Coral Tank from Canada (1350gal Display Tank)

[mr.wilson]

Very interesting - Orphek apparently used very tight optics to produce large PAR values. This however resulted is a very small coverage area. Very few tanks would need (or want) 350 PAR on the substrate (and that's at 30"!) That amount of PAR confined within the footprint of the module is all but unusable unless the light was elevated much higher above the tank (not possible on Peter's build), was refitted with wider lenses and/or had dimming capability (sadly not available on the Orphek.)

The fixture is clearly a PAR monster - That 900 PAR measurement recorded near the surface is likely ~20% greater due to PAR meters underestimating the bluer light output of LEDs.

Assuming you like the quality of the light, you'll need to stick some "coke-bottle" lenses on that thing Shawn You may also have a challenge in balancing PAR, coverage and aesthetics. At equal PAR, LED light appears much "less bright" in comparison to MH or T5. Wider optics will increase the coverage area and more evenly spread PAR - but it may appear unacceptably dim from an aesthetic point.

Oh good, it's not just me. I couldn't figure out why the Orphek produces 1300 lumens while the brighter looking MHL is half of that. PAR was also half but appears brighter.

I noticed that the manufacture of the light in China uses 120˚ optics on their grow lights. I will contact Orphek and see if they can ship me some of these.

Yes, we hit the ceiling so we can't spread the light more. The light is currently about 12" above the surface of the water. To be fair, the light is suspended over the 1" acrylic top brace, but so are most of the other lights.

 

[ransomed4ever]

I know peter was asking for opinions on lights a while ago, but I think the pics you just posted made it a little easier to tell apart the different fixtures. based on these pics I'd say I like the 250w the best

 

[nineball]

On the subject of lighting

On the subject of lighting

While taking some pictures to rationalize some of the lighting options I noticed..............

upon closer inspection I found this ........our pimped up snail.

Has anyone seen this kind of algae????

This 'feather in the cap' is almost 3" long. There is no other similar lifeform anywhere in the tank. What is it?

Anyone?

Peter

 

[Elliott]

red macroalgae, phylum Rhodophyta

 

[nineball]

Very interesting - Orphek apparently used very tight optics to produce large PAR values. This however resulted is a very small coverage area. Very few tanks would need (or want) 350 PAR on the substrate (and that's at 30"!) That amount of PAR confined within the footprint of the module is all but unusable unless the light was elevated much higher above the tank (not possible on Peter's build), was refitted with wider lenses and/or had dimming capability (sadly not available on the Orphek.)

The fixture is clearly a PAR monster - That 900 PAR measurement recorded near the surface is likely ~20% greater due to PAR meters underestimating the bluer light output of LEDs.

Assuming you like the quality of the light, you'll need to stick some "coke-bottle" lenses on that thing Shawn You may also have a challenge in balancing PAR, coverage and aesthetics. At equal PAR, LED light appears much "less bright" in comparison to MH or T5. Wider optics will increase the coverage area and more evenly spread PAR - but it may appear unacceptably dim from an aesthetic point.

Tom, you really nailed the issue with the algorithm for the ideal LED solution = sufficient PAR + adequate footprint + aesthetic appeal.

I was so focused on PAR that it never occurred to me that it would be possible to have too much PAR and not enough visible light. My preference would be to find an LED solution as I have stated before a number of times. I am still convinced this technology is the right path to pursue but we are still not there yet. Whoever gets this right should be a market dominator and for all the right reasons. I believe that the solution even today is more science than art or at least it should be. I also believe that the physical architectures that I have seen are crudely barbaric in their design. So far I would need another entire room just to house the ballasts and I still haven't seen ANY decent controllers that are capable of exploiting the power of an LED solution. I suspect that our hobby does not warrant the investment to produce the ideal configuration as the numbers are just too small. I am still determined to see if I can find a solution but I may just have to use an interim MH/T5 solution for the short term, otherwise I will never get this tank populated with coral in my lifetime.


Peter

 

[nineball]

red macroalgae, phylum Rhodophyta

Thanks Elliott, is it good? bad?

Peter

 

[Elliott]

Thanks Elliott, is it good? bad?

Peter

good, but your future tangs may find it a delicacy

 

[SaraB]

upon closer inspection I found this ........our pimped up snail.

That's a pretty cool pimped up snail Peter! I think he'd prefer Shawn's suggest beverage of a 40 of Colt 45

 

[nineball]

That's a pretty cool pimped up snail Peter! I think he'd prefer Shawn's suggest beverage of a 40 of Colt 45

yes and I can cool them in my new 'refridgeium'!!!!!!!!

Peter

 

[MabuyaQ]

yes and I can cool them in my new 'refridgeium'!!!!!!!!

