gone solar

[ReefingBuddha]

don't what to bother you to much with these questions so just one more. What kind of a spread do you think you could get from a 21" tube at the same height? And do you feel that if it was higher then 16" you would get insufficient light strength, how did you determine that 16" was the correct height?

 

[hobogato]

well, it is 16' from the collection dome to the opening above the tank. when you put your hand under the tube, even at the brightest part of the day, you can not feel any heat - no like when you put your hand under a halide. im sure some heat is transferred to the water in the light, but it is negligible.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13218463#post13218463 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chrishei
My only question is how do the tubes not transfer any heat?

the shimmer effect is diminished to non existent, but quite a bit of light still gets to the tank.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13218582#post13218582 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by volcom69
Very nice idea so what happens on a rainy cloudy day how much light comes through then. Great job corals look great.

 

[volcom69]

I take it you dont get much snow there then either that would be the only thing in the northern areas and where i live if we would get a blizard or some kind of big snow storm i would have to climb on the roof and make sure they are not covered with snow.

 

[hobogato]

nope, no snow. of course now that i said that, we will have a blizzard this winter :lol:

 

[cato]

WoW! Sick. Very cool. :thumbsup:

 

[tangdiver]

When I worked in public aquarium we lit some reefs this way and some were only on half the tank. You can guess which side looked better.

Always thought of it, but never did it due to the sun up here in South Dakota.

All I can say is job well done.

Grant

 

[hobogato]

no bother at first, i ended the tubes at the ceiling and covered the ends with diffusers

the diffusers cut out too much light, and when i took them off, lots of light escaped over the top edge of the tank and out onto the floor. i just happened to have two 2' extension tubes left, so i decided to try 1' on each because i did my best measuring to see where the tank would have to be in relation to the tube to prevent the escape of light. even with the 1'

a small amount of light bounced over the edge, but the reflective bell shape on the end of the tubes works perfectly to focus that into the tank as well. my friend's 18" tube ends about 2' abouve his tank (3'x4') and it light the tank and all the way around it, but he is using a prismatic diffuser.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13218950#post13218950 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by thirschmann
don't what to bother you to much with these questions so just one more. What kind of a spread do you think you could get from a 21" tube at the same height? And do you feel that if it was higher then 16" you would get insufficient light strength, how did you determine that 16" was the correct height?

 

[scaryperson27]

Yeah, it definitely was a good idea to go in the direction you did. The light looks great going into your tank,

 

[dodgerblew]

what a great idea!! Tank is a beauty. I want to tag along.

I installed one solartube in an office built off my master bedroom just for lighting the area which is approx 8'x8'. I have a diffuser on it and the diffuser plate is 10" across, and the light output is the equivalent of a 150w bulb and no heat issues.

 

[PasadenaReefer]

im amazed! i havent seen any of these kind of tanks yet! since theres no heat issues im curious is there any downfall to this kind of set up? i understand that you rely on weather now. but if you live in cali its not that bad, but im not too sure how the weather in texas is. GOOD LUCK will be taggingg along

 

[george21]

That is awesome, never seen that before.

 

[hobogato]

yep, the output of the 14" light is equivalent to 300watts or 500watts depending on who you talk to. the three tubes i have are considerable brighter than the 1250 watts of halide lights i was running for at least 3 hours a day.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13221592#post13221592 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dodgerblew
I installed one solartube in an office built off my master bedroom just for lighting the area which is approx 8'x8'. I have a diffuser on it and the diffuser plate is 10" across, and the light output is the equivalent of a 150w bulb and no heat issues.

there are quite a few people doing this, but many have halides for suppliment as well. here in south central texas, we have no clouds most days, so i think there will be plenty of light year round

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13221659#post13221659 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PasadenaReefer
im amazed! i havent seen any of these kind of tanks yet! since theres no heat issues im curious is there any downfall to this kind of set up? i understand that you rely on weather now. but if you live in cali its not that bad, but im not too sure how the weather in texas is. GOOD LUCK will be taggingg along

 

[coral acquisition]

nice tank setup and nice colors. been trying to convince my parents to go solar powered and do solor tubes like these too. we'll see what happens.

 

[crmjacks]

is there a thread somewhere that documented how you put the solar tubes in? would be nice to see a walkthrough/DIY.

 

[Rakie]

Im interested to see the color change. They look like they're on their way to a nice recovery from the brown-out.

But I wonder if it will look as good as it did before. Every time I see sun-lit tanks the color is a big letdown. But since you have a lot of nice actinic lighting im hopeful for you.

Good luck ! Looks great.

 

[FB]

From their web page "High impact polycarbonate dome blocks harmful UV Rays" I wonder how much UV they filter and what affect they would have on your corals if they did not block the UV?

FB

 

[sfsuphysics]

Not too shabby at all, I've played around with natural lighting over there years and have had nothing but bad results. From a 38g tank set next to a window (hey that's light! ) with temperatures that got to 90+ on a sunny day (room wasn't particularly hot either), to a 10g frag tank hooked to a 150g system off my back porch getting diffuse light, corals browned out, algae grew like crazy.

But I still have a hankering to try it again, this time with a lagoon reef (pond liner, massive surface area, not terribly deep). Downside to my plan is the semi-outdoor approach (an enclosed porch is hardly inside), which leaves for serious heating bills in winter months.

Who knows, at $250 or so a pop for a 12" solar tube at Lowes, might be worth an investment to poke a hole in the side of my house... (yeah the woman is going to love that idea )

One thing it seems that your "designer corals" don't do terribly well with the sunlight, and by terribly well I mean they don't pop the same colors that is the reason for demanding the prices they do, specifically your Lime in the Sky doesn't look to sky like.

 

[joeychitwood]

This is a brilliant idea. Congratulations, and thanks for posting the photos.

 

[J.R.L.]

so overall has your K value changed appearance wise? i.e. even with your actinics is your tank a little yellow-er or still the same...basically im asking are you sacrificing any colors in your corals?

 

[OldmillXxX]

I never understood the need to block the UV. For us, sure, but for the corals that bake under the sun all day long without a tree for shade...never understood that.

I'm sure they would take some acclimation, but I plan to do this in my room addition for my 180 and I plan to leave them as open as I can to allow the entire spectrum of light in.

Mother Nature has been keeping corals in her tank much longer than we have. :rollface: