# Build Thread: GCG's 141 gal Mbuna (Waterbox 190.5)



## GulfCoastGuy (Aug 5, 2018)

Just took delivery of a new Waterbox, Platinum Pro 190.5 Aquarium/Stand Sump Combo.

Sheer beauty:
 3/4" Starfire glass all around
 
60" x 26" x 24" 141 gal. display tank wit dual drain Herbie style overflow
 
45 gal. sump with two cascading 7" filter socks and an integrated 5.8 gal auto topoff chamber

Here's a look:
20180911_142955 by pat w1, on Flickr

..and the sump..
20180911_143302 by pat w1, on Flickr

..and rocks - about 175 lbs. of rocks..
20180911_143916 by pat w1, on Flickr

Add to that 150 lbs. of PFS and I'll have the start of a nice Mbuna tank.

I got the rocks at a local landscape supply. Picked through their scrap pile @ $0.15/lb. $27 and change for the lot. If that isn't enough they're a pleasant drive toward the Gulf and we never pass on a chance to go to the Gulf for some fresh seafood.

The projected stock list so far is 
Yellow Labs

Rusty's

Yellow Tailed Acei's

White Top Hara's

That's all for now. The Aquascape will begin this weekend. I hope to have it filled and cycling by Sunday.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Will those rocks fill the tank at least 1/3 of it's height?


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## GulfCoastGuy (Aug 5, 2018)

Close. The one to the left is just over a foot tall. Plenty more where they came from. I'll be posting my Aquascaping progress and I'm not going to hurry this. I welcome feedback as I go. I want it done right. My wife and I have agreed on no fish till after Thanksgiving.


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## fish_gazer (Nov 9, 2017)

Looks like a new Caddy. Can't wait to see the finished product.


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## GulfCoastGuy (Aug 5, 2018)

Leak check complete with full success. Flow tested the return pump (Jebao DCP-13000, 6m head, 3145GPH rated flow @ 0' head). Ran it to 80% power which by my calculation, at 5' of head, should be close to the recommended flow for the tank of 1800GPH. The pump was not audible above the mild trickle of the overflow. The Herbie overflow was very easy to tune at various flows from 30% up to 80%.

So Far so good.

GCG


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## GulfCoastGuy (Aug 5, 2018)

For those interested here's an excellent tutorial on Herbie Overflows.

http://gmacreef.com/herbie-overflow-reef-tank-plumbing-method-basics/


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## Trucker Den (Sep 10, 2018)

Thats a nice setup! What kind of sump is that? Thanks for posting a tutorial on the Herbie method.


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## GulfCoastGuy (Aug 5, 2018)

It was designed specifically for the tank. It is primarily intended for reef use with a protein skimmer and has a removable divider to create a refugium. I may take advantage of that to help keep nitrates in check.


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## GulfCoastGuy (Aug 5, 2018)

IMO one of the nicer things Waterbox did with the sump is cascade the filter sock chambers. In other sumps the water overflows into a common sock chamber with one or more socks and the incoming water can follow separate paths. With cascading chambers the water is channeled first through one sock then through a baffle to the second. This way you can establish two stage mechanical filtration allowing for the first to do the large particle heavy lifting and the second can be dedicated to finer water polishing duties. I plan to place a 200 micron mesh sock in the first (easier to rinse and replace) followed by a 50 micron felt. Over time I'll collect around 12 of each and wash a big load every couple of months.

I'm placing my bio media in the front chamber after the socks. The flow from that chamber has to travel through the weir at the top of the divider to the back which means that there is the potential to establish a low flow anaerobic zone at the bottom of the front chamber to the right, furthest from the socks. I have 8l of Pond Matrix in 16 media bags that I'm going to stack on the far wall opposite the socks. Hopefully the larger size of the Pond Matrix rocks and the nature of the flow in that area will combine to allow for some of the Matrix to set up oxygen depleted spaces internally and reduce nitrates. Long shot, I know, but I can dream.


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## GulfCoastGuy (Aug 5, 2018)

I drained the tank last night after I tested the return pump to full capacity. I let it drain into the bathroom sink gravity fed. This borders on being less of a job and more of a career so I'm thinking of rigging an old Pondmaster with a garden hose fitting I can attach to my python. This should take a good sized bite out of the time it takes to pull water out of the tank for water changes. As for refilling, I'm at the mercy of the local water flow rates which I'm sad to say aren't very impressive.

