Suggestions for Lighting and Flow for fixing my 240G 8x2x2

[ReefGirlSara]

I am going to fix up my poor delapidated 240 and I need your help!
I lost my higher paying job in 2010 and my tanks have suffered A LOT, but I never had the heart to shut them down. I want to get my 240 back on it's feet.

I currently have:

240 Gallon all glass tank with dual overflows, a 40 gallon refugium, and a sump with a protein skimmer.

Lighting: 4x 250watt icecap e-ballasts. Bought them right before I lost my job, right before icecap went under. I have 4 big Lumenarc reflectors and fans built into the canopy. I have a problem with one set up and I don't know if it's the ballast or the bulb. I need to replace 3 bulbs, I like to run 20k Radiums. So that will be around $220.

Flow: I have a good return pump, don't remember the specifics on it. I have 4 of the big Koralias in the tank and 3 of the 4 work intermittently, 1 is reliable.

Right now the tank has been neglected. I have a lot of nice liverock covered with beautiful coralline and a lot of nice big thick hair algae and culerpa and all kinds of junk. My game plan is to clean it up the best I can manually, do several big water changes over the next few weeks, and fix the lighting and flow. I am trying to decide if I should replace the MH bulbs or switch to different lighting. I am also deciding if I should try to work on the Koralias or upgrade, but I am working with a limited budget here.

Any advice would be much appreciated. I'm not a newbie, at one time I had some awesome tanks, but it's been a while, and I was working with a bigger budget then too. Thank you ReefCentral Community, you have always been a friend to the "struggling reefer".

 

[dave.m]

Although it is a big upfront cost I believe you'll save money switching from metal halide lighting to LEDs.

LEDs use much less electricity, put all their power usage into light instead of heat, and you won't have to change the bulbs for at least 10-11 years. It takes a couple of years for the expense to pay for itself but in the long run you will save money big time.

Dave.M

 

[viggen]

I do not always buy the - led's will save a bunch if money

I have seen aquariums less then 1/4 the size of my 475g which uses more watts in led lighting vs my 3-250w mh's. I feel LEDs do still get hot but the heat is dissipated a different way....

Depending in what you keep in your tank, you might be able to get by with the $10.88 mh bulbs that I use. Also depending on what is inside your tank you might be able to get by with 2-3 bulbs vs 4 that you presently run. I use 3 on my 10 ft tank

Flow wise possibly they just need a good cleaning in vinigar to get them working properly. I use vortec mp60's on my tank which aren't cheap but work extremely well. They easily push water 5 ft plus across my tank

 

[DavidinGA]

Yeah I would stay with the mh's too.

 

[FishM8]

Hi ReefGirlSara,
I changed from MH to LED like 2years ago. Had Geiseman and changed to 10k razors. With the new lighting my corals grow like crazy for the first time in 8 years!

 

[dave.m]

The heat generated by LEDs is nowhere near to the huge amount of heat lost by metal halides.

Dave.M

 

[ponokareefer]

I am just waiting on my 8 foot 240 gallon tank to finish being built, so will share the direction I went. I would have prefered to go with 4-360 Kessil's and 2-4 foot T5 2 bulb fixtures, but already had 2 radions, so went with 4 radions instead of the Kessil's. That ended up being probably one of the most expensive ways to go. If you are looking for great modern day lighting that will have minimal affect on your heat and use a lot less wattage, the kessil's and T5 combination is great.

For flow, I went with Jebao as they give you Tunze like pumps, but at a fraction of the cost. I have 3 in my 125 gallon, and they are awesome.

 

[SPotter]

Although it is a big upfront cost I believe you'll save money switching from metal halide lighting to LEDs.

LEDs use much less electricity, put all their power usage into light instead of heat, and you won't have to change the bulbs for at least 10-11 years. It takes a couple of years for the expense to pay for itself but in the long run you will save money big time.

Dave.M

Dave I have a huge amount of respect for you because you are very knowledgeable but I have disagree with you on this one. On my last tank I started out with an LED/T5 fixture and after struggling with it for over a year I decided to go all T5's. I was not looking forward to seeing my first electric bill after the switch but to my surprise there was very little difference and there were no heat issues in the tank. When I started planning out my current tank 8x3x2, I created a spread sheet factoring in what it would cost to buy, run and maintain Radions vs MH and in the end it would take me almost 5 yrs to break even. 5 yrs is a long time for this hobby and many things change over that time. I run 3 x 250w large reflectors on my tank and get amazing coverage, great par numbers and minimal temp swings when the lights are on.

