SolaTubes for reef tanks
- Thread starter 440cudaman
- Start date
- Status
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6725641#post6725641 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Herpervet
Nice to see your still watching the progress Alberto.
At this point I have six 20K 150 watt Par lamps (flood type) but I recently added four T5 actinics placed just above the tank front viewing panel to give better fluorescence of the coral pigments.
I guess I have to clean the filter room for photo's
Herpervet ,
Some detail photo of the filter room & the skylight installation will be nice
JMBoehling
Premium Member
Quick Update. I resolved a 6 month issue with my reef, removed the toxins and things are starting to pop. I also removed all of my pC Supplemental lights and re-worked them with T5's. Here is the latest pic
Stay tuned. things are getting ready to take off !
:beer:
Stay tuned. things are getting ready to take off !
:beer:
hllywd
Premier World Traveler
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6896789#post6896789 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JMBoehling
Quick Update. I resolved a 6 month issue with my reef, removed the toxins and things are starting to pop. I also removed all of my pC Supplemental lights and re-worked them with T5's. Here is the latest pic
Stay tuned. things are getting ready to take off !
JMBoehling, That's what I'm talking about...:thumbsup:
What do you have for T5s and how much do you run them?
Tim
JMBoehling
Premium Member
I've got (02) Geissman Aqua Blue + (11k) & (02) Ati Blue +.
Ati Blue + 7:00 am to 10 pm
Ati Blue + & Aqua Blue + 10 am to 7 pm
Aqua Blue + 11 am to 3 pm
Seems to work nicely and compensate for the cloudy days. I will say on sunny days you can easily see the Soalr Tube BNatural light overpowering all four of the T5's.. It looks really nice...
I found out I had (02) chemical issues with my reef. the fiorst was I installed a healthy amount of Oatey Plumbers putty in my Megaflow to atttempt to fix a slow leak in a bulk head. I didn;t know it had petroleum (Hydrocarbon Oils) in it.
The slow leak was going thru some 3/4 " plywood and then dripping into my sump. another "No No" with SPS..
Well all is better now, and I have seen more growth an encrusting on my SPS in 3 weeks than I got all last year.. I am pretty excited!
I'll update periodically.
Ati Blue + 7:00 am to 10 pm
Ati Blue + & Aqua Blue + 10 am to 7 pm
Aqua Blue + 11 am to 3 pm
Seems to work nicely and compensate for the cloudy days. I will say on sunny days you can easily see the Soalr Tube BNatural light overpowering all four of the T5's.. It looks really nice...
I found out I had (02) chemical issues with my reef. the fiorst was I installed a healthy amount of Oatey Plumbers putty in my Megaflow to atttempt to fix a slow leak in a bulk head. I didn;t know it had petroleum (Hydrocarbon Oils) in it.
The slow leak was going thru some 3/4 " plywood and then dripping into my sump. another "No No" with SPS..
Well all is better now, and I have seen more growth an encrusting on my SPS in 3 weeks than I got all last year.. I am pretty excited!
I'll update periodically.
Havn't posted in a while...but i'm still around :rollface:
Here's my 10 x 2.5 x 2.5, solatube only tank:
everything is going smashingly
I will add some small metal halides if I can find some that look good and dont ruin the aesthetics of the solatubes!
Not all the corals look as good as they did under MH 14000k lighting, there is a distinct lack of green, however the reds look awesome, and blues show up heaps better. I was thinking of adding some 150w 20000k MH's or maybe some t5's to blue it up a bit, but they need to look good or be hidden in the wall/behind the tubes...
this pic is taken about 1pm'ish if i remember, the light is so intense the picture doesn't do it justice..
The way the light moves around, and slowly intensifies towards mid-day and then disperses as evening comes along is awesome...
And the moonlighting is superb! :eek1:
:cheers:
Here's my 10 x 2.5 x 2.5, solatube only tank:
everything is going smashingly
I will add some small metal halides if I can find some that look good and dont ruin the aesthetics of the solatubes!
Not all the corals look as good as they did under MH 14000k lighting, there is a distinct lack of green, however the reds look awesome, and blues show up heaps better. I was thinking of adding some 150w 20000k MH's or maybe some t5's to blue it up a bit, but they need to look good or be hidden in the wall/behind the tubes...
this pic is taken about 1pm'ish if i remember, the light is so intense the picture doesn't do it justice..
The way the light moves around, and slowly intensifies towards mid-day and then disperses as evening comes along is awesome...
And the moonlighting is superb! :eek1:
:cheers:
The mandarin in my gallery has sadly perished 
.
It was destroyed by my sixline wrasse, for no apparent reason, right before my eyes :eek1: .
But no, those pics are three years old now! I should update my gallery, I had completely forgotten those pics were still there. Note the awesomely scratched glass in the pics, that tank is atleast 20 years old, and has seen a scourer too many times. I decomissioned the tank only 4 weeks ago as it was the sump for my 6x2x2, which is now the sump for my 10x2.5x2.5 , which may in turn be sump for some humugeous tank in the distant future...:rolleye1:
Here is another piccy taken in the afternoon, about 4pm'ish:
:cheers:
.It was destroyed by my sixline wrasse, for no apparent reason, right before my eyes :eek1: .
But no, those pics are three years old now! I should update my gallery, I had completely forgotten those pics were still there. Note the awesomely scratched glass in the pics, that tank is atleast 20 years old, and has seen a scourer too many times. I decomissioned the tank only 4 weeks ago as it was the sump for my 6x2x2, which is now the sump for my 10x2.5x2.5 , which may in turn be sump for some humugeous tank in the distant future...:rolleye1:
Here is another piccy taken in the afternoon, about 4pm'ish:
:cheers:
JMBoehling
Premium Member
Wazbot... Looks fantastic! I bet (04) tubes really make your reef sizzle. Thanks for the update.
JMBoehling
Premium Member
Wazbot,
As I am sitting here looking at my reef on a Partly Cloudy day, it is pretty awesome to watch the light intensity fluctuate at clouds cover the sun then as they move away the tank just "Booms" with light...
Have you noticed that with your reef?
Jim
As I am sitting here looking at my reef on a Partly Cloudy day, it is pretty awesome to watch the light intensity fluctuate at clouds cover the sun then as they move away the tank just "Booms" with light...
Have you noticed that with your reef?
Jim
JMBoehling
Premium Member
Re: heat
Re: heat
Don't know about others, but I have little or no heat with my Tubes. All my heat comes from my pumps and supplemental T5's, whick is very little. I do not run a chiller..
Re: heat
Don't know about others, but I have little or no heat with my Tubes. All my heat comes from my pumps and supplemental T5's, whick is very little. I do not run a chiller..
@ JMBoehling : the clouds effecting the tank are brilliant, I don't know why everyone isn't doing this. My power bill is a lot better of too!
the sun rules!
No heat at all transferred, but i do think some supplemental light is a must, unless all your friend and family only come over during the day or if you dont mind the loss of a bit of green colouration 
:cheers:
the sun rules!
No heat at all transferred, but i do think some supplemental light is a must, unless all your friend and family only come over during the day
or if you dont mind the loss of a bit of green colouration :cheers:
- Status
