My 1st 180 RR Project, Cust Built stand/canopy Tunzes etc..

[figuerres]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7303421#post7303421 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by landragon
Depending on how much, if any, ventilation is aimed at the surface of the sump or tank water. I find for me running heaters and fans is much cheaper than a chiller. I get tons of evaporative cooling, but the tank loses much of the days heat in night. The heaters keep this up. If I turn off the fans at night I worry about gas exchange. Although the temp stays good.I wish I had a 2 stage thermostat to turn on the fan. It cools my tank quickly pointed at the sump.

Oh I agree that the cost of a chiller is nasty !

and that I may have something to learn about cooling down my system....

can you give us some idea of your setup, volume, lights, pumps, day temp, night temp etc.... ??

I'd like to lower my day time temps a bit.... going to have to get the plans for the new stand and hood going.....

 

[landragon]

Sure. it is for the tank in my current tank line. 2 x 250 watt SE MH, + 2 x 54 watt T5HO. Nothing on it runs 72, Everything on gets up to 84 with no fan on the sump. With the fan in my sump on it is 79.1 daytime. Night the heaters keep it to 77.6. With out them, with the fan on it will go to 73. I have 3 x Ice Cap 4" fans on my homebuilt light fixture. This hangs 7 " from the tank and the MH bulbs are 12" from water level. There is no glass on this fixture. All fans suck out through the top. They never run at full speed. If I have my skimmer going too it brings it to 80.2. There is no skimmer now but it was a Sedra 5000 and maxijet 1200 feeding it. House runs 74-76 degrees. I have no glass top on the tank. Total volume around 110 gallons. The fan is a Honeywell round fan from walmart. 12 dollars. Mounted on the side of my stand angled down to blow across my sump. You need a big sump for this to work though.

 

[figuerres]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7304000#post7304000 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by landragon
Sure. it is for the tank in my current tank line. 2 x 250 watt SE MH, + 2 x 54 watt T5HO. Nothing on it runs 72, Everything on gets up to 84 with no fan on the sump. With the fan in my sump on it is 79.1 daytime. Night the heaters keep it to 77.6. With out them, with the fan on it will go to 73. I have 3 x Ice Cap 4" fans on my homebuilt light fixture. This hangs 7 " from the tank and the MH bulbs are 12" from water level. There is no glass on this fixture. All fans suck out through the top. They never run at full speed. If I have my skimmer going too it brings it to 80.2. There is no skimmer now but it was a Sedra 5000 and maxijet 1200 feeding it. House runs 74-76 degrees. I have no glass top on the tank. Total volume around 110 gallons. The fan is a Honeywell round fan from walmart. 12 dollars. Mounted on the side of my stand angled down to blow across my sump. You need a big sump for this to work though.

Thanks!

that helps me picture the setup and how much the fans and lights are affecting the whole rig.

so my three ideas seem right:
1) larger sump volume.
2) more air flow.
3) move the lights up some.

thanks.... in a while I will be getting with pmike25 on a new stand I am drawing plans and reseaching some costs....
when that happens I figure I'll be showing it off

the fun will be taking down the current tank to put it on the new stand.... I am alsmost sold on just buying a new tank ...
but then the costs really start to climb, new skimer,new pump, new lights and so on.....
Well time will tell...

 

[pmike25]

Hey everyone, back from one hellashious day rough day today, pheewww. OK got some good feedback so far, Thanks everyone!! Ive still gotta do the reaserch on those heaters.

figuerres---Uhh oh still thinking about a bigger tank huh?!! Welp cant wait to see the design for it.

I FINALLY have everything done to the stand that I wanted to get done. Its looking better now that the cardboard is removed from the bottom Now that I got the 75gall what do you guys think the next step would be?? Im getting the glass for the different sections in the fuge/sump area, going to be getting heaters. Now what!!! Im starting to feel alittle anxiuos towards this and wanting to get everything right away, BUT I know I should take it slow and get the right things I need, so Im courious to see whats next on the list, doing this in order makes me feel like im doing this correctly.
Munchie time for me!!!

This is what it looks like so far!! Jamie Feel free to photoshop this one!!!!

 

[pmike25]

OH and Im planning on running fans to cool the sump and top of tank. My 65 had heating issues and one stop to the local HD and about $15 took care of that problem, that tank dosent fluxuate but a degree. God im HOPPING I never need a chiller!!! Thats another "G" right there!!!

