Coral Tank from Canada (1350gal Display Tank)

[nineball]

For the record

For the record

I have not been, nor am I now, and most probably in the forseeable future been down on LED's. I believe that they are by far the most promising technology for this hobby. They offer so many benefits that out class and outpace the other technologies that it is very difficult to talk about them without sounding like a KTel late night ad.

If I see or am convinced that there is a solution in the market place I will not hesitate to get it. Having said that if the reality is that we are not quite there yet then I will measure the gap with existing technologies and go with the best practice available.

Make no mistake, LED's are in our collective futures......the question is not whether this happens but when.

Every option is still open with respect to lighting solutions for this tank and we still have some auditing to do on the various technologies we currently have at our disposal. So hang in and bear with Mr. Wilson and I because our intention is to share our methodology and conclusions with the community that has been loyal to this thread from the outset.

Peter

 

[nineball]

did you ever get a par meter so you can test each setup? would really be interested to see what the actual numbers are on each one.

Yes we did Terry, in fact we got a LUX meter, a PAR meter and a UV meter expressly for this evaluation.

Mr. Wilson will share the findings with this thread when we are ready to do it justice. Right now we are only making a cursory pass at the subject while we complete the fish room pump and filtration architecture first.

Peter

 

[nineball]

We don't want to publish anything negative about fixtures and lamps that don't work for us, as they may work well for other applications. QUOTE]


I have a strong feeling Mr. Wilson that we are going to have to repeat that line a hundred times before we publish our conclusions for this build.

Peter

 

[SPIN (QC)]

If my eyes is good, you have a pair of Helfrichi Firefish !!!
This is my dream pair for my nano !
Lucky guys ! :frog:

SPIN

 

[nineball]

Imagine........

Imagine........

Imagine when we can achieve the same exceptional results on the inside of the tank as we can on the outside!!!

Like I said, now we have to do this from the inside of the tank!!!


Peter

 

[mr.wilson]

Mr. Wilson,

I'm wondering about your thoughts on the pink cuke I saw in the MARS systems. I'm always hesitant to use these types of detrivores as I know they are EXTREMELY effective, there is still the chance of it wiping out all the fish in the tank. I was always under the impression that the pink cukes and tiger tails were very unlikely to wipe out a tank, but there are numerous examples of this happening here on reef central. Most I've seen were with the pink cuke, but I've seen one or two with the tiger tail as well. It seems with the best of designed tanks the odds are definitely in your favor, but do you still worry about the risk?

Well the cucumber dying certainly can't be good The tank can only be poisoned if the Cuvierian organ ruptures, and all cucumbers are toxic if/when they die.

In my opinion it isn't worth the risk for the benefits they offer, but in Peter's case the large system volume, Rox carbon use, UV, ozone and giant protein skimmer may negate the danger of toxicity.

We ordered one to have in case our nuisance algae plague persisted. After just two days, 80% of the algae is completely, I mean right down to the bone, gone. A combination of conchs, snails, hermits and emerald crabs did a very thorough job. It doesn't look like the cucumber will be deployed

My experience with the pink & black ones has been good. I have had a few die over the years, but they were usually removed quickly before the toxic organ is ruptured. Of course this isn't always easy with a creature that crawly around under and behind the reef. I really like sea apples, but they should be limited to species tanks (by themselves).

Synapta maculata is another personal favourite, but they are really toxic and likely to take the tank out with them.

 

[mr.wilson]

Imagine when we can achieve the same exceptional results on the inside of the tank as we can on the outside!!!

Like I said, now we have to do this from the inside of the tank!!!


Peter

If you let me drill 2000 holes in the acrylic, I can illuminate the whole tank with fibre optics Acrylic panels can efficiently project light.

 

[mr.wilson]

If my eyes is good, you have a pair of Helfrichi Firefish !!!
This is my dream pair for my nano !
Lucky guys ! :frog:

SPIN

Sorry, we don't have a pair... we have three Along with three purple firefish that are cross schooling.

 

[mr.wilson]

AquaIllumination's new cree LED fixtures have been showing amazing PAR. Here's an example of the PAR ratings and how they are stronger than many metal halide fixtures: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1841197&highlight=aquaillumination

Many people are even bleaching corals because they are so strong and need to be run with the white's at a lower percentage and hung 1-2 feet off the water. The price is insane, but as competition ramps up I'm hoping they will become more reasonable when I finally put together another tank.

