SolaTubes for reef tanks

[Barto]

I have also wondered about the cost comparison.
I'd have to think that with the price of MH fixtures and bulbs that need regular replacement and the whirring of the elect meter when the MH's are running, it should be a long term cost savings and if you are able to install the sola tubes yourself, in the short term it would be pretty close in terms of the up front costs. Add an installation contractor into the cost equasion and any up front savings go out the window or up the hole in the roof. :lol:

Now that I've speculated, has anyone crunched the numbers?
Thanks,
Bart

 

[Rod the Roofer]

Hi Walter,

Solatubes do not cause algal growth. Problem algae needs two things to survive, nutrient and light. If you take away one it simply can't live.

I have seen successfull tanks in glass houses and in windows of houses. (Where temp. may be an issue) Control the nutrient and you will control the algae.

Also Solatubes do not increase the water temperature. As stated earlier in this thead, if you put your hand under the tube the heat is negligible. If you put your hand under a Mh you need to be carefull as you can give yourself a nasty burn!

Hi Bart,

IMO it's not a question of comparing the cost of Mh's vs. Solatubes. I believe both are required (Mh's supplimenting the tubes or tubes supplimenting the Mh's) I know in my case and others that I know the tubes were not enough on thier own and had to be supplimented with artificial light. Having said that, I believe the installation of any form of natural lighting over your tank is a very beneficial thing. You wont believe the natural dawn, the moon light is awesome and the extra light is simply stunning!! (My tubes hve been compared with 1000w Mh's)

Rod. :thumbsup:

 

[hahnmeister]

Considering the sola-tubes are designed as a DIY kit, their cost is minimal... its the $120-250 cost of the tube (10"-22"). Now, the cost of a halide is much more per unit (for the sake of the argument, well say that a single sola-tube is capable of replacing a 250watt-400watt halide), and the long term costs are where the sola-tubes really pay off.

At $.10/kwh, a 250wattDE light, which runs over 300watts mind you, 8 hours per day, 365 days a year... thats 876kw, or $88 a year, per 250watt bulb. Lets say you have two, and they are 400s.... thats about 450 wattsx2, for a total of $262 per year.

So the electric alone can pay for itself within the year.

I also dont believe in using halides with the solatubes. Even in Chicago, a natural lit 1500g gets enough light in winter for the corals to grow just fine. The only suppliment, if anything, is an array of almost 30 54wattT5 tubes sporting actinic and blue+ bulbs. I think that this is a much better supplimentation than halide, as it has just blue/purple in the output, and doesnt add all the daylight spectrums that even the bluest halides still have in their output.

 

[wvt9527]

Thanks Rod & hahnmeister for your input.
The thing I am most concern about is the up front cost.
I am planning on remodeling my house at the end of the summer & I was wondering about how much the cost of everything would be.
I do plan on DIY with the tubes.

 

[hahnmeister]

One thing to keep in min is that if you are looking at more than 3 tubes, a skylight might make more sense. Considering the cost of one large Velux can be less than 2 or 3 sola-tubes, you might come out ahead by using a skylight and then making a shaft for it lined with aluminum.

Also, I did a special order with Velux for this on a skylight series. They can make regular glass skylights... non Lo-E, to let more light through. They are cheaper than regular skylights even, and just as strong. Sorry, no Starphire glass though...lol. If you want even more clarity, you are going to have to use plexi/acrylic skylights.

 

[wvt9527]

What I am thinking is a flat skylight that faces south with 3 solartubes as it is only a 180 gallon.
I dont think Starphire would be a good choice as it has low iron in the glass. Dont know how well it would hold up if something hit it.
How often do you have to clean the glass on the outside?
I do plan on sealing the tube with glass at both ends.

 

[tariqchaudhry]

Hello again,
I am a bit confused about Solatubes and U.V lighting.
In common reef practice, M.Halides have U.V proection shields, for obvious reasons. However some people in the forum are talking about modifying the Solatube to get more U.V light for the corals. Any thoughts?

