Waterbox Marine X 110.4 Freshwater build....(Previously an AIO 65.4 build...Please read on in thread)

Hi guys,
So ive taken the pludge and invested in an Waterbox tank as my new aquascape project....
I am retiring my old 46L Fluval edge and putting this as my new display tank so needs to be impressive to look at.

I spent many weeks looking at plenty of 240-300L tanks and the reason I chose the Waterbox as a freshwater scape was because of the baffel/sump/filter box. It gives me the ability to hide all pipes and cables, with nothing on show in the tank (good way of selling it to the wife)
Im going low tech on planting as I want easy maintenance, so Java's, amazon sword etc etc.

Im also keeping nano fish. Tetras, endlers, corys, Rasboras and maybe some zebra danio"s. Im sacking of my Nerite because she's ruined my decor in the Fluval

Below is my mock up (tanks not here, but spent £120 on new decor anyways haha) as you can see, its measure out on the dining room table (whoops)

Im so happy with the wood...it was actually in a display mockup in shop, but they were good enough to let me have it

Let me know your thoughts, positive and negative, really want to get this right

Nathan

Great choice the Waterbox tanks are really nice Great dimensions and I like the taller stand they have too, the black silicone is practical too on a bigger tank, I like the clear silicone but one dose of meds and its stained for good. I've been on the hunt for a similar sized tank and I'm probably going to go for the Aquaone Aquasys purely on a cost basis (especially for second hand tanks) but money no object Waterbox would be right up there.

Love your enthusiasm for the project too when I got my latest tank I had all the wood laid out in the lid before I set it up and I got enough odd looks from visitors haha so a taped of table is up there too! All I'd say is don't be too precious as when you get the substrate in and the height becomes a bit variable it can change things quite a bit.

Wills

Wills said:

Great choice the Waterbox tanks are really nice Great dimensions and I like the taller stand they have too, the black silicone is practical too on a bigger tank, I like the clear silicone but one dose of meds and its stained for good. I've been on the hunt for a similar sized tank and I'm probably going to go for the Aquaone Aquasys purely on a cost basis (especially for second hand tanks) but money no object Waterbox would be right up there.

Love your enthusiasm for the project too when I got my latest tank I had all the wood laid out in the lid before I set it up and I got enough odd looks from visitors haha so a taped of table is up there too! All I'd say is don't be too precious as when you get the substrate in and the height becomes a bit variable it can change things quite a bit.

Wills

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Originally I was sent on a £500 budget for tank, but then an Oase highline came on eBay for £700. I let it go and was really disappointed. I like the drybox and inlet layout, but it wasnt to be. Then somehow I managed to convince the wife to double the budget on the tank alone. The thing this has over rhe Oase is the rimless design, which I absolutely love, so im expecting this to look amazing when finished. Ill be running a Sicce Syncra SDC 6.0 return pump and two JBL 150w heaters, but best bit is they are all hidden away in the box

Dont worry about substrate, that has been accounted for, but if Ive learned any lesson already, its go minimal on the sand. Im expecting the tip of the largest piece of wood to kiss the waterline, so lets see..

So my pump has arrived from Germany....word of warning, trying to save myself a few pennies has massively backfired and I ended up paying £50 import tax which made it same price as here in UK doh!!! I must say first impressions of the Sicce is good. The weight and quality of the materials is a reassuring, especially as this pump is £260! I chose this pump for the adjustability and wifi connectivity. The idea being apart from routine cleaning, it will be a leave and forget affair

I went for the 6.0, which is flow adjustable from 2000-5000 LPH so covers my 10x flow rate I wanted to achieve . I am also in two minds about getting a EcoTech Vortech MP10 powerhead, just to help with bottom flow and removal of all the sitting nasties. Obviously this AIO is not an ideal freshwater setup, as it has weirs which skim reef setups, but I think with right amount of return flow I can keep it clean. Just need to find right balance with livestock, as I only intend on keeping Nano fish....

News on the waterbox isn't ideal (I have 0 patience) and Ive been given a delivery date of March!!! No white cabinets in stock apparently. The though of two months waiting is making me a little uneasy haha

Watch this space.....

Very exciting, too bad about the long wait. I will be watching your build as I'm trying to decide between a Waterbox Clear or a Waterbox AIO Peninsula.

I was looking at these tanks just recently. I do like how the back is setup and is very unobtrusive. And they are available in Canada which was a shock. Let us know how it works out.