I should have researched the power-heads I selected (Jebao PP-8's) a little better. I completely spaced on the fact that the side walls would be 3/4". The magnets holding the pumps in place weren't up to the task. The fix wasn't tough. I purchased some (10) 1.5" x 1/16" N52 magnets from Amazon and added two to the holding magnet for outside of the tank. I just need to make sure to use the correct order of operations. First, place the holder against the glass and add the pump on the inside last. Worked like a charm. I can nudge the pump and it takes a good bit of force (but not to much) to rock the pump away from the glass but it rocks right back.


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

Very nice looking setup. :fish: :fish:


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## GulfCoastGuy (Aug 5, 2018)

Well I made a little progress. Last night I laid in some egg crate (No need to start the debate, it's done).

20180914_211619 by pat w1, on Flickr

I would have needed to buy two sheets to cover the entire bottom, anyway I wanted to keep a sand buffer zone between the EC and the glass wall. To hold it in place I uesed a little GE Silicone I Window and Door in strategic locations.

Before I go any further I need to give a shout to Fran's on 59 in Foley, AL. Great place for rock.

20180915_131551_1537049336005 by pat w1, on Flickr

Just a few of the many pallets of flagstone. Fran has all manner of stone; boulders, pavers, flagstone and fieldstone, river rock, sandstone, and on and on ... no limestone though. I guess it's hard to come by around here.
20180915_131624_1537049288207 by pat w1, on Flickr

Best price was in the scrap pile. Hard to beat $0.15 a lb. 
20180915_131702_1537049156218 by pat w1, on Flickr

Here's how the rock work shook out. Mind you this has Full Spousal Approval, so any suggestions will have to go through her. 
20180915_170233 by pat w1, on Flickr
Still have to wait for the silicone to fully cure, then sand. Still planning for plants; Anubias, Java Fern, and Vals in 3" pots (if they'll be left alone). ... Oh, and the long skinny piece on the egg crate in the low cave on the left will eventually go on top of the sand down there. Once the sand is in we've got some rubble to distribute here and there for effect and to use as anchors for the Java Fern and Anubias.

Let the commenting begin...
GCG


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## GulfCoastGuy (Aug 5, 2018)

Now with sand.

One 50 lb bag.
20180916_161754 by pat w1, on Flickr

And two bags.
20180916_181651 by pat w1, on Flickr

I've got one more but I'll let these settle in before I use it.

If your observant you'll notice some rock changes.

GCG


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## GulfCoastGuy (Aug 5, 2018)

Well it was a busy weekend. Got all of the electrical routing and placement done. I mounted everything with industrial Velcro. It worked out great and everything is working. I had a little problem with one of the Jebao PP-8 Wave-maker controllers not wanting to coming out of Slave Mode so for now I run both as independent. I still have to do some organization work in the cabinet but here 's a look so far with all the equipment in place.

20180922_163737 by pat w1, on Flickr

Starting from the upper left; the yellow GFCI power center 1800 watts; to the right one of two power strips this one supplying the Bayite heater controller the Micmol Aqua Air 'Planted' LED tank lights, and the LED cabinet light; to the right across the top the second power strip supplying just the pumps, one Jebao DCP-13000 dc return pump, and two Jebao PP-8 Wave-maker power heads; barely visible to the far right are the Bayite heater controller (top) and the controller for the DCP-13000 return pump..

Here's a better view of the two:

20180922_163906_HDR by pat w1, on Flickr

The individual heater control pucks can be seen in the first photo just below the upper cabinet opening. In operation they will be set for 2 degrees F above the desired temp. as a backup fail-safe to the Bayite controller. This is to prevent run-away heating in the event of an always on failure of the Bayite. Obviously there is no backup to an always off failure and in that case the tank will go to room temp. unless other steps are taken (such as supplying the heaters directly from the power strip). I'm using two Finnex HMX-500S heaters which are mounted horizontally in the rear center chamber of the sump. Th Bayite controller has a con troll deadband that is adjustable down to 0.1°F. I currently have it set for 0.2°. The Bayite is also calibration capable but as of the moment I have no standard with with to calibrate it. Neither that nor the alarm functions have been altered from the factory defaults. The Bayite is rated for 10 amp operation but it is well over engineered as the output relay shows a rating of 15 amp.










