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kgk's Waterbox 75.2 (2 Viewers)

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kgk

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I bought a WB 75.2 quite a while ago, built it and then let it sit. I'm finally getting around to filling it up!

Equipment:
Waterbox 75.2
Ecotech Vectra S1 return
Ecotech MP40w upgraded to QD driver with a new wetside
Ecotech XR30W Pro. First-gen light; I have two of these from previous tanks, so it's nice to have a backup
Ecotech RMS light mount
Ecotech Reeflink
Octo esSence S-130 skimmer
Finnex 300W titanium heater
Inkbird temp controller
~20 gallon ATO container made by Aquatic Experience here in Houston
Tunze Osmolator 3155

The tank sits next to the built-in desk in my office, so I routed all the cables through the desk wall, where they're hidden. None of the electronics are in the stand, besides the stuff that is in the water.
I'm going to 3D print filter sock replacement cups for the sump. I'll run Poly-Fil in them instead of socks; I hate washing socks. I can also run carbon or GFO in media bags in the cups, so I don't need reactors.
I also plan to 3D print a manual neck cleaner for the Octo skimmer.
The whole theme of the tank is to simplify, simplify, simplify. I want the least amount of complexity & equipment I can get away with, and still have a reliable system. If I need to dose, I'll start with Kalk in the ATO container & go from there. The less stuff to maintain & fret over, the better.

The tank is full of R/O water, the tank and plumbing are leak-free, and the Herbie drain is pretty well tuned. All the equipment works as advertised, and now I'm playing with a little simple automation. I have an Echo Dot in my office, so I'll be able to control the the tank two ways. First, I have the heater & skimmer hooked up to a wifi-enabled power strip. I also have the Ecotech Live skill for Alexa, to control the Ecotech stuff. I'm still playing with the best way to do this. You can't chain "skills" and "routines" in Alexa together, so that's a bit of a bummer - using the Ecotech skill requires it's own statements to Alexa, vs controlling the sockets on the power strip. I guess it's not a big deal to both say "Alexa, turn off skimmer" and "Alexa, have Ecotech Live enable feed mode" one after the other. But I'd really like to just say, "Alexa, let's feed the tank" or something like that. Anyway, it's something to play with.

I have put an order for a 40 gallon "The Package" from TBS, but don't have shipping set up yet.

Here's a quick picture I snapped. There is sand in the tank already, so that won't be coming from TBS.

 
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Bigfishy

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Very nice.


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kgk

kgk

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Very nice.

Thanks.

So for stocking, this is what I’m thinking:
- Tomini Tang
- Cherub Angel

Here’s where I get iffy...
Would like a wrasse. The 6 line I had in the past was a bully. I’m thinking Melanus or Yellow Coris.
Also want a clown. Thinking about a lightning maroon... have never kept one before, and I expect I’ll end up with a Bubble Tip anemone at some point. I’ve never kept a pink or orange skunk clown either; have always liked those.

May go for a fifth fish at some point. Undecided. I like quality and interesting over quantity.

Any experiences with these fish, or other advice (like stocking order) would be appreciated.
 

Bigfishy

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The maroon clowns can be a bully. I had a mated pair and every time I put my had in the tank she would bite. I had them in a 210 and the female would chase and attach other fish.


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Luman01

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I’d go with the skunk clowns, they have a better temperament then the maroons, I had a bad experience with the melarnus wrasse, it kept on pick the mantle of my clam, and was an a**hole to everyone in tank. Go with a fairy wrasse. They are prob the nicest wrasse you can have! But with any wrasse a lid is a great life insurance policy! Lol. When you get the angel and the tang, try to get some the same size, and less Than 2in. You don’t want them 2 big off the bat. When there smaller your tank will seem big which is good.

Hope this helps
Lucas
 
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kgk

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Ok, this Vectra is really cool if you pair it with EcoSmart Live. Calibrating it makes tuning a Herbie pretty pain-free. I got my drain tuned to darn silent much quicker than I've been able to in the past with this style drain.

And does anyone actually vary their return pump output throughout the day? I'm scratching my head as to what the schedule is good for. I guess maybe if you're using it to drive a closed loop, that's useful...

I had Apex in the past and never tried Reeflink; people made it sound like buggy, awful junk. I have to say that my experience with it so far has been great. I'm impressed.
 
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kgk

kgk

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I took a couple pics, for the heck of it, poor lighting & all. Now it's time to fill the ATO, make sure the ol' Tunze controller does it's thing, and then I'm going to fill it with salt tomorrow. TBS shipment is coming next week, baby!


 

RR-MAN

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Thanks.

So for stocking, this is what I’m thinking:
- Tomini Tang
- Cherub Angel

Here’s where I get iffy...
Would like a wrasse. The 6 line I had in the past was a bully. I’m thinking Melanus or Yellow Coris.
Also want a clown. Thinking about a lightning maroon... have never kept one before, and I expect I’ll end up with a Bubble Tip anemone at some point. I’ve never kept a pink or orange skunk clown either; have always liked those.

May go for a fifth fish at some point. Undecided. I like quality and interesting over quantity.

Any experiences with these fish, or other advice (like stocking order) would be appreciated.

That is one clean set up!

I'm not sure about the Cherub angel...the dwarf angels pick on almost every type of corals/clams. Look at Masked swallowtail angelfish-very well behaved and pretty.
 
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kgk

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That is one clean set up!

I'm not sure about the Cherub angel...the dwarf angels pick on almost every type of corals/clams. Look at Masked swallowtail angelfish-very well behaved and pretty.

The last Cherub I had was pretty good. Plus, they're western Atlantic / Caribbean fish... right at home in a TBS tank!
The last Flameback I had ate a bunch of SPS before I could catch him... I should probably learn my lesson, eh?

And, salt is going in as I type this... using Fritz RPM.
 

Luman01

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One angel fish that you can get and stay small ( well they get up to 7” but don’t grow that fast) is the bellus female angel. It’s in a genius that is completely reef safe. I have one with lps, and a beautiful blue rimmed Derasa clam. It’s a bit on the pricey side but well worth it!
 

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I took a couple pics, for the heck of it, poor lighting & all. Now it's time to fill the ATO, make sure the ol' Tunze controller does it's thing, and then I'm going to fill it with salt tomorrow. TBS shipment is coming next week, baby!



Looking sick!


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kgk

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First rock shipment should land at Hobby at 12:25 tomorrow. Was going to have it come to IAH, but the schedules sucked...
 
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