The AI unit appears to be the best LED currently on the market. We are seriously considering it for the invert Mars system which would require 9 Sol nano units. I plan on calling them tomorrow as a matter of fact.

 

[J.P.Silva]

Shawn
Did you show peter the LED Vertex Illumina ?
http://www.vertexaquaristik.com/products/lighting/led/lumina/luminaSR.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHo7LTgkbZ4

 

[Beaun]

Am I the only one that likes the color of the plasma, looks a lot more natural to me. I dont think it's "yellow", people are just used to the crazy blue spectrum.

 

[SPIN (QC)]

Mr.Wilson, your so cruel with me !
Do you import direct all the fish or you take from local importer ? (a specially helfrichi)

Thank's
SPIN

 

[JonnyD91]

Shawn
Did you show peter the LED Vertex Illumina ?
http://www.vertexaquaristik.com/products/lighting/led/lumina/luminaSR.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHo7LTgkbZ4

That my friend is effen AWESOME

 

[nineball]

Am I the only one that likes the color of the plasma, looks a lot more natural to me. I dont think it's "yellow", people are just used to the crazy blue spectrum.

Tyler, to the extent that the yellow hue is more like the sun on a sunny day you are probably right but I believe that it also colours the water with a yellowy hue which is not so great. If you try and introduce blue you end up with a green tinge. Although there are those that would argue that it is not far off the real world diving experience it is not the kind of ambiance I would want in my display tank in my living space. This is a highly personal choice as there really isn't a formal right or wrong.

Peter

 

[Beaun]

Tyler, to the extent that the yellow hue is more like the sun on a sunny day you are probably right but I believe that it also colours the water with a yellowy hue which is not so great. If you try and introduce blue you end up with a green tinge. Although there are those that would argue that it is not far off the real world diving experience it is not the kind of ambiance I would want in my display tank in my living space. This is a highly personal choice as there really isn't a formal right or wrong.

Peter

I agree, and the technology has a long way to come till I ever look at getting one. But for some people to just dismiss it as yellow is shutting the door on a promising technology. For public aquariums and macro displays it certainly has its place already. My guess is that it'll be a few years before we really see what is possible.

 

[Chago09]

can't wait for corals to fill that tank... its going to be awesome, looks great

 

[Cougarman]

That my friend is effen AWESOME

I agree.

 

[nineball]

I agree, and the technology has a long way to come till I ever look at getting one. But for some people to just dismiss it as yellow is shutting the door on a promising technology. For public aquariums and macro displays it certainly has its place already. My guess is that it'll be a few years before we really see what is possible.

I bought three for the fish room. Two will be for the Mangrove wall units and one for the refugium. They will be great for those purposes however I will say they are extremely heavy and cumbersome to work with from an architectural point of view.

Peter

 

[Cheebs]

I agree, and the technology has a long way to come till I ever look at getting one. But for some people to just dismiss it as yellow is shutting the door on a promising technology. For public aquariums and macro displays it certainly has its place already. My guess is that it'll be a few years before we really see what is possible.

I see what you mean about the natural sunlight look for sure. However, in natural coral reefs, the light does seem to be much bluer like the light many aquarists try to achieve. Perhaps it's the ocean water and environment that make it appear that way, but the a little more blue definitely does appear more "natural" to me when all is said and done. I'm certain that plasma lights have a very bright future though

 

[dave.m]

I see what you mean about the natural sunlight look for sure. However, in natural coral reefs, the light does seem to be much bluer like the light many aquarists try to achieve. Perhaps it's the ocean water and environment that make it appear that way, but the a little more blue definitely does appear more "natural" to me when all is said and done. I'm certain that plasma lights have a very bright future though

Red, yellow and green light is mostly absorbed by the water in the first couple of metres. That's why things look blue deeper down where many of our corals come from.

Peter has it exactly right: it's a matter of personal taste. Plasma is too yellow to provide the deep blues the corals' zooxanthellae require. LEDs can provide the blues, but have so little reds and yellows that many things that should appear colourful look washed out. If you like the really freakish blue or purple look, go T5s.

There really doesn't seem to be anything to compete with metal halides for colour rendition ... YET. I too have been waiting for LEDs to mature into MH's role. LED technology just has too many good points for it not to be developed further to meet everyone's needs.

Dave.M