New setup finally installed...

[gnoles]

Once again I spent a full year getting ready for this day... with a bit of help from Dad and my brother-in-law, we moved the 110 out and put the 185 in it's place. Once the sandstorm subsides, I'll try and post a tank shot.... plus, next week I'll have to hang the lights.

 

[hershell]

Looks Good... what lighting are you planning on ?

 

[gnoles]

I have a 60" set of hanging lights... 2x250w HQI MH and Actinics... I'd have to go downstairs to find the box to tell you who made it... Almost everything was stored until I could get some help lugging it in, and even then with four of us and some of those glass suction cups that professional glass installers use, I'm beat.

 

[8BALL_99]

Looks good Gary, Congrats again. That Light fixture should be a good choice for that tank. Since you have a center brace and Since the tank is 30" wide it makes since to go with a fixture with 2 bulbs. Each bulb will light a 30x30 section. If you went with a fixture with 3 Mh bulbs you would have much more light spill out of the sides. Not to mention cutting one bulb will help on running costs both in electricity and in bulb costs.
Ive gotten where I really like the look of my XM 10k Bulbs along with my ATI Blue plus T5s. I just wish My SPS would color back up. Seems I have alot of brown Not sure if its just cause the tank is new or if its the lighting. Ofcourse its probably not helping that I haven't reinstalled my CA reactor yet lol..
Will

 

[H@rry]

Funny that you mention XM 10K bulbs. I tried them one year and I was really disappointed with them. I change bulbs every year but that time they didn't last the whole year. The corals were browning out and the algae and cyano were everywhere. I change to 10K Reeflux and all that began to turn around in a couple of weeks.

 

[gnoles]

I had good results with the Reeflux in the 400w... so I'll give them a shot when the ones that came with the fixture wear out. I had XM 10K before that and I will say it was ultra-white. It actually overpowered two banks of 96 watt actinics.

 

[8BALL_99]

Mhh maybe I'll try Reeflux bulbs. I only have about a year or so left on my XMs

 

[H@rry]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14626168#post14626168 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 8BALL_99
I only have about a year or so left on my XMs

You didn't have a year left the day you first installed them!

 

[8BALL_99]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14627566#post14627566 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by H@rry
You didn't have a year left the day you first installed them!

Haha could be true. My other bulbs have been giving me about 14-15 months with a 8 hour lighting period. I only run my XMs on the new tank about 6 hours at night. I hope once we start getting some decent weather for more then a day or two at a time I'll be able to cut that back some. Ofcourse I can't complain. I'm running 2 250s over a 300 gallon tank with sps lol

Btw sorry to Hijack your thread Gary :strange:

 

[gnoles]

No worries, I'll hijack my share now that I'm getting up and running again.

The "to do" list:

Hang lights
Setup Auto-topoff
Program ACjr (need to read the manual)
Test closed loop (needed to make-up more water before I fill those pipes)
Adjust the drains (loud)
Lengthen the standpipes (also loud)
Find Chaeto and some live sand to innoculate the system.
Pick up some cleanup crew (mine have been watching Highlander... there can be only one!)

Any suggestions?

Seriously, how about programming suggestions for the Aqua Controller.

 

[gnoles]

Well, it's been an eventful day. We hung lights and programmed the ACjr... then we noticed the wee little fishie in the overflow. Killed the power, pulled the drain pipe out... Geez, this one may take some twisting...

*snap*

Some idiot glued this one... and now the seal on the bulkhead is broken....

So we drain the overflow the fast way, start going through the random bucket of plumbing parts... crap, no threaded 1" to slip 1 1/2... shoot, 1" threaded... make do drain until tomorrow afternoon.

Why on earth I glued a part that I clearly wrote "Do Not Glue" on, I have no idea. At any rate, we rescued the fish who promptly disappeared and I believe he was shaking his fin at me.


Now if I only I could sleep with the "make do" drain in place.

Tomorrow's going to stink.

 

[mltmtascp]

I hate when stuff like that happens. LOL at least you put a funny twist on it.

 

[gnoles]

The way I look at it is... at least this time I didn't get electrocuted. Usually, I end up recharging my batteries with 110 volts.

It could have been worse... although I had ballgames and practices this afternoon and couldn't get the required parts. But, (knock on wood) the "make do" drain worked well.

 

[mltmtascp]

That is good. I pass thru Cleveland in the morning when I work in BHam