d2mini's "Essential Focus" Mixed Reef Build
- Thread starter d2mini
- Start date
d2mini
Premium Member
Rox .08 Carbon
Awesome, thanks.
This part is always fun.
haha, sorry.
lol, c'mon man... get busy!
It's the 24" and the footprint is about 9x12 with the pump.
Correct.
Wazzel
New member
lol, c'mon man... get busy!
I wish, busy with other stuff. I made a round trip to Ingleside this weekend for some equipment test.
VJV
New member
Hey, Denis, greetings from Portugal. I have followed you previous thread and have been lurking on this one and once again I have to tell you: you Sir, are an inspiration! Your attention to detail, photography skills and decor integration capabilities are second to none!
I will be following along with interest, especially the triton part. I am very curious and tempted ( no water changes [emoji847]) but a lot of it goes against conventional knowledge (though scientifically it makes a lot of sense).
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I will be following along with interest, especially the triton part. I am very curious and tempted ( no water changes [emoji847]) but a lot of it goes against conventional knowledge (though scientifically it makes a lot of sense).
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
d2mini
Premium Member
UPDATE 5-16-16
So...
My tank isn't even wet yet, and it has already taken a very significant and interesting turn.
There are many of you who know my history, but I'll quickly run through it for those who do not.
Two tank builds ago, I had the 36" cube. Originally I was running a fixture with a single MH and 4 T5 bulbs. I had run MH and florescent combos in the past and always liked it. Then LEDs hit the market. Like many people at the time, they had my curious but I hadn't pulled the trigger yet. I was already running Ecotech Vortech MP40's and Ecotech was familiar with my tank. So when they called me and asked if I'd be willing to test out some new lights, I jumped at the chance.... and the "Ecotech Cube" was born.
Well not long after, we decided to move across town and this tank was torn down. The 200g build was spawned and the Gen 1 were transferred over, and eventually upgraded to Gen 2 Pros. All in all, I ran the Radions for about 2 years. During this time, my experience paralleled the led experience of many reefers, regardless of brand. We all had issues of slow growth, poor color, shadowing, burning, etc. Some of this was just a learning experience and eventually working through it, and others were consistent issues that didn't seem to have an easy fix. Another big issue has always been the fact that the average consumer, including myself, has no idea what spectrum of light corals need to thrive, and with LED we are left to our own devices, with many of us failing miserably. It wasn't long before I was longing for the ease of purchasing a bulb with a spectrum and intensity that was tried and true. I was tired of all the variables, and never knowing if my problems were lighting related or something else. I finally got so frustrated, figured two years was more than enough time, and I through in the towel. I went back to the MH/T5 combo and the tank exploded in growth and color almost immediately. And it was easy.
Now you may know that I've had fairly strong opinions on the subject, but I've never said LED were inherently bad. I've always said there was a future with LED, but we needed more research and less variables. The manufacturers really needed to come out with some solid pre-set spectrums, similar to the already tried and true bulbs that are available in MH, like Radium, Pheonix, Ushio and other popular bulbs. The other major problem IMO is spread. LEDs are too much of a pinpoint light source with no real reflector, so coral (mainly SPS) are shadowed, leading to poor growth and color as they grow into colonies. It has always been my opinion that LED are fine as long as you can purchase enough of them to really cover the tank in light. But not many people have the funds to do so, and this completely negates one of the major selling points of LED which is to save money on electricity. Raising the height of the fixtures is one option to achieve better spread, but since I had a canopy with low ceiling, this wasn't an option for me.
Fast forward to today. It's been a couple years since I switched back and in that time there has been further strides on the LED front. For one, there have been a lot of combo fixtures that have popped up. One of the more popular ones is the ATI Powermodule LED/T5 hybrid. This is the fixture I chose for this build because it's pretty sleek looking (I do not have a canopy this time), and the T5 bulbs are providing the main source of light, with the LED being more supplemental. To me this seemed like a pretty good way to go. Lots of spread from the T5's, and that extra color punch and contrast from the LEDs.
So here we are. You've all seen the tank and stand arrive, the ATI get hung from the ceiling, the custom sump was made, and I was working on the electronic board inside the stand. All was moving along smoothly and as planned.
Then one day my phone rings. It's Ecotech.
