Lets do this - 225+ reef bar

[mcliffy2]

re:aquascaping, try making the right wall very open and you'll be fine. D&D epoxy and fiberglass or acrylic rod and you should be good to go.

i think it will look good. i would make the farthest right point of the arch very low, only a few inches tall.

On aquascaping, Im definitely going more open (although probably not as minimalist as your 90 ), probably more open than in that sketch. I don't want anything more than about 10" from the surface of the water.

Any chance you might lend an eye to the aquascaping? I'm thinking I might order and start cycling some Marco Rock in the next couple weeks. I think it will be easier to drill the rocks for acrylic rods and for pegging if its dry, then I'll put most of the LR I have now in the sump, except for a few choice pieces.

 

[glassbox-design]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11516972#post11516972 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mcliffy2
probably more open than in that sketch. I don't want anything more than about 10" from the surface of the water.

Any chance you might lend an eye to the aquascaping? I'm thinking I might order and start cycling some Marco Rock in the next couple weeks. I think it will be easier to drill the rocks for acrylic rods and for pegging if its dry, then I'll put most of the LR I have now in the sump, except for a few choice pieces.

glad to hear you dont want it leaning against the glass :thumbsup:...makes it a pita to clean the glass. lmk when you're going to do it and i'll swing by. sketch out some ideas you have on paper so you can visualize what you want.


i like the idea of the drywall with plumbing through the side. it should help even out the extra cost of the rimless and make the tank more of a showpiece.

my only concern is the faux finish probably wont look good as a "stand". i'd suggest painting the whole wall and stand a solid white or panel it with something else. you could get away with some pretty cool stuff...metal, raw cement, glass, veneers, laminate, etc...

our tank will be here next week , i'll let you know how it looks. who will be doing the work for the wall/stand? lmk if you have any good contractors.

 

[mcliffy2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11518773#post11518773 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Flint&Eric
glad to hear you dont want it leaning against the glass :thumbsup:...makes it a pita to clean the glass. lmk when you're going to do it and i'll swing by. sketch out some ideas you have on paper so you can visualize what you want.


i like the idea of the drywall with plumbing through the side. it should help even out the extra cost of the rimless and make the tank more of a showpiece.

my only concern is the faux finish probably wont look good as a "stand". i'd suggest painting the whole wall and stand a solid white or panel it with something else. you could get away with some pretty cool stuff...metal, raw cement, glass, veneers, laminate, etc...

our tank will be here next week , i'll let you know how it looks. who will be doing the work for the wall/stand? lmk if you have any good contractors.

You must be stoked, Im sure the tank will be really sweet.

I was also thinking solid color for the stand. Here are a couple of the other options I was playing around with (note I used an old model of a 185, 30" wide tank, so it isnt quite as wide, but you get the idea).

 

[glassbox-design]

both look nice. what type of lighting are you going with? that would probably be the deciding factor...the problem with the second one is glare when sitting in the stools.

 

[mcliffy2]

I am thinking all T5, which may present another problem with open top - the only 8x80w T5 units I can find are the Tek units which arent the most pleasant looking. I know Sfiligoi and ATI make 8x80w pendants but I havent found them stateside. I asked AO if they could get ahold of them, so we'll see...

 

[thor32766]

Is sfiliogoi a good brand? i have seen their bulbs, but didnt know anyting about them?

 

[reefkeeper2]

In terms of cost, the I beams were $300.00 drilled and delivered to my home. If you feel confident of your masonary skills, you don't have to pay a mason to cement the cinder blocks together which cost me $400.00. I already had the plywood and foam(the tank came shipped in it).The tile I did myself with leftovers from the new floor. All told it was under $1000.00. A steel stand would have cost much more and would not have looked good. Since you don't have to concern yourself with what it looks like, it should cost you a lot less.

 

[glassbox-design]

thor, yes sfiligoi is a good brand. aquarium obsessed carries their line.

mike...decide what you like/need. either way will be nice.

 

[mcliffy2]

Hmmm, well aquariumspeciality said no go on an 8x80 powermodule, and AO said no sfiligoi 8x80, so it looks like it will be tek retro with ice caps...

