Lets Go Solar

[vegaskid11]

Hi Reefers,

I have decided to make a radical change to my lighting system. I have ditched my 400W metal halides and installed 3x14" solartube skylights.

Before we get to the pictures, (Which there are plenty) Ill explain a little behind my reasoning for experimenting with this.

I first saw this idea of skyights over a reef a couple years ago and thought to myself, wow what a great idea. If it works......

Currently, my 400 watt halides run 7 hours per day. Because of my fish room location (Garage), I also run a 1hp chiller and a large wall AC unit. The cost for this equipment to run is likely in the 90-150 range per month depending on time of year. The skylights will not only completely eliminate the halide portion it will dramtically reduce the chiller run time if it even needs to run at all. The AC should also not kick on the condenser as often. I will also never replace bulbs again [smilie=alien.gif]

I have taken some before and after install pictures as well as a few random coral pictures which I will use to watch for color change.

Wish me luck....Enjoy [smilie=blob3.gif]

This is What I had

And it looked like this

Here is a bunch of Random (Bad, lol) Shots I will use for comparison later

 

[vegaskid11]

 

[vegaskid11]

Here is the construction shots

The middle unit has an elbow because of the attic vent. There is 0 intensity lost from the bends.(checked with par meter) I was surprised

 

[vegaskid11]

Here is how it looks with my VHOs up

 

[vegaskid11]

Here is a shot from this morning at 6AM

 

[mdb_talon]

LOL after all that no shot of tank using the daylight !!! EDIT: sorry I was too quick ! Looks nice. Def keep us updated on growth of coral/algae/etc.

 

[kikireef]

This is really cool to see. I have been looking at solar tubes for my upgrade when I buy a larger house so I can have a fish room. Yes, I am already planning an upgrade for something that is a few years away. Its really cool to see someone else jumping on board. I would be curious to see the growth in 1 months, 3 months 6 month periods. Your par has got to be way higher too. Out of curiousity what do you plan to do (if anything) for light when its raining or cloudy out for periods longer than just a day at a time? Would you be willing to post your savings on your electricity bill too? I am curious just how much money this could potentially save. Great Job!

 

[gweston]

I REALLY hope it works out for you! A few concerns I would have for my specific situation...

-The wife might drill my head if I drilled holes in the roof ;P

-Living in New England.. lots of cloudy days and short days in winter. BUT if you live in a very sunny climate, MORE POWER TO YOU. Actually.. less power.. more light!

Looking forward to see pics with the lights shining at high noon!

 

[vegaskid11]

These just went in yesterday and the tank was covered with plastic until late last night when I finished with the vho rack.

The last pic is from 6am this morning and includes the actinics and the morning sun.

 

[ratherbediving]

Thanks for sharing this! I was wondering if solar tubes could be used for a reef tank. I'll definitely be interested in following along this thread.

 

[Snickersalad]

I too am curious to see how this works out.. I'll be following along.

 

[Fishdude1984]

id love to see how the tank looks at various times throughout the day

 

[Stanley-Reefer]

i love this approach and one of my tanks gets alot of natural light, but I dare not cut the roof:fun2:

 

[david pinder]

Did 1 of my tanks in january another in february. While I love it have experienced a lot of die off. Not all at once but some here some there. The good news once they experience die off they tend to come back with a vengance.

 

[vegaskid11]

Thanks for the positive feedback guys :dance:

David, where is your thread? I remember reading that you added some in Guillos thread. What kind of die off? Do you think it was from intensity or just spectral change. I have a par meter and I took multiple measurments prior to removing my halides. I am hoping to keep things close to where they were and slowly remove filters as the summer heats up. We get some serious star power in vegas. lolol

 

[SDguy]

One of the few reasons I wish I owned a house instead of a condo. Very cool!

 

[John Blaze]

This is a great idea. What kelvin where the metal halide bulbs, and how does the light from the solar tube compare? Do these tubes produce any heat?
TIA

 

[vegaskid11]

I was using 20K bulbs. There is very little heat compared to hid lighting. Just as much as if you hold your hand in the sunlight. I am really liking these solartube skylights.

 

[David - Miami]

looking forward to the progressive pics. Tagging along.

 

[Reefski's]

welcome to the club

do lots of PAR meter readings at different times of day. that will be interesting.