Calistyle's 120G Peninsula Build
- Thread starter calistyle
- Start date
calistyle
Active member
Right now I only have the LED portion going (T5s are on the way).
The fixture itself is one of the best looking ones (hybrid, t5), but that's not as important as what we're using it for.
My tank is 4x2x2 and this 35.5 fixture covers each inch, no problem. The LEDs don't have lenses so it's not spraying light all over the place (outside the tank).
Running the preconfigured BALI mode @ 30% I do notice some disco ball effect, but figured I can adjust that by increasing brightness of some colors while lowering brightness on others. Even if that doesn't work, I'm sure I won't see it with T5s running.
Next, the cables come out the back of the unit, while ATI comes out the side. For a peninsula tank it's not ideal to come out the back of the unit, which is the other viewing side for me. However, I was able to make it look nice for 2 of the viewing sides and acceptable for the 3rd.
The sofware is really easy to use and actually wireless. I plug in bluetooth adapter to computer, find light, connect, and configure. This is the technology I thought I was getting with EcoTech's "wireless" years ago.
All that said, if in no hurry, give me a few weeks to see how other settings work. Let me see how it looks with T5's, etc. One thing I was surprised about was the T5s are all on one channel. I guess it was carrying over old T5 mentality, but I wanted 2 channels. In the end it won't matter, I only plan on running T5's 4-6 hours a day to supplement, so I'd want all 4 anyways.
Here's some more pics.
Arkayology
Active member
That fixture looks pretty sick man. Nice job on the rock work too. Lots of interest. Plenty of space for SPS.
jeffreylam1132
New member
Wow, looks awesome Jorden! That is one sexy fixture.
calistyle
Active member
Thanks! I use this as inspiration for my aquascape
I'm kidding, but we did just toss it in real quick and it didn't turn out too bad. I do plan on doing it differently though. I still have 40+ lbs in garage.
Thanks! So far I'm really happy with it
calistyle
Active member
All in good time! I still have plumbing to do/redo. Also, adding the baffle to the sump has made my heater too big to fit in the sump now. :fish1:
Mavilez
New member
Which T5 Bulbs did you decide on?
Cant wait to see once it all the way set up. Since there these fixtures are relatively new there isn't a lot of information out about them. What made you decide to go with PacSun over ATI or other options?
That wireless adjustment feature is really cool.
calistyle
Active member
I went with:
Crystal Blue
Pigment INT+ (Shallow Water with pink/violet peak
Crystal UV (super actinic/true violet
Crystal Blue
Coming from Radion I'm a huge fan of LED, however over time as corals grew out, the shadowing is rather ugly. That said, I wanted T5 and LED combo.
For me, ATI is a T5 unit w/ LED supplement (only white, blue, green, red? LED), which is fine, but the cost should be less, IMO.
PacSun it's a 9 channel LED unit with T5 supplement.
Basically, with PacSun, I felt like I was getting 2 Radion Pros (actually more wattage) w/ 4 T5 bulbs and the reeflink EcoTech now offers. I also felt it was a cleaner looking unit. The cost levels out on paper.
However, for the ATI I felt it was more or less their T5 unit, w/ ReefBright LED strip, which would cost like 700-800 bucks. So, cost didn't seem to level out for me. Also, the flickering "bug" people were reporting was a huge turn off.
In the end, I knew more people had ATI and proven success with it. I was taking a risk on PacSun, but it felt like I would get more for my money. I felt like PacSun spends more on R&D than they do marketing and that was a nice change.
Now, I've never had the ATI fixture, so I cannot fairly compare the two, just offer why I made my decision. I don't think you can go wrong with either fixture, I think it comes down to preference.
Mavilez
New member
Makes total sense to me. I haven't seen one of these lights and it's hard to spend the extra money not really knowing what to expect. Looking forward to seeing how your tank turns out.
calistyle
Active member
Well, the 1" Flow Accelerator really is limited to 660 GPH.
I replaced it with a 3/4" Y loc-line for the return and my 1 1/2" in drain couldn't keep up. That Fluval sp4 had to be dialed way back. Once I get my reactors going it should level out some, but I went a little overkill on the return pump, maybe.
I replaced it with a 3/4" Y loc-line for the return and my 1 1/2" in drain couldn't keep up. That Fluval sp4 had to be dialed way back. Once I get my reactors going it should level out some, but I went a little overkill on the return pump, maybe.
christygirl
Well-known member
Why not try splitting the locline and going with two flat blade returns.... They are nice because you can lay them parallel to the top of the water, and cause nice surface agitation without the splash.... plus, if your flow is that good, you can direct it two ways and accomplish more than the flow accelerator....
discotu
Discotu
Agreed
Thanks! I use this as inspiration for my aquascape
I'm kidding, but we did just toss it in real quick and it didn't turn out too bad. I do plan on doing it differently though. I still have 40+ lbs in garage.
Thanks! So far I'm really happy with it
lol.........
calistyle
Active member
Did just that. Thanks!
Also fixed the drain issue we discussed: I just need to extend the pvp from sump into sock, a little loud...but only when sump doors are open.
I know i didn't really need one on the right side of the Y, but figured better safe than sorry. Hopefully going to get these reactors dialed in this weekend.
calistyle
Active member
Your welcome to come see it anytime as well. I expect to have T5's in by next weekend.
christygirl
Well-known member
Did just that. Thanks!
Also fixed the drain issue we discussed: I just need to extend the pvp from sump into sock, a little loud...but only when sump doors are open.
I know i didn't really need one on the right side of the Y, but figured better safe than sorry. Hopefully going to get these reactors dialed in this weekend.
Cali,
Looks great.... If your drain lines are too loud, add a little of the flex inside the so that the water is introduced into the sock under water..... That will stop the air and the splash....
calistyle
Active member
I had some in there, but I guess just above water level, I'll cut some new pieces and try again. Thanks again for all the help.
Thanks. I'll add more once I get reactor plumbing done. So much more to do! Ahhhhhhh
calistyle
Active member
and by loud (sump) I mean,
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