Sisterlimonpot
Premium Member
Crusty,
The new lighting looks good, can't wait to see some pics throughout the day.
The new lighting looks good, can't wait to see some pics throughout the day.
My new 400 G tank
- Thread starter Crusty Old Shellback
- Start date
Hey Paul,
Wish I was closer as I'd love to have him. Had one in the past but not that big.
I've got a pair of yellow headed sleeper gobies that are digging up my tank right now. For some reason, they decided to leave the burrow they had built and started a new one, right under the big pile of rocks on the left. I just hope they don't topple them as my Orange monti cap on top is growing out nicely.
limonpot,
So far, I like teh lights. It gets really bright in the tank. Only down side is the color of the corals but I can take care of that with a few blue LEDS. It's gpoing to be a few more weeks before I can get a full day of pictures. I'm doing a bit of traveling around on the weekends right now.
Wish I was closer as I'd love to have him. Had one in the past but not that big.
I've got a pair of yellow headed sleeper gobies that are digging up my tank right now. For some reason, they decided to leave the burrow they had built and started a new one, right under the big pile of rocks on the left. I just hope they don't topple them as my Orange monti cap on top is growing out nicely.
limonpot,
So far, I like teh lights. It gets really bright in the tank. Only down side is the color of the corals but I can take care of that with a few blue LEDS. It's gpoing to be a few more weeks before I can get a full day of pictures. I'm doing a bit of traveling around on the weekends right now.
I can't feel any heat when I place my hands under it so I'm assuming not. Hopefully it will be clear this weekend and I can get some good pictures throughout the day. I'll also check for hot spots.
OK, I finally got some sunny days and so I took some pictures below.
SUNDAY
9 AM
3:30 PM
6 PM
SUNDAY
9 AM
3:30 PM
6 PM
Monday at 2 PM
Hey Dave, long time no see.
Heat. No issues. It's actually less than with the 2 X 400W DE MH I had over the tank.
I did add some extensions to the two outer tubes and brought them down close to teh water, about 6" off teh water. This also allowed me to point the light where I wanted it the most. With all of the sun lately, I had some beautiful light and shimmer lines. It looked really good after I cleaned the tank and did a water change.
I also noticed that the "spot light" moves around the tank as the day goes on. It's kind of like having three sun spots over the tank. They move as the day goes by. It's alos nice to see the sunrise/sunset effect on the tank as well.
Heat. No issues. It's actually less than with the 2 X 400W DE MH I had over the tank.
I did add some extensions to the two outer tubes and brought them down close to teh water, about 6" off teh water. This also allowed me to point the light where I wanted it the most. With all of the sun lately, I had some beautiful light and shimmer lines. It looked really good after I cleaned the tank and did a water change.
I also noticed that the "spot light" moves around the tank as the day goes on. It's kind of like having three sun spots over the tank. They move as the day goes by. It's alos nice to see the sunrise/sunset effect on the tank as well.
Sisterlimonpot
Premium Member
Ray, what are you planning to load the tank with (coral wise)?
Sisterlimonpot
Premium Member
Where you over at nctc yesterday? Did you leave your id in a class after work?
Naw, I don't go over to NCTC. I work on teh SDTS ship over on the warf and at PHD NSWC in the back of the base.
As for corals, my main focus is going to be plateing corals. Right now I have a orange and a green Monti Cap along with a Idaho Grape. I'm waiting for them to color back up and start to grow agin before I go looking for any more corals. That and I'm still in the process of slowly making the tank more electrical friendly.
I've taken out my monster skimmer and replaced it with two ASM's I had sitting around. Next step is to replace them with a Bubble Magus and also replace the Dart return pump with something else.
next phase will be to replace the Hammer head and barracuda C/L pumps with Korillia power heads.
As for corals, my main focus is going to be plateing corals. Right now I have a orange and a green Monti Cap along with a Idaho Grape. I'm waiting for them to color back up and start to grow agin before I go looking for any more corals. That and I'm still in the process of slowly making the tank more electrical friendly.
