heat issues
- Thread starter pulpol
- Start date
i lost my flame angel and anthias last night, am thinking it's because of my tank temp which was probably around 87 !!! i run 2 return pumps a rio3100 and rio 2100, i also run 2 seio 1500 and a 2600. plus a 25w uv which i really think contributed to my high rising temp. light schedule is only from 6-10pm 432w t-5.
DetectiveTofu
New member
how long do your MH bulbs usually last??
sfsuphysics
Active member
Depends on what your definition of "need" is 
There was a neat article in I think the last AA, where they tested bulbs and found while they did diminish in brightness, they leveled out at around 75%. So if you're happy with that you don't need to change your bulbs. They also do color shift a bit, but that won't affect your corals that much as far as living goes, so the question is do you NEED to have that same blue color?
There was a neat article in I think the last AA, where they tested bulbs and found while they did diminish in brightness, they leveled out at around 75%. So if you're happy with that you don't need to change your bulbs. They also do color shift a bit, but that won't affect your corals that much as far as living goes, so the question is do you NEED to have that same blue color?
northbay-reefer
New member
With that combination I can mix my lights better and get the color that I want, also not all of the lights are going to be on at the same time so I will save energy
sfsuphysics
Active member
but you'll lose money by having to replace twice as many bulbs.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9914145#post9914145 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sfsuphysics
Depends on what your definition of "need" is
There was a neat article in I think the last AA, where they tested bulbs and found while they did diminish in brightness, they leveled out at around 75%. So if you're happy with that you don't need to change your bulbs. They also do color shift a bit, but that won't affect your corals that much as far as living goes, so the question is do you NEED to have that same blue color?
Sanjay (our reef lighting god) has stated that he has lightins well over a year old running over tanks. There is also a potential difference in lifespan between running them on HQI or EBallasts. Sanjay is doing a long term test with IC Eballasts and Giesman 400w bulbs to see what the impact on the bulb is when run for 1 year (IE: are the claims of longer lifespan true or false). So there are a couple of variable to the "how long til I need to replace my bulbs". Not to mention that some bulbs and manufacturers would need replacing sooner than others. I think I read that Radiums bottom out after 6 - 8 months, but that was only hearsay, so don't take that as fact from me.
Here are some threads that we started and maintained back when we first got our cooler, and around the same time as that massive heat wave last year. We chronicled the temperature outside and tank temp and approx pull down that the cooler provided, along with our own watt meter readings for electrical consumption. It was pretty impressive :
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=867593&highlight=cooler
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=845839&highlight=cooler
Ours is the largest cooler, the 4 fan model. While it is much cheaper than a chiller to run, it is still quite a bit more for the initial purchase, but I know that ours has saved us tons of money already (and helped save our tank during that heat wave). Also it is important to note that these work off of evaporative cooling, so an ATO is just about a requirement when using one of these. We finally ended up placing ours outside, but you can see the progression and results of our various set up attemtps/locations in those thread IIRC.
HTH
northbay-reefer
New member
Yeah but getting the right color combination is more important to me. I only run the 150 watt halide 4 hours a day so it last almost 2 years
it is true that this is not a cheap hobby, by far. And while most all of us acknowledge that, alot try to balance between wants and needs... wanting the right color and growth and the need to keep eating (so not spending our entire paycheck on lights and electrical bills ).
).sfsuphysics
Active member
True enough, I was just countering your "I'll run them less therefore cheaper" remark
I have seen quite a few japanese tanks that were absolutely stunning with multiple bulb setups, and I'm not talking the conventional bulbs we use either... wish I could remember where that thread was.. think in the SPS forum many moons ago.And Phong, I wub ewe soooooooo much
PID require the purchase of a Titanium probe, a DC voltage source and the knowledge to program them typically. I have yet to run into one on ebay that comes with a probe or a power source in a package deal (new).
The programming can be a bit overwhelming if your not up on the type of language used. There's a lot to know about them, that's for sure.
(own 3 myself - currently running Red Lion on a type J Ti probe)
sfsuphysics
Active member
Well Eileen this was due to my greenhouse sump/growout tanks that are connected to my main tank, otherwise yeah it wouldn't have gotten that warm.
Gresham: Really, hmm that's good to know, I thought it was a simple design where you'd simply hook up a thermal couple and it'd turn on/off depending upon the temp. I don't have a kiln so good thing I didn't buy one!
Gresham: Really, hmm that's good to know, I thought it was a simple design where you'd simply hook up a thermal couple and it'd turn on/off depending upon the temp. I don't have a kiln so good thing I didn't buy one!
