My 500 + gallon system. Last 13 years to now. Build, Aquascaping & more. Lots of pics

[slief]

Wow
My problem with my tank is temp is too low
And we basically same weather and similar the same set up.
How come your temp is so high.
I have to run my heater today to keep my tank @ 75

Im not sure I wish I had your problem either. At first I thought to myself that it would be nice. You could always add another closed loop pump and save power while adding more flow.

I guess my temps would be where they are at because of my Hammerhead and dart pumps as well as my UV and refugium lights all being under my tank next to my sumps. I am really surprised the Gold Hammerhead and Gold dart made as much of a difference in my lowering my tank temps compared to their standard counter parts. Between the pumps and my fan run time that seems to have brought my temps into check without needing the chiller right now.

This 7 day graph tells it all. The redline is my chiller power bar and the peaks are the chiller going on.

Just shy of a week ago, I raised my temp 1 degree which accounts for the decrease in the chiller frequency. Up until 40 hours ago, you can see the steady daily climb in temps. The pumps were swapped yesterday which you can see the slower climb in temps leading into today with it's gradual peak and decline as a result of my exhaust fan turning on at 7AM. Now that I have the underside vented to the fan duct, I'll keep the exhaust fan running 24x7 instead of just when the lights are on. That should keep my temps stable without the chiller running. At least it should until summer at which point it will come on much less than years past if at all. Worst case, I can always raise the temp one more degree during the summer to save power. Funny thing is that this graph looked like a 24 hour graph up until a week or so ago.

 

[bullitr]

I have dart for return and dart gold for the skimmer and uv lights is on too!
I guess i need to get a refugium running to heat up my tank a bit.
My temp right now is back to 75 with the heater on.
And 30 gallon water refill did not help!

 

[slief]

I have dart for return and dart gold for the skimmer and uv lights is on too!
I guess i need to get a refugium running to heat up my tank a bit.
My temp right now is back to 75 with the heater on.
And 30 gallon water refill did not help!

Im at 79.5 now.. It is a bit cold out this morning but I have never seen my tank drop like that on its own.

Here are parts 1-3 of the LED videos. The rest should go up over the next day or 2
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Part 2
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Part 3
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[slief]

Part 4 is up. I think there are 2 more parts to follow.
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[bullitr]

Very nice episode


Btw For almost 7 years I been in this hobby I never use this much heater and maybe for the expand of 4-5 years I never own one on since the metal halide warms my tank even in winter time my temp never goes down to 74.
Now My 3 heater runs more than 4 hours for the past 12 hours to keep my temp at 74.5 But I hate to bring the skimmer inside that house so I guess the only option is the build a insulated shed ..hmmm another expenses

 

[slief]

Very nice episode


Btw For almost 7 years I been in this hobby I never use this much heater and maybe for the expand of 4-5 years I never own one on since the metal halide warms my tank even in winter time my temp never goes down to 74.
Now My 3 heater runs more than 4 hours for the past 12 hours to keep my temp at 74.5 But I hate to bring the skimmer inside that house so I guess the only option is the build a insulated shed ..hmmm another expenses

I could be in your shoes at the rate I'm going. My tank is at 79.3 and seems to be dropping. I just closed the door down below just to see what impact that has. I'm still dumbfounded by the fact that my chiller hasnt been on in a couple days after going for years with running several times a day for an hour + at a time. I think I will be even more shocked when next months electric bill arrives.

The shed is a good idea though and it also gives you additional storage space. You put your rodi in the there and set it up nice. Think of it as a "Man Cave". :beer:

 

[slief]

Here are parts 5 & 6..
Part 5
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Part 6.. The conclusion of the LED's
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[Marc]

Hey Scott,

Where can I buy the Reef Tech LED lighting system that you have? I only need two pendants for my 125 gallon!

Thanks,
Marc

 

[slief]

Hey Scott,

Where can I buy the Reef Tech LED lighting system that you have? I only need two pendants for my 125 gallon!

Thanks,
Marc

I think Aloha Tropics stocks them.

 

[TheFishTeen]

Nope, not available on Aloha Tropics. Anywhere else you know of?

 

[slief]

Nope, not available on Aloha Tropics. Anywhere else you know of?

Best bet than would be to contact 'reeftechled' directly. If you can't get your hands on them, the Vertex Illumina 260's would also be a great option though they will likely cost you more. I'm very objective as you can see. They are both similar in that the have an array of optic-less cree LED's mounted to boards in close proximity. Optics can be added to the Reeftechs but I'm not sure on the Vertex. They both definately maximize coverage in a big way.