 

[glassbox-design]

what about the sfiligoi 8x80 + 3x250 MH? pricey i'm sure but would be much better than the retro's...

check out DElightings.com the guy is in singapore, but will ship here...i bet he could make the "retro" fixture and then just wire you're own ballast up. they look like the FM units, but better priced. i was looking at his MH pendents and shipping would have been ~$60USD

 

[mcliffy2]

Hmmm, well then that defeats the tree hugger in me that is adamant about avoiding MH Where did you find the DElighting guy, I'm sure if youre dealing with him he has a good reputation. Looks like a good deal too. Could get 2 4x80w T5 fixtures for approx. $700 US. ($1000 Singapore dollars)

 

[glassbox-design]

you'd need to wire you're own ballast (different electric) but that part is do able. because you wont need the ballast it will likely be cheaper than the quoted prices too.

i found him, razali the owner, from a singapore site. seems to have good reviews from asian reefers and even some in new zealand. based on pics i don't think he could really mess up the end caps and metal backing. with that said, i have no experience with him.



if you really want to be a tree hugger, i'd look at 3 x 175w 14k's iwasaki's. they have the par of many 250's.

 

[saltysupply]

I am starting a very similar build for a 180 gallon very interested in seeing how your's turns out.....here is a quick photoshop mockup of mine.

 

[mcliffy2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11522387#post11522387 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by saltysupply
I am starting a very similar build for a 180 gallon very interested in seeing how your's turns out.....here is a quick photoshop mockup of mine.

Looks like it will be very cool. Ill follow along on your build thread.

Just out of curiousity, have you tried Google Sketchup? After about 15 minutes with it I found it easier to make 3D models, than it is to make 2D models in photoshop. And its free to boot

 

[saltysupply]

I haven't tried it yet and was wondering what people use for those...I usually use Maya but don't have it installed right now...its about the only use I get from my computer animation degree right now lol

 

[mcliffy2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11522212#post11522212 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Flint&Eric
you'd need to wire you're own ballast (different electric) but that part is do able. because you wont need the ballast it will likely be cheaper than the quoted prices too.

i found him, razali the owner, from a singapore site. seems to have good reviews from asian reefers and even some in new zealand. based on pics i don't think he could really mess up the end caps and metal backing. with that said, i have no experience with him.



if you really want to be a tree hugger, i'd look at 3 x 175w 14k's iwasaki's. they have the par of many 250's.

I didnt realize you were such a MH guy, thought you would be all about the T5s

Would 3 175s use less energy than 8 T5s? Part of me just wants to get two Lumenbright 400s and be done with the lighting Is their anywhere that offers power consumption charts that you know of? Sanjays site just has PAR ratings - I guess I need kw/hour, or something like that. I also am wondering about the impact of the bulbs after, I seem to remember hearing that T5s may be more destructive when disposed of than MH, so is it possible disposing of 8 T5s every 9 months is more destructive than disposing of 2 MHs every 12 months?

 

[mcliffy2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11522706#post11522706 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by saltysupply
I haven't tried it yet and was wondering what people use for those...I usually use Maya but don't have it installed right now...its about the only use I get from my computer animation degree right now lol

http://www.sketchup.com/

Give it a whirl. Like everything Google does, its free, simple, and powerful.

 

[saltysupply]

i'll give it a shot...even though I don't like google lol (from a business standpoint)

 

[bbehring]

I don't think you'd get the spread using the ATI PM 10 bulb units on that 3 foot tank width. You'd have to do all t5 retrofit inside a canopy or frame out above. This way you could use 3' and 2' end to end x 14 or 16 bulbs deep

 

[glassbox-design]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11522726#post11522726 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mcliffy2
I didnt realize you were such a MH guy, thought you would be all about the T5s

Would 3 175s use less energy than 8 T5s? Part of me just wants to get two Lumenbright 400s and be done with the lighting Is their anywhere that offers power consumption charts that you know of? Sanjays site just has PAR ratings - I guess I need kw/hour, or something like that. I also am wondering about the impact of the bulbs after, I seem to remember hearing that T5s may be more destructive when disposed of than MH, so is it possible disposing of 8 T5s every 9 months is more destructive than disposing of 2 MHs every 12 months?

i'm both ...MH's can be very efficient. e.g. spot lights, saki 14k's, and others when run for peak lighting. t5's are great though.

3x175=523w
8x80=640w

but the 8x80 will give you more PAR. have you considered this fixture?


we limit ourselves so much on lighting...there's lots of stuff out there people have never thought of using on an aquarium.