Gone Solar Too

[jdhuyvetter]

An interesting note:

In the FTS, look at the bushy coral at the top right of the tank. It looks kind of purple.

Now, look at it in the side view. It is the farthest coral in the center of the pic, just below the water line. It is bluish gray with baby blue tips.

It's a blue tort and is actually one of the fastest growers under natural light. I've got a true Oregon blue tort in my frag tank that is a SLOW grower. I'm tempted to bring it into the main tank and see if it speeds up.

 

[jdhuyvetter]

Look at the pics above and the ones below. These pics are taken at 1:30 pm with full overhead sun and T-5 actinics. You can see the 4 solar tubes clearly in this FTS. The brights spots will actually move as the sun goes overhead. In the early morning and late afternoon, the sun is at enough of an angle that there is no direct light. It is all bounced around the solar tubes and the whole tank is evenly lit. The bright spots actually make the areas around them look darker (I'm assuming the affect is the auto adjust on the camera). Even though, the tank is actually brighter than the 9 am photo.

Pics below are a FTS, as side shot and a close up of one of the bright spots under the solar tubes.

FTS

Side View

Close up of the "bright spot" under the far left tube

 

[gofor100]

Awesome... thanks for the updated pics! Looks great!

-Chad

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Looks awsome. I did a quick scan thur your post and am glad I did.

I just recently installed 3 10" tubes over my 7' long, 400G tank. I'd have done more but that's all that fit. Also I couldn't get a 14" in there either.

As for the "look" of the tank, it reminds me of snorkling on the shallow reefs of the pacific. Love the color and shimmer lines you can't get with "artifical" light.

Like you, my Monti's have browned out. I'm glad to hear that they will come back. I was worried until I read your post. I'm looking at adding some PAR 38 LED atinic lights for the color. But lowering my electric bill by 50 bucks a month was great along with the more natural look of the tank.

Unlike you though, I did the install myself. So far, no leaks. It's all documented in my build thread. My main focus in my tank is Monti Caps. Now that I can get them to grow in my tank, my plan is to have several large colonies of different colors. Long story of why I couldn't grow them but now I can.

Good luck and your tank looks great.

 

[jdhuyvetter]

Thanks!

Again, mother nature did not cooperate this weekend. Late afternoon, overcast and rainy.

Pics below are full sun and 20K MH at 6:30 pm (no actinics)

 

[marco j]

Wow look at all that free light!!!! I am envious, your tank is beautiful! Great job! :thumbsup

 

[antimatter]

Is your electricity bill still down as much after adding the MH? after all is said and done are you happy with the solar?

 

[jdhuyvetter]

Yes, the power is still down.

I'm somewhat mixed on the tubes. My coral coloration for many corals is not as intense as a lot of the pics you see here. However, I challenge you to find the parent colony of many of those corals on the reef with the same colors as the pics here. My tank has a much more "natural" look to it as far as the colors are concerned. But, the addition of the 20K's has helped.

All things considered, I would do the solar tubes again. I would love to have a 15 foot tank some day. If I ever do, it will have the same solar tube/MH combo that I have now.

 

[water junky]

Wow, I'm impressed with where you've gotten with it.

 

[jdhuyvetter]

In a week or two, I need to pull the canopy off to do some maintenance. I'll try to post some update pics.

 

[david pinder]

Great job your tubes did a better job than mine in texas. The first summer was great but as october rolled around my corals started going down hill and I ended up putting lights back up. now I just crank back the hrs I run my lights in the summer time and increase them in the winter. Think the solar tubes in some areas of the county than others.

 

[Crazy_Beaver]

Great work man!

 

[jdhuyvetter]

Great job your tubes did a better job than mine in texas. The first summer was great but as october rolled around my corals started going down hill and I ended up putting lights back up. now I just crank back the hrs I run my lights in the summer time and increase them in the winter. Think the solar tubes in some areas of the county than others.

My corals all browned out the first winter but kept growing. Although, at a much slower pace.

I put 20K, 250w MH between the tubes. I run them 4 hours in the winter, 3 hours in the spring/fall and 2 hours in the summer. (3@250w, compared to 3@50w and 5@150w before the tubes)

I would imagine in Houston, you could do the same. Still like the MH, but they are barely on now compared to before. Just enough to help hold the colors.

 

[david pinder]

Think we get less sun here, my corals browned out initially also, think I may even lost a few. I do have 4 250 mh on my sps tank 700 gal and have added a lot of leds. on my softies tank also 700 gal, I only run 7 60wt leds, like you I am able to greatly reduce the hrs of running lighrts during the summer, but pretty much have to run my lights full time in the winter months. Made a video this week of my sps still trying to put in on line.

 

[jdhuyvetter]

Hard to believe it's been 3 years now. I'm starting to have serious problems with growth (as in too much). Red and Green caps were the first to go (about a year ago, fragged and sold, not dead). Below are some top down pics from 1130 this morning. Sunlight only, no actinics. The tank has 3 top braces, dividing it into 4 sections. Braces are on 2 feet centers to give a size reference. Pics are from left to right.

First pic is a relatively new addition. Hawkins echinata. From a frag to this in about a year. The blue chalice on the right had completely grown around the overflow and up to the top of the water. The tips were actually starting to grow out of the water and algae mats were growing off of them. This then caused the center part of the chalice to die off. Last weekend I pulled all of the chalice. Fragged up the smaller live pieces and put this piece back in the tank to start over (also dropped it about 4 inches lower)

Second pic (left to right) X-Factor Cap, Green Pocillipora, Montipora capitata. Next weekends project is the X-Factor and Monti capitata. I really hate to frag the pocillipora as it looks so good in the evenings. But, gonna have to soon as it is crowding out everything else.

Third pic is an ORA hyacinth birdsnest and a ORA Scrips Acro (back). This has been the "war zone" of the tank. There is a big favia just to the right of the red cyano patch that pretty much keeps that clear.

Fourth pic is another war zone. Just under the brace to the left is a big Aquarium City red millipora. Not stinging anything, just shading out the bottom half of the tank. Then a Green Birdsnest and a Cali blue tort. Behind them is an encrusting monti that has gone bonkers.

 

[edward45]

awesome tank

 

[Elliott]

impressive growth, love that hawking echinata, thanks for sharing

 

[jdhuyvetter]

Hawkins at 130 this afternoon. Full sun and actinic t-5's are on.

Hawkins at 550 this evening. Sun is setting and 20K MH's are on.

 

[jdhuyvetter]

Couple more at 6 pm. Setting sun and 20k MH

Birdsnest and Blue tort from above and from the front

Hyacinth birdsnest and Scrips acro from the front

X-Factor Cap from the front

Pocillipora from the front

 

[jdhuyvetter]

Well, I 've actually been somewhat aquarium motivated the past couple of weekends. I pulled the old MH/T-5 retrofits and replaced them with Current Pro Lumen LED's. Last night I cleaned the glass and put the canopy back on. I figured I'd better take some pics or else no one would believe me! (Anyone who has ever been to my house knows that I have pink coraline algae issues)

FTS with LED's. Last night after the sun set. All LED's are on (they are staggered and there is only a 2 hour window with all LED's on)

Close up between the solar tubes

I had a power outage this summer and my backflow preventer failed. Water level dropped about 5 inches and I had some coral die off (about 50% of what was above the water line died). So, used that as an excuse to "clean house" Some of the corals are gone now. X-factor died, green pocillipora was donated to the Pier Aquarium in St. Pete. Blue tort and green polyp birdsnest partially died and were fragged up. All others were fine.

FTS from 230 this afternoon. Full sun and just the blue LED's