My New 100 Gallon Shallow Rimless SPS Build

buy_baff said:
Awesome tank! Love the purple birdsnest where did you get it? Dose it have a name other than just purple birdsnest?
Click to expand...

LOL, it's a pinks birdnest. i think your color on your monitors are alittle off. that think is so barbie doll pink it's not even funny.:celeb3:
 
Thoughts and Lessons Learned

Thoughts and Lessons Learned

Reefsahoy,

I really like the way you have shared your reef through this thread. Nice job all the way around. I am putting up a new Infinity 250w 4- 54W T5s fixture this weekend. I would appreciate any thoughts and or lessons learned you have in the following areas.

1) Hanging the fixture "“ The upper part of the suspension kit will be mounted directly into a 2x4 beam therefore I feel pretty secure there. How did you do the bottom end of the wire to make it a clean look into the spring loaded holder at the same time giving you the security you need to adjust the fixture upward for tank access and to remove it periodically to change out bulbs. (Mine is built into a wall so side access to remove the covers is not an option for bulb replacement). I saw the fixture crash part of your thread. As you know these fixture are very heavy and you were fortunate and I am concerned.

2) Lamps "“ What lamp combination are you currently using and what is your photoperiod for each set? I am starting with the Giesemann Blue MH, 2 Giesemann Actinic+, KZ Fiji Purple, and a KZ coral Light. Any thoughts? How far above the water if your fixture mounted?

3) Love the LED moonlight mod. If you had it you do again what would you use and how would you do it?

Thanks for sharing and happy reefing!

Take care, Mike
 
Looking most excellent sir! Still liking the evc 20k bulbs? I almost went w/those last bulb switch but had heard too many quality issue/bulb life problems. But, at the same time, I have seen quite a few pics where they look really nice-- your tank for example :)
 
mtp said:
Reefsahoy,

I really like the way you have shared your reef through this thread. Nice job all the way around. I am putting up a new Infinity 250w 4- 54W T5s fixture this weekend. I would appreciate any thoughts and or lessons learned you have in the following areas.

1) Hanging the fixture "“ The upper part of the suspension kit will be mounted directly into a 2x4 beam therefore I feel pretty secure there. How did you do the bottom end of the wire to make it a clean look into the spring loaded holder at the same time giving you the security you need to adjust the fixture upward for tank access and to remove it periodically to change out bulbs. (Mine is built into a wall so side access to remove the covers is not an option for bulb replacement). I saw the fixture crash part of your thread. As you know these fixture are very heavy and you were fortunate and I am concerned.

2) Lamps "“ What lamp combination are you currently using and what is your photoperiod for each set? I am starting with the Giesemann Blue MH, 2 Giesemann Actinic+, KZ Fiji Purple, and a KZ coral Light. Any thoughts? How far above the water if your fixture mounted?

3) Love the LED moonlight mod. If you had it you do again what would you use and how would you do it?

Thanks for sharing and happy reefing!

Take care, Mike
Click to expand...

Thanks Mike, and I'm happy to help a fellow reefer any way i can. Congrats on your fixture, as I think you'll be very happy with your choice.

1. What i did was cut the cable and solder the ends to the length i like . then i slipped the excess cable into the top of the fixture. see the pics below. (sorry for the quality, i took it with my cel).

IMG00004-20100629-2052.jpg


I also used cable sleeve i got from an auto store to get all my cables neatly down to the ballast. i used it to also put the excess cable into it too (i was lazy! lol)

IMG00006-20100629-2052.jpg


2. For My T5's I'm using 3 Giesemann Atinic+ and one Figi purple. My HQI are EVC 20K bulbs and I love'em! I really like this bulb combo for my setup. The colors really pop! The photo period for the T5s are 10 hours and HQI are 8 hours. The fixture sits exactly 9 inches above the water ( i just measured that for you:eek2:)

3. I haven't really given any thought to doing the LED any other way because I'm pretty happy with the way it was installed.
 
upsetter said:
Looking most excellent sir! Still liking the evc 20k bulbs? I almost went w/those last bulb switch but had heard too many quality issue/bulb life problems. But, at the same time, I have seen quite a few pics where they look really nice-- your tank for example :)
Click to expand...

sir? LOL! glad to hear from a fellow GATOR! I will be heading up to the "ville" begining August to set the daughter up for school. I do really like the EVC 20K bulbs. They are cheap, and i love the color spectrum. my tank is shallow so i really don't care about high par output so thats no issue. so far i haven't had any issues with quality issues, bulb life. BTW how's your tank coming along?
 
Thanks

Thanks

Reefsahoy,

Thanks for the reply! I like the solder and sleeve idea. I will likely steal them from you. Now that it is soldered if you were going to take your fixture down would you unscrew the mounts at the fixture or at the top of the cable? Once you take the weight off I assume the ones at the bottom would be easier. After reading your post about the crash I have thought about putting another cable in the middle for anxiety insurance. Probably distracts a bit on the look but maybe it could help if one cable or mount has a failure. I am sure you have had that thought. Looks like you stayed with the two cables so I am probably over thinking it.

Thanks again, Mike
 
The problem i had with the cable was it wasn't made correctly. the cable that came with thefixture was only 5 ft long and i have vaulted cielings so i had to get a different set of cables that was made here locally. the end of the cable where the ball is came apart and thats what caused the cable failure. i had a new set of cable made by a metal specialist. when you solder the ends of the cable get the ends real hot. then when you melt the solder "flick" the end of the cable and all the excess will fly off ( be careful of eyes and where ever the hot solder may go flying. i did it outside the house. I also used a torch to get the cable hot). when you do that the cable will be able to slip thru the cable height adjuster that is screwed into the fixture. you will be able to remove the fixture without unscrewing the cieling mount.
 
Tank is hopefully (don't want to jinx it) headed in the right direction. I've always used a plastic hydrometer, thought I'd read in an RC Reefkeeping article few years back that the plastic hydrometer may not be accurate, but were consistent. That once you figured out where your hydrometer was at u could adjust accordingly & it should stay consistent as long as u rinsed it properly etc. I would check it at the beach every year or so thinking I was o.k. Not so fast my friend... after banging my head against the wall as to why I have no growth & other weird probs decided to check salinity with lfs refractometer I found I was at 1.041!! I have Tunze osmolator so salinity stays stable, so I'm pretty sure it's been that high since I set this tank up 2.5 years. Anyway, tank is looking better, first signs of growth & deeper color on some acros & I use a little less salt on wc's now:) Keep it up Nick!!
 
Hello everyone,
I haven't logged onto ReefCentral in a long time. I am out of the reef hobby for a little while, but I still have an interest in the hobby via my buddy Reefahoy. I went to his house a week ago to see the progress. The pictures he posted are an exact duplication of the real deal. His tank is just nice, damn nice.

Reefahoy, now is the time for patience and maintenance. I know watching corals grow is boring, but patience for another year and you will have a forest of corals in your tank. I am thinking about another project for us once I move. Something small with mostly LPS.

Keep up the good works.
 
Very cool video. Your tank is filling in quite nicely, love the Ricordea garden. Thanks for sharing.
 
just read through the thread! Awesome reef. Quick question. What salt do you use and how much of a water change do you do? do you have any sump pics?

-Chris
 
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