Peter

:lolspin::lolspin: :beer:

 

[elijaher]

Tank looks great seems like the coralline algea begin to kick off.

 

[dave.m]

yes and I can cool them in my new 'refridgeium'!!!!!!!!

Man, you've just got everything!

Dave.M

 

[SaraB]

yes and I can cool them in my new 'refridgeium'!!!!!!!!

Peter

Fantastic idea Peter ... but I might just stick with the ice wine!

 

[venom550pm]

Fantastic idea Peter ... but I might just stick with the ice wine!

mmm, ice wine, some of my favorite, anytime i think about ice wine, it reminds me of the fall, almost time to harvest!

 

[SaraB]

mmm, ice wine, some of my favorite, anytime i think about ice wine, it reminds me of the fall, almost time to harvest!

I think this weekend sounds like a time to drink some myself!

I see your username and I always wonder if you have a Hennessey 550 or just like them :inlove:

 

[venom550pm]

I think this weekend sounds like a time to drink some myself!

I see your username and I always wonder if you have a Hennessey 550 or just like them :inlove:

My username has to do with Hennessey motorsports. When they tuned the first dodge viper they called it the viper venom and it had 550 HP. I've used this username for the better part of 20 years now.

 

[SaraB]

My username has to do with Hennessey motorsports. When they tuned the first dodge viper they called it the viper venom and it had 550 HP. I've used this username for the better part of 20 years now.

Cool, I'm familiar with Vipers and Hennessey Venoms and I figured that's what your username was referring to :frog:

 

[J.P.Silva]

Peter/Shawn
I know this would be more work for you both. The real problem is height restriction, that piping over the tank needs to be smaller and installed on the two sides of the tank (front & back). You need to raise the lights up as high as you can, so that you can get a better light spread.
Sorry that's not the best advice you want to hear.

 

[Luckylouse]

Peter/ Mr.Wilson,

Guys, You may want to try out Aqua Illumination LED. I set up a unit at ORG and it really impressed me. Unfortunately couldn't get a great set-up as I was installing the unit in a tight area but nevertheless it is VERY IMPRESSIVE!

I convince you to go with Profilux a while ago... now take my advice again and check out the Aqua Illumination. With the 60deg optics and 3.8W LED, a great heat sink, you will see that it might very well be the fixture for you.

Peter seems to be set on LED... If I were him I'd be going down that path too. If you want me to bring a unit out for trial I will personally bring one to you. Tom won't mind.. trust me.... he owes me!

Let me know if you are interested.

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

Peter/Shawn
I know this would be more work for you both. The real problem is height restriction, that piping over the tank needs to be smaller and installed on the two sides of the tank (front & back). You need to raise the lights up as high as you can, so that you can get a better light spread.
Sorry that's not the best advice you want to hear.

As it applies to LEDs, there are options short of re-engineering the air handling ducts. One of the biggest benefits of LED lighting is the ability to very efficiently trade PAR for coverage through the use of optics. Orpheck has released very limited information on the LEDs used, nor am I aware of what optics are currently installed. Most LEDs have a native output (prior to the installation of external optics) of ~120 degrees. Simply changing the optics, or removing the lenses entirely would provide a dramatic increase in coverage area albeit at the loss of PAR and potentially perceived brightness.

Peter/ Mr.Wilson,

Guys, You may want to try out Aqua Illumination LED. I set up a unit at ORG and it really impressed me. Unfortunately couldn't get a great set-up as I was installing the unit in a tight area but nevertheless it is VERY IMPRESSIVE!

I convince you to go with Profilux a while ago... now take my advice again and check out the Aqua Illumination. With the 60deg optics and 3.8W LED, a great heat sink, you will see that it might very well be the fixture for you. ...

I agree the AquaIllumination LEDs offers a great solution that addresses some of the current challenges (i.e. no remote ballasts or fans.) They also offer a number of significant advantages over the Orphek including Tri-Color Cree LEDs, full controller integration including individual color dimming for sunrise, sunset and mid-day PAR increased, lunar tables, storm and cloud-cover simulation...) I'm not a big fan of the lightning simulation capabilities, but I do think watching a sunrise/sunset and clouds slowly progress over Peter's tank would be an incredible event.

I'm a big proponent of AI, but they will still pose some challenges on Peters build. The biggest of which may be power output. Each AI unit consists of 24, 3 watt Cree LEDs (slightly under-driven), running at a combined ~70 watts. 40 degree optics are used in the center of each fixture, flanked by 70 degrees along the perimeter. Depending on mounting height, aquascaping, coral placement and tank depth, each AI can cover little more than about a 2'X2' area. Clearly it would take a large number of AIs to properly serve Peter's tank.

I believe Mr. Wilson has been working with AI to evaluate options, including a potential solution for the Mars (err Wilson) bars. It will be interesting to see how that develops.