 

[hahnmeister]

Halides, even the 250wattDEs with a sheild, still pass a good amount of UV through the sheild. Which type is the major concern.

UV-C or short wave UV is bad, in any amount or duration. It kills, it burns, but luckily, its also the easiest to filter out. Most glass filters, even non Lo-E, block UV-C.

UV-A is the closest to purple, also called long wave UV. Its almost in the visible spectrum, and is actually considered a benefit for most corals. Some actinic bulbs like the G-man true actinic03, put out levels of UV-A to help coral growth and pigmentation.

UV-B is 'so-so'. In moderation its alright, and it does filter out in water rather fast, so its usefulness is doubtful. In humans, it causes our pigments to fill in and give us a tan, but in large amounts it can kill like UV-C, or at least cause cancer. Crocea clams are perhaps the only organism I can see benefiting from UV-B.

Most lamps that have a significant actinic output also put out UV-A, and UV-A passes through glass sheilds rather easily. UV-C is made by unsheilded halides and merc-vapor lamps, so it needs to be filtered. These filters dont block out as much of the UV-A though.

As for UV-B, there just isnt much out there. Its the middle ground of the two extremes in almost every respect. A true actinic03 bulb might have a slight UV-B output, but in such small amounts it prolly doenst even penetrate more than an inch of water. And even in low amounts... there is little out there to suggest its even that bad.

 

[Rod the Roofer]

Hey Walter,

Check out my pics on page 31, I have a flat skylight that faces north (your equivalent of south) with 3 solartubes bringing the light down to about 6 inches above the water.

I haven't needed to clean the glass yet, it seems to stay reasonably clean just with rain washing it.

Rod. :thumbsup:

 

[tariqchaudhry]

Thanks "hahnmeister" for the excellent explanation about U.V's

 

[rickyjai8]

does any one in nyc is using this ?

 

[wvt9527]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9059846#post9059846 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rod the Roofer
Hey Walter,

Check out my pics on page 31, I have a flat skylight that faces north (your equivalent of south) with 3 solartubes bringing the light down to about 6 inches above the water.

I haven't needed to clean the glass yet, it seems to stay reasonably clean just with rain washing it.

Rod. :thumbsup:

Rod those pics are what have me inspired go with solartubes.


Walter

 

[miatawnt2b]

interesting indeed. Is there anything you need to modify with the stock Home Depot models to make them effective? like changing glass or leaving out UV shields?
-J

 

[hahnmeister]

IF the unit has some sort of LoE coating, see if you can get it in clear instead. Regular glass blocks almost all UV-C if the atmosphere hasnt already completely (the higher the UV-C levels, the thicker the glass needs to be to block it all out, but we get relative low levels at the earth's surface), and LoE is there to block the rest. You can let UV-B and UV-A in though. The UV-A will help pigments, and UV-B will get absorbed by the top layers of water so its not a problem.

 

[billsreef]

Test.

 

[AJT]

Anyone else getting multiple emails from this thread? Poster hllywd??

 

[hllywd]

SolaTube.com states their standard dome passes .03% of the available UV. I doubt you're getting a tan with that. The light then has to pass through the diffuser, my guess is that brings it even closer to 0%.

Tim

 

[hllywd]

From me???

 

[billsreef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9249807#post9249807 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hllywd
From me???

The thread was apparently stuck and not taking your post, but sending out notifications that you posted anyway. It's an odd software glitch with large threads. I've fixed it for now.

 

[reef_research]

How far away?

How far away?

I don't know if this has already been addressed here, but could someone direct me to where I might find information pertaining to the coordinate ranges for effectiveness when using the solatubes.

Ie; How far away can you get away from the equator and still have this work w/ out supplementals?

Just some points if you happen to know:

Connecticut (unlikely, but if not, please post)

North Carolina

Florida

Puerto Rico

Thank you,