8' ATI Dimmable Sunpower Aurora Puck Hybrid

[fishinthewall]

Wow that's a wide spread for them without optics. The custom leds I'm looking at offer narrow optics at 40 and 60 degrees.

Any chance you checked max at bottom of tank with the hybrid at max?

 

[AZRippster]

Wow that's a wide spread for them without optics. The custom leds I'm looking at offer narrow optics at 40 and 60 degrees.

Any chance you checked max at bottom of tank with the hybrid at max?

The driving force for not having optics is the T5 addition. With LED optics installed, the LED fixture necessitates elevating the fixture pretty high. As an example, the EcoTech Coral Lab Study shows they have their fixtures, which run the 80 degree TIR lenses, pretty darn high to get a nice blended spread and to prevent spotlighting (disco). I've also noticed tighter degree optics (40/60) tend to burn coral if not raised higher. If you raise the T5 to the level that support tight optics, you're gonna lose allot of intensity which equates to PAR. Typically T5 are suggested at 7ish inches above the water level.

Sorry, but I haven't taken PAR level readings at the tank's floor, yet.

 

[AZRippster]

Wow that's a wide spread for them without optics. The custom leds I'm looking at offer narrow optics at 40 and 60 degrees.

Any chance you checked max at bottom of tank with the hybrid at max?

I want to thank you for motivating me to take some PAR readings yesterday when I got home from work. I have a Seneye I only use for the light meter. After yesterday I'm kinda wishing I had an Apogee to back up my Seneye (maybe I can convince the wife). All the same, I was getting 330 at the sand bed which had me doubtful, but almost anywhere I tested it I was getting at least 300. Midway in the tank high 400's and easily mid to high 500's below the surface. So with that said, I've backed off the LEDs. The fixture has only been running for 4 days (not counting today) so I'm hoping nothing negative comes from the intensity, although previously running 4 400W MH and 8 54W T5 put out a bunch as well.

One thing I have noticed, my ALK consumption has increased significantly since this past Saturday.

 

[fishinthewall]

I want to thank you for motivating me to take some PAR readings yesterday when I got home from work. I have a Seneye I only use for the light meter. After yesterday I'm kinda wishing I had an Apogee to back up my Seneye (maybe I can convince the wife). All the same, I was getting 330 at the sand bed which had me doubtful, but almost anywhere I tested it I was getting at least 300. Midway in the tank high 400's and easily mid to high 500's below the surface. So with that said, I've backed off the LEDs. The fixture has only been running for 4 days (not counting today) so I'm hoping nothing negative comes from the intensity, although previously running 4 400W MH and 8 54W T5 put out a bunch as well.





One thing I have noticed, my ALK consumption has increased significantly since this past Saturday.

No problem! I should be thanking you, almost an identical setup to what I'm looking at with par readings! So with those readings in gonna go out on a limb and say I can run less total leds, and play with placement and optics.

And that's great your alk consumption is up, overall how do the corals look?

 

[xcfbg]

How high above the tank will the lights be suspended?

 

[AZRippster]

And that's great your alk consumption is up, overall how do the corals look?

So far fantastic. My wife and I have noticed the tips are really white (not RTN or Bleaching) on several of the coral. They were really good under MH/T5 and haven't digressed since hanging the fixture. But, it's only been 4 days, so I'm watching closely. The big thing that has surprised me is the ALK uptake, it's been substantial.

 

[AZRippster]

How high above the tank will the lights be suspended?

They are about 6 3/4" above the water's surface.

 

[fishinthewall]

I just noticed your powerheads, I'm looking at a very similar tank, 96x24x30 (30" deep) how much total flow do you think you have in the tank? Your sps seem to be thriving !

 

[AZRippster]

I just noticed your powerheads, I'm looking at a very similar tank, 96x24x30 (30" deep) how much total flow do you think you have in the tank? Your sps seem to be thriving !

This tank is incredibly problematic getting the flow just right due to it being a dual bull-nose (racetrack) style tank. With the ends being round, positioning and the appropriate power heads has been tricky. The rounded ends amplify water flow significantly. The 2 outer power heads are Jebao RW20 and the 2 inner power heads are Jebao RW8. In actuality, the RW20 are almost too much, even for an 8' tank in this style. I cannot run them over 60 without creating sand storms. For this tank I think it would be nice to try 4 RW15 placed as they currently are. I think I would get better dispersed flow and the ability to run them a little harder. The other option I would like to try is running gyre/cross-flow set vertical where the RW20 are currently placed. I may try this down the road when integration into the Apex is possible.

