New, but not really!!!

[G Santana]

Hello folks apology for the length of this thread. Over 30 yrs ago I started a salt water tank. I started with a 30 gal and quickly graduated to a 110 gal custom tank, I'm sure you guys know how that goes. But after 8 yrs I had to break down my setup because I bought a home and my professional life was taking off.
Short story, my tank has been in my basement for the last 20 plus yrs.collecting dust. I recently spoke with a friend who needed help with his tank and I helped him with basic knowledge and his tank has been doing well for the last yr.

My wife recently gave me the green light to start up my tank again and I immediately started pouring over threads here.

I have been going over many threads here and the biggest change I can see since I have been gone is the rise of the LED lighting systems. Back in the day I had 2 MH lamps and was forced to run a chiller with the tank for obvious reasons.

My biggest question is how SPS fair under LED lighting over time and is there a thread where I can see growth patterns of SPS under LEDs over time.

The companion question would be, what are suitable LED rigs for a 4 foot 10" X 2 Ft x 22 inch SPS tank.

First I have to insure that my tank can still hold water, but once that is done, I plan on going full steam with starting up my tank.

Any help and guidance is greatly appreciated!!!

 

[cvrle1]

Welcome back.

LEDs have indeed come long ways. In all honesty, it is hard to recommend LEDs without more info form you. Its a catch 22, as you dont really have info haha

I will say this, you dont need top of the line LED fixtures like AI, Radion and Kessil to have successful SPS tank. You can have cheap Chinese Black Box (aka: CBB) like Viparspectra and they will grow any coral you want.

Main difference between cheap units like Viparspectra and the big 3 is all the features. Things like light ramp up/ramp down, dawn/dusk/moon light, WiFi connectivity, Apex connectivity/control, 2 channels vs 6+ channels. All of these features will not make your corals grow any better or look any better, they are for your enjoyment only. For some people they are not necessary, while for others they are a must have.

When looking for LED fixtures in general, look for 3W LEDs. There are a lot of fixtures out there that are marketed as reef, that only use 0.5W LEDs, and these are no bueno (ex: anything by Current USA). They can be used with really shallow tanks, and low light corals, but thats it.

As a starting point, take a look at following fixtures and see what you like and dont, and ask specific questions:

Viparspectra 165W/300W
Mars Aqua 165W
Noopsyche K7 Pro II
Reefbreeders Photon V2/V2+
Red Sea LED
All various AI, Radion and Kessil units (there are a lot of them)

There is also LED/T5 hybrid units that are very popular, so you can look into that as well as an idea. Folks also use just T5s still, so there is that as well.

 

[G Santana]

Cvrle1, thank you for the information you provided. It answered all of my questions and gave me a number of things to research and investigate.

I plan on weighing the options between purchasing and building my own, but with the information you gave me, I looked up several inexpensive options.

Again, thank you as you have helped me immensely!!!

 

[G Santana]

I have tried several times to reply to your post but have been unsuccessful, I am sure it has to do with it being a new account. But again, thank you for the information.

I am currently making a list of everything I need to get things going.
I will be using whatever I can salvage from my old gear in order keep initial costs down, but unfortunately the basement has claimed a lot of stuff with moisture.

But what I do need some direction on besides the info already requested is info on a pump. I used to use a Little Giant and an Iwaki for my tank and skimmer and am looking for what folks currently use.

Also what ORP/PH rigs are folks using. I have an ancient ORP reader but I wouldn't trust it today lol.

Again thanks for the information and insight, hopefully within a couple of months I will have something to show for my efforts!!!

 

[G Santana]

The last couple of days I have spent cleaning out the basement and finding old dusty/crusty equipment and have had a few surprises.

I uncovered my MH light fixtures and discovered that while the fixtures themselves are fine (including bulbs) it appears that the ballasts are shot, I can always replace them if I opt to use them.

I cleaned out many years of crud from the tank and will fill it this weekend. Hopefully it holds water, I believe it will, if not it will be an added expense.

I found my old ORP controller and while it turned on and the probe responded to various liquids, I wouldn't trust it.

I found 3 power heads that looked like warmed over death. I cleaned them off, cleaned the impellers and to my surprise they worked.

I have been reading, learning and relearning many things. One of the things I'm looking forward to trying is a refugium!!! It seems to be a take on information I remember from hearing Julian Sprung speak many years ago.

Well as I get all my supplies, equipment and live rock, I'll keep folks posted.
Thanks for lending an ear!!!