gone solar

[hobogato]

thanks jonathan, been there before. i have removed and dipped suspect pieces and found nothing. if you do a search in this forum, you will find my AEFW treatment thread - i dip everything coming in now

 

[hobogato]

also, while i had the tank torn up, i took out the lunare wrasse and the harlequin tusk so i can now add a few small wrasses - just in case those pests come back....

 

[jnarowe]

OK...just checking. Seems strange they would be picking at the coral and not FW on the corals.

 

[sfsuphysics]

That's what I was thinking, fish picking at what looks to be a basically healthy coral (especially fish that are not always known for that) smells of some sort of "tasty morsel" that might be there.

 

[Underwaterparadise]

I have seen MANY a damsel eat coral. I have a customer with a Blue Velvet Damsel that will consume any soft coral that is put into the tank.

Nice Aquascaping!!

 

[crab0000]

How does it look with a full moon?

 

[hobogato]

some light comes in, but it isnt enough to capture with the camera.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13437675#post13437675 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crab0000
How does it look with a full moon?

 

[crab0000]

It has to be cool to have a natural lunar cycle though!

 

[lilfishbigreef]

Awesome thread!!

there is nothing i can say that has not been said already!

Cheers

 

[hobogato]

it has been an adjustment for me (and probably the inhabitants) since i used to have lots of LED moonlights that were on every night. it is still a little strange to see the tank pitch black at night - makes me want to turn on the lights and check everything

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13440430#post13440430 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crab0000
It has to be cool to have a natural lunar cycle though!

 

[Thomas111]

Just read this thread front to back. Took awhile too. I thought about doing this last year but got dissuaded by others. Now I got the itch back again.
Could you give some details on the cones you built for the bottom section 12" above the water? I live in Wisconsin and I don't think there will be any problem with light like others have asked about. If there is then supplementation will be in order.
Thanks again for a great read.

 

[fishdoc11]

Thomas111,

[welcome]

Chris

 

[hobogato]

sure,

i took plastic planters from lowes, cut a circle out of the bottom the size of the tubular light, and painted it. i used chrome paint on the inside and plastic paint on the outside. then, i fastened it to the tube with sheet metal screws and calked the seam to make it look like one piece.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13450923#post13450923 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Thomas111
Just read this thread front to back. Took awhile too. I thought about doing this last year but got dissuaded by others. Now I got the itch back again.
Could you give some details on the cones you built for the bottom section 12" above the water? I live in Wisconsin and I don't think there will be any problem with light like others have asked about. If there is then supplementation will be in order.
Thanks again for a great read.

 

[hllywd]

Here are a couple pics of the 10" SolaTube brand tube I installed several (about 6) years ago. The domes and light collectors on top have been redesigned since to concentrate more light. This catches more light than the flex tube 14" Velux model IME. The new SolaTubes run in the $400 neighborhood, more than the Veluxes. I hope these help show how much light they bring in. The pics were taken at about 2:00PM here in NW Ohio on the date shown with a cloudless sky. BTW moonlight is pretty impressive at full moon. If this was over my 120 it would be brighter than the 4 LEDs I have on my Lunar Tracker...

Installation is easy if your comfortable installing can lights and replacing a few shingles on a roof. Probably at the top range of a DIY project.

HTH
Tim

 

[jnarowe]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13451228#post13451228 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hobogato
sure,

i took plastic planters from lowes, cut a circle out of the bottom the size of the tubular light, and painted it. i used chrome paint on the inside and plastic paint on the outside. then, i fastened it to the tube with sheet metal screws and calked the seam to make it look like one piece.

Very creative DIY Ace. :thumbsup:

 

[hobogato]

thanks jonathan

thanks for the input hllywd

 

[cybershark]

I have always liked the thought of saving some electricity. This looks like its doing a great job for you.

 

[cybershark]

Sorry double posted

 

[Anthing Aquatic]

How does a hot day affect the tempreture of the water without having to upgrade chillers. It can get up to 40 degrees C here.

 

[hllywd]

The roof dome blocks IR, no heat is transmitted down the tube. The difuser on mine is never warmer than the ambient temperature. The SolaTubes or whatever other brand you decide to use should lessen or eliminate the need for lighting induced cooling because of this.
With 40C my guess is you could reduce your cooling load but not eliminate it...
Tim