silentscream
New member
Wow, very nice start. Almost exactly my plans, I've got a 48x24x20 starphire rimless sitting in the garage waiting for more funding. That power module isn't cheap. Can't wait to see this completed!
mnml's rimless
- Thread starter mnml
- Start date
mnml
New member
Thanks a bunch, Rick. It took 6 months to get this going but well worth the wait. 
I finally got water in the tank and started my cycle. I'm amazed at the amount of light the PowerModule puts out! I need to find a par meter and get some measurements.
Here are some pics, comments welcomed.
I finally got water in the tank and started my cycle. I'm amazed at the amount of light the PowerModule puts out! I need to find a par meter and get some measurements.
Here are some pics, comments welcomed.
mixer911
New member
I like your aquascaping with the minimalist aproach. Believe it or not I feel like I have too much rock in my main display and I only have a few pieces. It will give you so much more grow out room. My tank is already starting to get crowded . I guess it gives me a good reason to upgrade like you did, :lol:
Those Power Modules are Awesome! What bulbs are you running in it?
. I guess it gives me a good reason to upgrade like you did, :lol:Those Power Modules are Awesome! What bulbs are you running in it?
mnml
New member
Your tank is definitely getting crowded alright, crowded with lots of nice corals 
My bulb combo is
Front
Blue+
GE 6500K
Blue+
UVL White Actinic
Blue+
Blue+
Pro Color
Blue+
I'm going to switch out the Pro Color for another 6500K bulb, per Grim's suggestion. It's a ton of light but I plan to keep mostly SPS and the PM is about 8" from the water line. A local reefer offered to let me borrow a Fiji Purple bulb so I might switch that out with the White Actinic to see how it looks. I love the ability to play around with different bulb combos.
My bulb combo is
Front
Blue+
GE 6500K
Blue+
UVL White Actinic
Blue+
Blue+
Pro Color
Blue+
I'm going to switch out the Pro Color for another 6500K bulb, per Grim's suggestion. It's a ton of light but I plan to keep mostly SPS and the PM is about 8" from the water line. A local reefer offered to let me borrow a Fiji Purple bulb so I might switch that out with the White Actinic to see how it looks. I love the ability to play around with different bulb combos.
FranktheTankTx
New member
Tran -
I got a few questions, as your tank is damn near the exact size I'm planning - so I can learn a little from your experiences.
1) What overall color spectrum are you getting from your bulb configuration? The pictures would suggest a deep blue (20k), but pics don't always tell the story. Just curious with the GE 6500k included in your config.
2) How are the MP40's working out? I've never owned Vortechs... what settings do they offer, and what are you running them at? Are they running opposite each other, or in sync? Pulsing, or constant? Are waves a concern with a shallow tank? Any problems experienced? Sand movement? Etc...
They seem so cool, but hard to convince me to shell out 900 bones for water flow. Are they producing wide flow over the entire tank width?
3) How high are the bulbs from the water line?
Thanks, tagging along!
I got a few questions, as your tank is damn near the exact size I'm planning - so I can learn a little from your experiences.
1) What overall color spectrum are you getting from your bulb configuration? The pictures would suggest a deep blue (20k), but pics don't always tell the story. Just curious with the GE 6500k included in your config.
2) How are the MP40's working out? I've never owned Vortechs... what settings do they offer, and what are you running them at? Are they running opposite each other, or in sync? Pulsing, or constant? Are waves a concern with a shallow tank? Any problems experienced? Sand movement? Etc...
They seem so cool, but hard to convince me to shell out 900 bones for water flow. Are they producing wide flow over the entire tank width?
3) How high are the bulbs from the water line?
Thanks, tagging along!
mnml
New member
Hi Frank,
Can't wait to see your build thread. Have you decided to DIY or go with a manufacturer?
Right now the color spectrum is very similar to the 20K radium but the blue is more predominant. It's a little too blue for my taste so I'm going to switch out the Pro Color bulb this weekend and add the another 6500K. The bulb combo will be
front
blue+
ge 6500K
blue+
uvl white actinic
blue+
blue+
ge 6500K
blue+
I hope this will give me the color I want.
As for the Vortechs, I really like them so far. They were noticibly loud when I first fired them up but after aligning them and a few hours of break-in, they became very quiet. I have them running on anti-synch reef crest mode. I tried the other modes but found the reef crest mode to have the most random flow in my tank. Also, I had to dial the power down to 75% since at full throttle it was moving my sand around. I'm using 2.5mm substrate and there were lots of pebble movement towards the middle of the tank at 100%. FWIW, I got mine MP40ws through groups buys so I was able to save a bit. I orginally wanted Tunze since they seems to require less mainteance. In the end, I decided on the Vortechs since there will be very little heat transfer to the tank.
Ligths are 8" above the waterline.
HTH
Can't wait to see your build thread. Have you decided to DIY or go with a manufacturer?
