My 180 Starphire Eurobraced Upgrade

[camaroracer214]

Ok, so I've postponed tremendously in posting my upgrade to the RC threads, but now that I have some extra time on my hands, I figured I'd go ahead and do it.

I previously had a 90 gallon RR Oceanic tank full of SPS, zoas, and clams mostly. I also had a 24 gallon JBJ Nano that I added a Tunze skimmer and 150watt Sunpod to, that I kept a few high end fish and corals in. Well, I relocated and took full advantage of the move. I broke down my 90 and my 24 so my wife wouldn't kill me over the bigger tank.

The 180 gallon tank is 3-sided Starphire, Eurobraced, has 1/2" glass, and an external overflow box. It was built my Aquarium Obsesses and it's a beast.

I am currently running six 60" Giesemann Megacrhome T5HO bulbs on individual Sunlight Supply parabolic reflectors and are overdriven by two IceCap 660 ballasts (3 bulbs on each ballast). I am using a EuroReef RS250 skimmer and I am running two Koralia 4's and two controllable Koralia 4's. I plan on switching from Koralias to the new Tunzes that are coming out oh so soon and/or adding a couple of EcoTech Vortechs. I'm a tad anal about my flow in my tank, and the sand is a little on the fine side (CaribSea Fiji Pink...about 300lbs of it) so I am trying to prevent sand storms and exposed glass on the bottom. I have a 70 gallon sump/refugium with a Mag 9.5 for the return. I do plan on replacing that 9.5 with a 12 in the near future.

My old 90

My old Nano

So, here's my upgrade:

Me and the tank

Sump

DIY light rack

...like the aquascaping ?

 

[camaroracer214]

Skimmer (ER RS250)

Controllable Koralias...originally used on my 90.

 

[camaroracer214]

and on to the livestock...

FTS

Left

Middle

Right

T. crocea

T. maxima

T. derasa

RBTA

Purple Deaths

Armageddons (at least I bought them as Armageddons, but I think they are Armor of Gods)

 

[camaroracer214]

Some cool red zoas

Pink tipped Acro

Blue tipped yellow A. tenuis

Solid Blue A. tenuis

Some deepwater Acro

A. losiette?

Bright green A. efflo?

A. valida

Dragon Soul Prizm Favia

 

[camaroracer214]

And here's a stock list:
-Picasso clownfish (I had two, but one died during transport)...can't find a decent pic at the moment. i'll have to upload later.

-Orange shoulder tang (juvenile)

-Helfrichi firefish (this is my third one! I lost two during the tank move)...bad pic

-Royal Gramma Basslet
-Two Green Chromis
-Yellow watchman goby
-Blue sided fairy wrasse
-Two pajama cardinals
-Derasa clam
-Two maximas (one teardrop, one blue)
-ORA squamosa clam
-Two crocea clams
-Lots of SPS, some LPS, some zoas

 

[jgs107]

awesome tank.a little more on the lighting.i too have a 180 and i want to switch to t-5.i see that you are only running 6 bulbs.whats the length on them and what do you have powering them.are you seeing any problems with your corals.

 

[FishyBiz]

Great looking tanks and ditto on the lights. Can you explain a little more on what your running?

 

[jgs107]

ok so i just read the top where you origonally posted on the lighting.im just having trouble seeing that you are running 6 bulbs only on a 180.i thought for sure i would need more than that to power my 180.thats awesome.talk about low power consumption.i will definately be getting this setup.

also where did you order your bulbs and reflectors from

 

[camaroracer214]

i am running six giesseman t5ho 60" bulbs. i wanted to run nine bulbs, but the reflectors are 3" across and my tank is only 24" front to back. so, i had to stay with six. the bulbs are on sunlight supply parabolic reflectors and are powered (overdriven) by two icecap 660s. i originally wanted to go with three 250 watt metal halides and four 60" t5hos for supplementation, but i just stuck with the t5's. i didn't want to have to use a chiller and i knew t5ho would suffice.

the colors definitely pop and i'm starting to get color back in the acans i had in my 24 gallon nanocube (that had a 150 watt sunpod for lighting). there is definitely enough light. and that's a common misconception with a lot of people. many people think they need 250 or 400 watt metal halides for sps tanks. but they obviously don't.

 

[camaroracer214]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13550984#post13550984 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jgs107
also where did you order your bulbs and reflectors from

i bought them locally. i used to work at a fish store (thank god i quit!) where i got a good discount. so, i was able to get the bulbs, endcaps, reflectors, and other hardware for a little cheaper than the retail value. i got the ballasts used from local fish clubs, and the frame for the light rack is made out of angled aluminum riveted together.

 

[mindytoy]

wo0w very nice!

 

[jgs107]

yea im mainly concerned about the reflectors.im having a hard time finding 60" reflectors.this is great.im going to have light back in my tank again in full and not have to drop 1000 bucks to do it.

 

[arc eye]

where can you get the angled aluminum you used for your light rack? I need to build one for an open top cube. Thank you for posting your setup/progress