Coral Tank from Canada (1350gal Display Tank)

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LED strip lights have become very popular for ambient room lighting due to the low cost, but fibre optics still offers more flexibility in my opinion. You can use an LED or halogen light engine (light source/reflective box) with side light or end light cables in a variety of deminsions and limitless length. Fibre optic cables can even be submerged in water safely, but they will grow algae.

One interesting effect is to imbed hundreds of cables into the acrylic viewing panels and illuminate the entire panel. Add a colour wheel or programmable RGB LEDs and get ready to freak out :)
 
nineball said:
I have been hunting for this info.
Click to expand...
There are tons of articles on research into coral requirements for light. Dana Riddle has done a lot of research and writes regularly for Advanced Aquarist on this topic. Just do a Search there on PAR (photosynthetically active radiation). All the ranges on LUX, PAR, and how to measure them are in there.

Dave.M
 
nineball said:
I have had one adjustment in the power arena. I have maxed out the existing 17,000 watt standby generator in the case of a complete power failure. I have had to add a second generator into the mix which in turn means a new natural gas meter as well. I am beginning to think that I just should have dammed up sixteen mile creek, throw in a few truckloads of salt and rented a lawn chair with an umbrella. Only reservation I might have is lugging all those cases of beer down to the creek for you folks. :wildone:

Peter
Click to expand...

Peter
How exactly did you max out the 17Kw generator? LOL How?

I like the lawn chair and umbrella idea
 
nineball said:
Shawn, this is hugely helpful. I have been hunting for this info. Thank you very much.

Peter
Click to expand...

There are quite a few good lighting articles out there, but as you know by now it's arguably the most technical subject in our hobby. The study of reflectors is a science in itself. Sanjay has written some excellent articles on the subject of lighting, including this series of tests of reflectors. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/feature.htm

Sanjay also did a recent comparison of MHL, T5 & LED aquarium lighting. He is very enthusiastic about the future of LED lighting, but the numbers in his study didn't back that up in my opinion. The LED fixtures he tested are not exactly state of the art, cutting edge technology. Newer releases perform markedly better according to many sources. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/2/aafeature2

The problem with magic rule of thumb numbers is they cannot be applied to all aquariums. Corals have unique requirements, different depths of the tank influence light intensity, water clarity affects penetration, temperature affects photosynthesis and flow rates influence coral feeding and polyp extension. Even your rock work will cast shadows and change the illumination of lower placed corals.

As far as requirements and tolerances go, this article covers the subject well. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/3/aafeature1
 
Peter, Thanks so much for sharing this project and for the extreme effort in keeping flaming and other unpleasant comments to a minimum. My reef ecology students and I are about to convert our 240 reef to a 412. We use the aquarium to experiment with coral growth, to have living examples of the corals we talk about, and to just plain enjoy.

Its not often that I direct my students to a particular thread because of the above avoided issues, but I will be pointing them to particular pages and links.

I doubt they miss the great car pages either. Well done and congrats!!

David
 
Hi Peter:wave:
Its taken Me 2 nights to read all of this thread & Im totally in awe of what You are doing & I cant wait to see this tank wet & full of life.
Subscribed & watching :wave:

Cheers
Rick
 
Briney Dave said:
Peter, Thanks so much for sharing this project and for the extreme effort in keeping flaming and other unpleasant comments to a minimum. My reef ecology students and I are about to convert our 240 reef to a 412. We use the aquarium to experiment with coral growth, to have living examples of the corals we talk about, and to just plain enjoy.

Its not often that I direct my students to a particular thread because of the above avoided issues, but I will be pointing them to particular pages and links.

I doubt they miss the great car pages either. Well done and congrats!!

David
Click to expand...

What an honour David. I would hope that this kind of discussion with kids increases in volume and diversity. There is so much happening in the world right now that is affecting these precious resources. The biggest gift we can create for the planet is increasing the comprehension of the next generation on just how important this part of our world is to nature. The single greatest generator of new spiecies on the planet are the coral reefs......more than the rain forests in fact. Not that we can look at any ecosystem in isolation but the reefs are certainly on the critical path to a healthy and productive earth. Your students should feel welcome in this thread and encouraged to participate.

Welcome to our growing community..........

Peter
 
pafc64 said:
Hi Peter:wave:
Its taken Me 2 nights to read all of this thread & Im totally in awe of what You are doing & I cant wait to see this tank wet & full of life.
Subscribed & watching :wave:

Cheers
Rick
Click to expand...

