OK! Enough chat...Starting a 1000g+ Reef

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Im in Vancouver now. I no longer have that 55 gallon. Ive moved both my 55s into that 120 walk around tank. Its 250 watt halides with 2 110 watt VHO bulbs just dont show the pretty colors like just VHO bulbs do. I think I will have 14k or 20k when its time to replace my bulbs. Im trying not to spend as much on my aquarium hobby anymore. I spent a lot when I got started in the hobby but Ive started flying glow powered airplanes and that eats some coin as well.
I miss the 55 gallon. It did look really nice when I took that series of pictures. But my 120 will as good in a couple years.

I think my profile still says Im in Moses Lake. I need to change that.
Jay
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11343291#post11343291 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Micki
Jay, what wattage halides are you using?
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The 55 had 2 46.5 inch actinic whit URI bulbs and 2 46.5 watt super actinic URI 110 watt VHO

The 120 has 2 250 watt 10000k Ushio bulbs and 2 46.5 inch superactinic 110 watt VHO bulbs.

Jay
 
What K rating are they? I run 250 watt 14 K blueline bulbe and couldn't believe the difference! I also run 65 watt PC actinic lighting.
 
Hey Jon, how about a full tank shot for the new split! :D

re-ubscribing.

Also, sorry about your Vortech situation. Seems like they should have a temp sensor in the unit (or do they?). I think they are a great concept and I really liked running a single one on my 60 gallon cube. Of course, I only ran it at 30% capacity, on and off at 8 minute cycles with 3/8 inch acrylic... so no heat issues. Clearly, running them full bore on a BIG acrylic tank is a new ball game!

Ryan.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11343465#post11343465 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jay O Matic
The 55 had 2 46.5 inch actinic whit URI bulbs and 2 46.5 watt super actinic URI 110 watt VHO

The 120 has 2 250 watt 10000k Ushio bulbs and 2 46.5 inch superactinic 110 watt VHO bulbs.

Jay
Click to expand...
Jay, nice setup. You might want to try the Ushio 1400's. Very crisp white, w/ a hint of blue. The 10k's were a bit too yellow for my taste.
 
I use Ushio 20Ks Jay and like them a lot. No supplemental lighting needed.

I agree Ryan, the Vortechs are a great concept, but I have had a lot of trouble with them. Some of the issues were due to the product rollout and others are because I am trying to use them at the edge of their operating parameters. If it was just one element it would probably be OK, but since I have multiple issues that push this technology and need to run them at full blast, I am having the unfortunate problems you see.

They do have a temp. limiter built in, but whether that is "fool-proof" I don't know, and I think based on information gleaned from some of the best tank manufacturers in the country, Eco-Tech may re-evaluate where that cut-off is. They based the 140F cut-off on the maximum working temp. of 180F for cast acrylic, but with the added stress of water pressure, we are finding out that the maximum working temp. may actually be significantly lower, putting the Vortech cut-off too close to the danger zone. Please understand, I am no engineer, and am just relaying what i have heard from a couple of qualified sources. What Eco-Tech does will be based on their own research. Perhaps this painful event will bear out some further research and a change in the way the Vortech is coded. For instance, there could be a glass version and an acrylic version, or there could be an add-on cooling fan for certain situations.

If I had a small tank with a couple of pumps, in-viewing room etc. I doubt there would half as many problems. AND I think this particular pump had some sort of a fit. I don't think that Eco-Tech has built into teh driver any kind of statistical tracking that they can access, so I doubt we can really find out why it over-heated. Bums me out too since the two units I have with fans are running so damn well.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11343766#post11343766 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Micki
What K rating are they? I run 250 watt 14 K blueline bulbs and couldn't believe the difference! I also run 65 watt PC actinic lighting.
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Jay I might add, the actinics I use are for a dawn/dusk effect. I really don't see much difference if any with or without.

The blueline in my opinion are very crisp. I agree with mrcrab, the 10K was too yellow for me.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11345826#post11345826 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Did you ever post pictures of the pumps with fans attached? I'd like to see them.
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I hope I didn't write something that confused you or others. I never got the fan mod from Eco-Tech. The two units I have running with fans just consist of 6" clamp-ons I picked up locally running on house power.
 