With all this spare time ive already done a 'new' scape lol

Tank looks great but no lid, so not for me as I like a proper hood. Check out ND aquatics. They’d probably be able to make you a tank with a filter box back similar to that and you could choose black or clear silicon, a wide range of cabinet styles and finishes and optiwhite glass if you wanted. I‘ve not got an ND tank myself so this is not a personal recommendation, just pointing it out as an option.

Mikeyboy123 said:

Tank looks great but no lid, so not for me as I like a proper hood. Check out ND aquatics. They’d probably be able to make you a tank with a filter box back similar to that and you could choose black or clear silicon, a wide range of cabinet styles and finishes and optiwhite glass if you wanted. I‘ve not got an ND tank myself so this is not a personal recommendation, just pointing it out as an option.

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I went to ND and they wanted nearly 2k for what I wanted. And as much as I would love to spend that, my other half was less than enthusiastic me spending a £1000 just on a tank....she is unaware ive done another £500+ on pump, powerhead, heaters and scape lol....

Nemo2182 said:

I went to ND and they wanted nearly 2k for what I wanted. And as much as I would love to spend that, my other half was less than enthusiastic me spending a £1000 just on a tank....she is unaware ive done another £500+ on pump, powerhead, heaters and scape lol....

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Brace for impact...

Nemo2182 said:

I went to ND and they wanted nearly 2k for what I wanted. And as much as I would love to spend that, my other half was less than enthusiastic me spending a £1000 just on a tank....she is unaware ive done another £500+ on pump, powerhead, heaters and scape lol....

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Really? Twice the price like for like? Okay, that’s quite surprising. The prices for their tank cabinet and hood packages seem quite competitive to me.

Mikeyboy123 said:

Really? Twice the price like for like? Okay, that’s quite surprising. The prices for their tank cabinet and hood packages seem quite competitive to me.

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What I will say is he will only use 15mm low iron glass. Waterbox seem to get away with 10mm glass, which i find a little strange that they get the strength, as ND told me nothing less than 15mm can take the stress of rimless? But clearly Waterbox manage it. Also to have the custom weir made from glass (didnt want acrylic) was a fair chunk. I have no doubt it would of been a better tank, I just cant justify the price difference

So....im still waiting on my Waterbox. December order date, not due now to April!! Its driving me bonkers and I nearly pulled the plug on the order....

Having weeks to mull over my current setup and how to maximise my tank + budget, I started looking into rimless reef tanks, as many people have successfully created a freshwater filtration system out of a sump....

After weeks of going over prices, sizes, pros/cons etc. I was ready to commit to a Red Sea Reefer 350. Thats when i had a genius idea and played the sob story to Waterbox and how I was cancelling my sale to buy a tank from there closest competitor...

I then told them if they were willing to match the Red Sea Reefer price (£1449 RRP) with the Marine X 110.4 then I would continue with them. After a few exchanges, the support team kindly agreed to match the 2021 price @£1399!!!

I played it cool, but inside I was screaming with Joy!!! Yes I still have the same delays as the AIO and Marine share same cabs, but now I got 300 litres and 79 gallons!!! The AIO is around 195 and about 50 gallons minus the Chamber

And its only cost me another £400....Bonus. The Marine current retails at £1799, so I have def had a win today

Nemo2182 said:

So....im still waiting on my Waterbox. December order date, not due now to April!! Its driving me bonkers and I nearly pulled the plug on the order....

Having weeks to mull over my current setup and how to maximise my tank + budget, I started looking into rimless reef tanks, as many people have successfully created a freshwater filtration system out of a sump....

After weeks of going over prices, sizes, pros/cons etc. I was ready to commit to a Red Sea Reefer 350. Thats when i had a genius idea and played the sob story to Waterbox and how I was cancelling my sale to buy a tank from there closest competitor...

I then told them if they were willing to match the Red Sea Reefer price (£1449 RRP) with the Marine X 110.4 then I would continue with them. After a few exchanges, the support team kindly agreed to match the 2021 price @£1399!!!

I played it cool, but inside I was screaming with Joy!!! Yes I still have the same delays as the AIO and Marine share same cabs, but now I got 300 litres and 79 gallons!!! The AIO is around 195 and about 50 gallons minus the Chamber

And its only cost me another £400....Bonus. The Marine current retails at £1799, so I have def had a win today

Click to expand...

Nice! A mod should probably change the name now.

DONE.....