BuddhaReef
Community Member
Hello Reef2Reef!
This will be a thread about (and to document) my Waterbox 60.2. I started reefing about 8 years ago with a 5g pico reef. A few tanks between then and now, and I have had my Waterbox 60.2 running for about 3 years, with rock from my original setups!
Due to life challenges, equipment challenges, hurricanes, and poor life choices, it fell into disrepair.
In the past 6 months, I have quit drinking, and got a new job (coincidentally at a LFS,) which has reignited my passion and care for my tank. Here is a GIF of a few months of reef rehabilitation:
And, here is the tank today: Dec 7th 2023
And now, September 6th:
This tank is still a work in progress, but I am happy with how far it has come, and look forward to how far it can go!
Equipment:
Fish
Inverts and CUC
Corals and clams
Trials and tribulations
When I started my rehab (of the tank!), I was battling NO3 in the 180ppm range, and it was riddled with hair algea. A few months of 50% water changes, GFO sucking PO4 out of my rock and sand, manual removal, and ravenous herbivores, I believe I have gotten the upper hand on both high nutrients, and pest algea!
Equipment wise, I started this tank with an IceCap K1 skimmer that I could never dial in, and chinese black box lights that I either roasted, or underlit coral. I also used crappy powerheads with no adjustability, and probably did not have enough flow through my display. Over the last 6 months, I have upgraded to the equipment above, and have also started controlling temperature better, as I had been running at 81⁰!
Current chemistry, issues, and methodology
As of today, my numbers look like:
35ppt Salinity
NO3 21.2
PO4 .03
Alk 8.7
Ca 430
Mg 1380
I setup my Radion, and with it decided to turn the tank into an SPS dominant display. After adding some more light intensive inhabitants, notably the Crocea and some Acros, I decided to PAR map my tank. To my suprise, I was barely pushing 250 PAR at the top of my rocks with the Radion pushing AB+ at 99%!! I decided to add 2 cheap 30w amazon LEDs, and am now pushing a comfortable 400 at the top of my rocks.
The one down/upside of the Radion, is that it pushes an INCREDIBLY even spread throughout my 24" x 19" x 19" display. No spot on my rocks, even before supplemental lighting, is under 150 PAR, and as such I have run into issues with corals such as Cyphastrea. As far as I have been able to tell, Cyphastrea is the only species that I am having issues with in my tank so far.
My current methodology is slow changes, and stability as a key. I am fine with my NO3 and PO4 levels where they are, and I believe the nutrients support my high lighting and flow. I do about 10% water changes weekly, and dose Alk, Ca, and NoPox through a doser, and I top Mg monthly (thanks RMM!)
I have my Neros blasting 100% with child and parent pulse settings, with the Nero 3 chasing the Nero 5 at a 90⁰ phase. I use the old Jeabo to bring flow through the back of my rock work. My Radion blast 99% AB+, with my supplemental lights on for about 7 hours to up the peak photoperoid.
Phew, if you made it this far, thanks!! I'll keep this thread updated, I'll post some of my favorite inhabitants, give you all a sneak peak of the perks of working at the LFS!
This will be a thread about (and to document) my Waterbox 60.2. I started reefing about 8 years ago with a 5g pico reef. A few tanks between then and now, and I have had my Waterbox 60.2 running for about 3 years, with rock from my original setups!
Due to life challenges, equipment challenges, hurricanes, and poor life choices, it fell into disrepair.
In the past 6 months, I have quit drinking, and got a new job (coincidentally at a LFS,) which has reignited my passion and care for my tank. Here is a GIF of a few months of reef rehabilitation:
And, here is the tank today: Dec 7th 2023
And now, September 6th:
This tank is still a work in progress, but I am happy with how far it has come, and look forward to how far it can go!
Equipment:
- Waterbox 60.2 Marine X
- Sicce Silent 3.0 return (liars!)
- Radion XR15 Blue G6
- Hygger 30w LED (supplemental, Radion is a little weak!)
- Nero 5 and Nero 3 running phased pulse
- Jeabo SOW wavemaker through the rocks
- Klir DI-4 fleece roller
- Reef Octopus 110-int Classic
- TLF Phosban 150 reactor running GFO
- IceCap small CO2 scrubber
- Aquatop internal UV sterilizer
- Heater with controller, and fan run through Inkbird
- Jeabo doser
- Pair of clowns
- Firefish
- Royal Gramma
- Blue Green Chromis
- Springeri Dottyback
- Mandarin dragonet
- Pair of baby Benggai cardinals
- Six Line Wrasse
- Temporary baby Sailfin tang
- Neon Goby
Inverts and CUC
- Pincushion urchin
- Tuxedo urchin
- 10 astrea snails
- 10 throchus snails
- 10 Blue leg hermits
- 3 Mexican turbos
- 1 cleaner shrimp
- 2 female Emerald crabs
- 1 Serpent star
- Small Crocea clam
- Medium Maxima clams x 4
- Lots of Montipora digitata
- A few Monti. caps
- A couple encrusting Montis
- A couple Stylophoras
- A couple Seriatoporas
- A few Acroporas and Milleporas
- Assorted zoas
- One big Chalice
- One Goniopora
- One Frogspawn
- One Hammer
- A few Cyphastrea
- Various acros, tenuis, millies
Trials and tribulations
When I started my rehab (of the tank!), I was battling NO3 in the 180ppm range, and it was riddled with hair algea. A few months of 50% water changes, GFO sucking PO4 out of my rock and sand, manual removal, and ravenous herbivores, I believe I have gotten the upper hand on both high nutrients, and pest algea!
Equipment wise, I started this tank with an IceCap K1 skimmer that I could never dial in, and chinese black box lights that I either roasted, or underlit coral. I also used crappy powerheads with no adjustability, and probably did not have enough flow through my display. Over the last 6 months, I have upgraded to the equipment above, and have also started controlling temperature better, as I had been running at 81⁰!
Current chemistry, issues, and methodology
As of today, my numbers look like:
35ppt Salinity
NO3 21.2
PO4 .03
Alk 8.7
Ca 430
Mg 1380
I setup my Radion, and with it decided to turn the tank into an SPS dominant display. After adding some more light intensive inhabitants, notably the Crocea and some Acros, I decided to PAR map my tank. To my suprise, I was barely pushing 250 PAR at the top of my rocks with the Radion pushing AB+ at 99%!! I decided to add 2 cheap 30w amazon LEDs, and am now pushing a comfortable 400 at the top of my rocks.
The one down/upside of the Radion, is that it pushes an INCREDIBLY even spread throughout my 24" x 19" x 19" display. No spot on my rocks, even before supplemental lighting, is under 150 PAR, and as such I have run into issues with corals such as Cyphastrea. As far as I have been able to tell, Cyphastrea is the only species that I am having issues with in my tank so far.
My current methodology is slow changes, and stability as a key. I am fine with my NO3 and PO4 levels where they are, and I believe the nutrients support my high lighting and flow. I do about 10% water changes weekly, and dose Alk, Ca, and NoPox through a doser, and I top Mg monthly (thanks RMM!)
I have my Neros blasting 100% with child and parent pulse settings, with the Nero 3 chasing the Nero 5 at a 90⁰ phase. I use the old Jeabo to bring flow through the back of my rock work. My Radion blast 99% AB+, with my supplemental lights on for about 7 hours to up the peak photoperoid.
Phew, if you made it this far, thanks!! I'll keep this thread updated, I'll post some of my favorite inhabitants, give you all a sneak peak of the perks of working at the LFS!
Last edited:
