new tank project...need ideas/suggestions

[gsusfreak]

ok, ive researched, but too much is starting to make my head hurt

im wanting to get my tank from glasscages...specifically the 33 gallon setup they have....48x12.5x13...the reason is because i already have a 55gal and stand......and i wanted to use 55 as a sump

so....what would you do if this is your tank
1.what lights would you recommend...im looking in to this T5 retrofit
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1369

2. what would be a good return pump

3. 1 or 2 koralias....and which rate?

4. skimmers

5. any fish recommendations?

6. i was thinking of having it drilled in the middle of the bottom panel....is that ok to do?.. i was wanting to split the return there and have it hidden with the rocks

ummm...thats all i can think of for now...i'll ask more later

 

[Angela Short]

Is it gonna be RR? Why not just do the return there or the salt creep thing from loc line bother you? I Hate the way mine creeps. Also if you drill a return that is totally underwater it needs a siphone break as to not drain the tank. Or am I seeing it not how you meant?

T5's are the way to go unless you can afford solaris. Thats what I really want now!

 

[gsusfreak]

no, its not reef ready...the tank itself is only $60....they want an extra $75 to make it reef ready for 2 holes and overflow...thats more than the actual tank!

as for the return, i was gonna have a pipe that goes straight up to the top, and then have it teed off from there....no loclines , just a place for water to return....the siphon should be taken care off since thats where i was planning to put an overflow.....but i think i might just pick bottom corner instead of doing a center piece

mainly, i asked if it was ok to drill there...didnt know if there was a weak spot in a the glass or not

will those t5's that im considering be good enough to house a majority of corals?

thanks for the feedback angela

 

[DMBillies]

Those T5 retros are the hellolights answer to TEK retros. I haven't heard anything bad about them but I haven't done a lot of research on them since they started offering them right after I bought my last light set-up. If you fit about as many of the retros over the tank as you can fit (i.e., 6 bulbs fit over a standard 90), you should be able to keep just about anything assuming that they are similar to TEK fixtures.

Regardless of the halide/T5 debate as far as looks and light output, I'd say if you're budget conscious T5's are going to be the way to go hands down (less heat, less electricity used, ability to keep a wide variety of corals, and cheaper/less frequent bulb replacement).

On pumps, I'd say two slightly smaller pumps is better than one bigger one. There are always going to be dead spots which can be taken care of more easily with more water outlets and depending on whether you have a sandbed, you'll be able to get more flow with less chance of creating a sandstorm.

 

[gsusfreak]

thanks for all the good info brian.....i'll probably stick with those T5s that i listed, and hopefully that will be enough

hmm...the 2 pump return is a pretty good idea, never thought about it like that....i'll see how that works when i look in my budget....i really need to get this tank up soon before the frag swap....heheh

 

[NeveSSL]

As far as the lights go, get the IceCap retros from ReefGeek. Reason being, the reflectors are more reflective (I believe, anyway... check the lighting forum) and I know they're more narrow, so you'd have a better chance and better luck with getting 4 on your 33. It also should be about the same price, if not a bit cheaper.

Brandon

 

[gsusfreak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11050512#post11050512 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NeveSSL
As far as the lights go, get the IceCap retros from ReefGeek. Reason being, the reflectors are more reflective (I believe, anyway... check the lighting forum) and I know they're more narrow, so you'd have a better chance and better luck with getting 4 on your 33. It also should be about the same price, if not a bit cheaper.

Brandon

i cant find any on the reefgeek site thats cheaper than the one that listed above.....got a link for me brandon that im overlooking?

 

[gflat65]

I'd have to suggest paying the extra for an overflow and drilling it yourself. You can get a glass hole saw for about $10 shipped from ebay and it'll take you probably 25 minutes or so a hole. It's just so much easier and reliable than an overflow. Once you go RR, you don't go back...

What kind of corals are you keeping? Decent flow is usually tolerated by most corals. With a tank that shallow and not intending for it to be a full blown sps tank, MH would be overkill. I'm about to run a 150W DE (20K) over about 8" of water and acans and am worried about too much light.

You can drill the bottom panel in the middle, but I'd be afraid to without bracing in some way. It's not a big tank, so the weight on it isn't too bad, though (depending on glass thickness).

As for bulb replacement life, I see that that one claims potentially a 24 month life. I wouldn't put much stock in what the manufacturer says about bulb life 'might' be. It will last a lot longer than it will provide useful light. DE MH's were said to be good for 18 months and SE's for 12 months (may be old school time frames, but that was at one time the conventional wisdom), but I change at 9 and 6 months, resp., and there is an incredible difference visually and in the reaction of my SPS (better PE, much better color, etc.). I'd be interested in seeing how long certain T5's last under different ballast conbinations, etc. (MH and VHO, too for that matter). I wonder if the club could work up a little experiment with the par meter. Test when you replace bulbs and every two weeks or month after that to plot the decline in par over time. Record ballast info, bulb info (including color info), etc. With only one meter it could take a while to collect the data, though (and having different people using the meter, there is a ton of inherent variation-that thing is ultra touchy...). I'm likely going to be going with T5's in the tank room (6x or 8x) whenever I get it going, so I'd like to get a good baseline on actual observations. That is a ton of bulbs to replace, but the heat issue is driving me (3-250W MH's would create an oven in that part of the house). The tank room is going to be in a closet, so it is pretty enclosed.

 

[gsusfreak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11051653#post11051653 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gflat65
I'd have to suggest paying the extra for an overflow and drilling it yourself. You can get a glass hole saw for about $10 shipped from ebay and it'll take you probably 25 minutes or so a hole. It's just so much easier and reliable than an overflow. Once you go RR, you don't go back...

im kind lost here...so i should pay extra for an overflow, but drilling is so much easier and reliable than an overflow?......huh?

What kind of corals are you keeping? Decent flow is usually tolerated by most corals. With a tank that shallow and not intending for it to be a full blown sps tank, MH would be overkill. I'm about to run a 150W DE (20K) over about 8" of water and acans and am worried about too much light.

i wasnt planning on MH at all...it's hot enough in my room....oh about the corals i plan to keep...hmmm, im a "softies" type of person...and i love zoas....i like stuff that sway with the flow...i probably wont venture out into SPS

You can drill the bottom panel in the middle, but I'd be afraid to without bracing in some way. It's not a big tank, so the weight on it isn't too bad, though (depending on glass thickness).

i think im deciding not drill the middle like i intended....might just keep it simple and choose one of the usual corners on the back wall

thanks for all the feedback brian...oh yea, the other post that i have about my clowns hosting in a frogspawn....it came from you, thanks bud!

 

[NeveSSL]

My bad John... they're not the same or cheaper... they're $10.

Here's my reasoning:

Hellolights doesn't mention the brands of anything except the ballast, which is a Workhorse. For $10 more, you get a Sylvania ballast (may or may not be better than the Workhorse, but of course according to ReefGeek they are ), IceCap reflectors, your choice of bulbs (of all the major brand and popular types of T5HO), and, if you'd like, for $70 more you can get an IceCap 660.

Hellolights retros are probably pretty darn fine, but to me it seems to be a slightly better deal for the reefgeek retro, if nothing else for the better selection of bulbs.

Just my $0.02, tho.

Oh, and I think what Gary is saying is pay for an overflow from GC, but drill it out yourself.

Brandon

 

[crumbletop]

on a 13" tank, I would not use an icecap 660. I'd use the regular old ballast. Also, the workhorse ballasts are not program start, and I don't think they are specifically designed for T5 specs. They work, but potentially decrease the life of the bulbs. If Brandon is right and the reef geek setup is only $10 more, I'd go with the reef geek setup.

I have a question about your stand -- my stand can hold a 48" tank on the top, but couldn't do the same in the stand. Are you sure your stand can hold the 55 gallon on the inside? Also, why 33 gallon display and 55 gallon sump? Why not the other way around?

I would not drill the tank on the bottom. It can be done, but if you get a leak in the bulkhead, all the water goes bye-bye.

I agree with gflat on the RR. The RR is worth its weight in gold. Keep in mind that if you do a 33 gallon display with 55 gallon sump, and the siphon breaks in the HOB overflow (non RR), you'll end up with 55 gallons on the floor (well, a little less, but you get the point).

 

[NeveSSL]

Jack:

Why not the 660? Does the overdriving of the bulbs produce too much heat?

Here are my calculations, FWIW:

ReefGeek: Flat out $289 with everything for 4 lamps

Hellolights: [$100 per 2x34w = $200] + [4 x $20 = $80] = $280

Brandon

 

[crumbletop]

Overdriving the bulbs increases the heat, but the main problem is the amount of light in a tank that is only 13" deep. Too much light...

 

[NeveSSL]

Ohhhh... ok, cool. Thanks.

Brandon

 

[NeveSSL]

Oops! I was calculating 36"... you're going $48.

Sooo... instead of $289 from reefgeek, it would be $299. Instead of $280 from hellolights, it would be $290.

Brandon

 

[gsusfreak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11052499#post11052499 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crumbletop
on a 13" tank, I would not use an icecap 660. I'd use the regular old ballast. Also, the workhorse ballasts are not program start, and I don't think they are specifically designed for T5 specs. They work, but potentially decrease the life of the bulbs. If Brandon is right and the reef geek setup is only $10 more, I'd go with the reef geek setup.

ok, it looks like i'll have to go with reef geek....but i'll look more into it

I have a question about your stand -- my stand can hold a 48" tank on the top, but couldn't do the same in the stand. Are you sure your stand can hold the 55 gallon on the inside? Also, why 33 gallon display and 55 gallon sump? Why not the other way around?

yea, im pretty positive my stand can hold a 55 on the bottom...i bought the tank and stand from a local breeder....he build the stand so that it would house a 55 on top, and a 55 on the bottom.....and i rather have a 33 display cause its going in my room, and i think a 55 would just be too high, and i'll have to buy more rocks just to make it look right....aquascaping sucks in a 55

I would not drill the tank on the bottom. It can be done, but if you get a leak in the bulkhead, all the water goes bye-bye.

I agree with gflat on the RR. The RR is worth its weight in gold. Keep in mind that if you do a 33 gallon display with 55 gallon sump, and the siphon breaks in the HOB overflow (non RR), you'll end up with 55 gallons on the floor (well, a little less, but you get the point).

yea, im gonna go with a more safer setup

 

[gsusfreak]

ok...been browsing reefgeek brandon...and now im loss for which one i want...heehehe....oh, im only wanting a 2 bulb fixture...a 4 bulb set-up is a little out of my wallet right now....but why Icecap over the other?

i like the "readyfit" by sunlight supply...just cause it sounds easy to install

 

[crumbletop]

The readyfit is $139 without bulbs. The retrofit is $159 with bulbs -- so it is $20 less expensive. You can ask reefgeek if they can substitute IceCap reflectors for the TEK reflectors. I think when I did that it was a couple of $ extra per reflector. The IceCap reflectors are a bit better than the TEKs, although the TEK reflectors aren't bad. Better reflectors mean more light directed down towards the tank. You could also just get the TEK 2 retrofit. Same price at $159 (includes bulbs) and the TEK 2 reflectors are pretty good.

EDIT: Actually, I'd go ahead and just get the TEK2 retrofit. They are apparently in the process of phasing out the older reflectors. The TEK2 will do a great job.

 

[NeveSSL]

The only thing about the ready fits is that you can't easily change the ballast later, but I don't think it would matter much. That only bothers me because IceCap is coming out with a dimmable T5 ballast within the next year and Aquatronica is coming out with a dimmer within the next year, so I'm thinking seriously about giving it a shot... lol.

Those seem pretty cool and practical. Keep in mind they don't include bulbs, though.

Brandon

Brandon

 

[gsusfreak]

dimmable?....now would turning the lights on and off, really put that much stress on a fish?.....i know tons of who put bulbs on individual timers, but thats just to mock the the daylight phases.......but are there advantages of dimming?...i would love to get more info