I've taken out my monster skimmer and replaced it with two ASM's I had sitting around. Next step is to replace them with a Bubble Magus and also replace the Dart return pump with something else.
next phase will be to replace the Hammer head and barracuda C/L pumps with Korillia power heads.
Reefski's
Active member
Ray, I applaud you. all those improvements are similar to what i have done on my tank. eliminating a hammerhead is good. that is my biggest electrical use now, returning water from the garage to the display with a hammerhead and the skimmer. i eliminated two hammerheads on closed loops and now have Tunzes in the tank. that made a huge difference in electrical use, from 700 watts for the two pumps to about 150 watts now. i had planned a Dart for my return but it couldn't push any water to the tank, none at all. i thought something was wrong with the pump. it wasn't, just too much head.
Have you looked at the Skimz skimmers? very reasonably priced and very low power use. 40 watts for up to 800 gallon system.
my skimmer also uses a hammerhead.
my last electrical bill was $70 for a month. still like to get it to zero. just saw the meter reader yesterday so should be getting a new bill soon with mostly summer rates and higher output from the solar panels.
the Monti caps did very well in my sunlit system. i like them a lot too. Waikiki Aquarium has some incredible Monticaps in their sunlit system.
Carl
Have you looked at the Skimz skimmers? very reasonably priced and very low power use. 40 watts for up to 800 gallon system.
my skimmer also uses a hammerhead.
my last electrical bill was $70 for a month. still like to get it to zero. just saw the meter reader yesterday so should be getting a new bill soon with mostly summer rates and higher output from the solar panels.
the Monti caps did very well in my sunlit system. i like them a lot too. Waikiki Aquarium has some incredible Monticaps in their sunlit system.
Carl
Good stuff Ray. Now you gotta follow Carl's lead and get some panels on that roof of yours. I still dont have mine up yet. If you want a 1.6KW setup let me know. Im selling mine.
Hey carl,
Gald to hear your input. I sat down and figured everything out and realised that 3/4 of my electric usage was to run the tank. That's when I started looking into ways to lower it.
My Montis have browned out for now so I'm just keeping an eye on everything and waiting for them to color up before I do anything else as far as corals go.
Dave/Carl, I looked into the solar pannels. Being that I didn't have a lot of extra cash laying around, the only way I could go was to lease the system. In the total scheme of things, if I can lower my tank usage like I think I can, then it's cheapier to buy the electric from SCE than to lease a system. If the systems get cheapier, then I'll revisit them. But for now, it's cheapier for me to buy from SCE.
Gald to hear your input. I sat down and figured everything out and realised that 3/4 of my electric usage was to run the tank. That's when I started looking into ways to lower it.
My Montis have browned out for now so I'm just keeping an eye on everything and waiting for them to color up before I do anything else as far as corals go.
Dave/Carl, I looked into the solar pannels. Being that I didn't have a lot of extra cash laying around, the only way I could go was to lease the system. In the total scheme of things, if I can lower my tank usage like I think I can, then it's cheapier to buy the electric from SCE than to lease a system. If the systems get cheapier, then I'll revisit them. But for now, it's cheapier for me to buy from SCE.
OK, time to update. since the last update, I've installed some PAR38 LED spot lights in 20K inside of the solar tubes. This has added the blue mix that I needed for the corals. It alos adds in light at night and during low sunlight days. I looks good but not as bright as the sun. 
I've removed the two C/L pumps and replaced them with 10 Korallia evolution 1400 power heads run by a Red Sea wave maker. So far I like it. That and my electric bill is now down to around $160 a month. BIG drop from the $500 it has been in the past.
I lost just about all of my corals when I went to just solar tubes. My branching hammer survived though. I've now started adding more corals. We'll see what happens.
I also lost my Majestic Angel about 6 months ago. Not sure why. I've now began restocking my fish. I picked up a beautiful adult male Blonde naso tang, a Pacific Blue tang and another adult Majestic angel.