Another Aussie!!! That's great and welcome to the group Rick. Also congratulations on the Australian win at the Crucible in England. The world championship for professional snooker players has only been taken out of the British isles in seventy years by two countries now.....Canada and Australia.

The pace is picking up a bit with all the focus now on getting the fish room ready. We are aiming for two weeks for the first tests of the entire ecosystem.

Peter
 
mr.wilson said:
There are quite a few good lighting articles out there, but as you know by now it's arguably the most technical subject in our hobby. The study of reflectors is a science in itself. Sanjay has written some excellent articles on the subject of lighting, including this series of tests of reflectors. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/feature.htm

Sanjay also did a recent comparison of MHL, T5 & LED aquarium lighting. He is very enthusiastic about the future of LED lighting, but the numbers in his study didn't back that up in my opinion. The LED fixtures he tested are not exactly state of the art, cutting edge technology. Newer releases perform markedly better according to many sources. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/2/aafeature2

The problem with magic rule of thumb numbers is they cannot be applied to all aquariums. Corals have unique requirements, different depths of the tank influence light intensity, water clarity affects penetration, temperature affects photosynthesis and flow rates influence coral feeding and polyp extension. Even your rock work will cast shadows and change the illumination of lower placed corals.

As far as requirements and tolerances go, this article covers the subject well. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/3/aafeature1
Click to expand...

I have been reading through most if not all of the links suggested Sean and I have to say that it is clear that there is no certainty in this area. A great deal of encouraging data through a number of anecdotal studies, but not enough real time passing to provide the science foundation yet. My instincts however are gaining strength as the theory suggests the LED evolution may well offer more flexibility in the long run. Progress in this domain won't just present itself with an AHA moment I think. It's more like a gathering storm......slow and very ominous.

Its funny, when I got into this whole thing in the first place I thought that one of my operating principles would be not to beta test anything because of my lack of experience and knowledge. Here I am inching forward with what feels like the whole world watching ...................... I'm pretty sure I will be bringing some form of LED's to the party. Your explanation of colour temp was very helpful for me. The links you provided were also informative and helpful as well.

Thank you Sean.

Peter
 
dave.m said:
There are tons of articles on research into coral requirements for light. Dana Riddle has done a lot of research and writes regularly for Advanced Aquarist on this topic. Just do a Search there on PAR (photosynthetically active radiation). All the ranges on LUX, PAR, and how to measure them are in there.

Dave.M
Click to expand...

Thanks Dave......you failed to warn me that place is full of quick sand. I was in there for a couple of hours before I could take my first breath of fresh air. The scary part is I am actually starting to comprehend some of the language.

If Stephen Hawking can describe three workable time machines I wonder how he would handle calculating PAR for a fish tank????????

Peter
 
Its in the news!!!!!!

Its in the news!!!!!!

TORONTO - A Canadian-based ecologist said Friday that he has located the world's largest beaver dam in northwestern Canada using Google satellite technology.

Ecologist Jean Thie located the 2,788-foot (850-meter) dam using Google Earth and NASA technology while researching the rate of melting permafrost in the country's far north.

Situated in northern Alberta's Wood Buffalo National Park, which straddles the Alberta-Northwest Territories border, the dam stretches more than eight football fields long, said Thie.

These two eager beavers started their project 3 days after Nineballs thread was started on Reef Central. It has been theorized that concern for overflow from Peter's tank prompted the beavers to begin their effort. Its just part of the Canadian DNA!!!!!!
 
nineball said:
If Stephen Hawking can describe three workable time machines I wonder how he would handle calculating PAR for a fish tank????????
Click to expand...
Ooo! My brain hurts!
my-brain-hurts.jpg


Dave.M
 
Padrino said:
Peter
How exactly did you max out the 17Kw generator? LOL How?

I like the lawn chair and umbrella idea
Click to expand...

hahaha I was just saying the same thing..... like seriously

I bet about 1 year after this tank is running Peters house gets raided by the Police. They figure big house, bentleys, Ferrari's, light pouring out of every basement window at night and the power meter spinning so fast the hydro guy can't even take a reading. Drug Boss

P.S. Peter, about lugging all that beer to the creek, I drive a GMC Sierra 1500. May not be as flashy as a Ferrari but its great at taking beer to the creek LOL
 
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