Waterbox Marine AIO 40.2 Build (by ingchr1)

[ingchr1]

Over the past couple of months I changed out the lighting. While the Mitras LX7 is a very good light and is aesthetically pleasing I just couldn't seam to get it to where I really liked how the tank was lit. The LED just had too much shimmer for my liking and I could see ever so slight light separation. I think the screen top could have played a partial role in this. I spent way too much time adjusting and worrying about the lighting.

My solution was to first get an ATI 4-bulb Sunpower. I was running the Sunpower with (2) Blue Plus, Coral Plus and Actinic. I then added a Reef Brite XHO Actinic Blue to the front of the Sunpower. I really liked the addition of the XHO so I decided to add a second to the rear.

For my tank two XHO and four T5 would be too much light (roughly equivalent to eight T5) so I stopped running the two Blue Plus bulbs. The configuration was now (2) XHO, Coral Plus and Actinic. With the fixture mounted around 8" above the water I was able to achieve my PAR goal of 120-130 PAR on the sandbed.

The 4-bulb fixture and (2) XHO created a couple of "problems".

The first was to have an even spread into the tank from the T5's I wanted them to be the two center bulbs in the fixture. I fixed this by rewiring the ballasts so the center bulbs were a pair and the outer bulbs were a pair.

The second was the rear XHO hung too far back and around half the light was spilling out the back of the tank (see last photo). The display area of the tank is 18" wide. I tried angling the rear XHO forward for a time to make the 4-bulb fixture work, but this resulted in light shining into the eyes.

The only solution I could see at this point was to get a Reef Brite Supra Slimline dual lamp fixture.

I have the fixture mounted 8" from the waterline and I'm seeing PAR in the 130 range. I was a little concerned with what the aesthetics of fixture may be since I couldn't find any photos of one installed, but I think it looks just fine. When looking straight on you don't even see the T5's.

Since installing the T5s just over three months ago I've noticed increased growth and corresponding increase in consumption to where I've started dosing. I'm dosing BRS soda ash and calcium chloride along with Tropic Marine Part C. I'm manually dosing 7.5ml of each per day, maintaining alkalinity around 8.0 and calcium around 420.

I'm having a hard time taking any decent photos in the tank, once I do I'll post some up and update what's going on inside the tank.

4-Bulb ATI with Two XHO

 

[diabolical_clownfish]

Over the past couple of months I changed out the lighting. While the Mitras LX7 is a very good light and is aesthetically pleasing I just couldn't seam to get it to where I really liked how the tank was lit. The LED just had too much shimmer for my liking and I could see ever so slight light separation. I think the screen top could have played a partial role in this. I spent way too much time adjusting and worrying about the lighting.

My solution was to first get an ATI 4-bulb Sunpower. I was running the Sunpower with (2) Blue Plus, Coral Plus and Actinic. I then added a Reef Brite XHO Actinic Blue to the front of the Sunpower. I really liked the addition of the XHO so I decided to add a second to the rear.

For my tank two XHO and four T5 would be too much light (roughly equivalent to eight T5) so I stopped running the two Blue Plus bulbs. The configuration was now (2) XHO, Coral Plus and Actinic. With the fixture mounted around 8" above the water I was able to achieve my PAR goal of 120-130 PAR on the sandbed.

The 4-bulb fixture and (2) XHO created a couple of "problems".

The first was to have an even spread into the tank from the T5's I wanted them to be the two center bulbs in the fixture. I fixed this by rewiring the ballasts so the center bulbs were a pair and the outer bulbs were a pair.

The second was the rear XHO hung too far back and around half the light was spilling out the back of the tank (see last photo). The display area of the tank is 18" wide. I tried angling the rear XHO forward for a time to make the 4-bulb fixture work, but this resulted in light shining into the eyes.

The only solution I could see at this point was to get a Reef Brite Supra Slimline dual lamp fixture.

