Blackthunda77's 80Gal Shallow Reef Build

Hey John I checked on ebay and it was within the price range that you had said. I know that it is dimmable but what would you say the color temperature is on this fixture? I like my tank pretty blue to the point where maybe even a bit bluer than 20K, how does this fixture measure up? Also, I plan on putting this over my 40, do you think the spread will be enough or will I get shadows in the corners?
 
Kayo,

The blues are dimmable individual to the whites. So basically you can get a spectrum anywhere between 6500k all the way to atinic. So getting a 20k look will definitely be no problem.

I personally think you would be fine on a 40. 40 breeder right? The only thing is that you might have to hang it up a bit higher. If your set up allows that then i think you should be fine. Its definately powerful enough to give you enough light pretty high up. I Have mine set up about 20 or so inches about the water and im running the blues at like 60% and the white around 40-50%.
 
My name is Ricky btw, I know you didn't know that but its better to hear Ricky than hey Kayo lol..

Anyways, yeah it will be on a 40 Breeder and my mind is pretty set on purchasing those.

Only thing is that my tank had crashed due to RTN, STN..

I think I bought a piece from a fellow reefer and didn't QT and killed my little reef.. the only thing that survived was the GSP and my Leather.. yippee..

So after that disheartening event I lost interest for almost a year, i mean I would feed my fish but I haven't even attempted to stay on top of it like I was before.. Just this week I made up my mind I would give it another go.. so I bought new MH, PC, and UV bulbs.. cleaned out all my equipment and did like a 50% water change.. so its looking up, maybe because there is nowhere else to go..
 
Everyone fees like throwing in the towel sometimes. Thats how i felt when i got AEFW. Then again, when i had AEFW is when i decided to break everything down and start again, which is when i started up this 80 gal rimless. :)
 
Think I could go with 3 of them over a 265? I could add strips too. They come with 90 degree optics, right?

I would need to mount as high as possible in canopy and move the dimmers to the side instead of top.

Its actually much cheaper than building them yourself via rapid led.

Nice upgrade.
 
I'm actually running similar fixtures ( mine don't have optics ) over my 210 and love them! I'm also supplementing with 4 80w t5's. I have them 18" from the water and the tank is 24" deep. SPS, LPS,& Zoas all seem to love the combo. I will say this be carful with the whites they will definitly fry some corals when cranked to 100%.
 
Biggar said:
Think I could go with 3 of them over a 265? I could add strips too. They come with 90 degree optics, right?

I would need to mount as high as possible in canopy and move the dimmers to the side instead of top.

Its actually much cheaper than building them yourself via rapid led.

Nice upgrade.
Click to expand...

I cannot comment on if they would be sufficient as i dont have much experience with them. I do think that they have similar spread to that of a 250 watt MH bulb on a decent reflector. So spread wise i think you would be ok with 3. 4 would be ideal. This is based on if i remember your tank correctly. I believe its about 60" long correct?
 
Its 7 foot, but has two beams(braces) for support. 24" deep and 84" long.

So there is basically three 2' x 2' areas that need light. Maybe square fixtures would be more ideal. I would only be able to get them about 8" off the water in canopy.

So far so good with yours?
 
Biggar said:
Its 7 foot, but has two beams(braces) for support. 24" deep and 84" long.

So there is basically three 2' x 2' areas that need light. Maybe square fixtures would be more ideal. I would only be able to get them about 8" off the water in canopy.

So far so good with yours?
Click to expand...

Well the recommendation by the seller/manufacturer states that they should be minimum 1 unit per 2'x2' area. Thats what i would end up with as well if i decide to go ahead with them. My tank is 24"x48" so i have 2 24" sections.
 
Quick update,

I noticed some RTN on my tri color acro. Its weird, its on 2 or 3 of the branches in random areas. I thought it was maybe because the red monti cap is growing right next to it but the areas where the monti is touching it is not being affected. I did notice that that night i had some friends and family over and my ph dropped to like 7.3. Maybe because my AC was constantly on, so many people sucking up oxygen and my condo is relatively small??? In any event, thats when i noticed the RTN. I opened up the balcony window afterwards and let some fresh air come in and my ph has rebounded back to around 8.2. The necrosis seems to have slowed, not sure it stopped. If i still notice progression i have no option but to frag it :(

I ordered a couple nice colonies of zoanthids yesterday and should be getting them today. I will try to post pics tonight after the meeting.
 
I'm sorry about the rtn. I used to have the same issue with my tank when we lived in the condo. Not sure this will work for you, but I ran the air intake for the skimmer outside. It made a difference in my ph.
 
Stylo328 said:
I'm sorry about the rtn. I used to have the same issue with my tank when we lived in the condo. Not sure this will work for you, but I ran the air intake for the skimmer outside. It made a difference in my ph.
Click to expand...

Yea, i tried that with my previous skimmer. Didnt make much of a difference. However, i had it hooked up to 1/4 water line. I might try it again but with a 1/2 or 1" pvc. However, that will require a larger hole in my wall. LOL. Right now my window on my enclosed balcony is cracked open a few inches which is working great, but i dont like that for security purposes, although i am on the second floor, and it also lets out a good amount of AC im assuming as well as the issue of when it rains and im not home.
 
Did you leave the egg crate on the bottom and cover with sand or just leave egg crate exposed?

What is the reason for egg crate on the bottom?

Just curious
 
The egg crate is covered with sand. It helps in case of rock slides to help reduce the risk of the glass cracking. Some people use starboard.
 
Couple Zoa Colonies I got from Collin on my way to the meeting last night.

Aqua honeycomb
dy4adu8a.jpg


African Violets
vusu4upe.jpg


Ectoplasms
rymese8e.jpg


Blue lemons
adadu4a3.jpg


And he threw in a 5th as a bonus. Don't know what this one is. Looks like a morph of the ectoplasm.
azy4y7er.jpg


Colors are alot more vibrant in person. I didnt feel like busting out the DSLR so i just snapped some pics with the cell phone.
 
Last edited:
Row of zoathids out of quarantine and in the main tank. Light acclimation for a couple days now.

nyhuna2y.jpg


Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
 
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