Scotty freddy
New member
Looking good mate 
Jackson's 115 Gallon Custom Cube 32x32x26
- Thread starter jackson6745
- Start date
jackson6745
Yeah Yeah
Thanks! I'll get more pics as soon as I clear these ugly frags racks out of the tank. Thank you! The piece in the center is the pearl berry. It's grown a lot over the last few months. It's about 5 1/2" across now.
Looking good mate
Thanks Scott. I knew that I needed brighter t5 all along
, especially after seeing what you grow with them. Now the t5 is a light on its own, rather than being supplemental. I can't wait to see how corals respond. I'm going to borrow a friends par meter this week. Visually the tank looks a lot brighter. I'm curious what the par values are.
cugly
Dansreeftank
Good to know Joe. I've been pretty one dimensional with the radiums, but I like the change so far.
I finally rewired the sfiligoi fixture with an ice cap 660 to replace the ballasts that were in there. I can't believe the difference. The output is easily double from the t5. I no longer feel that I need more T5's lol
I took a few pics with the iPhone but they all came out poor except for this one. This is a good representation of the brightness and spectrum with this bulb combo.
IMG_1919 by rich.colombo, on Flickr
Looks great Rich colors are awesome. .
glaukos
New member
I'm in love and drooling:inlove::inlove::inlove::inlove:Good to know Joe. I've been pretty one dimensional with the radiums, but I like the change so far.
I finally rewired the sfiligoi fixture with an ice cap 660 to replace the ballasts that were in there. I can't believe the difference. The output is easily double from the t5. I no longer feel that I need more T5's lol
I took a few pics with the iPhone but they all came out poor except for this one. This is a good representation of the brightness and spectrum with this bulb combo.
Wow,amazing pic rich!
jackson6745
Yeah Yeah
Thanks Danny .
Glad you like it Mike. That pearlberry is slowly becoming the tanks centerpiece since I got rid of the red table.
So i am having some t5 issues. The vue 660 ballast (ice cap 660) is driving these t5 super bright. I was running the t5's with the glass lens cover. 3 times it seemed to overheat the bulbs and shut them down. I am running without the glass shields and the problem has stopped. You think these bulbs need a fan blowing across them?
. Glad you like it Mike. That pearlberry is slowly becoming the tanks centerpiece since I got rid of the red table.
So i am having some t5 issues. The vue 660 ballast (ice cap 660) is driving these t5 super bright. I was running the t5's with the glass lens cover. 3 times it seemed to overheat the bulbs and shut them down. I am running without the glass shields and the problem has stopped. You think these bulbs need a fan blowing across them?
Electrobes
Montipora type guy
Isn't the icecap 660 not a proper T5 ballast? I honestly am a bit foggy on that info.. But I thought I remember there being an issue with them for T5 HO...
Amphiprion
Premium Member
Thanks Danny
Glad you like it Mike. That pearlberry is slowly becoming the tanks centerpiece since I got rid of the red table.
So i am having some t5 issues. The vue 660 ballast (ice cap 660) is driving these t5 super bright. I was running the t5's with the glass lens cover. 3 times it seemed to overheat the bulbs and shut them down. I am running without the glass shields and the problem has stopped. You think these bulbs need a fan blowing across them?
When overdriving, it is pretty much a necessity to have generous active cooling, IME. Mine would do the same as yours without cooling.
jackson6745
Yeah Yeah
I know they kill them fast but I am willing to pay the price for more light:eek1:
Thanks for the reply, that's what I thought. I will run a fan across them.
jackson6745
Yeah Yeah
Damn right! Seeing these t5's bake the tank killed my urge to go all t5 lol. I just love the uniformity of t5 lighting. Even though I run a 400w halide, I still consider t5 my favorite light for growing coral
I started the t5's running them for the same photoperiod as my MH which is 6 1/2 hrs. My tank is high nutrient, and all my corals have a good population of zoox. It's hard for me to cook anything in here.
AD87
Active member
Looking great buddy! :beer: Would be interested in the PAR levels in your tank.
I second that!
jackson6745
Yeah Yeah
It's been a while since I updated properly . The tank has been doing very well. I removed a few colonies and fragged some stuff to allow for more growth from my nicer pieces. I also changed the scape a little to eliminate shading.
Recent Equipment changes
-Changed to a BK 200 RD3 skimmer (Kicking butt)
-Added another eb8
-added apex auto feeder
-added gyre 130 in addition to 3 mp40. Good flow now!
-Change from 400w 20k Radium to 400w Aquaconnect 14k. Tank is less blue and growth has exploded. I still like the look of the radium overall but the corals sure have responded to the AC bulb
-Upgraded T5 ballast in Sfiligoi hood to a VUE 660. Overdriving T5 heavily now. Bulbs will probably not last more than 4-6 months but to me, the increased output is worth it. BIG difference!
I took out the old nikon D40 the other night. Here's a few pics. Excuse the frag rack, they will be gone soon
DSC_0027 by rich.colombo, on Flickr
DSC_0022 by rich.colombo, on Flickr
DSC_0014 by rich.colombo, on Flickr
DSC_0038 by rich.colombo, on Flickr
DSC_0041 by rich.colombo, on Flickr
. The tank has been doing very well. I removed a few colonies and fragged some stuff to allow for more growth from my nicer pieces. I also changed the scape a little to eliminate shading. Recent Equipment changes
-Changed to a BK 200 RD3 skimmer (Kicking butt)
-Added another eb8
-added apex auto feeder
-added gyre 130 in addition to 3 mp40. Good flow now!
-Change from 400w 20k Radium to 400w Aquaconnect 14k. Tank is less blue and growth has exploded. I still like the look of the radium overall but the corals sure have responded to the AC bulb
-Upgraded T5 ballast in Sfiligoi hood to a VUE 660. Overdriving T5 heavily now. Bulbs will probably not last more than 4-6 months but to me, the increased output is worth it. BIG difference!
I took out the old nikon D40 the other night. Here's a few pics. Excuse the frag rack, they will be gone soon
DSC_0027 by rich.colombo, on FlickrDSC_0022 by rich.colombo, on FlickrDSC_0014 by rich.colombo, on FlickrDSC_0038 by rich.colombo, on FlickrDSC_0041 by rich.colombo, on Flickr
jackson6745
Yeah Yeah
DSC_0050 by rich.colombo, on Flickr
DSC_0051 by rich.colombo, on Flickr
DSC_0054 by rich.colombo, on Flickr
DSC_0070 by rich.colombo, on Flickr
DSC_0064 by rich.colombo, on Flickr
DSC_0007 by rich.colombo, on Flickr
jackson6745
Yeah Yeah
Thanks Your frags are ready. I'll contact you soon.
Looking great buddy! :beer: Would be interested in the PAR levels in your tank.
Thanks bud
Par numbers coming soon. Just borrowed a meter from a friend. On the way
The halide bulb itself is 10"-11" from water surface. The fixture is 8" from water
surface.
Thanks Greg. Glad you like it. I'm a big fan of your reef