No FTS...I don't want to get on top of the tank to clean the glass. As far as the fan mod, I don't believe so. I would assume that if they did, I would be the first to have one.
 
wow just wow i'm sorry jonathan for what happened to your tank. i'm glad i sold my vortechs and will never buy from a company that would put a customer thru so much grief. good luck in fixing your tank, i'm sure you will come up with a solution.
 
Been a while clekchau! Thanks for the good wishes. How is your system?

It's tough to definitively say that Eco-Tech has put me through grief. In the scheme of things, they have worked with me for many months trying to resolve various issues, and ultimately most have been solved at great expense to them. At this point, you know that they have had enough of me, and it gets tiresome to have to keep dealing with the same customer over-and-over again.

I know because I am in retail and there are sometimes customers that no matter what you do, have a bad experience, or even multiple bad experiences. It's the nature of doing business and dealing with other human beings. I can't imagine what the discussions at Eco-Tech have been like over the last 18 months with respect to my system, as I am sure it would be great to have their product running successfully on it, and get good PR from it, but the hassle has been extreme.

Imagine how cool it would be to see a tank with 9 - 12 Vortechs creating wicked current with fish flying all over the place and corals polyped out like Chubbacca. I have seen the most startling polyp extension in my system that I have EVER seen, when the pumps were running at 100%.
 
Interesting read - Vortechs attitude has been enough to convince me to go with a Tunze TS24. They dont seem to get the concept of customer service.
 
I just got wind of this... I'm sorry man, seems like there is always one emergency or another with our tanks and the bigger the tank, the greater the risks. It does blow that Eco-Tech is dealing with it this way, but its just another one of those unforeseen curve balls that get thrown at you constantly in this hobby.

And now that I think about it... you sure you didn't rig those pumps so that you would have an excuse to buy yourself a bigger, better tank in the never ending quest for the unattainable perfect tank??? j/k man, best of luck and I hope everything gets resolve without to much more stress and expense.
 
Have you yet decided how you are going to handle the cracks ?

Also, you mentioned wanting to catch up with me on something... you know my #, just give a holler :)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11363557#post11363557 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gnarlyswine
Interesting read - Vortechs attitude has been enough to convince me to go with a Tunze TS24. They dont seem to get the concept of customer service.
Click to expand...

You are way off base, unless you personally have your own experience in dealing with that company to share. You will find very few, if any, people stating they got poor service from EcoTech & IceCap when it comes to these pumps. Reading the threads in the EcoTech forum, you'll see many people stating how quickly the turn-around time has been for repair issues. When I needed something, EcoTech took care of it within what I would consider a very reasonable amount of time.

Comments like yours (about their customer service) just perpetuate myths that hurt companies we hope to continue doing business with. Again, if you were mistreated personally, that's entirely different. I have not, and I don't know anyone that has with the many VorTech owners I've spoken with over the past 2 years.

And in all fairness, there was a bad run of Tunze parts that got a bunch of people irate, but they too did what they could to make their customers happy. My own pumps ran fine, but they weren't from the Nano-Stream line of pumps. I used mine for years, and when I needed something, Roger of Tunze took care of it.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11364214#post11364214 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by thirschmann
I just got wind of this... I'm sorry man, seems like there is always one emergency or another with our tanks and the bigger the tank, the greater the risks. It does blow that Eco-Tech is dealing with it this way, but its just another one of those unforeseen curve balls that get thrown at you constantly in this hobby.
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We don't know how they are dealing with it, as it is between the company and Jonathan. And last he stated in this thread, he won't be sharing those details. Hopefully he'll be satisfied with whatever they agree (have agreed?) upon.

And now that I think about it... you sure you didn't rig those pumps so that you would have an excuse to buy yourself a bigger, better tank in the never ending quest for the unattainable perfect tank??? j/k man, best of luck and I hope everything gets resolve without to much more stress and expense.
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I agree, except for the part where you are joking of course. ;) If he ends up getting a new tank, that will resolve this coralline scraping business he tries so hard to avoid. :lol:
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11364655#post11364655 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
If he ends up getting a new tank, that will resolve this coralline scraping business he tries so hard to avoid. :lol:
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For awhile anyway! :D
 
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