Wrasse-cal's Waterbox 100.3 Build AKA "The Money Pit"

Caravanshaka · Mar 2, 2018

Wrasse-cal said:
Day 4: Sump Leak Update-

There is some conflicting information about the sump estimated delivery date. Waterbox sent me a message this morning indicating that the sump was out for delivery today. I'll be honest, that got me really excited.

When however I checked the tracking information from the shipper, the tracking PRO number still shows an estimated delivery date of 3/7 and that the shipment is presently en route to the destination carrier--not out for delivery.

LOL, that doesn't instill much confidence....

FYI, those fittings went out today, should have them by tuesday!

Wrasse-cal · Mar 2, 2018

Caravanshaka said:
FYI, those fittings went out today, should have them by tuesday!

Thanks!

Wrasse-cal · Mar 6, 2018

Day 8: Sump Leak Update-

The replacement sump is apparently scheduled to be delivered today!

I've been running my display tank without a sump, manually topping off water.

Tank parameters though look promising. Nitrates are at 5 PPM, phosphates are at .03 PPM. I've been dosing 4ml phytofeast per day to give the bacteria something to eat.

My pH is lower than I'd like ~7.75. This though is with no protein skimmer running. In an abundance of caution, I ordered a CO2 scrubber from BRS.

I've also noticed what I'm hoping is not dinoflagellates. Part of why I've been ghost feeding the tank is to keep nutrients above 0.

Wrasse-cal · Mar 6, 2018

So, does this look like dinoflagellates? @taricha, @mcarroll

There's not enough yet to do the paper towel test...

View attachment 692048

Wrasse-cal · Mar 6, 2018

atlorange · Mar 6, 2018

I have had dinos, and I do not believe these are...
Probably just diatoms or maybe cyano....
The bubbles do cause concern, but I still don't think so.

Txdragonslayer · Mar 6, 2018

Wrasse-cal said:
Disaster. The sump on my Waterbox 100.3 developed a leak after less than two weeks of being full. I checked my plumbing. Bone dry. It's a leak.

Best I could tell, there was some sort of hairline leak or leaks on the left side of the sump--I assume at the silicone seal.

There may in fact be two leaks--one at the left rear by the return and the other also the left side adjacent to the sock chamber.

I drained the sump, but still could not find the actual spot the leak or leaks came from.

View attachment 685812

I'm so frustrated @Waterbox Aquariums.

Thus far, I've only been able to get in touch with Waterbox via this forum. Before sending a private message, I tried to call and email Waterbox customer support with no success. I only got voicemail.

Via a private message this morning, Waterbox says they are pulling a sump to send me, but no indication of how long that will take.
View attachment 685833

That’s a better customer service response that Red Sea.

Wrasse-cal · Mar 6, 2018

Sump Leak Update:

@Waterbox Aquariums, the replacement sump arrived!

Thanks for the support. As you can imagine, it was incredibly frustrating to have a sump leak, but you stepped up and did your best to take care of the problem. I appreciate it.

Waterbox Aquariums · Mar 6, 2018

Wrasse-cal said:
Sump Leak Update:

@Waterbox Aquariums, the replacement sump arrived!

Thanks for the support. As you can imagine, it was incredibly frustrating to have a sump leak, but you stepped up and did your best to take care of the problem. I appreciate it.

Glad to hear it has arrived! Thank you for your patience as shipping anything via freight is always slower than if a smaller item shipping FedEx. Glad they were able to get it there at least a day earlier than planned. Thank your for your support of Waterbox

Caravanshaka · Mar 6, 2018

Don't forget to leak test the new sump

Wrasse-cal · Mar 6, 2018

Caravanshaka said:
Don't forget to leak test the new sump

Yeah. Doing that now. Fingers crossed...

taricha · Mar 6, 2018

Wrasse-cal said:
So, does this look like dinoflagellates? @taricha, @mcarroll

There's not enough yet to do the paper towel test...

View attachment 692007
View attachment 692048

Totally could be. And I'd watch carefully, but here's why I wouldn't worry right now.
First, diatoms show up tank looking just like that sometimes.
Even if it is dinos - I haven't read the whole thread, but the white sand/rocks tells me it's a brand new system, and there are no competitors, so many things will move in and colonize over the net few weeks. No reason to assume it's going in a bad direction. Give it a chance to come alive and then assess the community.
I have no doubt that the "new tank uglies" that we just ignore and push through, we traditionally say they're diatoms but in some cases I'd bet they're dinos.
I see no reason to act differently. Keep maturing the tank just like you would if it was diatoms.

Wrasse-cal · Mar 6, 2018

taricha said:
Totally could be. And I'd watch carefully, but here's why I wouldn't worry right now.
First, diatoms show up tank looking just like that sometimes.
Even if it is dinos - I haven't read the whole thread, but the white sand/rocks tells me it's a brand new system, and there are no competitors, so many things will move in and colonize over the net few weeks. No reason to assume it's going in a bad direction. Give it a chance to come alive and then assess the community.
I have no doubt that the "new tank uglies" that we just ignore and push through, we traditionally say they're diatoms but in some cases I'd bet they're dinos.
I see no reason to act differently. Keep maturing the tank just like you would if it was diatoms.

Thanks. Will do.

Wrasse-cal · Mar 7, 2018

@Waterbox Aquariums, the new sump passed the 12 hour leak test. Back to the build!

Wrasse-cal · Mar 9, 2018

Into the tank...

Caravanshaka · Mar 9, 2018

Wrasse-cal said:
Into the tank...

View attachment 694780

I got a bottle of this stuff as well. put a little in the main tank, but the rest went in my rock curing tub that gets a little sunlight in the garage. Was surprised to see a week later some small spots of coralline algae growing!

Wrasse-cal · Mar 12, 2018

Sump is still a work in progress. The manifold to the Arid N-18 reactor and Geo CA reactor (upper left) is not yet hooked up. Cable management is also not yet done as I'm still debating switching out the Sicce Pro 1500 for another Varios-6. My algae reactor though should be arriving today! I ordered it in December.

Waterbox Aquariums · Mar 12, 2018

Wrasse-cal said:
Sump is still a work in progress. The manifold to the Arid N-18 reactor and Geo CA reactor (upper left) is not yet hooked up. Cable management is also not yet done as I'm still debating switching out the Sicce Pro 1500 for another Varios-6. My algae reactor though should be arriving today! I ordered it in December.

View attachment 696945

Wow, that is impressive!