LUNATIC FRINGE-Duel 500g tanks, 1600g total
- Thread starter FuzzyZipperbaum
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FuzzyZipperbaum
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You have passed by it hundreds of times at the box stores....by the PVC glue Danco sells a product in silicone grease... it is safe for faucets, (thus food safe)....you can also type in food safe silicone grease at amazon and get about 10 results...
Yes...after hours and hours and hours.....I did....
My thoughts on the subject.... I strongly believe LED is not a false start on the next generation of aquarium lighting... It is the real deal... Cree technology is very aware of the use for their LEDS and will continue to improve both the usage and cost (I know them from the financial side of things).
With that said...IMHO in 2 years the cost will drop in half, there will be more competitors, AND there will be another step up or two than even in the latest generations.
For those that have lighting right now...I wouldn't upgrade yet...but for those that are building right now..... well this was my dilemma. So after spending a bunch of time in looking into them I slapped down the AMEX on a set of lights that cost me as much as both aquariums... Since they are upgradable I bit the bullet now.
http://www.pacificsun.imagineanocean.com/product/pandora-hyperion-s/
Pacific Sun.... I went with the Pandora Hyperion S fixtures. I got a 36" and 48" fixture for each tank. These are brand new "shallow" technology. It is a poor name IMHO because they are NOT for shallow tanks...they easily cover down to 36" of depth....they are designed to look more like the lighting of a shallow reef. Should have called them Shimmer or something not shallow... They also have build in T-5's that will allow me to add some additional color... They are also special building them to be a master/slave for each tank. I am told these are the first ones being shipped to the US..... which worries me more than makes me feel like the kid with the first toy on the block..... Should be here in 2-3 weeks. This was the best combo of lighting for the size and width of my tanks IMHO....
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SPotter
Active member
Couldnt agree with you more about the prices. The Pacific Sun Pandora Hyperion fixture that I had dropped over 50% in price after 9 months of my buying it. I hope your experience with their new version is better than what mine was. I think removing the white leds was a good move on their part. The 10w white LED's they had in my fixture were just way too strong.
FuzzyZipperbaum
New member
This is from Yorgos who is the US distributor:
Pandora Hyperion uses 8 channel LED panels with T5 fluorescents in one modern, sleek and powerful lighting fixture. Pandora Hyperion incorporates fully controllable T5 fluorescent technology into this series in combination with their powerful, 150W 8ch LED panels offering 10 LED chips including CREE XM-L (capable of up to 10 watts of power). Pandora Hyperion comes in two sizes, 49” and 65” with 3x150W and 4x150W LED panels respectively. 49” model houses 4x54W T5 fluorescents lamps, 65” model with 4x80W T5 lamps. These units are the widest available fixtures from Pacific Sun measuring in at 16.5”, yet still only 2” tall. Pandora XM is perfect for extra wide reef systems (up to 36” wide) where the extra coverage provided by the T5s is necessary. Control with Bluetooth via PC, Mac, Android, tablet or any wireless device.
"Pandora S is the newest model from Pacific Sun. This unit is an LED and T5 combo unit like the Pandora Hyperion. Yet, the Pandora S is engineered for shallow water (up to 36″) reefs and uses no white LEDs. Pandora S measures 24″ x 12″ x 2″ tall. It houses 1 x 145 watt LED panel and 2 x 24 watt T5 fluorescent bulbs for a total of just under 200 watts. This unit is perfect for tanks up to 40″ x 36″ x 36″.
Pandora Hyperion uses 8 channel LED panels with T5 fluorescents in one modern, sleek and powerful lighting fixture. Pandora Hyperion incorporates fully controllable T5 fluorescent technology into this series in combination with their powerful, 150W 8ch LED panels offering 10 LED chips including CREE XM-L (capable of up to 10 watts of power). Pandora Hyperion comes in two sizes, 49” and 65” with 3x150W and 4x150W LED panels respectively. 49” model houses 4x54W T5 fluorescents lamps, 65” model with 4x80W T5 lamps. These units are the widest available fixtures from Pacific Sun measuring in at 16.5”, yet still only 2” tall. Pandora XM is perfect for extra wide reef systems (up to 36” wide) where the extra coverage provided by the T5s is necessary. Control with Bluetooth via PC, Mac, Android, tablet or any wireless device.
"Pandora S is the newest model from Pacific Sun. This unit is an LED and T5 combo unit like the Pandora Hyperion. Yet, the Pandora S is engineered for shallow water (up to 36″) reefs and uses no white LEDs. Pandora S measures 24″ x 12″ x 2″ tall. It houses 1 x 145 watt LED panel and 2 x 24 watt T5 fluorescent bulbs for a total of just under 200 watts. This unit is perfect for tanks up to 40″ x 36″ x 36″.