Right now the color spectrum is very similar to the 20K radium but the blue is more predominant. It's a little too blue for my taste so I'm going to switch out the Pro Color bulb this weekend and add the another 6500K. The bulb combo will be
front
blue+
ge 6500K
blue+
uvl white actinic
blue+
blue+
ge 6500K
blue+
I hope this will give me the color I want.
As for the Vortechs, I really like them so far. They were noticibly loud when I first fired them up but after aligning them and a few hours of break-in, they became very quiet. I have them running on anti-synch reef crest mode. I tried the other modes but found the reef crest mode to have the most random flow in my tank. Also, I had to dial the power down to 75% since at full throttle it was moving my sand around. I'm using 2.5mm substrate and there were lots of pebble movement towards the middle of the tank at 100%. FWIW, I got mine MP40ws through groups buys so I was able to save a bit. I orginally wanted Tunze since they seems to require less mainteance. In the end, I decided on the Vortechs since there will be very little heat transfer to the tank.
Ligths are 8" above the waterline.
HTH
bluetang_2000
Member
very nice tank. Would you mind pm me the cost of the tank too? Thanks
asl4me76
New member
MML -
Great looking tank that you have going there. I have a 30gal rimless tank sitting in the closet in my office that is 24x24x12. I am planning on having a custom stand build as well.. I have to say, I definitely like the ATO compartment that you had made. I am definitely going to look into that as it will definitely save a lot of space and keep things in one central location.
How are you liking the ATI fixtures? I am going to be going the route of ATI's on my rimless tank. I've been debating about the bulb mixture, but I will definitely be subscribing to your set up to see how things turn out.
Great looking tank that you have going there. I have a 30gal rimless tank sitting in the closet in my office that is 24x24x12. I am planning on having a custom stand build as well.. I have to say, I definitely like the ATO compartment that you had made. I am definitely going to look into that as it will definitely save a lot of space and keep things in one central location.
How are you liking the ATI fixtures? I am going to be going the route of ATI's on my rimless tank. I've been debating about the bulb mixture, but I will definitely be subscribing to your set up to see how things turn out
.
mnml
New member
Thanks everyone for the nice compliments. This community has been tremendous in helping me learning and enjoy this hobby.
rroselavy - I plan to mostly keep SPS with a few clams, Acans, and Favias. I'm not 100% decided on my fish list but I definitely want a pair of Snowcassos and a Tang. I also PM'd ya the info for AA.
rroselavy - I plan to mostly keep SPS with a few clams, Acans, and Favias. I'm not 100% decided on my fish list but I definitely want a pair of Snowcassos and a Tang. I also PM'd ya the info for AA.
rroselavy
Premium Member
How are you liking the ATI fixtures? I am going to be going the route of ATI's on my rimless tank. I've been debating about the bulb mixture, but I will definitely be subscribing to your set up to see how things turn out
FWIW: I have a 6x24w ATI SunPower, and I like that fixture very much. Killer bright and quiet. I like how the fans draw air instead of blow air; The air comes out of a gap between the fixture and the acrylic cover, which I think keeps dust from settling on the acrylic inside the fixture. I have the following bulb combo that I got from Grim's thread:
front
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue
Works well but sometimes I wish it were a bit bluer.
rroselavy
Premium Member
I have this ancient book called "The Living Aquarium" by Peter Hunnam, and it has a chart that determines glass thickness as a function of the unsupported height and length of the aquarium. It says that the glass thickness for a 48" long x 20" high panel needs to be a minimum of 0.4" and the bottom glass needs to be 0.5".
FWIW: Leemar definitely knows what it is doing when it comes to euro-braced and rimless tanks.
mnml
New member
asl4me76 - Thanks for the kind words. I really like my PM, it's pretty insane how bright it is. I like the idea of having the ability to change the bulb combo and there's very little heat transfer to the tank. Oh and the fact it looks pretty slick over a rimless tank 
Nova101 - Yup, the glass is 1/2" thick. Perhaps I should of asked if it needed to be euro-braced but they offer a warranty on the tank so I just went with it. So far I don't see any warping or stress on any of the steams. *crossing fingers*
Salteebox - I had the stand and light hanger made by a LFS. I wanted a stand with shelves and holes for fans so I drew out what I wanted and they built it for me. It took about 6 weeks to get it but well worth the wait. I'll post some pics of the sump area once I get my skimmer and all the cable management tidied up. Right now it's too embarassing to show.
Nova101 - Yup, the glass is 1/2" thick. Perhaps I should of asked if it needed to be euro-braced but they offer a warranty on the tank so I just went with it. So far I don't see any warping or stress on any of the steams. *crossing fingers*
Salteebox - I had the stand and light hanger made by a LFS. I wanted a stand with shelves and holes for fans so I drew out what I wanted and they built it for me. It took about 6 weeks to get it but well worth the wait. I'll post some pics of the sump area once I get my skimmer and all the cable management tidied up. Right now it's too embarassing to show.