 

[figuerres]

larger tank: yep thinking about it.... but I am also thinking of how much $$$ I can spend -- perhaps 6 months from now I am thinking....


well saturday I will be picking up some rock and critters from tampabaysaltwater....

so figure I'll have some photos on my web site some time sunday pm.


gotta go now....

 

[pmike25]

Cool, will be looking for the pics!! Yes true bigger tank mean bibber $$$ !!!

 

[pmike25]

OK guys and gals, this is very important!!! Ok here we go, I found a guy in Illinois who is selling a 72" custom MH Kit. Here are the specs as he told me:

3 x 400watt 14K Hamilton MH bulbs with electronic ballests ( Custom Sea Lights ) the bulbs are less than 4 months old, the ballests are approx 1 1/2 years old

Also has 4 x 96watts PC's which are days old

Selling them for $600 plus shipping which would be the most $60

What do you guys/gals think of this for my 180? As far as the brands Im not to familiar with them as Im still a semi-newbie to this!!!!

Feedback would be greatly apperciated on this, I told him ill give him an answere by Tommorow (Sat)

Here are some pics of them

Thanks alot!!!

 

[landragon]

I think you might end up paying more, but could easily get the same light for a whole lot less watts, which will add up to big savings down the road. This however is a very good deal. If I am correct to assume, it is Custom Sea Life, and they are now Current USA. They had some fire issues, and others, bujt I am not sure if it was on MH ballasts. IIRC it was their PC line. This may be over kill for the corals you plan. I would say to go 3 x 250 hqi with 4 x 39 watt t5ho for actinic supplenments, but I am sort of preferent to that arrangement. It will cost more now, but use 906 vs 1584 wqtts. Start to see savings immediately on this arrangement, and heat your tank less. So you might not need a chiller. Some things to consider.

 

[pmike25]

True True Jamie, I DONT like the fire issues youve talked about, that scares me escpecially when were out most of the day and the lights will be on with no one home but my kittie, and I dont think she knows where the fire extinguisher is!!!!LOL maybe I should teach her!! MEOW

 

[figuerres]

my current lights are 4x96 custom sea life pc

one thing: you have to order them, I have never seen the right pc tubes at any local shops.

depending on which lights ( 03, 6500k 50/50 )
a full set can cost from 80 to 150 to replace and you should do that at least 1 time a year.

they do put out good light IMHO

but for a few things you need MH lights -- small polyop coral, and clams for exaample.

for soft coral and lps many of them will do just fine on pc lights.

I am thinking of taking out 2 of the pc and replacing them with 2 mh type bulbs like 2x175

when I re-do the lighting I will also move them higher and might even keep the pc's to allow me to create a dawn / dusk effect with 2 kinds of actintic lights and only run them a few hours each.

CSL did go out a while back... never did hear why.
my balasts have been running for about 4 years w/o problems --
they are hot and do need to have good air cirulation....
I can picture a fire if they were not handled right....

but up on a plywood board with good air flow I think is fine -- for my set anyway.

 

[pmike25]

Thanks figuerres-- Im taking into consideration on what Jamie wrote about those lights im interested in will be to much for what I would like to keep in the tank. I just wish there was a basic set up for these reef tanks and not a zillion options!!! But im starting to understand why you need x amounts of lighting for certian things you want to keep and why more wattage isnt always the best. So I think im going to reconsider my thinking and just go with the 3 250watts MH's and PC's or the T5's.

Hows your stand ideas comming along Denny? Im courious to see whats ya got so far!!!!

 

[landragon]

Pc's are more accepted to date, Mike, but they have seen their day. Study the geometry and you will find they are far inferior to linear forms of fluorecent lighting. T5HO is the most efficient so far that has been adopted to aquarium use. Especially when combined with the individual reflectors of the gullwing shape. Go T5HO or VHO or get a combination of one of those and MH. I think when we were talking you said you really liked shimmer lines. I think all t5HO setups are best for SPS and clam tanks, and for mixed reefs, VHO if mostly soft and LPS, or fluorecent and MH for full mixed reef. I know it is confusing, but think about what you want to keep. Mh 250 DE HQI reflectors can handle 400's and 175's with the purchase of a 12 dollar new bulbclip IIRC. You may change the bulb and ballast easily w/o changing the fixture extensively. New t5 VHO if ever available will be easily integrated into a T5HO system with new bulbs and ballasts. With a VHO system you can use the new t6vho which will use the same endcaps. You have more flexability starting off with one of these setups. Don't worry about any new technology upsetting your plans. Buy the most logical now. Get electronic ballasts for the MH, and get IceCap for the T5HO or VHO, Get high quality reflectors. This can make or break the efficiency of a given system. Cool everything with fans and put heatsinks on the ballasts. This will extend the life of them. I have had all the forms other than VHO on my tanks and like the setup now most.

