Mike's 300 Double-D

[jt48]

Very interested in the article but link sends me to search result page. Can u clarify?

 

[prop-frags]

Beautiful tank and congrats on being TOTM!!

Ahh, a fellow Virginian... and Thank You for the compliment and for taking the time to participate in our thread!

Much deserved TOTM,I have loved reading this thread for years,just full of good stuff. Thanks ever so much for keeping us all in the loop... MIke

Thank You so much for that awesome compliment! We'll keep updating and try to make it interesting *without* any new drama, LOL. I think we've had our fair share.

Thanks for the pics M&T, That wrasse is beautiful and that chalice is sick.

Thanks, Wayne! I'm trying to get a better shot of the Attenuatus, but he is not being very cooperative, LOL.

Very interested in the article but link sends me to search result page. Can u clarify?

I'll have Mike send you a PM.

-Terry

 

[prop-frags]

Here's an updated FTS taken earlier tonight:


Anyone care to guess where the new LED lights are located in the tank?
A. Left side
B. Middle section
C. Right side
D. All of the above
E. None of the above
F. Who cares, post some more pics! :fish1:

-Terry

 

[SPotter]

Im going with C but since this tank is amazing my ultimate answer is F :beer:

 

[Adrian.F]

Im also guessing C. Seems to be less shadows on the bottom. Awesome build man! :spin3:

 

[dave.m]

I would say "C. Right side" (towards the regal angelfish). The lighting mix makes it pretty hard to tell.

Dave.M

 

[canyousee]

I'll play!!! I say A left side?

 

[ptreef]

I guess C, it appears a tad brighter? But maybe thats because the MH's are brighter??

Either way I go with F:fun4:

 

[ca1ore]

LED's tend to have a slightly pinkish cast to my eye, so I'd go for the right end (so, C); but the underlying point is well made: modern LED lights can be almost indistinguishable from MH!

 

[biodegraded]

I'm inclined to say C, but am also certain about F.

 

[prop-frags]

Im going with C but since this tank is amazing my ultimate answer is F

Im also guessing C. Seems to be less shadows on the bottom. Awesome build man!

I would say "C. Right side" (towards the regal angelfish). The lighting mix makes it pretty hard to tell.

Dave.M

I'll play!!! I say A left side?

I guess C, it appears a tad brighter? But maybe thats because the MH's are brighter??

Either way I go with F

LED's tend to have a slightly pinkish cast to my eye, so I'd go for the right end (so, C); but the underlying point is well made: modern LED lights can be almost indistinguishable from MH!

I'm inclined to say C, but am also certain about F.

You guys are too much! :lol:

This answer is a bit tricky. The correct answer is B and partially C.

The center MH fixture was removed, and in its place we installed the AI Hydra 52 and the Kessil A360WE (towards the front).

For the Hydra 52, we built some config and control logic into the Apex (using the Neptune AI wireless interface), and Terry spent several days working on the color settings to mimic the existing fixtures during the various time intervals. That is, we created a dawn/dusk setting that looks like the stunner strips, a morning setting that mimics the actinic VHOs, and then a mid-day configuration that matches the MH Ushio bulbs. We started out the first two weeks with the Hydra at no greater than 50% overall intensity, to avoid any adverse affects to the corals. So far, we are very pleased with how the unit is performing. It provides an impressive coverage given the 36" depth of the DD, and the 27" height of the tank. I fashioned a mounting bracket for the AI fixture out of 1.5" aluminum L-bracket material, and fitted in within the existing light rack where the MH reflector sat previously.



The tricky part of the multiple-choice quiz is that the Kessil A150 Special Blend pendant is lighting up the front right side of the tank, in addition to the MH fixture that is there. We are still doing quite a bit of experimentation with the Kessil pendants, trying to determine if they can/need to be used to supplement the Hydra, etc.

We have not yet taken any pics with the Kessil A360W in there yet. We just picked up the Neptune Apex VDM module this weekend, so are just now starting to really see what it can do and how best to integrate it.

And for those of you who chose F, here are some pics:

 

[jt48]

Awesome shots

 

[Brycntif]

Stunning, not much more to say, but I do want to know how you keep your back glass and overflow so clear of coralline algae? That has to be the chore to scrape that.

 

[ptreef]

when you get a chance can you post a pic of the light setup to understand your explanation of the layout?

Thanks,

 

[prop-frags]

Awesome shots

Thank You!

Stunning, not much more to say, but I do want to know how you keep your back glass and overflow so clear of coralline algae? That has to be the chore to scrape that.

Thank You! Scraping the back glass, while a chore in itself, is nowhere near as difficult as scraping the overflow box due to the 36" depth and having to "gently" move the green slimer out of the way.

when you get a chance can you post a pic of the light setup to understand your explanation of the layout?

Thanks,

Our eztube sliding light rack was designed with 3 sections for our MH's. Here's a good shot of it inside the canopy:

The AI Hydra 52 is now sitting in the middle section of the rack:


It was easy to accommodate the AI Hydra 52 with the modification Mike made in the center section of the eztube rack. At this point, we are trying to figure out a good solution for mounting the Kessils inside the light rack. For now, we have them temporarily hanging towards the front of the rack between the space for the MH's and the actinic VHO. The larger Kessil (A360WE) sits in the middle section, the smaller A150W sits in the right section of the rack.

With the "temporary" setup of the Kessils, I am not able to slide the rack all the way out, so trying to get a good angle for pics is awkward. Here is a shot that may help to put the layout in perspective:


-Terry

 

[prop-frags]

We meant to share this shot of our P. attenuatus in our update last night:

 

[Oldude]

Just went through your entire thread - you guys have had a wild ride. Absolutely stunning!!
Love the light rack - your build is really well done & makes mine look pretty ghettoish.:fish2:
Lots of sweet corals & I love the wrasse collection! And that only scratches the surface of your awesome reef!
Congrats again on TOTM. One of the best.....

 

[Reef Happy]

Wow everything is looking good sir. You going to stop upgrading anytime soon? LOL

 

[ptreef]

thanks for the pics of the light rack.

So it appears you basically removed one of the MH's and swapped in the AI Hydra 52 in place.
What is the purpose or thought with the 2 small pendant styles? Do you plan long term maybe to swap out the 3 MH's w 3 AI Hydra's? Or will you need more?

I too have very similiar size foot print (66x36) & sps dominate and have been kicking around LED's especially now since price is coming way down. So anxiosly awaiting results of the swap!!

How high off water? Spread looks good for the footprint?

 

[Sloanhaus]

Hey Mike, Cant thank you enough for doing this. I just got my 300 dd and I am basically copying your set up as far as the closed loop and plumbing. Quick question, I know you flipped your tank upside down to drill the holes in the bottom. Can I drill from inside of the tank? I really don't want to attempt to turn this thing over as I have it on a dolly right now as we wait to move into our new house. I can access the bottom floor just fine and the over flows have what looks like removable doors on them (I haven't tried removing them yet). This would be a lot easier for me. Thanks in advance for your reply. Sloan