stylolvr's Waterbox 20 Cube Build

[stylolvr]

So now it truly begins! Starting back in September, I've been slowly collecting equipment for my first reef tank build in about 5 years, and am now only a few steps away from getting this thing wet. Starting the custom stand assembly today spurred the motivation to start a build thread to track progress and get feedback and input from all of the experts here. I debated on which forum to house this in, but the AIO seems to be more specific than Nano or Cube, and from the research I've done on this forum, the AIOs present some unique challenges. So here goes.....

Equipment:
Waterbox 20 Cube
Custom DIY stand (details below)
AI Prime 16HD LED light
Nero 3 powerhead
Tunze Osmolator Nano 3152 ATO w/2.5-gallon reservoir (haven't purchased yet)
BRS 100W Titanium heater w/ InkBird controller
ADJ PC-110A power strip

I picked up a 20lb bag of CaribSea Fiji Pink today and will be aquascaping with roughly 20-25 pounds of live rock from my LFS, which happens to be the Winter Park WWC store.

Yesterday and today, I have been working on the stand. I am the son of a carpenter/general contractor (retired now but taught me everything I know!), so have some decent knowledge and ability, although nothing close to what my old man is capable of. I went back and forth on the design of the stand but opted for the 3/4" plywood cabinet style after reading about multiple success stories in the forums. My Kreg jig has gotten a workout, but it is coming together nicely. I will have a coat or two of Killz inside the whole stand (lesson learned from years ago in the hobby), and the exterior design is in line with our country-shaker-style home interior. So far, pieces are cut and mostly painted. The sides and back frame are assembled to the base, and a shelf is cut to install above the ATO and powerstrip to house equipment and testing supplies. I still have some figuring to do on the final layout and shelf placement, but it's nice to see some actual progress toward having this thing moving water.

I still need to figure out how to mount the ADJ power strip inside the stand. Some creative bracket will probably do the trick, just need to figure out what that looks like. Also, I'm planning on running the stock filter sock for now until it becomes a nuisance. We'll see how long I can go before transitioning to the media basket and filter floss. For now, a few photos:

First purchase of the whole process - the tank, back in September! It still lives in the box, but I'm hoping to have water in it before the Christmas holidays are over.


This is the base of the stand, just getting started yesterday afternoon.


Side panels w/ pocket holes (and a helpful daughter)


Sides and back assembled


I'll be back at the stand tomorrow, so hopefully some more progress shots after the sun goes down. Looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks. Cheers!

 

[Thereefdoc]

So now it truly begins! Starting back in September, I've been slowly collecting equipment for my first reef tank build in about 5 years, and am now only a few steps away from getting this thing wet. Starting the custom stand assembly today spurred the motivation to start a build thread to track progress and get feedback and input from all of the experts here. I debated on which forum to house this in, but the AIO seems to be more specific than Nano or Cube, and from the research I've done on this forum, the AIOs present some unique challenges. So here goes.....

Equipment:
Waterbox 20 Cube
Custom DIY stand (details below)
AI Prime 16HD LED light
Nero 3 powerhead
Tunze Osmolator Nano 3152 ATO w/2.5-gallon reservoir (haven't purchased yet)
BRS 100W Titanium heater w/ InkBird controller
ADJ PC-110A power strip

I picked up a 20lb bag of CaribSea Fiji Pink today and will be aquascaping with roughly 20-25 pounds of live rock from my LFS, which happens to be the Winter Park WWC store.

Yesterday and today, I have been working on the stand. I am the son of a carpenter/general contractor (retired now but taught me everything I know!), so have some decent knowledge and ability, although nothing close to what my old man is capable of. I went back and forth on the design of the stand but opted for the 3/4" plywood cabinet style after reading about multiple success stories in the forums. My Kreg jig has gotten a workout, but it is coming together nicely. I will have a coat or two of Killz inside the whole stand (lesson learned from years ago in the hobby), and the exterior design is in line with our country-shaker-style home interior. So far, pieces are cut and mostly painted. The sides and back frame are assembled to the base, and a shelf is cut to install above the ATO and powerstrip to house equipment and testing supplies. I still have some figuring to do on the final layout and shelf placement, but it's nice to see some actual progress toward having this thing moving water.

