180 build from scratch!

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<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12623023#post12623023 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by michika
I figure Rock Band will entertain him for most of his evenings when he isn't doing doing fish tank stuff, or pretending to help around the house. I think he his just bitter that he can't have a Playstation 3 on top of all his other gaming systems.

I think the return pump is going to be either my Reeflo Dart or Snapper. I need to find and order some plumbing parts, and so far I am failing in that job. I need a canadian place to order a 2" true union ball valve from, and another 2" something or other.
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haha - I'm trying to convince myself of getting a PS3 just for the blueray (about the same cost with a game system for free)

so you are using an external pump? Even though I have a ball valve on my suction (as it seemed the way people were going), if I was to do it again, I'd just eliminate the suction ball valve. In the event of a pump failure it's just as easy to stick a plug in the union on the inside of the sump. This way the suction side is blocked, then just valve off the discharge side with one, or, at the manifold. And add in the breakout unions, for pump removal, of course. Not sure if you've seen my build but there are some pictures there, it may give you some ideas on saving space and the cost of a valve or two.
 
I'll definitely look into alternatives to plumbing the sump. I like sleek, subtle and functional, so eliminating some large plumbing would be great.

The boy is spoiled enough, he got Wii for X-mas the year before last, Xbox 360 this year, and he just got a PSP about a month ago. He does not require more gaming systems, it will further turn back the clock on his mental development. He is supposed to be a man, not a 13 year old kid, who can legally drink. Our house is like a teenagers wet dream; games, drinks, snacks, and an unending parade of random unexpected visitors.

Anyone have any feedback on T5s, short ones at that, like 12" ones? I'm wondering if having T5s for supplemental lighting is going to be too much light for my eventual SPS filled reef? I think I'll be ordering all the lighting supplies here shortly.
 
So, You still haven't got the peeping tom situation sorted?

I dont think the T5's would be too much, especiall if they are actinic as they give the corals a nice colour and provide the monlights at night when the MH go off
 
I run a pair of TEK 24w retro T5s on my FW planted, and they are still super bright. I don't think they would be too bright, but certainly don't underestimate them.
 
Well its been pouring since at least a week ago, so I have the pots, I have the plants, and they are in dirt together outside. Having them on our patio does seem to stop most people from walking past and doing the awkward stop & gawk. There are still a few who are not deterred by the 2ft tall planers and feel the need to continue to walk across and eventually step over the planters. Again, people in our complex are special snowflakes who continue to constantly amaze me.
 
Hahah, I would love another dog, and a big one at that.

Okay so the T5 lighting;
- I have workhorse 7 ballasts which I will be using to run the T5s
- I'm thinking 3 groupings of T5s. 3 bulbs, maybe 4 in each group?
- Individual reflectors.

How do I find out what would work better for me, 3, or 4 bulbs in each group without buying them? I am going to run them perpendicular to the tank, and each bulb is going to be 24" long.

Any recommendation on reflectors for these? Locally/ within Canada, the best I've found are Sun Blaze T5 Reflectors. As per their description they are "manufactured with 95% reflective German aluminum for maximum light output and diffusion".
 
Sun Blaze are basically the same as the TEK Light ones. They are plenty fine. I think IceCaps are considered to be somewhat better, but they are not cheap.

I think J&L had the best reflector pricing when I was looking two months back.
 
The ones I was looking at were from OA, but I prefer to shop with J&L since they've always been pretty good to me. The ones you sent me look very similar, and all I see in difference is the price and the fact that those from J&L come with end caps. I've never ordered from Reef Perfection, but it may be worth it in this case.

I know that Kevin is going to be building the ballasts for the 250w MHs, its what he does best, so I don't have to worry about ordering anything beyond a second 250w bulb.
 
They don't have caps, they have the clips that connect the reflectors to the bulbs.

When I bought, I brought in the whole retro kit, which was a 2 x 24w deal with reflectors, caps, standoffs, clips, wiring harness and ballast. Nice package for $108.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12623532#post12623532 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by michika
Hahah, I would love another dog, and a big one at that.