FuzzyZipperbaum
New member
I don't know how I overlooked this amazing build but I am impressed at the speed that you are completing this. I like how thought out this is. It's going to be a tour destination when you're doneI'm following along for this one.
Too strong is exactly the quote I got from Yorgos... He said the old ones worked great EXCEPT you have to really turn down the whites as they wee too powerful.... Please tell me more about your experiences with them. programing, growth, etc....what t-5's did you use?
FuzzyZipperbaum
New member
I don't know how I overlooked this amazing build but I am impressed at the speed that you are completing this. I like how thought out this is. It's going to be a tour destination when you're done
Speed....it seems like it is taking forever.... But being an insomniac helps...after I put the kids to bed and hang with the wife for a bit..I get about 5 hours in late at night when I am home.
Thank you
Phosphate is my current biggest worry. The rock soaked in the bay for 6 months and has been cycling for close to 4-5 months in big rubbermaids. The phosphate levels were high at first but have gone down. However, I was using tap water on the cycles not RO/DI so that didn't help the phosphate levels. I should know soon....I have been looking into back up plans if the levels are still out of wack. I am going to keep the tanks separate...too much risk to keep them plumbed together...cost is higher but risk is lower.
thanks
"can't wait to see it done" Neither can my wife.....
SPotter
Active member
I never found a good combination for the t5 bulbs and because of how strong it was, I ended up not using them. I found that no matter what intensity I had them at I couldnt keep any lps in the tank. It seemed that as soon as I lowered the intensity of the light it had a significant shift on the spectrum. I had the 65" fixture on my tank with the 4x150w leds and in the end I should have gone with the next size down and only have 3x150w led.
For the new fixture since there are no white leds, I would use the t5 bulbs to fill in the white bulb gap.
For the new fixture since there are no white leds, I would use the t5 bulbs to fill in the white bulb gap.
FuzzyZipperbaum
New member
Started filling the tanks....
MaxCap Manual Flush 180-GPD RO/DI System: Since the fish room is not complete and I wanted to get water in the system...I hooked up the Ro/di unit between the tanks. Blue line went into the tanks....
Yellow line went into a hose that fed the waste water to my pool....
FuzzyZipperbaum
New member
Spectrapure: I really like the system...clean, easy to setup and use. I have a 180 gpd with a 2/1 waste to clean water ratio. However, I have been getting about 3.33 to 1 and 118 gallons a day on 40PSI from the hose. The incoming water started at about 13ppm but dropped fairly quickly to around 9ppm. After about 3 days of constant running the incoming water settled in at 7ppm.
I called Spectrapure to inquire how to increase gpd and reduce waste ratios. I was fairly sure they were going to tell me to put a booster pump on the system... and they did. Numbers they claim is from incoming water at 65psi. I also asked the RANGE of what to expect in terms of water produced before I needed to replace the filters..... I was told to go watch the video....:rolleye1: I have spoken with them 3 times, twice when making buying decisions....almost didn't go with them because of customer service but I certainly cant complain about the system.
I called Spectrapure to inquire how to increase gpd and reduce waste ratios. I was fairly sure they were going to tell me to put a booster pump on the system... and they did. Numbers they claim is from incoming water at 65psi. I also asked the RANGE of what to expect in terms of water produced before I needed to replace the filters..... I was told to go watch the video....:rolleye1: I have spoken with them 3 times, twice when making buying decisions....almost didn't go with them because of customer service but I certainly cant complain about the system.
FuzzyZipperbaum
New member
holes cut into the FOWLR side...I would have don't this different...more on that later.
The BEST screws I have ever used...comes with a star bit...drives into wood like it cant wait to be there....
I'll second that motion. I don't care how much cheaper I can find screws. If I'm using screws, it's because I want two things to stay together, and those screws screw in well and have a great load rating.
I also love how those Torx heads don't strip easily. I can't tell you how many Philips heads have become beautiful oval heads under my screwgun.
And not to downplay the magnitude of your build, but tell your son, "Congrats!!!," and, "Good luck!." I'm OK at chess, and have always had respect for the game and those who are skilled at it.
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fazilosman
New member
Wow, it's gonna be awesome!
FuzzyZipperbaum
New member
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1735396
The 2-3 videos I needed to watch were about 20 minutes...However, here on RC spectrapure has a very good response on replacing filters....
The 2-3 videos I needed to watch were about 20 minutes...However, here on RC spectrapure has a very good response on replacing filters....
FuzzyZipperbaum
New member
Ill let him know... He and his brother are just great kids...we are very blessed or lucky...whatever it is I don't care but they are "the bomb" as they would say....
thank you. Hope so...took a break from finishing plumbing and aqua scaping....fingers are cut to shreds....but the gloves just don't seem to let me get pieces were I want them...pics later.
Badkarma88
New member
I really like the rock that you made. I have never thought about trying to make my own but after seeing yours I may give it a try. Do you have any more details on how you did it or maybe a link?