After a little catch up, I was informed of some of the research and changes since I had last used their Radions. I hadn't been paying too much attention to the world of LED or Radions specifically, so they filled me on some very interesting things. I was pointed to the white paper they released as the first installment of their Coral Lab series, working with a commercial aquaculture facility. If anyone relies on lighting to grow and color up coral, it's these guys. If you missed it like I did, you can find the report here... http://ecotechmarine.com/news/ecotech-marine-launches-coral-lab
In the report, you'll see that this wholesaler basically did what we've all been asking for. They grew the same corals in the same system, side by side, under their tried and true T5 lighting and under Radions. They experimented with the spectrum and intensity of the Radions until they were able to achieve the same or better results as the T5 lighting. AND... these lighting schedules are available to download!
We also discussed spread issues as well. And some upcoming interesting changes.
In the end, they wanted to know if I would be interested in trying the Radions again.
An experiment to see if I could now overcome the issues I've had in the past.
My first thought was thank you, but no. I've got this brand new ATI hanging over the tank that I haven't even used yet! And I didn't have luck with LED in the past. Why go through that again? Just stick with what I know works. Don't complicate things.
But...
There's a challenge here.
I like challenges.
Darn it!!!!
I couldn't let it go.
It kept nagging me.
Finally, I figured... what the heck.
It's a brand new build, I've learned a lot since then, Ecotech has learned a lot since then, let's see what these puppies can do.
So this weekend, amidst the work down below in the stand, there was also some changes to what was hanging above.
Please ignore the filthy glass.
So the saga continues.
This should be very interesting to say the least.
But... challenge excepted. Let's do this.
P.S. - This new RMS rail/mount system is fantastic!
So...
My tank isn't even wet yet, and it has already taken a very significant and interesting turn.
There are many of you who know my history, but I'll quickly run through it for those who do not.
Two tank builds ago, I had the 36" cube. Originally I was running a fixture with a single MH and 4 T5 bulbs. I had run MH and florescent combos in the past and always liked it. Then LEDs hit the market. Like many people at the time, they had my curious but I hadn't pulled the trigger yet. I was already running Ecotech Vortech MP40's and Ecotech was familiar with my tank. So when they called me and asked if I'd be willing to test out some new lights, I jumped at the chance.... and the "Ecotech Cube" was born.
Well not long after, we decided to move across town and this tank was torn down. The 200g build was spawned and the Gen 1 were transferred over, and eventually upgraded to Gen 2 Pros. All in all, I ran the Radions for about 2 years. During this time, my experience paralleled the led experience of many reefers, regardless of brand. We all had issues of slow growth, poor color, shadowing, burning, etc. Some of this was just a learning experience and eventually working through it, and others were consistent issues that didn't seem to have an easy fix. Another big issue has always been the fact that the average consumer, including myself, has no idea what spectrum of light corals need to thrive, and with LED we are left to our own devices, with many of us failing miserably. It wasn't long before I was longing for the ease of purchasing a bulb with a spectrum and intensity that was tried and true. I was tired of all the variables, and never knowing if my problems were lighting related or something else. I finally got so frustrated, figured two years was more than enough time, and I through in the towel. I went back to the MH/T5 combo and the tank exploded in growth and color almost immediately. And it was easy.
Now you may know that I've had fairly strong opinions on the subject, but I've never said LED were inherently bad. I've always said there was a future with LED, but we needed more research and less variables. The manufacturers really needed to come out with some solid pre-set spectrums, similar to the already tried and true bulbs that are available in MH, like Radium, Pheonix, Ushio and other popular bulbs. The other major problem IMO is spread. LEDs are too much of a pinpoint light source with no real reflector, so coral (mainly SPS) are shadowed, leading to poor growth and color as they grow into colonies. It has always been my opinion that LED are fine as long as you can purchase enough of them to really cover the tank in light. But not many people have the funds to do so, and this completely negates one of the major selling points of LED which is to save money on electricity. Raising the height of the fixtures is one option to achieve better spread, but since I had a canopy with low ceiling, this wasn't an option for me.
Fast forward to today. It's been a couple years since I switched back and in that time there has been further strides on the LED front. For one, there have been a lot of combo fixtures that have popped up. One of the more popular ones is the ATI Powermodule LED/T5 hybrid. This is the fixture I chose for this build because it's pretty sleek looking (I do not have a canopy this time), and the T5 bulbs are providing the main source of light, with the LED being more supplemental. To me this seemed like a pretty good way to go. Lots of spread from the T5's, and that extra color punch and contrast from the LEDs.