I still need to figure out how to mount the ADJ power strip inside the stand. Some creative bracket will probably do the trick, just need to figure out what that looks like. Also, I'm planning on running the stock filter sock for now until it becomes a nuisance. We'll see how long I can go before transitioning to the media basket and filter floss. For now, a few photos:

First purchase of the whole process - the tank, back in September! It still lives in the box, but I'm hoping to have water in it before the Christmas holidays are over.


This is the base of the stand, just getting started yesterday afternoon.


Side panels w/ pocket holes (and a helpful daughter)


Sides and back assembled


I'll be back at the stand tomorrow, so hopefully some more progress shots after the sun goes down. Looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks. Cheers!

The stand looks awesome . Nice and clean!

 

[Matt Miller]

That does look good, I wish I would've gone with a pocket jig and panels like that.

 

[stylolvr]

The stand looks awesome . Nice and clean!

Thanks, reefdoc! The pocket holes add a touch of professionalism for sure.

 

[stylolvr]

That does look good, I wish I would've gone with a pocket jig and panels like that.

I appreciate it, Matt! Perhaps there is a new build in your future??

 

[Matt Miller]

I appreciate it, Matt! Perhaps there is a new build in your future??

If all goes well tonight I start cycling so not anytime soon lol.

 

[stylolvr]

Got a bit more done on the stand today (yesterday was my wife's birthday, so the family spent the day celebrating her!). Added a shelf and a bracket to mount the power strip, and got the top attached after some fine-tune sanding. Still the shiplap sides and a door to complete, plus a bunch of finish sanding/painting, but I sat on it and it didn't fall apart. I'll chalk it up as a win for today! Now off for a [COVID-safe] date night with the birthday girl!!

Full shot

Shelf w/ notch for Inkibird mounting (more to come after the painting is finished)

 

[stylolvr]

Shlepped on some more paint today - almost done (sorry for the poor photo). I also cut the shiplap for the sides and added some brackets for additional shiplap that will cover the filter parts of the tank sides. Still some filler pieces needed for that once I actually set the tank on the stand. More to come on that. A few more things to finalize but im hoping I can get this thing wet and cycling before I have to go back to way to next Monday.

 

[stylolvr]

Spent a few hours on Sunday getting things [almost] finalized. Just a couple more small steps before I'll be able to get the tank/stand in its final resting place and start filling. I'm hoping to pick up the rock and water sometime this week and get the cycle started. I'm also excited to be able to get my garage back in order after this project is finished.

Shiplap sides (and eventually a door) to match the home decor. I used paint stirrers to ensure even spacing (and did the math for the stand height so that six 1x6s would fit just right).

I had to use some filler material to get the top shiplap flush with the tank sides. This was my wife's idea to add some lateral security for if/when my two 100lb dogs bump into it.....

First time the glass is on the stand!!

 

[Matt Miller]

Looking good! Still jealous of your stand, I'm still working on getting my door made and put on.

 

[stylolvr]

Looking good! Still jealous of your stand, I'm still working on getting my door made and put on.

Thank you, Sir! The door schedule will probably be dictated by my wife, who will get tired of looking at the inside of it while I am busy fussing with the fun stuff.

 

[Matt Miller]

Thank you, Sir! The door schedule will probably be dictated by my wife, who will get tired of looking at the inside of it while I am busy fussing with the fun stuff.

Lol, my kids hung a blanket over the front of mine after I put up LED strips inside. Apparently they were too bright so I turned them down a bit.

 

[stylolvr]

Still a bit of finish trim to take care of, but the glass has landed on the wood for what I hope to be the last time. I'm planning on making a trip to WWC later this week to pick up rock and water!

Once I get things hooked up and flowing, I will get a wider-angle shot of where it sits in the room.

Mostly still in boxes, but I hung the InkBird controller and need to get the power strip mounted. And of course, the door......

