Serpentman's 300g upgrade

[Dejavu]

Been a while, here's an updated FTS:

Filling in nicely :thumbsup:.

 

[murfman]

It's a tough call. 6 yrs is a lot of time to enjoy a tank IMO, there is no logical justification to spend as much as we all do on the hobby. However, it is so worth it!

Its funny you should mention the electric as my electric rates have skyrocketed lately. Partially because I run my dehumidifier in the winter about 24/7 so I don't get condensation on my walls. The other thing is I am running too much juice in lighting. I would say I am closer to $175-200/mo currently.

I am actually looking to do a DIY LED set up as we speak. I can't spend the $ on doing the whole get up right now so I am replacing the 6 x 140W VHO's with DIY arrays. As funds become available I will look to migrate more and more that way.

Make sure you let us know about the LEDS. I saw the photon cannon at Reefstock, earlier this month and might replace my 400w MH with 3 of those 50 watt units!

 

[serpentman]

Will do. So far I am cutting my teeth on this little project. However if all goes well, I may take it to the next level. I figure if you factor in the electrical savings ($50-60/mo), the cost of 1 year's replacement bulbs and the recouped $ from selling my existing equipment, the ROI would only take 7-8 months. Not too shabby.

 

[techreef]

if LED lighting is down to that neighborhood of ROI, that's awesome. I stopped reseaching them over two years ago due to the crazy-high prices and the uncertain PAR qualities coming out. Do LEDs cast shimmer lines, or are they more like flourescent lights that lack the pinpoint source to create shimmers?

 

[serpentman]

It depends. I was in the same boat until recently. I've been doing a lot of research in the DIY forum and it looks like the LEDs today are vastly better than those of a year or two ago. In some cases, they have to dial them back because they are generating more PAR than MH's. Also, some argue that they shimmer better than MH's.

Referencing cost, they are still up there. I figure it would cost me ~2K to upgrade. However, if I can get 1/2 for my existing equipment and not replace bulbs in a few months, it knocks the ROI way down.

Starting from scratch, ROI would probably take about 18mos.

 

[dogstar74]

They shimmer better.

 

[Leonardo_]

Nice FTS, really filling in and popping colors :thumbsup:

Leonardo

 

[Tswifty]

Tank is looking great Jeff. :thumbsup:

Now that I'm in Ohio I need to free up some time to swing up for a visit.

 

[prop-frags]

Tank is looking great Jeff. :thumbsup:

Now that I'm in Ohio I need to free up some time to swing up for a visit.

+1
Tank is looking great, Jeff.
Show us a closeup of that efflo back there...that thing is HUGE!! :thumbsup:

 

[serpentman]

Thanks guys!

Tank is looking great Jeff. :thumbsup:

Now that I'm in Ohio I need to free up some time to swing up for a visit.

Open door policy TJ. You're welcome anytime!

+1
Tank is looking great, Jeff.
Show us a closeup of that efflo back there...that thing is HUGE!! :thumbsup:

Thanks! Here's a pic from a couple of months ago. It's grown even more since then...

 

[serpentman]

wow kool lights, and nice sohal tang

Thanks, he's a bruiser!

 

[murfman]

Just got my Vlamingi, he is a juvi;

 

[sigs4me]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for letting me see your tank and ecspecially on such short notice! Pictures on here just don't do it justice. I loved that side view and the depth that your tank has. Your aquascaping is just amazing. Your tank has inspired me.

 

[serpentman]

Just got my Vlamingi, he is a juvi;

They are cute at that size! Man do the grow quick.

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for letting me see your tank and ecspecially on such short notice! Pictures on here just don't do it justice. I loved that side view and the depth that your tank has. Your aquascaping is just amazing. Your tank has inspired me.

Anytime! Sorry everything was trashed. The kids are home on spring break.

 

[serpentman]

Brief update: Going to order the LED supplies next week to begin my array. Woot! Also going to finally start the trim work around the tank. It's only a year overdue.

 

[Taqpol]

What did you end up deciding for placement and number of LEDs?

 

[serpentman]

At this point, I am going to go with 6 arrays of 24 each. If I need more, I will add accordingly. Each array will be mounted on sliding frame so I can tweak their placement and even adjust their angle. These will be attached to the current pulley system so I can also play with the height.

I am planning to order everything on Monday. Still debating whether I should go with the XP-G or XR-E for the whites. How I land will ultimately decide the color balance. If I go XR-E, I'll use 50:50. If I go XP-G, I'll use a 60:40 ration of Blue:White.

 

[techreef]

Serpantman,

Very cool. I am leaning towards LEDs instead of MH for my next tank, mostly for the energy cost savings and lower heat added to the tank. I will be anxiously following your LED build. Are you going with dimmable power sources then? I've checked out that monster LED thread in the DIY forum, but it's split three times and I haven't had the time to read through all those pages! It looks like a manageable level of DIY complexity for me, so I'd be psyched to finalize my parts list and mimic it after an OEM model that I like.

 

[serpentman]

That thread is a doozy. However, the original design by Soundwave seems to be the basis on which most folks are building theirs. The actually LED's vary by what you are looking to accomplish and the use of optics.

It gets a little tricky if you are looking to dim them which I am not.

So far it looks like I am going with the XP-G route on the whites. Now need to figure out the ratio of blue:white.

 

[s.reef]

Tank looks great!