So here we are. You've all seen the tank and stand arrive, the ATI get hung from the ceiling, the custom sump was made, and I was working on the electronic board inside the stand. All was moving along smoothly and as planned.
Then one day my phone rings. It's Ecotech.
After a little catch up, I was informed of some of the research and changes since I had last used their Radions. I hadn't been paying too much attention to the world of LED or Radions specifically, so they filled me on some very interesting things. I was pointed to the white paper they released as the first installment of their Coral Lab series, working with a commercial aquaculture facility. If anyone relies on lighting to grow and color up coral, it's these guys. If you missed it like I did, you can find the report here... http://ecotechmarine.com/news/ecotech-marine-launches-coral-lab
In the report, you'll see that this wholesaler basically did what we've all been asking for. They grew the same corals in the same system, side by side, under their tried and true T5 lighting and under Radions. They experimented with the spectrum and intensity of the Radions until they were able to achieve the same or better results as the T5 lighting. AND... these lighting schedules are available to download!
We also discussed spread issues as well. And some upcoming interesting changes.
In the end, they wanted to know if I would be interested in trying the Radions again.
An experiment to see if I could now overcome the issues I've had in the past.
My first thought was thank you, but no. I've got this brand new ATI hanging over the tank that I haven't even used yet! And I didn't have luck with LED in the past. Why go through that again? Just stick with what I know works. Don't complicate things.
But...
There's a challenge here.
I like challenges.
Darn it!!!!
I couldn't let it go.
It kept nagging me.
Finally, I figured... what the heck.
It's a brand new build, I've learned a lot since then, Ecotech has learned a lot since then, let's see what these puppies can do.
So this weekend, amidst the work down below in the stand, there was also some changes to what was hanging above.
Please ignore the filthy glass.
So the saga continues.
This should be very interesting to say the least.
But... challenge excepted. Let's do this.
P.S. - This new RMS rail/mount system is fantastic!
d2mini
Premium Member
:lol:
Awesome, maybe once thing's settle in I'll get in touch. Thanks!
Yeah, even with 3 over this tank I'm a little worried.
But I do have the advantage in being able to raise them.
I'll be using a par meter this time, too.
ClownsRCoo
New member
What did you do with the Powermodule?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Mr. Brooks
MASVC Member
Are you using standard or wide angle lenses?
drummerboyevil
New member
Well that was the last thing I expected.
d2mini
Premium Member
It's for sale.
The standard lenses that came with them for now.
Trust me... same here. :uhoh3:
dkeller_nc
New member
Dennis - Since you're in touch with EcoTech guys, there's a severe error in that white paper. In the section on water chemistry (pg 11), they state their water chemistry targets for the SPS and LPS systems.
In those tables, and also later on the page when they discuss dosing, they mention their target for alkalinity at 8 ppm. That's not even possible for standard seawater at a specific gravity of 1.025-1.026, they surely mean 8.0 dKH, not ppm.
You might want to get them to correct that.
In those tables, and also later on the page when they discuss dosing, they mention their target for alkalinity at 8 ppm. That's not even possible for standard seawater at a specific gravity of 1.025-1.026, they surely mean 8.0 dKH, not ppm.
You might want to get them to correct that.
drummerboyevil
New member
IIRC they did it on all types of corals.
d2mini
Premium Member
They discuss two separate SPS programs, as well as LPS. Pics included.
I'll have my usual mixed reef, leaning heavier to the sps and lps side.
Something else to note about their tests... they are running the Radions at 100% but they are hung 24" above the water. This is around twice what the typical hobbyist will do, but it really helps with spread.
Once the tank is up and running I'll be playing around with height.
I missed that, too! Thanks. I'll pass it on.
UPDATE 5-16-16
So...
My tank isn't even wet yet, and it has already taken a very significant and interesting turn.
There are many of you who know my history, but I'll quickly run through it for those who do not.
Two tank builds ago, I had the 36" cube. Originally I was running a fixture with a single MH and 4 T5 bulbs. I had run MH and florescent combos in the past and always liked it. Then LEDs hit the market. Like many people at the time, they had my curious but I hadn't pulled the trigger yet. I was already running Ecotech Vortech MP40's and Ecotech was familiar with my tank. So when they called me and asked if I'd be willing to test out some new lights, I jumped at the chance.... and the "Ecotech Cube" was born.