I'm gone on travel right now but here's a few pictures of the tank recently. I'll get some pictures of the tank with the LED's when I get home.
I've removed the two C/L pumps and replaced them with 10 Korallia evolution 1400 power heads run by a Red Sea wave maker. So far I like it. That and my electric bill is now down to around $160 a month. BIG drop from the $500 it has been in the past.
I lost just about all of my corals when I went to just solar tubes. My branching hammer survived though. I've now started adding more corals. We'll see what happens.
I also lost my Majestic Angel about 6 months ago. Not sure why. I've now began restocking my fish. I picked up a beautiful adult male Blonde naso tang, a Pacific Blue tang and another adult Majestic angel.
I'm gone on travel right now but here's a few pictures of the tank recently. I'll get some pictures of the tank with the LED's when I get home.
Reefski's
Active member
i have come to the same conclusion that the sunlight is not enough or too much depending on the day and time of year. you are near the coast as am i so many more overcast days, the June gloom as it's known. but it also persists into the summer as well. our temperatures are much lower than more inland. no chiller needed on my tank.
i am shading more and balancing the decrease in sunlight with supplemental 400 watt halides for a few hours a day. i am looking to get some LEDs for the tank when i can afford them. i have 200 watt LEDs on my 120 gallon tank and they are great. good growth and colors.
i am shading more and balancing the decrease in sunlight with supplemental 400 watt halides for a few hours a day. i am looking to get some LEDs for the tank when i can afford them. i have 200 watt LEDs on my 120 gallon tank and they are great. good growth and colors.
Agreed. My initial reason, as you, to go with Sunlight was to try and lower the electric bill. I ditched my 400W MH lights for the solar tubes and as you stated, the May Gray/June Gloom, dosen't give enough light on some days.
To keep with my energy effeciency plan, that was the reason for going with the PAR 38 LED's. They screw into a regular light socket, are fairly inexpensive, use little electricity, and last a long time.
I had a an issue with one and ecoexoitic was great in dealing with my problem. The color looks great with them. Even with a bright sunny day, I can still tell when the LED's come on. I think it's the best of both. I have the brightness and shimmer lines of the sun that look more natural like you see on a reef and I get the blue from the LED's that make the coral colors glow.
One thing I did notice was that when my Blonde Naso would swim into the bright sunlight and his fins were out, it seems as if someone "plugs" him in as his colors really stand out.
Hey Paul, good to hear from you. I'm doing a lot of travel for work right now but hope to get back to the tank work when I get back home. Got about 1 1/2 more months of traveling and then hope to be done so I can work on the tank.
To keep with my energy effeciency plan, that was the reason for going with the PAR 38 LED's. They screw into a regular light socket, are fairly inexpensive, use little electricity, and last a long time.
I had a an issue with one and ecoexoitic was great in dealing with my problem. The color looks great with them. Even with a bright sunny day, I can still tell when the LED's come on. I think it's the best of both. I have the brightness and shimmer lines of the sun that look more natural like you see on a reef and I get the blue from the LED's that make the coral colors glow.
One thing I did notice was that when my Blonde Naso would swim into the bright sunlight and his fins were out, it seems as if someone "plugs" him in as his colors really stand out.
Hey Paul, good to hear from you. I'm doing a lot of travel for work right now but hope to get back to the tank work when I get back home. Got about 1 1/2 more months of traveling and then hope to be done so I can work on the tank.
Reefski's
Active member
when i consider all the corals i have lost and their cost i wonder if it might not have been cheaper to use more electricity and lights. not to mention better for the corals and look of my tank.
in my case if i had it to do over again, (still hoping for that) i would have a much shorter light shaft. i would do it again, just differently.
i hope to have some LEDs over the tank by fall equinox.
in my case if i had it to do over again, (still hoping for that) i would have a much shorter light shaft. i would do it again, just differently.
i hope to have some LEDs over the tank by fall equinox.