 

[stylolvr]

Picked up some egg crate to go under the rock this afternoon and will be getting my rock tomorrow! A small bottle of Dr. Tim’s One and Only will be arriving tomorrow also - I hope it’ll help expedite the cycle. I’m going to use WWC live rock but thought the bottled bacteria couldn’t hurt.

Next big step will be the aquascape tomorrow. I’ve never been a fan of epoxying rock together, so I’m hoping to be able to stack securely. I’ll go with epoxy if I feel it’s needed after things settle in a bit.

 

[Matt Miller]

Picked up some egg crate to go under the rock this afternoon and will be getting my rock tomorrow! A small bottle of Dr. Tim’s One and Only will be arriving tomorrow also - I hope it’ll help expedite the cycle. I’m going to use WWC live rock but thought the bottled bacteria couldn’t hurt.

Next big step will be the aquascape tomorrow. I’ve never been a fan of epoxying rock together, so I’m hoping to be able to stack securely. I’ll go with epoxy if I feel it’s needed after things settle in a bit.

I used Dr Tim's one and only, ammonia and some fish flakes for my cycle. I was done in 12ish days with no live rock.

Good luck with rock scaping, I spent a lot of time on mine and finally ended up with one I'm happy with.

 

[stylolvr]

I used Dr Tim's one and only, ammonia and some fish flakes for my cycle. I was done in 12ish days with no live rock.

Good luck with rock scaping, I spent a lot of time on mine and finally ended up with one I'm happy with.

I’m hoping a bit of die off from the rock will do, with some flake too if needed to keep the ammonia up a bit.

I like your scape. Hoping for something that provides some good spots for low, mid, and high light/flow areas to provide options for coral selection.

 

[stylolvr]

Aaaaaannnnd we have water! Picked up some rock from WWC today and am happy with the scape (a big thanks to my lovely wife who always has an eye for rock work!!). Light on for photo only - I’ll leave it off for the cycle. My Dr. Tim’s should arrive this evening and I’ve already thrown a couple flakes in to get everything started.

Wire management needs a bit of work, so more to come as things clear up. I’m also still deciding about what to house in the back chambers. Only a sock for now, but may throw the carbon in down the road. Not sure about the sponge filters yet.

After some frustration, I realize I might also need a photo filter of some sort to pick through the blue light with the iPhone.

 

[Matt Miller]

Aaaaaannnnd we have water! Picked up some rock from WWC today and am happy with the scape (a big thanks to my lovely wife who always has an eye for rock work!!). Light on for photo only - I’ll leave it off for the cycle. My Dr. Tim’s should arrive this evening and I’ve already thrown a couple flakes in to get everything started.

Wire management needs a bit of work, so more to come as things clear up. I’m also still deciding about what to house in the back chambers. Only a sock for now, but may throw the carbon in down the road. Not sure about the sponge filters yet.

After some frustration, I realize I might also need a photo filter of some sort to pick through the blue light with the iPhone.

Looks good, I like it! Give the wife a potb for the help.

What are you planning on stocking it with?

 

[stylolvr]

Right now the plan is a pair of clowns, some variety of a goby/shrimp pair, and a mix of zoos, LPS, and SPS down the road.

 

[stylolvr]

Things cleared up really nicely overnight. I added a 2oz bottle of Dr. Tim's and about 1/4 of a cube of Ocean Nutrition Formula One as a ghost feed. Now the testing andwaiting game ensues. I don't anticipate a long cycle with most of the rock having some good time in WWC's live rock system, but this is the most difficult part of getting set up, right?

Still playing around with Nero3 placement and flow. I currently have it set to variable flow (25%-80%) for most of the day with a 4-hour steady 80% flow in the night as BRS recommended. When I added the Formula One, I got to see how the water moves through the tank pretty well and am happy with it. I may have to dial the max flow back some, but the top of the arch seems to be a perfect spot for some SPS down the road.

Top Down. Trying to decide what to do with the little rock in the front. Maybe a zoa island of some sort. I've had luck in the past setting frag plugs next to/wedged under islands like that for easy fragging once it reaches capacity.