I might even play with some optics on mine down the line if I need more par in certan areas of my tank. Some creative use of optics here and there could be a fun experiment and have a profound effect.

 

[Mr. Brooks]

Looks awesome Scott!

 

[Squidward5]

Nice system Scott! Looking to change over to Led s now Excellent videos from Jim and yourself keep them comming.

 

[SweTed]

Maby missed it in some post but where did you buy yuor leds from? Ive been looking into
http://www.growcosystems.com/Kessil-A150W.html but yours are awsome and i electic bill this month was large so i have to change out my MH.
I realy looking forward to se what the corals think about your new light.

 

[slief]

Maby missed it in some post but where did you buy yuor leds from? Ive been looking into
http://www.growcosystems.com/Kessil-A150W.html but yours are awsome and i electic bill this month was large so i have to change out my MH.
I realy looking forward to se what the corals think about your new light.

Mine came from ReeftechLED.

 

[Marc]

Obviously the Reeftech LED's are not available to the general public yet as I can't find any pricing and from what I have heard certain vendors that were suppose to carry them have been delayed... Scotts lighting system is by far the best quality units I have ever seen and very high tech. So I can imagine they may cost thousands!!!!

Marc

 

[slief]

Obviously the Reeftech LED's are not available to the general public yet as I can't find any pricing and from what I have heard certain vendors that were suppose to carry them have been delayed... Scotts lighting system is by far the best quality units I have ever seen and very high tech. So I can imagine they may cost thousands!!!!

Marc

Here is one retailer that has pricing listed... Its a bit higher than I would have expected but then again its more power than two AI's and does have a built in controller. Its also priced on par with the comparble Vertex Illumina. Their website suggests its in stock but I have no idea nor do I know anything about them.

This company also has them listed and shows them in stock. Again, I have no idea as to the accuracy of their site or this company.

I would think there should be some domestic stock and a call or email to reeftech would certainly clarify that. While I am happy with mine and the results I am seeing, there are other options that offer similar designs and are equally positioned as far as capabilities and quality. It all boils down to your application, budget and patience I guess (if there is no domestic inventory). That said, I wouldn't go as far as to say they are the "best quality" I have seen but I would certainly put them on par with the best and am very pleased with my decision and results.

 

[tlo25]

That last part of the second video said that calculating wattages for your tank is different with LED's. How did you come up with what wattage to get for your tank. Also, is there any research out there that helped you with that dicision?

 

[slief]

That last part of the second video said that calculating wattages for your tank is different with LED's. How did you come up with what wattage to get for your tank. Also, is there any research out there that helped you with that dicision?

I spent a lot of time looking at videos of other led's on a wide range of tank as well as reading up on this forum and others. My decision was based on a number of factors. First was cost. If I were to have used fixtures that require optics, I would have needed more fixtures increasing costs. Optics on a fixture help increase par numbers at lower depths. They also help increase par at higher depths. At this point I dont plan on having SPS so I was more concerned about spread than PAR. In my case, I can always add optics to my fixtures down the line. With the fixtures that dont use optics such as the Reeftechs or Vertex Illumina, they have great spread compared to other fixtures on the market. A single 12 or 14" fixture can light up a 30"x30" footprint with ease. Fixtures such as the AI would require at least 2 if not more to cover he same space though the AI's should have higher PAR numbers in theory.

As for how many watts per gallon with LED's, I dont think there is an accurate formula for that. Its more about how many LED's per gallon but even that is subjective as there are a number of variables. Variables would be the wattage of the LED's, whether or not optics are being used, what optics and dimensions of the tank. With regards to led wattage, keep in mind that there are a number of companies offering fixtures with 1 watt LED's while others are using the higher power CREE LED's which are 3+ watts. The CREE LED's put out more light and better penetration watt for watt than the 1 watt LED's. What that means is that 1 CREE LED will be brighter and have better depth penetration than three 1 watt LED's.

Due to the varying approaches that manufacturers are taking with their LED fixture design, there is no real rule of thumb for how much to use other than what each manufacturer might suggest. The only general guidelines that I have seen come into play with the DIY approaches. For that, you should spend some time reading in the DIY section here on the forum as I dont really recall what the guideline is. There are a ton of threads on DIY LED fixtures and many have had great success.

 

[tlo25]

Well, that's a start.
Thanks.