I have the fixture mounted 8" from the waterline and I'm seeing PAR in the 130 range. I was a little concerned with what the aesthetics of fixture may be since I couldn't find any photos of one installed, but I think it looks just fine. When looking straight on you don't even see the T5's.

Since installing the T5s just over three months ago I've noticed increased growth and corresponding increase in consumption to where I've started dosing. I'm dosing BRS soda ash and calcium chloride along with Tropic Marine Part C. I'm manually dosing 7.5ml of each per day, maintaining alkalinity around 8.0 and calcium around 420.

I'm having a hard time taking any decent photos in the tank, once I do I'll post some up and update what's going on inside the tank.

4-Bulb ATI with Two XHO

Looks very nice! I can't really tell from the side profile, but did you remove the skimmer?

 

[ingchr1]

Looks very nice! I can't really tell from the side profile, but did you remove the skimmer?

Thank you

Still running the skimmer. If you zoom in on the front photo it's on the left, behind the fan. There on the side photo as well, just doesn't stick up very high above the top of the tank.

 

[ingchr1]

I got a couple of ok photos. As you can see I have a bunch of ULVA with what I think is dino on it. It's been this way for some time. I think if I run a diatom filter on the tank it may help with the dino. I just need to source some diatomaceous earth where I don't have have to buy a gigantic sack of it. I have a Marineland polishing filter to run the DE in.

For the ULVA not sure how to manage it. I've reduced it by scrubbing the rocks. I also got a couple of emerald crabs that I thought would help but they don't seam to be putting any dent in it. When I first dropped them in the tank they immediately started munching on it, so it did look promising. Not sure if they are eating much of it anymore or if it's just the volume of it.

For fish I have a Possum Wrasse, Orchid Dottyback, Firefish and Yellow Tail Blenny. The Blenny and Dottyback I got from TSM Aquatics. I think they are going to my source for fish going forward.

For coral I get them from a LFS, Iconic Aquariums in Tenafly NJ. It's not quite local as it's about an hour away and there are many other LFS within that radius, but I just like going there and their coral.

 

[ingchr1]

Working on my photo taking.

 

[ingchr1]

I ran the Marineland Magnum Polishing filter charged with diatomaceous earth. I let it run on the system for 24hrs. I blew off the rocks and scraped the back glass during the process. I've had what I think was some dino for sometime. This appears to have really helped with that. This is actually the second time I have run it. I think I may just run it once a month as part of my normal maintenance.

The DE I used was from SR Aquaristik (https://sraquaristik.com/collection...oducts/diatomaceous-earth?variant=44212836106). It is fine grain and they have a sticker on the bag to indicate to use half the recommended amount otherwise it will clog the filter. The first time I charged it I did that, and it did not clog. It took about 8 hours for the filter to charge the first time however. The second time I tried the recommended amount (6 tablespoons) and it clogged up almost immediately. So I will stick to half the amount in the future. It did charge the second time in the time it should, in about an hour.

 

[ingchr1]

I changed out the ATI Coral Plus with a Reef Brite 50/50 Luminary (14,000k) bulb and really like how it brightened up the tank and you can see more colors. The Coral+ with the XHO's was just too much blue. I also got a Reef Brite Full Spectrum (10,000k) bulb to try but did not like the look.

Here's a photo of the Reef Brite 50/50 with an ATI Actinic to show the color, straight from my phone with no editing.

Spectrum of the Reef Brite 50/50:

 

[TheWB]

Looks good. I’m thinking about getting that filter and using it to polish the water as well. I’ll be interested to see your conclusions about how well it worked with the diatomaceous earth.
Are you at all worried about the whiter light spectrum causing the Ulva to grow faster?

 

[ingchr1]

Looks good. I’m thinking about getting that filter and using it to polish the water as well. I’ll be interested to see your conclusions about how well it worked with the diatomaceous earth.
Are you at all worried about the whiter light spectrum causing the Ulva to grow faster?