 

[viggen]

The heat generated by LEDs is nowhere near to the huge amount of heat lost by metal halides.

Dave.M

Correct the heat is different between the two. LED's the heat radiates through it's fixture while MH the heat seems to be part of the light and is radiated down into the tank..... which can be good and bad

For me it's a good thing.... We keep the AC on all summer long (due to allergies) and the house is usually at 72-74 degrees downstairs where the tank is (1st floor on a 2 story house) & my heaters still kick on all summer long. Thus radiating the heat into the water is a good thing for me.....

Winter time it's also a good thing adding extra heat to the tank vs relying 100% on the heaters......

 

[ycnibrc]

lighting is really a personal choice. Corals will grow under all type of lights because back in the 80' reefer were using VHO and fluorescent light. I have great result with halides 6 years ago but I also have great result with LED now. It's not just the light to make corals grow, water chemistry, feeding, flow etc contribute into a successful reef tank. I have read so many threads complaining about sps not doing well blaming on the light but there are others factor.

 

[lolgranny]

Hey bud, i was in the same boat. I have a bare bottom so it was a little easier to get the Nitrates and Phosphates back to 0, but with some manual removal or the algae and a couple water changes over the next few weeks and youll be back! There is all the good bacteria in the tank since its been up and running so i wouldnt go as far to empty and re do, just start taking a little better care of it and it will turn around.

Lighting is fine, flow isnt bad. Take some vinegar to the powerheads and give them a good cleaning and they should work like new as long as the impeller shaft isnt broken or the magnet isnt busted up. My koralias in the past have had a bad record with that happening.

My question is, are you using ro/di? And are you testing the salinity of the tank?

Otherwise i think youre on the right track! Keep us posted and gl!

EDIT- +1 on NOT swapping to LEDs. You have nothing wrong with your lighting setup and spending 600$/ per roughly led fixtures doenst make sense since of the budget.

 

[cvye]

start adding vodka or vinegar or both.

 

[ReefGirlSara]

Thank you everyone for the input. I am thinking that I'm just going to stick with the halides. I never had a problem with coral growth or coloration, and since I already have the canopy all set up this way, I think the path of least resistance is new bulbs. I just didn't want to rush into $220 on 3 new bulbs if there was some new option I didn't know about that would save a lot of power for like $500-600. Since I'm basically looking at new bulbs vs. spending $1200-1600 for an led set up, yes the led's would be cool to have, but I can't justify that expense.

I'm going to soak the Koralias that aren't working in vinegar and see what works and what doesn't. I'll let you guys know. The pruning/weeding begins!

 

[SPotter]

Thank you everyone for the input. I am thinking that I'm just going to stick with the halides. I never had a problem with coral growth or coloration, and since I already have the canopy all set up this way, I think the path of least resistance is new bulbs. I just didn't want to rush into $220 on 3 new bulbs if there was some new option I didn't know about that would save a lot of power for like $500-600. Since I'm basically looking at new bulbs vs. spending $1200-1600 for an led set up, yes the led's would be cool to have, but I can't justify that expense.

I'm going to soak the Koralias that aren't working in vinegar and see what works and what doesn't. I'll let you guys know. The pruning/weeding begins!

If you can hold off a couple of weeks I'm sure there will be some Columbus Day or Halloween sales from the online vendors. Grab the 10% off when you can.

 

[2_zoa]

All this talk about lighting opinions and the OP hasn't even said wether or not there is even coral in the tank still. Just an algae issue. If there is coral, can it be moved temporality where the lights that work will keep them happy? If you don't want to buy all 3 bulbs now, don't. This will give you the option to buy your bulbs one at a time over the corse of the year from here on out. When you get a higher paying job again, decide if you want all new bulbs at once.

Lots can be done in a planned way to allow time to catch up with the budget.

 

[sirpreet]

Zoa + 1

ReefSara Girl - Step by Step is the way to go ahead.

I am a newbie to Reef tanks but have had FW tanks for years.

Anyway, vinegar first.. then the question on lights...

There is a lot of work required with the LR, but i am sure you are working on it.

Pics would be great to everyone to suggest further.

All the best.