Darth Wader
New member
Oh man, seeing all those amazing shallow tanks, especially xtm's tank makes me want to build a new shallow tank and pretty much start over. I love the look of wide shallow tanks.
Shallow reef tank Club
- Thread starter GSMguy
- Start date
xtm
Active member
Thanks guys.. perhaps one very positive thing about running a shallow tank is you can get away with 250w 20K's and still have tons of PAR. I had NO growth when I used 20K's in my 24" deep tank. My shallow tank has only been setup for 2 weeks and I'm already seeing good growth on the tips! I am much happier with this shallow setup.
by switching to this smaller setup, I have eliminated the following:
2x 6100 Turbelle streams ~25w ea
1x 250w MH
2x 54w T5HO actinics
That's about 400 watts!
Also by switching, I was able to build MY system the way I wanted to do it from the ground up-- that is, OPEN aquascape with access to all 4 sides so I can keep it squeaky clean, and also external overflow to maximize space inside the tank. Man I LOVE this new setup! It's like having a new younger girlfriend after being married for 20 years!! LOVE IT!
by switching to this smaller setup, I have eliminated the following:
2x 6100 Turbelle streams ~25w ea
1x 250w MH
2x 54w T5HO actinics
That's about 400 watts!
Also by switching, I was able to build MY system the way I wanted to do it from the ground up-- that is, OPEN aquascape with access to all 4 sides so I can keep it squeaky clean, and also external overflow to maximize space inside the tank. Man I LOVE this new setup! It's like having a new younger girlfriend after being married for 20 years!! LOVE IT!
Darth Wader
New member
Yea thats awesome. I want to get 20k's but I'm kinda worried about par. My tank is only 20" deep so I should be ok. Maybe I will just overhaul my tank and try out some different stuff.
I love your setup xtm, one of the cleanest and most apealing setups I've seen in a while. 143gadgets, I wont lie you have an amazing setup too. I fallowed your whole build. I love the depth of your tank and the fact that the rock on both sides is like and island and doesnt touch any of the walls. Man I wish I had that kinda depth in my tank.
I love your setup xtm, one of the cleanest and most apealing setups I've seen in a while. 143gadgets, I wont lie you have an amazing setup too. I fallowed your whole build. I love the depth of your tank and the fact that the rock on both sides is like and island and doesnt touch any of the walls. Man I wish I had that kinda depth in my tank.
I noticed on the 2nd page of your build you switched to non treated lumber. I hadn't heard of the issues with the treated vs non treated until I read that thread. My immediate thought was when you did your demo you had removed the entire bottom plate in that wall. after replacing the treated with the untreated you left the bottom plate alone and stayed with the treated. Smart move. Any wood sitting against concrete absolutely should be treated. This is required by many building codes as non treated will draw moisture from the concrete.
Love the idea of the shallow water club.
Friskaburger
New member
Man, this is the perfect thread for me at this point! I'd really appreciate any help you guys could offer me on my journey to join your slick club!
I'm currently getting a custom starfire tank with pretty shallow dimensions: 30x24x18 and I have a few questions maybe you guys could help me out on.
I was looking at using a 175w IceCap with a Lumenarc III. Yes, the biggie. My first question is, will 175w be adequate for SPS in this 18" deep setup? I don't plan on using something as blue as a 20K, I'm rather fond of the more crisp white light rather than the deep ocean blue. Also, will I be losing light off the sides by using such a monster reflector? I wanted to get awesome coverage of the whole tank from one bulb and my friend and I thought the Lumenarc III was ideal. I'd really appreciate all your input and I'll keep you posted on my build!
I'm currently getting a custom starfire tank with pretty shallow dimensions: 30x24x18 and I have a few questions maybe you guys could help me out on.
I was looking at using a 175w IceCap with a Lumenarc III. Yes, the biggie. My first question is, will 175w be adequate for SPS in this 18" deep setup? I don't plan on using something as blue as a 20K, I'm rather fond of the more crisp white light rather than the deep ocean blue. Also, will I be losing light off the sides by using such a monster reflector? I wanted to get awesome coverage of the whole tank from one bulb and my friend and I thought the Lumenarc III was ideal. I'd really appreciate all your input and I'll keep you posted on my build!
GSMguy
New member
new FTS and aquascape.
friskaburger, if you use iwasaki 15k 175w bulbs in luemnarc reflectors it will be plenty for sps they are amazing bulbs, any other 175w bulbs would be too dim IME and IMO
also monster reflectors get the light into the aquarium with less loss than small reflectors, so no worries there, i am going to switch my reefoptix for lumenarcs when i get around to it just for the spread..
friskaburger, if you use iwasaki 15k 175w bulbs in luemnarc reflectors it will be plenty for sps they are amazing bulbs, any other 175w bulbs would be too dim IME and IMO
also monster reflectors get the light into the aquarium with less loss than small reflectors, so no worries there, i am going to switch my reefoptix for lumenarcs when i get around to it just for the spread..
Friskaburger
New member
great thanks for the info i really appreciate it. I was getting a little hesitant before buying the lumenarc. I started to think it might be too big! I would prefer a 200w maybe, but the icecaps are either 175 or 250. I don't really want to go all the way up to a 250. Thanks also for the bulb recommendation, I'll have to check it out. Are you by any chance using those bulbs in that tank of urs there?
xtm
Active member
Agree with GSM.. that is the famous 175w Saki bulb that everyone is raving about. That bulb will scream on a Lumenarc reflector.
On a 30"x24" tank, I think the LA3 would be too much.. since you need to hang it 10"-12" above water, you will have some light spill on all sides. Have you considered a LA mini? I'm using it on my 36x24x18 and it IS awesome. Excellent coverage and no light spill.
On a 30"x24" tank, I think the LA3 would be too much.. since you need to hang it 10"-12" above water, you will have some light spill on all sides. Have you considered a LA mini? I'm using it on my 36x24x18 and it IS awesome. Excellent coverage and no light spill.
Friskaburger
New member
i have indeed considered the mini. I just wanted to make sure that I'd get maximum coverage so I was considering the regular Lumenarc III. If people think the mini is enough for me then I might go for that then. Thanks guys for the bulb recommendation. Can anyone give me an idea of what kind of light it is? More blue? more white? I'd really like a nice crisp white with just a little blue.
Friskaburger
New member
thanks a ton for the answers, I'll let you guys know when I start up my tank so I can be inducted into the club officially! I'm looking forward to more pictures so I can get inspired!
StunnaShadez
New member
i've always wanted to post my tank up, but never gotten the chance to take pictures and post it. this thread should be my excuse to finally post one.. haha. maybe later though!