I'll have to see a couple of more times with the filter, but initial impressions are that it worked well. The water was already clear, but it seams clearer. Also, after the first time I used it and blasted off all the rocks the fish seam happier, but that could just be in my mind. For the DE I wish there were other options out there other then pool stores where you end up with at least a 25lb bag of it. I only need to use six tablespoons at a time. That's why I went with the SR, even knowing that it's too fine and reviews indicate such.

Not concerned with the Ulva and spectrum. I don't think it will have a significant effect. Even if it did I don't think I would go back, the tank just looks so much crisper and better with the 50/50 bulb. The Ulva bothered me a bit when it first took over, but now I consider it a part of the reef. Gives it a more natural look, but there is too much in there at the moment. I got a red Tuxedo urchin from Algae Barn to help with it though. The urchin is small but eating it. There's so much the urchin has been working on the same spot for the week since I got it. You can see the urchin wearing a bunch of the Ulva.

 

[TheWB]

I'll have to see a couple of more times with the filter, but initial impressions are that it worked well. The water was already clear, but it seams clearer. Also, after the first time I used it and blasted off all the rocks the fish seam happier, but that could just be in my mind. For the DE I wish there were other options out there other then pool stores where you end up with at least a 25lb bag of it. I only need to use six tablespoons at a time. That's why I went with the SR, even knowing that it's too fine and reviews indicate such.

Not concerned with the Ulva and spectrum. I don't think it will have a significant effect. Even if it did I don't think I would go back, the tank just looks so much crisper and better with the 50/50 bulb. The Ulva bothered me a bit when it first took over, but now I consider it a part of the reef. Gives it a more natural look, but there is too much in there at the moment. I got a red Tuxedo urchin from Algae Barn to help with it though. The urchin is small but eating it. There's so much the urchin has been working on the same spot for the week since I got it. You can see the urchin wearing a bunch of the Ulva.

Isn’t it funny how we transfer our feelings to our fish. We cleaned up their home so now they are happier . I do the same thing.
I almost pulled the trigger on one of those tuxedo urchins from algae barn recently as well. Glad to see it’s working out for you. I went with a turbo snail from the lfs instead. I’m always worried they are going to starve and die because they never get off the glass, at least in my experience they hadn’t in the past. This one was like that too until last night when I finally saw it on the rock work. Hopefully it starts making a dent in the hair algae or the tuxedo is the next step.
I do like how bright your tank looks with that new bulb.

 

[ingchr1]

My Nitrates started to bottom out and Dinos started to appear. To raise NO3 I started to dose ammonium chloride. I had some Dr. Tims NH4Cl left over from tank cycling, so that's what I'm using. The NO3 was barley visible on Salifert, but now it's coming up and the Dinos have been halted, mostly gone. Here's a couple of posts from other threads.

I'm on to a new slide and this slide appears to be working, where the last one was just reading a constant 0.001 for Ammonia. This slide is also from 2018. The pH is also tracking with my controller. I did calibrate the pH probe on the controller and trimmed the Seneye to match.

I have also started to dosing NH4Cl to bring up my Nitrates. They were very close to zero, only very slight pink on Salifert, and I was starting to see Dinos. Since I've started dosing my NO3 has come up and the Dinos have improved. The samples are more pink, but still less than 1. I am dosing Dr Tims NH4Cl since I had some left over from cycling the tank. I am adding 8 drops a day, 4 in morning and 4 in evening. Per Dr Tims this is 16mg of total ammonia-nitrogen (TAN). I started with 4 drops a day, but NO3 did not increase. My tank has 31 gallons of water in it.

I add the drops (4) one chamber over from where my Seneye is. Here are the readings from this morning when the drops were added.

Yes, and it's consistent.

Here is last night.

 

[bayoukid89]

Very curious to tag and se this build as I got my gf a Im40 also but imma prob power it with my xr30 g4 pro

 

[ingchr1]

I installed three Kamoer X1 Pro dosing pumps for Soda Ash, Calcium and Tropic Marin Part C. So far so good, like the pumps. I was looking at other more expensive options but price, especially during Black Friday sales, drove me to these. The power supply for the pumps comes out the back, so I made a bracket to mount them to using some scrap I had laying around.

