SolaTubes for reef tanks

[Reefski's]

hi, it's the guy that spent, not blew, his daughters inheritance.

one correction-
the shaft of my skylight is only lined with the aluminum. it is not broken up into separate smaller shafts. if you look at one of the early pictures in the thread it is a bit confusing with all the reflections just where the walls are. the house of mirrors effect.

the light does move around the tank during the day which is more natural than the point source of most aquarium lights. it may be 1500 PAR at one end of the tank and only 200 at the other end. during mis day for a few hours most of the tank is lit. there is enough scatter and light reflected off the sand too to illuminate the rest of the tank. light bounces off the sides of the shaft and i imagine it to be more like the ocean. corals are shaded throughout the day as the sun moves too! in the tropics there is a lot of variation in lighting. it may be cloudy and storm for many days at a time. rough seas will decrease the light. and then bam, the sun comes out. why don't the corals bleach with this sudden burst of light?

only during the peak couple months of summer will it come straight down the shaft like it is now.

winter willl be the real test. for now everything is growing and very happy.

even yesterday when i didn't see the sun until mid afternoon with the marine layer here PAR levels were about 100-300 most of the day and then went up in the afternoon.

http://anomet.com/cgi-bin/online/storepro.php

i used the anolux III
it does really work. now if i can just get rid of the algae...

my build thread.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1154644&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

Carl

 

[8BALL_99]

Thanks for the info. I did see the 700 gallon build info in this thread. I also seen his build in the large tank forum. Very cool. But his is alot different then what I'd have. If I got a skylight I was looking at standard sized one.. From looking around online that would probably be a 22x46. I did read about the non-LoE glass in the thread aslo. My two options would be a 22x46 non-LoE skylight vs two 21" Solatubes.

If the Solatubes would provide the same light or pretty close I think they would be easier. I also like the idea of the Tube because I can stick a peaice of 1/8 Acrylic over the outlet above the tank and keep dust, moisture and whatever else out of the shaft and off the reflective surface. Some thing I dont think could be done with the skylight shaft. The venting doesnt matter to me. This would be in an equipment room that already has its on ventilation and AC.

I guess my biggest concern is that the tube will light up a couple of 21" circules of my 72"x36" foot print. I plan on adding T5s with several blue bulbs do help offset the Yellow sunlight. But I'd like to get most of the Punch the corals need from the sun. I'm trying to replace 3x250Mh Really 2x250s and 1x400 mh cause thats how the tank use to be and I'm really considering go back since things grew better. The ONLY reason I haven't is concerns with the utility bill lol I run 7 Mhs lights over my current tanks so I'd love to get rid of a few bulbs.. Not just for power, but 7 mh bulbs hurts every year.

 

[8BALL_99]

Reefski, cross post lol Thanks for the update. Yeah I'm looking at a par meter. I've already decided that will be a must for this kind of lighting. Atleast till I get a year under my belt and learn what kind of levels I get during what months.

What you talked about does concern me a little with a skylight. I'm sure it looks cool, But I'd like to light up most of the tank for atleast 6-7 Hours. Thats one thing I thing the solatube Might have over a flat skylight. I thought though since I had a semi flat roof and the narrow part of the skylight would run east to west long end would be north to south, that would might help with the issue as the sun moves.

Lol if this didn't involve cutting holes in the roof I wouldnt' be so worried about getting it right the first time.

 

[Reefski's]

most of the tank is lit up for 6-7 hours right now.

the PAR meter is very helpful to all reefers. reefers keeping track of their halides could also benefit. adjust light height to match intensity after a bulb change and then slowly lower to the right height.

just find a competent roofer and you won't have to worry about holes in the roof. that's my job. worry! i hate the rain. i awaken with the least little drip of rain and worry. i also watch the weather a lot. not so much this time of year as it rarely rains here until nov.

Carl

 

[8BALL_99]

I've wanted a par meter for awhile. I think they would pay for them selfs pretty quick.. I'm sure I've changed my Bulbs before it was needed. Just that alone makes them worth it.

I was going to install either option myself. Doesnt seem to hard. But I dont want to cut the holes for the tubes just to have to repair them to install a skylight a month later. I might check on what a larger skylight would cost. But my guess is special orders get $$$ quick. I wouldnt mind having one that was around 64"x30 or so. That way it would cover more of the tank. I dont know I just can't decide what I should do. I've still got a few weeks to figure it out though.

 

[hahnmeister]

Dang, I think I see what you mean now. It sure fooled me... I suppose above ^^^, is not a grid.

Right on with the PAR meter... after getting mine, it paid for itself within a few months. The Ocean Optics Spectrometer... well... that takes a bit longer...lol.

 

[IridescentLily]

Oh man, thank God I saw this thread. This rocks. You guys are geniuses. I wonder if most people who catch this thread think "why haven't I thought of this before" regarding the Solatubes.
My mom's going to wonder why i'm visiting her (and her kooky ideas about a room redesign) more often.
I'll just tell her that I thought about it and realized that one can never have enough planning when re-doing a room with a skylight.


heh heh

I'm tagging along with this thread.

 

[8BALL_99]

After looking at Velux skylights on their sight, insted of local dealers I see they make some larger standard sizes. I'm also a little worried about if I can get 21" Tubes for a pitched roof. Most of the ones I've seen online are for Flat roofs.. My roof has a very gentle pitch over my tank. But its not flat.. So the 21" Tube might be out. If thats the case then a 30"x50 Velux skylight could be my best option.. There is a dealer right down the road from my office so I'm going to go talk to them today to figure out my options!

 

[Reefski's]

Velux slylights need a special Velux made curb apparatus to pitch the skylight. do you know what the pitch of your roof is?

i have heard that there may be a skylight that does not require that. tell them what your pitch is and that you want as much light as possible. i would not get a tinted one. we have a tinted acrylic one at my wifes office and just for fun i measured the light coming through with the par meter and it was less than half of the clear one.

also non low e glass.

 

[hahnmeister]

Home Depots can order the Velux for you. If they act stupid, just call the number on their booklet/catalog for them...lol. No serious, thats how I found out... just call them up, and then they will just ship to HD (cheaper than any other place you can get them). Velux can make ANYTHING, but it wont be listed in their catalog. They quoted me the same cost for a 'non LoE' as their regular skylight, and you can get the curb mount of whatever you need.

For the project in Chicago, we used three FS 112 skylights to cover about 6'x6'. We would have used two and used a VS (venting) unit for one, but they dont make a VS112... so instead we added a power vent. I would suggest some sort of light blocking control as well though in case you have too much.

I know a guy in AZ who ended up removing his solatubes from over the tank because they were too bright for the corals... I suppose he didnt consider merely filtering it, but yes, you can have too much with these things.

 

[MAreefer]

I have been thinking about doing something like this for the longest time .... hopefully I get the courage too soon

 

[JMBoehling]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13001817#post13001817 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MAreefer
I have been thinking about doing something like this for the longest time .... hopefully I get the courage too soon

Jump in.. the water is warm

Later,

Jim

 

[texreefer]

I just ordered and 18" sun tunnel for my 3' x 4' reef.. it will be suplemented by 6-54w T5s. how high above the water do you guys have your tubes?

 

[JMBoehling]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13006685#post13006685 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by texreefer
I just ordered and 18" sun tunnel for my 3' x 4' reef.. it will be suplemented by 6-54w T5s. how high above the water do you guys have your tubes?

I've got mine 2 ft above the tank. Keep us posted on how things turn out. Welcome to the NSC (Natural Sunlight Club)

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

I know a guy in AZ who ended up removing his solatubes from over the tank because they were too bright for the corals... I suppose he didnt consider merely filtering it, but yes, you can have too much with these things. [/B][/QUOTE]

Is he a RC'er? I would like to speak with him as I'm in AZ also and strongly thinking about using 3 solar tubes on my 540 that is in the building stage. How does the pitch of the roof factor in? My roof is pretty steep, is that a downfall?

 

[salty joe]

OK hahnmeister, good point on the glass. Thanks. Velux can make the bottom pane of the skylight laminated with polycarbonate (or some other tough material). The glass is tempered 1/8" thick, I think, so that's 1/4" of glass for the sun to penetrate, plus the polycarbonate. I know the laminated pane cuts down on UV, not sure what it does to PAR. Without the laminated bottom pane, a major hailstorm or a tree branch could get ugly.
That clear film for windows that is stretched tight with a hair dryer might work for the third pane. With 32 sq.' of skylight, the heat loss is bound to be significant.

 

[hahnmeister]

Nah, I met him at a conference... the Foster & Smith one last year. I dont think he considered just using shades to filter the light a little. I dont believe that there is any reason why it wouldnt work, or why pitch of your roof would factor in... as long as you can get a southern facing... thats the most important thing.

 

[8BALL_99]

That would depend on the way your house/roof faces.. Would the tubes be in the shade anytime? For the tubes I dont think pitch matters as much since the tube will sit level anyway inless you get a low profile tube.. They look like they sit at what ever pitch your roof is.

To much light would be a very easy fix,, and good problem to have.. Its easy enough to add some tinted acrylic or even just some window screen to block some light during the summer months. If you have just enough in the summer you probably wont have enough in the winter..

 

[sabbath]

. [/B][/QUOTE]
How does the pitch of the roof factor in? My roof is pretty steep, is that a downfall? [/B][/QUOTE]

I would think that a stronger pitch would give it better light output.

 

[8BALL_99]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13009326#post13009326 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hahnmeister
Nah, I met him at a conference... the Foster & Smith one last year. I dont think he considered just using shades to filter the light a little. I dont believe that there is any reason why it wouldnt work, or why pitch of your roof would factor in... as long as you can get a southern facing... thats the most important thing.

Mine would be on the North side of my house but the roof is pretty flat and gets sun all day. Do you think that would cause any problems? Or did you just mean cause of the pitch of his roof he would want it southern facing?