New 150 Waterbox Build

kfries · Oct 24, 2024

After several years of small tanks my wife and I have finally agreed on a large tank for our home. We ordered a Waterbox 150.4. We are very excited to get this set up and transfer things over from our Nuvo 20. The tank should arrive in a couple of weeks from our LFS. Shoutout to Dominick at Tidewalker Aquarium in Stow Ohio for getting us hooked up on the aquarium.
I am still sorting out what equipment we want to run in this. I travel during the week often so I need to keep the maintenance as easy as possible for my wife when I am gone.
With this being a big step up in size, how are most people with larger tanks managing water changes? For the 20G I can use a couple of small buckets. I have an unfinished basement and I was considering running a drain line in behind the wall. I have my water station in the basement and I could possibly run a line from my mixing station to my tank. Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated. I would like to set up something before I have the tank in place.

kfries · Oct 25, 2024

For equipment here's what I am planning to use:
Lights: 2x Hydra 32s (I already have one)
Pump: Ventral S2
Power Heads: 2x Nero 3 (I already own these)
Orbit 4
Simmer: RS Reefer DC 300
Heater: Looking for recommendations. I have an ink bird controller
ATO: Reef Breeders. I have one that's been running well and a spare one as well.
Controller: Mostly using Mobius for feed mode. Kasa to set timers and turns things on/off for maintenance. Apex Jr. For pH, temp, level and leak detection.
That's it for now. Trying to go super simple. May add some doing equipment later on. I am working on my stocking list. I have a well stocked 20 that needs to be moved into tjis once it is cycled. Open to Heater, pump and skimmer recommendations. Ilikw the mobius controls and the Kasa wifi outlets have been working g well for me.

mch1984 · Oct 25, 2024

Have you looked into using Apex DOS for automatic water changes? With the basement and a water station you have a place to store premixed salt water which would make it pretty easy. I'm no where close to my RODI and don't have the room for a mixing station. So my automatic water change will be via two hidden 5 gallon buckets. I'm not an expert on it, I'm still putting mine together and have never ran auto water change on previous tanks. But I'm going to set it up on this one.

jimfish98 · Oct 25, 2024

I have the 130.4 and for water changes I have a 20g brute that I just fill via 5g buckets. I drain the water out the window near the tank and refill via the brute. In this case I am not going into a measured container to see how much I am removing, so if you go that route, mark the tank. When I got my 40g brute to hold RODI, I took a metered garden hose and filled it up marking every 5g with a sharpie. After setting up my hard scape and filling the display the first time, I put a strip of blue painters tape along the back corner and drained out water. When the brute filled to the 5g line, I marked the tape, continuing until I hit the 40g mark. I just pumped all that salt water back in and had a guide on the side of the tank for all water changes. It's a little off with inhabitants and coral, but I would rather have a little more salt water mixed than run short.

If you want to be hands off, get a roller mat in there.