I'm dosing 10ml/day of the Soda Ash and 5ml/day of the other two. I target 8.0 for Alkalinity and 420 for Calcium.

 

[kylebeano]

You've managed lots of tech in your little 40g! Very nice reef going, has really 'purpled-up'.
I have a similar 40g JBJ, run the older mitras and really like it. I have mine mounted lengthwise and offset (helps with what i believe gave you issues), and allows for a small portion of the tank to be a little dimmer for certain fish and corals. Doesnt look balanced being offset and not totally lit, but i liked it and worked my scape around it.
Keep up you hard work and this will grow into quite an impressive piece of reef!

 

[kylebeano]

Sorry, but here's the best pic to describe the lighting. And those are post-it notes to help shade the light spill, havnt found the right lamp shade yet lol.

 

[ingchr1]

@kylebeano, thank you and your tank looks rally good.

I'm going to try to get some half way decent photos this weekend to post up. Corals are growing and encrusting, and lots of Ulva. May need something else in my CUC for the Ulva, just to keep it more in check. Not necessarily eliminate it. The urchin has grown a lot in the past two months but does not keep up and may be munching more on the coralline than the Ulva. The area the urchin concentrates on is clean through, which has been at the top of the rock work.

Here's maybe three weeks of growth on my ATS, from yesterday.

 

[Radman73]

@kylebeano, thank you and your tank looks rally good.

I'm going to try to get some half way decent photos this weekend to post up. Corals are growing and encrusting, and lots of Ulva. May need something else in my CUC for the Ulva, just to keep it more in check. Not necessarily eliminate it. The urchin has grown a lot in the past two months but does not keep up and may be munching more on the coralline than the Ulva. The area the urchin concentrates on is clean through, which has been at the top of the rock work.

Here's maybe three weeks of growth on my ATS, from yesterday.

Looking good Chris. I'm considering an ATS as well, just need to find the time to make one.

 

[ingchr1]

Looking good Chris. I'm considering an ATS as well, just need to find the time to make one.

Thank you Jason

I'm running the ATS 8 1/2 hours a day. From 9:30PM (a half hour before lights out) to 6AM. For the last two hours of the lighting schedule I'm just running the XHOs at 100%, T5s are off. Lights come back on at 2PM.

Tring to also keep NO3 and PO4 levels detectable.

For PO4 I'm dosing 6ml/day of Neophos. The PO4 ranges from 0.03 to 0.07. For what its worth that is with a Hanna low range Phosphate checker (HI713).

For NO3 I'm dosing 8 drops a day of Dr. Tims NH4Cl. Which keeps it detectable, < 1PPM. Using Salifert test kit.

Not sure if its keeping these levels, lighting change or combination of both that has really improved the coral growth.

 

[ingchr1]

Possum Wrasse

The clean spots are from the urchin, which is camouflaged in Ulva behind the snail . The two small pieces of Setosa are pieces I broke off on the large one while cleaning, just glued them to the rock to see what would happen. They are growing.

The blue green Ricordia was one or two when I got it, now its up to five or six.

The GSP I had in the back of the tank hoping it would grow up the wall, but it didn't. So I moved it to the front to let it cover that rock.

Orchid Dottyback looks angry in this shot for me sticking the camera into the tank.

At one point both the Favia and Galaxea looked dead, they have come back nicely.

 

[TheWB]

@kylebeano, thank you and your tank looks rally good.

I'm going to try to get some half way decent photos this weekend to post up. Corals are growing and encrusting, and lots of Ulva. May need something else in my CUC for the Ulva, just to keep it more in check. Not necessarily eliminate it. The urchin has grown a lot in the past two months but does not keep up and may be munching more on the coralline than the Ulva. The area the urchin concentrates on is clean through, which has been at the top of the rock work.

Here's maybe three weeks of growth on my ATS, from yesterday.

Love that. I’m using a modified version if your idea and I’m getting similar results. Never would have tried mine if I hadn’t seen yours.