My Skylight build.

[Western_reefer]

I'm going to start building a Skylight for my 180 gallon reef and drew a few plans and thought I'd ask y'all on what you think before I started making big holes in the roof. lol The glass panels that are going to be on top of the roof are 8'x4' each and there are going to be 2 panels total. One on each side of the roof so I can get 360 degree. There will be 8+ hours of direct sunlight. The tank will be getting light from Sunrise to Sunset. The walls on the inside of the Skylight will have reflective matter of course, maybe Mirrors or polished Aluminum? Which is better? Mirrors or polished Aluminum?

Here are the drawings. The drawings are a side view.

The blue circles are VHOs actinics. I was thinking of adding 4-6 VHOs and go from there if I'll need more or less.

 

[Reefski's]

great idea.

aluminum for sure, reflects much more light. here is where i got mine.
http://anomet.com/reflective_aluminum.html

i like the idea of a much larger area than the tank and the recessed nook for other lighting. something i have thought about for next time. good for evening viewing or those cloudy short winter days.

you may only be able to keep sps corals unless you shade the whole system. some of my corals got overlit and suffered.

you also should have at least one of them that opens to ventilate. it gets really hot in there.

can you describe the panels a bit more? and the constuction to install them you plan?

i look forward to watching your progress.

Carl

 

[Western_reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15269577#post15269577 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefski's
great idea.

aluminum for sure, reflects much more light. here is where i got mine.
http://anomet.com/reflective_aluminum.html

i like the idea of a much larger area than the tank and the recessed nook for other lighting. something i have thought about for next time. good for evening viewing or those cloudy short winter days.

you may only be able to keep sps corals unless you shade the whole system. some of my corals got overlit and suffered.

you also should have at least one of them that opens to ventilate. it gets really hot in there.

can you describe the panels a bit more? and the constuction to install them you plan?

i look forward to watching your progress.

Carl

Thanks! What kind of Aluminum did you get? There's a hole list of different kinds. lol

I'm defiantly going to dim it a bit. I still will have to dim it a REALLY lot because I have 3 250 watt MHs, so I'm going to have to acclimate the corals to the natural sunlight.

Hmmmm... Thought I wouldn't get a hole lot of heat because the box is going to be pretty high.

What do you mean? Its just regular tempered glass that's tinted with some blue. Here are a few pictures. Got both panels for $40.

 

[Reefski's]

i used the anolux III

imagine sitting in your car in the summer with the windows rolled up. how hot does it get?

you HAVE to make it open.

get a professional to put it in. you will have a lot of structural work to do to the framing of the house too.

 

[Western_reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15270193#post15270193 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefski's
i used the anolux III

imagine sitting in your car in the summer with the windows rolled up. how hot does it get?

you HAVE to make it open.

get a professional to put it in. you will have a lot of structural work to do to the framing of the house too.

Ok. Will do.


My dad, brothers, and I build the hole house ourselves. Sooo, no need to hire a professional.

 

[Western_reefer]

Also, how is polished Aluminum better than Mirrors? I can get Mirrors for FREE.

 

[strayvoltage]

Polishes aluminum reflects light once mirrors are twice reflected for one easy way to explain it. The aluminum will do much better than mirrors.

 

[Western_reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15270858#post15270858 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by strayvoltage
Polishes aluminum reflects light once mirrors are twice reflected for one easy way to explain it. The aluminum will do much better than mirrors.

Can you explain it in more detail plz? lol

 

[Reefski's]

the glass absorbs light which has to pass through twice to get to the reflective material and back out.

 

[Western_reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15272653#post15272653 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefski's
the glass absorbs light which has to pass through twice to get to the reflective material and back out.

Oh, ok.

 

[bennietheblenny]

tagginng alone, looks like its going to be cool!

 

[bennietheblenny]

opps, tagging ALONG!!!

 

[Western_reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15270193#post15270193 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefski's
i used the anolux III

How much does it cost per sheet?

 

[Reefski's]

they have prices on the website i linked to.

i bought mine over two years ago.

did you look at the website?

Carl

 

[Western_reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15272950#post15272950 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefski's
they have prices on the website i linked to.

i bought mine over two years ago.

did you look at the website?

Carl

Just found it. Didn't notice it when I checked last time. lol Damn, its pricey, $35 for a 4'x2' sheet... What if I use foil? lol

 

[Reefski's]

mylar is better than foil.

it is not going to be cheap to remodel the roof of the house either.

Carl

 

[Western_reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15273482#post15273482 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefski's
mylar is better than foil.

it is not going to be cheap to remodel the roof of the house either.

Carl

Ok. So, can I use Mylar?


Yeah, still, trying to save as much money as possible.

 

[Reefski's]

yes, you can use mylar. how long is the shaft from roof to tank?

 

[Western_reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15274030#post15274030 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefski's
yes, you can use mylar. how long is the shaft from roof to tank?

Sweet! From the roof to the tank its going to be around 8-9 feet or so, give or take a foot.

 

[mpoletti]

Good luck on this Moses