Okay so the T5 lighting;
- I have workhorse 7 ballasts which I will be using to run the T5s
- I'm thinking 3 groupings of T5s. 3 bulbs, maybe 4 in each group?
- Individual reflectors.

How do I find out what would work better for me, 3, or 4 bulbs in each group without buying them? I am going to run them perpendicular to the tank, and each bulb is going to be 24" long.

Any recommendation on reflectors for these? Locally/ within Canada, the best I've found are Sun Blaze T5 Reflectors. As per their description they are "manufactured with 95% reflective German aluminum for maximum light output and diffusion".
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that's sounding a bit like MakoJ's setup, you may want to check out the TOTM a couple months ago or his build. I know he has a bunch of short T5's (12-18") that are perpendicular. they are also pretty random if I remember correctly (like 2 here, 1 there, type of setup)

and sorry in my earlier post I meant to say put a plug in the inside of the bulkhead (not union) to isolate the pump suction
 
I'm following MakoJ's thread on and off. I'll go find it again and see if I can't check out his lighting set up more closely.

I'll post pictures when we start plumbing everything with the pump and hopefully I'll be plugging the bulkhead correctly. If not, you can always point out where I've gone wrong.

No glass today, Bow Valley Aquarium closed early I guess, the doors were locked at 4pm. We are heading over there tomorrow to try again.
 
I've firmed up a bunch of lighting plans after I went back and looked at MakoJ's TOTM and am I still going to go with T5s between the MHs. MakoJ went with VHO lighting, but in the end I think the set up will work for me/us as well.

After really watching my tank with the 175w MH on it, I'm really wondering if I just shouldn't go big again, 400w and skip the 250w all together. I have 400w bulbs, I just need 2 ballasts, which I would have needed anyways with 250w. I have only ever run 400w and 175w MHs. Will 400w be too much in my 24" tall tank with luminarc reflectors?

I have room to go with 4 T5s between each luminarc, should I go with that many? Will 4 groups of 3, or 12 T5 bulbs be overkill? What would you do? I'm trying to order everything today or tomorrow so it arrives next week. I am also trying to time the order to get free shipping because I'm cheap.

SPS is still going strong today, same goes for the clams. I want more clams.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12629659#post12629659 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by michika
I've firmed up a bunch of lighting plans after I went back and looked at MakoJ's TOTM and am I still going to go with T5s between the MHs. MakoJ went with VHO lighting, but in the end I think the set up will work for me/us as well.
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sorry about that - I thought he had T5s - my bad

I would think going with 2 between each reflector and on the ends would give you plenty of supplement.
 
Just having 2 bulbs per set would be pretty nice, that would mean I only need 6 bulbs total. It would certainly cut down on my power usage, initial cost, and maintenance costs. Any ideas on which bulbs to go with? I'm thinking Geismann is the name I want to go with, but I need to firm up my colour needs before I decide and order.

I'm looking at clams to add to my system. I'm such a clam addict. I'm thinking I will re-work my aquascaping to give me a nice little bay to full with clams.

There is finally filamentous algae on the tank's glass now, so that is a good sign. All my most successful SPS tanks had filamentous algae that needed cleaning every few days.
 
I would think the 400's would be too much with those reflectors

I' run 3 - 250w, Reflux 12k and get great color and penetration. I kick in my 400's every once and a while (still playing with aquascaping , coral placement etc) unfortunately even at about 18" above the water it really makes big difference with heat.

But if your thinking long run for a future tank, consider only running the 400's for 5 hours a day (maybe less). Again I'd be concerned about the heat. This may change your thoughts on the supplemental lighting.

Are you planning on just atinics for the T5's?

Note: My clams are perfectly happy with the 250's with about 32" of water and 18" of height above water.
 
250w should be good, but I worry that I won't get the nice brightness that I like. I can always try 250w and if for some reason its not enough, can upgrade. I never worry about heating from MHs, we use lots of fans in the summer, and in the winter we let the MHs help heat the house. I've never had heating problems with any MH I've had, but I think that all comes down to the tank design.

Thinking to the future, I'll be running a 1K+ display system. I will probably be going 250w there assuming that the 250s on this tank work out well. The height will be the same on both tanks.

That is a lot of space between your clams and lights! Photos?
 
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