A more "Green" system
- Thread starter Jamokie01
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LockeOak
New member
One thing I've noticed after switching my 10G tank to a bare bottom is that if the bottom of the tank is kept fairly clean (clear of detritus) there's quite a bit of reflected light coming back up. I don't know if it's enough to make a big difference, but with glass on all sides there's a lot of light bouncing around in there that otherwise would just get absorbed by the sand bed (especially when it gets natural sun!) Of course the bottom will probably get covered in coralline algae sooner or later.
easy one I plan to employ on my next system.
Ground loop cooling. After seeing one in action the results are amazing.
Other stuff Ive seen/heard about that seems to be a great idea.
3 phase pumps(still need to research some more but seems EXTREMELY promising, like in the 5000gph range at 80w!)
using smaller pressure rated pumps for the return(way smaller when current is being provided in other ways) as low as 2-3x turnover isnt a bad thing when you dont have to worry about current.
using the sun is a no brainer.
BUY A KILL-A-WATT, recently got one and been playing with it alot, really shows you whats using the power and where you should make changes.
Run reactors off your return pump or the your drain(gravity is just as free as sun light)
As far as lighting goes im still not sure which is better 10k halide with actinics(T5 HO of course) or simply running a 14 or 20k bulb. I plan to test this once I get my t5 ballast replaced(and try and get my hands on a xm 10k bulb) kill a watt will tell once i get around to it. I just wish I had a PAR meter to play with as well.
Ground loop cooling. After seeing one in action the results are amazing.
Other stuff Ive seen/heard about that seems to be a great idea.
3 phase pumps(still need to research some more but seems EXTREMELY promising, like in the 5000gph range at 80w!)
using smaller pressure rated pumps for the return(way smaller when current is being provided in other ways) as low as 2-3x turnover isnt a bad thing when you dont have to worry about current.
using the sun is a no brainer.
BUY A KILL-A-WATT, recently got one and been playing with it alot, really shows you whats using the power and where you should make changes.
Run reactors off your return pump or the your drain(gravity is just as free as sun light)
As far as lighting goes im still not sure which is better 10k halide with actinics(T5 HO of course) or simply running a 14 or 20k bulb. I plan to test this once I get my t5 ballast replaced(and try and get my hands on a xm 10k bulb) kill a watt will tell once i get around to it. I just wish I had a PAR meter to play with as well.
EnderG60: very good suggestions. I'm exploring ground loop cooling here in Arizona, don't know how deep in the ground I need to go, have to do a little more research. I'm intrigued by underground cisterns as well for temperature control. Natural lighting here in Arizona should be optimal. Also, elevated surge tanks can also be utilized for flow. What is a 3 phase pump and how does it use less electricity?
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10685249#post10685249 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kirstenk
The most efficient bulbs are still 10,000K halides. Dont like all that yellow? Well... going with a bluer halide isnt the best idea either, as outputs tend to halve if not more. Rather, use a bulb that can make blue light more effectively than halide... use T5s. A MH+T5 system is the best combo per watt that you can get.
I tend to think that going with a higher kelvin MH bulb would be more "Green".
For every T5 on the tank, we must consider the energy and materials used to manufacture, package and ship them plus the waste from that process vs only Halide use.
I used to use 330W of VHO but now I don't because I switched to 12K MH's. I've reduced which saves energy on my end and the suppliers reduce as demand has gone down.
My corals are just as happy.
A 10,000K bulb and a 20,000K bulb does not mean a green look. It doesnt work like color addition (where blue and yellow makes green). Ooooooohhhh, you mean going bluer would be more efficient... Lol. :bum: No, not really. The most efficient halides are the 3000Ks, then the 6500Ks... just going from those to 10,000K cuts your output in half. Then, going from 10,000K to 20,000K often cuts in half again. Phosphor based bulbs start with the blue end of the spectrum as a 'base'... and the phosphors make blue much better.
Lets compare: Take a 400watt 20,000Kish bulb... its output is most likely rivaled by many 10,000Ks at 250watts (unless its an Aquaconnect 14,000K... hard to beat that bulb, dont get me wrong, but its also about 500watts on a HQI ballast). So you can get the same PAR with a 250watt 10,000K, and then with the extra wattage, you can add a rows of T5s to suppliment the blue and actinic (reall, all you need is blue since 10,000Ks have loads of actinic already... more than a 20,000K... they just lack the blue). So in the end, you end up with a 'dayblue' look, which IME, corals tend to color up better under anyways, esp the red and pink corals, AND you end up with about 50% more output for the same wattage in the end. That 400watt halide wont have as much output as that 250watter with 2x54wattT5s and its more wattage. I used to be a fan of just using halides only... but not any more... not since T5s. The 'look' in the end is less sterile as well. Sorry, but you just dont get the same coloration on corals with 20,000Ks and blue 14,000Ks (Aquaconnect and pheonix) as you do with a full spectrum bulb. As for the extra equipment... yeah... I hear ya... but T5s in the long run should be very competitive with halides as far as replacement costs. The new bulbs dont even contain mercury anymore, and will last 2 years easily if you keep them cool.
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
As far as cooling loops in the ground... good idea. Just make sure you can spring for a Titanium heat exchanger (saltwater safe). Sometimes just having your sump on the basement floor, or adding a heat-sink tank (an additional tank like a sump that just contains water to slow the rate of heating) is enough. Evaporative cooling is all I have ever needed though... that and effective venting. I figure that the tank is in a room that is otherwise AC'ed...
Otherwise, funny you should bring the skimmer thing up. I only run my oversized skimmer at night... because it barely gathers anything during the day... and at night, during the reverse-cycle, is when the skimmer does the most to keep the pH higher. My skimmer is a recirc copy of an ATI bubblemaster 200, direct fed from my overflow. Keep in mind that if you only skim from 11pm-8am (thats about what I do now), you might need a larger skimmer than normal to keep up. I forgot to mention this because the main reason I only skim at night is to keep the noise down during the day when the living area is in use... and at night, when everyone is asleep, and skimming is at its best anyways... skim away!!! That, and honestly, I need to put another dozen fairy wrasses in my tank before it can even make enough skimmate for my skimmer to handle.
Otherwise, funny you should bring the skimmer thing up. I only run my oversized skimmer at night... because it barely gathers anything during the day... and at night, during the reverse-cycle, is when the skimmer does the most to keep the pH higher. My skimmer is a recirc copy of an ATI bubblemaster 200, direct fed from my overflow. Keep in mind that if you only skim from 11pm-8am (thats about what I do now), you might need a larger skimmer than normal to keep up. I forgot to mention this because the main reason I only skim at night is to keep the noise down during the day when the living area is in use... and at night, when everyone is asleep, and skimming is at its best anyways... skim away!!! That, and honestly, I need to put another dozen fairy wrasses in my tank before it can even make enough skimmate for my skimmer to handle.
Actually you dont have to spring for a Ti heat exchanger, the awsome results I spoke of were of about 40 feet of thin wall PVC burried 10 feet down. Then just hooked up a pump to it that ran off a temp controler.
The only thing that worries me is the possibly stagnant water in the lines durring cooler days getting into the tank.
The only thing that worries me is the possibly stagnant water in the lines durring cooler days getting into the tank.
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
EnderG60.... thats why an exchanger gets used. Then the cooling water and the tank water are kept on two seperate circuits, to avoid contamination/leaking problems.
RichConley
New member
Your WHITE sand is absorbing light now?
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