 

[pmike25]

Tommorow Im going to order the skimmer, this is the skimmer I would like for the 180( ASM-G3 ) with the gate valve mod, would that be enough for the 180 plus the sump/fuge area? Thanks

 

[landragon]

For a light fish load and all softies/LPS his might do. I would go up to the g4 personally. Allthough this is a bit more on the wallet and power grid.

 

[pmike25]

OK Jamie, alittle confusion but I do see some of what you are talking about. By what you are saying yes I like the shimmering affect on the bottom and I do like what you say about the effeciency of the T5HO. Ok ill settle with that, Ill start some research on where I can find them. Im going to order the skimmer so I can get started on the sump/fuge and plumbing

 

[pmike25]

Jamie the g4 or g4x??

 

[Johnsteph10]

Hey Mike,

I have just caught up on your thread and I must say I'm impressed! I'm glad you are taking it slow (although it is hard!!!!!!) and doing things the right way!

Your stand is wonderful.

I would go with the g4x if you are set on ASM. Have you looked at ER yet? Is there a price limit on the skimmer?

The 180 is a nice size.

I think you should be ok if you go with 250w MHs x 3 and then supplement those with either T5s or VHOs. You can either order what is called a retro-fit kit (the components that you put in your hood) or a complete "kit" in which everything comes together and you just either place it on your tank or hang it above...it depends on your preference - usually retrofit kits are cheaper.

Did you get your pieces of glass back yet for your sump?

If you have questions, just ask!

 

[kau_cinta_ku]

i would also go with the g4x unless your footprint won't alow it in the skimmer scetion of your sump.

 

[figuerres]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7313054#post7313054 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Johnsteph10
Hey Mike,

I have just caught up on your thread and I must say I'm impressed! I'm glad you are taking it slow (although it is hard!!!!!!) and doing things the right way!

Your stand is wonderful.

I would go with the g4x if you are set on ASM. Have you looked at ER yet? Is there a price limit on the skimmer?

The 180 is a nice size.

I think you should be ok if you go with 250w MHs x 3 and then supplement those with either T5s or VHOs. You can either order what is called a retro-fit kit (the components that you put in your hood) or a complete "kit" in which everything comes together and you just either place it on your tank or hang it above...it depends on your preference - usually retrofit kits are cheaper.

Did you get your pieces of glass back yet for your sump?

If you have questions, just ask!

mike -- retro-fit will give you the parts and you can just build the hood / canopy to your own layout.

when I got the csl lights I just found I had to cut apart the abs box they were in to make my current housing for my lights.

also I like what landdragon has been saying ....

about lights:

watts are heat.

footcandles are how much light hits a one foot area at a one foot distance.
lumens are another tech. way to mesure light.

and the "spectrum" of light is anothr tech. way to look at light.

ideally we would get a light that has a wattage of 0 but like 10,000 foot candles and other parameters like that....
then it would not add heat but wuld light the tank !!

I think of watts as like smog, you don't really want it but if you have a car that burns gas you get some -- like it or not.

also if you look at a film of diving the light that enters the water is filtered by the water.
so think of what part of a reef you want to keep.

for example:

shallow laugune (sp) has one type of parameters (water flow, light, nutrients, corals etc....)
the reef crest has another -- crest pounding waves, super oxygenated, lots of light, very low nutrients etc...
sea clif --- down on the face of the reef where the lights are blue all the time and flow of water is strong, home to soft corals that are very lovely but many are hard to keep.... caves also, sponges
and stuff...

that's 3 examples there are at least 3 more I can think of for classic reef areas...
for each one the water flow, light level and food change in amount and kind.... if you pick one "zone" or "Biotope" then you can plan lights, pumps etc.... for that and buy corals and such that match that....

hope that helps some.....