Well not long after, we decided to move across town and this tank was torn down. The 200g build was spawned and the Gen 1 were transferred over, and eventually upgraded to Gen 2 Pros. All in all, I ran the Radions for about 2 years. During this time, my experience paralleled the led experience of many reefers, regardless of brand. We all had issues of slow growth, poor color, shadowing, burning, etc. Some of this was just a learning experience and eventually working through it, and others were consistent issues that didn't seem to have an easy fix. Another big issue has always been the fact that the average consumer, including myself, has no idea what spectrum of light corals need to thrive, and with LED we are left to our own devices, with many of us failing miserably. It wasn't long before I was longing for the ease of purchasing a bulb with a spectrum and intensity that was tried and true. I was tired of all the variables, and never knowing if my problems were lighting related or something else. I finally got so frustrated, figured two years was more than enough time, and I through in the towel. I went back to the MH/T5 combo and the tank exploded in growth and color almost immediately. And it was easy.
Now you may know that I've had fairly strong opinions on the subject, but I've never said LED were inherently bad. I've always said there was a future with LED, but we needed more research and less variables. The manufacturers really needed to come out with some solid pre-set spectrums, similar to the already tried and true bulbs that are available in MH, like Radium, Pheonix, Ushio and other popular bulbs. The other major problem IMO is spread. LEDs are too much of a pinpoint light source with no real reflector, so coral (mainly SPS) are shadowed, leading to poor growth and color as they grow into colonies. It has always been my opinion that LED are fine as long as you can purchase enough of them to really cover the tank in light. But not many people have the funds to do so, and this completely negates one of the major selling points of LED which is to save money on electricity. Raising the height of the fixtures is one option to achieve better spread, but since I had a canopy with low ceiling, this wasn't an option for me.
Fast forward to today. It's been a couple years since I switched back and in that time there has been further strides on the LED front. For one, there have been a lot of combo fixtures that have popped up. One of the more popular ones is the ATI Powermodule LED/T5 hybrid. This is the fixture I chose for this build because it's pretty sleek looking (I do not have a canopy this time), and the T5 bulbs are providing the main source of light, with the LED being more supplemental. To me this seemed like a pretty good way to go. Lots of spread from the T5's, and that extra color punch and contrast from the LEDs.
So here we are. You've all seen the tank and stand arrive, the ATI get hung from the ceiling, the custom sump was made, and I was working on the electronic board inside the stand. All was moving along smoothly and as planned.
Then one day my phone rings. It's Ecotech.
After a little catch up, I was informed of some of the research and changes since I had last used their Radions. I hadn't been paying too much attention to the world of LED or Radions specifically, so they filled me on some very interesting things. I was pointed to the white paper they released as the first installment of their Coral Lab series, working with a commercial aquaculture facility. If anyone relies on lighting to grow and color up coral, it's these guys. If you missed it like I did, you can find the report here... http://ecotechmarine.com/news/ecotech-marine-launches-coral-lab
In the report, you'll see that this wholesaler basically did what we've all been asking for. They grew the same corals in the same system, side by side, under their tried and true T5 lighting and under Radions. They experimented with the spectrum and intensity of the Radions until they were able to achieve the same or better results as the T5 lighting. AND... these lighting schedules are available to download!
We also discussed spread issues as well. And some upcoming interesting changes.
In the end, they wanted to know if I would be interested in trying the Radions again.
An experiment to see if I could now overcome the issues I've had in the past.
My first thought was thank you, but no. I've got this brand new ATI hanging over the tank that I haven't even used yet! And I didn't have luck with LED in the past. Why go through that again? Just stick with what I know works. Don't complicate things.
But...
There's a challenge here.
I like challenges.
Darn it!!!!
I couldn't let it go.
It kept nagging me.
Finally, I figured... what the heck.
It's a brand new build, I've learned a lot since then, Ecotech has learned a lot since then, let's see what these puppies can do.
So this weekend, amidst the work down below in the stand, there was also some changes to what was hanging above.
Please ignore the filthy glass.
So the saga continues.
This should be very interesting to say the least.
But... challenge excepted. Let's do this.
P.S. - This new RMS rail/mount system is fantastic!
Dennis, can you tell me more about what you used to mount your Radions to?
Similar threads