 

[geckoejon]

Excellent build! Thanks for sharing....

I'll follow along, as I am trying to gather info for a t5 / hydra 52 hybrid

 

[Jeremy257]

How is your tank doing?

 

[AZRippster]

Excellent build! Thanks for sharing....

I'll follow along, as I am trying to gather info for a t5 / hydra 52 hybrid

Thank you, I appreciate the compliment. Good luck in your new hybrid build endeavor.

 

[AZRippster]

How is your tank doing?

It's doing great!.....but

Prior to hanging the fixture, I took existing PAR readings from my 400W/54W MH/T5 fixtures. I tried to mimic the levels with this fixture but quickly learned last week that LED output is much different than MH output, even though I don't have lenses on the LEDs. I over stressed a hyacinth and orange digi coral on the left side of the tank. They RTN'd on me, which is a real bummer. Fortunately, I have a nice big hyacinth frag in another tank and another orange digi doing great. I have backed the LEDs WAY down and everything is now doing well. I just finished a DIY calcium reactor build this weekend so that should go online today or tomorrow. My current one is undersized. I need to get it dialed in quickly. I don't want too many changes.

 

[uyhujb]

How high above the tank will the lights be suspended?

 

[Dapg8gt]

Epic ATI build man really envious of your design and determination to get that thing looking stock. I've been contemplating adding the Aurora chips to my powermodule as well but haven't gotten around to it or thought it past the idea phase, your thread has me really thinking on tackling this as well.

I've got a spare sunpower to cover the tank during the project and I probably will copy your design if I get the cohones to actually do it..

Great job and I'll be following the thread.. Just saw your other Aurora thread and just so happened to find this one a day later =)..

 

[AZRippster]

How high above the tank will the lights be suspended?

I've actually raised them a smidgen to about 8" off the water's surface.

 

[AZRippster]

Epic ATI build man really envious of your design and determination to get that thing looking stock. I've been contemplating adding the Aurora chips to my powermodule as well but haven't gotten around to it or thought it past the idea phase, your thread has me really thinking on tackling this as well.

I've got a spare sunpower to cover the tank during the project and I probably will copy your design if I get the cohones to actually do it..

Great job and I'll be following the thread.. Just saw your other Aurora thread and just so happened to find this one a day later =)..

Thanks for the compliment.

Out of curiosity, why add the Aurora Pucks to your Powermodule, isn't that a hybrid already? I think I would "hybridize" your Sunpower. With the right finesse you could integrate a Coralux Storm or Storm X into the angled portion. I almost did this but had already ordered 1 dimmable fixture. Or, just go wireless with a BlueFish.

Cohenes not required, just plan it out and take your time. It took me about 2 1/2 months, but I was only really doing much on it over weekends.

Here is a shot off the Rapid LED Aurora fixture I did along with the addition of Royal Blue multichip LED supplementation. I took the heat sinks, pucks, and Meanwell components from this build to accomplish this ATI hybrid build.

Good luck in your potential endeavor!

 

[Dapg8gt]

Thanks for the compliment.

Out of curiosity, why add the Aurora Pucks to your Powermodule, isn't that a hybrid already? I think I would "hybridize" your Sunpower. With the right finesse you could integrate a Coralux Storm or Storm X into the angled portion. I almost did this but had already ordered 1 dimmable fixture. Or, just go wireless with a BlueFish.

Cohenes not required, just plan it out and take your time. It took me about 2 1/2 months, but I was only really doing much on it over weekends.

Here is a shot off the Rapid LED Aurora fixture I did along with the addition of Royal Blue multichip LED supplementation. I took the heat sinks, pucks, and Meanwell components from this build to accomplish this ATI hybrid build.

Good luck in your potential endeavor!

I actually have the original powermodule only t5.. It's such a better built light than the sunpower I'm contemplating finding
An 8 bulb sunpower original to mod vs hacking into my power module.

And The sunpower I have is only 36" and a 6 bulb so it will be a definite temporary situation for my tank..

Again man nice build and looking forward to following along

 

[Jeremy257]

AZRippster, you previously had a Cebu Sun system up prior to this lighting system, correct? How high above the water was that system to cover your 31" deep tank?

 

[AZRippster]

AZRippster, you previously had a Cebu Sun system up prior to this lighting system, correct? How high above the water was that system to cover your 31" deep tank?

If I remember correctly approximately 8" off the water's surface.