More work completed on the stand last night. Only thing left is doors.
There has been some concern about the black interior but the side walls are white.
At this point, I'm not seeing much of an issue with it being too dark inside. Plus I'll be adding a light anyway.
There are just two things I'm a little disappointed with. Disappointed may even be a little strong... more like "not as impressed with".
1. It's obviously the same stand used for their reef-ready tanks. A cutout in the top panel and huge opening on the rear wall for all the plumbing coming down from an overflow. You're selling a new line of NON-DRILLED tanks, specifically marketed for freshwater. There should be a stand specifically for that. I have an email into support just to confirm it wasn't an oversight. If I was sent the correct stand I'll be offering some "advice" on that.
2. The white exterior panels are... "OK". They are glossy but from what I can tell they are powder coated or lacquered or something. Comparing them to my previous Elos stand, the finish is not going to be as durable. The Elos had a strong laminate that was glossier and could really take a beating. I've drilled through it, it's thick. And even though the interior was some sort of man-made pressed wood, overall it was impervious to water and wear, and very strong. I'm worried about how the finish on the Waterbox stand is going to hold up over time. The interior plywood construction is nice from a water damage standpoint, but I can tell by the edges and corners that the outer layer is not nearly as strong. It's definitely wayyyyy nicer than the new Planet Aquariums stands. Those things look like a home spray job. On a scale of 1-10, with Elos being a 10, I'd rate the finish of the white panels around 8.5, and the Planet tanks a 4-5 at best.
That said, the stand seems very sturdy. I like the finish of the black panels which has a bit of a texture to it and feels more durable than the white panels. I like that it actually has a floor (the elos is designed without a floor, so vibration from equipment is not transmitted/reverberated through the stand), and the floor is raised which is kind of nice, even though it technically does eat up a little interior space. I think I mentioned earlier that there are tons of leveling feet. There are some good cutouts, plenty of room for cables and hoses. Although in my case, I do kind of wish there were cutouts on the right like there are on the left. Again, this is an issue that it's a reef stand, not freshwater. ADG makes some custom stands that have hose cutouts on the side panels. I waiver back and forth on that vs the rear placement, but at least there are provisions for multiple canister filters or a choice of placement if just running one.