SolaTubes for reef tanks

[rogergolf66]

this is great can you maintain SPS with this and no suplimental lighting?

Roger

 

[Lordhelmet]

look back over the last 40 pages and you will see people are keeping some amazing tanks with just the sun.

 

[rogergolf66]

I am thinking of putting these in with in the next month I am thinking 3 10 inch over my 125 that is 6 feet long. What do you think. anything you wish you would have done different?

Roger

 

[Reefski's]

i think the larger size is better. also i think everyone supplements with additional lighting.

Carl

 

[JMBoehling]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10706513#post10706513 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rogergolf66
I am thinking of putting these in with in the next month I am thinking 3 10 inch over my 125 that is 6 feet long. What do you think. anything you wish you would have done different?

Roger

Larger is always better, if you can fit them.... I have (02) 10" over my 90, I have to use (03) 48" t5 Ho's to suppliment but everything continues to grow well in my setup...

I'll post some pics for you..

Later,

Jim

 

[JMBoehling]

Here are a few updates on my 90 with (02) 10" Skylights aned (03) 54 Watt T5Ho's I use the T5's primarliy for the 20k effect on the tank..

Looking up at my lights

Looking down on thewater surface

Whole tank shot

A few corals in my reef

later,

Jim

 

[rogergolf66]

VERY NICE!!!

I am trying to figure out if it is worth it. I would like the engery saveings on my electric bill. right now I have 900W of MH running.

 

[Reefski's]

just do it. will pay off cost within a short while.

and then show us pix.

Carl

 

[rogergolf66]

easy to say. I just spent $1,200 on my MH now I want to change to this my wife is loving it another $1,500 no biggy right.LOL

 

[Adrianvh]

My bum is sore, my head hurts and I've just lost several hours of my life reading all this.

Out come ?

*ring ring* *ring ring*
"hello? Is that solatube? I'd like a quote on ............."

Next is to find an Aust dealer for Bio-wheel.
Low cost 7'x30"x30" here we come!

 

[conorwynne]

I am in the middle of re-setting up my nano.

-- its only 100 liters, and I have a lad from solatube coming tomorrow to see if it is feasable to use it to light my nano.

Mind you, I mentioned it to my wife and she says, but we need new curtains! Hmmm...

Sure I'll wait and see what the fitter says tomorrow.
Irish weather being what it is I'll never get the output you Aussies / Americans get, but I really would like to see if I could grown SPS frags with no supplimental lighting at all.

I've gone BB with the nano -- a new thing for me, and will have massive turnover. The only thing is, a sump if not possible with the nano -- its an old jewel wedge style tank -- they don't even make them any more -- please let the solatube guy say it will work! We already have a large velux window in the roof, and this has been enough to keep my GSP's and zoos alive for 6 weeks while the rock was cooking.

Please let my wife agree, else I'm stuffed.

regards
Conor.

 

[zeusfc]

good luck with the wife conor!

don't forget, most of the corals we keep come from 10m down or more... SPS in a nano, will need less intense light than "tropical sun through a solatube", so you should be lucky

i'd still want to see light/lux readings for winter in your area though, as you may find that after a week of cloudy november days, the SPS are suffering...
supplimental lighting could be the key here? a 70wt or 150wt mh on an over-the-tank bracket may be the thing. try "watford aquarium" if you can't get one locally

 

[hawaiianwargod]

Adrianvh
[welcome]

 

[Reefski's]

i think one of the cool things about the solartube idea is the variable light. after all the tropics are tropical because it rains there a lot. which means it is cloudy a lot. chuck has seen 30 straight days of clouds where he lives in the tropics near a reef outside his door. and then the sun comes out and the corals are fine.

here's my skylight shaft lined with the best reflective material i could find. anolux.com

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/DSC03776.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

from the top
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/DSC03638-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

Carl

 

[JMBoehling]

Carl,

That is AWESOME... Please keep us updated with your build on this thread...

Thanks,

Jim

 

[salty joe]

Carl,
Did you line only the perimeter of the skylight shaft with reflective material? Or do you have a number of reflective tunnels inside the skylight shaft? I just could not tell for sure from the picture.

Joe

 

[Reefski's]

just the outside of the shaft. it is like a house of mirrors isn't it? lots of light.

it would only dilute the light by adding more reflective surfaces and make it much harder to work on the tank, hang lights etc.

there is only a couple of months where there is direct light down the shaft but there is a multiplication effect then whereby the sun hits the PAR meter directly and then also bounces off the walls and there is a higher reading than in the sun only. this is only for a few weeks at the height of summer and only on the north side of the tank.

Carl

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/DSC03637.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l58/reefski/DSC03636-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

 

[salty joe]

How big is that skylight? It looks huge. Did you build it?

 

[Reefski's]

it is 4'x8', the same size as the foot print of the tank. and i did not personally build it, just designed it. is that the same thing sort of?

 

[JohnL]

This thread was automatically split due to performance issues. You can find the rest of the thread here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1205844