in the tank (which is very naughty!)

but hear me out! I’m actually going to run a course of Hypo in the DT for the clown, ctenochaetus and some anthias.

I have some Marine pure cycling at the moment in preparation for the QT, I’ll slowly ramp up the salinity of the DT and I’ll use the 4-5 month cycle of my love rock as a means of running a fallow period for my corals.

The clown is tank bred, but I’m pretty narky about QTing my fish so it’ll be qt’d regardless!

 

[blaxsun]

You've got some really nice corals to start over with. Yeah, clownfish are evil. Stupid, but evil. I have a pair of $2,500 clownfish. I didn't pay that for them - but that's the value in other clownfish that they've killed. And it ticks up every few months...

 

[Zekireef]

You've got some really nice corals to start over with. Yeah, clownfish are evil. Stupid, but evil. I have a pair of $2,500 clownfish. I didn't pay that for them - but that's the value in other clownfish that they've killed. And it ticks up every few months...

Coming from a Blueface angel that beat the snot out of a few purple tangs and a lennardi wrasse… I know what you mean by total cost haha!

 

[Zekireef]

Alright! I’ve ticked off the ctenochaetus, picking up a binotatus today along with a bucket of salt! Pics attached. I know binotatus are one of the larger ctenochaetus, but It was a lucky find finding one so small and readily eating on the day I happen to be buying salt! so I will be rehoming this guy if it ever gets too big, and replacing with a tomini.

I’ll break convention and give the tang a name, I’m settling on butters, because everything ‘butter’ looks will be greatly appreciated haha!

In other news, I should be picking the waterbox up in a few weeks time!

 

[Zekireef]

Quick update!

move mocked up the rock work and it looks like it will do a decent job of allowing the coral to grow out.

I’m not too sure of the rock mound on the left, I might move it a smidge closer to the middle structure and squeeze in a small rock for some zoas and another smalle rock for GSP.

pics attached

 

[Zekireef]

Quick update!

I ordered in frags in preparation for the new tank:

I ordered a red polyp Dallas acropora (like the green Slimers) and Oliver at Reeflections aquatics chucked in another Millie so the trip wasn’t a lonely one haha!

I also figured I’d attached a photo of one of the crash survivors and how it’s colouring back up!

 

[Zekireef]

Some bad news and more goods news.

I had a solid chunk of RTN for my Acros, which I’m attributing to a dip in pH atm, luckily my red polyp Dallas acro has pulled through, but I’ll be getting another piece next year as a backup! My digis,cap and hirsuta are all doing fine so they’ll be good addition to the new system!

Onto the good news, I’ll be moving off the 260 gal and replacing with the waterbox next Saturday! I’m looking forward to it as it will give me to opportunity to QT the tang and clown again and start adding some more fish!

 

[Zekireef]

Some bad news and more goods news.

I had a solid chunk of RTN for my Acros, which I’m attributing to a dip in pH atm, luckily my red polyp Dallas acro has pulled through, but I’ll be getting another piece next year as a backup! My digis,cap and hirsuta are all doing fine so they’ll be good addition to the new system!

Onto the good news, I’ll be moving off the 260 gal and replacing with the waterbox next Saturday! I’m looking forward to it as it will give me to opportunity to QT the tang and clown again and start adding some more fish!

Ps: I have also banked most of my acros so I’ll replace the frags once this tank is ready and stable!

 

[Zekireef]

Alright!! Quick update! The waterbox is here and I’ve set up the stand/cabinet! Now to get the 7 footer out haha! I’m just waiting for days to align so I can get some extra hands for lifting

 

[Zekireef]

Quick update: stand is in place!! Sump and tank to come in tomorrow after I slap on a new coat of paint on the wall.

 

[Zekireef]

I’ve also updated my stocking list:


2 occelaris clowns
1 ctenochaetus
6 Vanderbilt or barrier reef chromis
1 watanabe angel
1 sunburst anthias
3 cirrhilabrus (atm looking at a trio of lineatus, laboutei, monsoon or naoko)
4-5 other small and cryptic fish

 

[Zekireef]

Tank is finally in place!! I definitely dragged my feet with this but, I’ve got a great interim solution for cable management and the lighting setup is looking good too!

move also lined up a tank hardened and qt’d flame hawkfish to take up one of my cryptic fish spots!

 

[Zekireef]

All filled up, and rocks added now!!
I’ll be adding the zoas and GSP into the tank later this week and then the sps in a couple of weeks.

but it’s good to see this tank progressing!

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Nice! Following!

 

[Zekireef]

Another update, mcClane (the bristletooth) and the clownfish are now in the display! And all corals have been moved over.
I’ll be finishing the mesh cover this week and will look at adding another fish in a fortnight!

but so far glad to see the tank progressing!!

 

[Zekireef]

Alright!!! Ugly stage coming right on time! I’m hoping to weasel through this stage so I can add some of the acros I want in the next couple of months!

 

[Zekireef]

Alright another update!

tank is going well, with the ugly stage being pretty sedate atm!

touch wood it’s a smooth transition to mature rock haha!

move also got the dilemma of what I add as the next fish. An orange spot blenny has popped up at my friend’s store along with some lineatus wrasse and vanderbilts chromis. I’m leaning toward the orange spot blenny atm but in too many minds haha!!!
Also, obligatory pics attached haha

 

[Zekireef]

Alright! Quick update! Tank is good solid and I’ve popped in a few more frags with some frags also lined up on the weekend .

I also picked up a small, and eating watanabe Angel so I’m running her through QT for the month and then adding her to the reef !

my favourite update is the rainbow Millie I was able to find again is starting to build ou

also what would an update be without pics!!?!??!??! Haha