The return pump controller is directly below and is a simple DC design. The up and down arrows adjust the speed in increments of 1% with the first press acting as a wake-up. The pause button invokes the "Feed" mode which stops the pump for ten minutes for feeding the fish. It uses a soft start which gradually ramps up the pump upon power on to the desired speed. The available speed range is 30% to 100%. The indicator will normally show the power consumption in watts unless the desired speed is being adjusted in which case the display is the desired speed percent. After a period of inactivity the display returns to displaying power.

More to come ...

GCG


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

GCG, I've been following along with your build and it is looking fantastic!!!

I do think you have a bit too much PFS in the tank but that is just my opinion. I find that Mbuna tend to move sand around a lot OR water moving devices tend to do the same so don't be too disappointed if you need to move the sand back again. 

I only have 1 Mbuna tank and I have rocks stacked almost to the water surface and I find it looks more natural to me as I don't see the empty space above the rocks. However, my rocks are not flat so it makes it easier to create height without worrying about the fish knocking them down. Leaving an open space in the middle with rock piles on either end seems to work well for me. I'll try and find an old pic of my tank but I think I lost some of them when I switched computers or was hosting them on Photobucket before they changed their TOS.

Wow you crammed a lot of electronics in that small space!! If you haven't already done so, label the cords so you know what is what close to the plug ends. I used blue painters tape and a Sharpie pen for mine, not pretty but works for hidden stuff. 

Also double check the total watts/amps of devices hooked up to the wall outlet and the breaker feeding that circuit if you haven't done so already. We had to do some switching around in the main breaker box due to having too many outlets on the same breaker. All our tanks are in a finished basement and we found almost all the wall outlets were on one 20A breaker. :roll:


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## GulfCoastGuy (Aug 5, 2018)

Deeda said:


> GCG, I've been following along with your build and it is looking fantastic!!!


Thanks



Deeda said:


> I do think you have a bit too much PFS in the tank but that is just my opinion. I find that Mbuna tend to move sand around a lot OR water moving devices tend to do the same so don't be too disappointed if you need to move the sand back again.


My wife likes the way the Wavemakers are moving it but I'm planning on moving them to get the flow right for the Vals I'll be putting in later so who know how things will end up. Waiting to see how the fish redecorate.



Deeda said:


> I only have 1 Mbuna tank and I have rocks stacked almost to the water surface and I find it looks more natural to me as I don't see the empty space above the rocks. However, my rocks are not flat so it makes it easier to create height without worrying about the fish knocking them down. Leaving an open space in the middle with rock piles on either end seems to work well for me. I'll try and find an old pic of my tank but I think I lost some of them when I switched computers or was hosting them on Photobucket before they changed their TOS.


Again my wife likes the current layout and it's in the living room so making it good for her is important. There are a lot of gap spaces (larger and smaller) that don't show up well in the photos. Again - We'll see.



Deeda said:


> Wow you crammed a lot of electronics in that small space!! If you haven't already done so, label the cords so you know what is what close to the plug ends. I used blue painters tape and a Sharpie pen for mine, not pretty but works for hidden stuff.


Got the painter's tape and a Sharpie standing by. I put that on the back burner for a while so I could get the tank running and the cycle started. Had my eye on these.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HB59GQK $0.90 a sheet ain't bad.



Deeda said:


> Also double check the total watts/amps of devices hooked up to the wall outlet and the breaker feeding that circuit if you haven't done so already. We had to do some switching around in the main breaker box due to having too many outlets on the same breaker. All our tanks are in a finished basement and we found almost all the wall outlets were on one 20A breaker. :roll:


Yeah I was watching that. I have everything on one outlet that is run off the breaker for the guest bedroom behind the wall the tank is on. It's virtually never in use so we're good so long as we don't have any overnight guests. The only thing in there are the lights, a ceiling fan and a medium small LCD TV. Of course if we do have guests and someone fires up a hair dyer or something all bets are off.

Good points. Thanks

GCG


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## GulfCoastGuy (Aug 5, 2018)

I haven't abandoned this but some life issues came up and updates were placed on the back burner. In short the tank is up and running and cycling. I'm just at the beginning of the Nitrite rise and have all but exhausted the bottle of Stability. I WILL get back to this but it may be a few days still.


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