T5's: A cautionary note

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Warnberg, my coralline did not start growing until I added B-Ionic, thereafter it took off. It definitley needs light to grow, since it does not appear to be growing in the darker areas, but to get that deep rich purple color you need to provide just the right amount of light. Too much light & it can look a pale white/purple.

Grim, what are you going to now SE 175W or 250's?
 
The most inspiring purple coralline that I have seen came from VHO systems.


Which 14K are you going for? AB or Phoenix?
 
Actually I am thinking about the EVC one's from ocean encounter. I want to go SE so I can get rid of the sheild glass. These things have a solid spike just below 420nm so they shouldn't need actinics. I figure going from 450 on mag ballasts with 168 of actinic to 750 on electronics will be a wash if I can leave the actinics off with the halides running.

I am going to pull the fixture and do some measuring before I get anything.

You will love my temp lighting solution. I don't want to have to wrangle the Oak Canopy back on. I;ll post pics once I do it. Guranteed to be a mind blower.
 
I can only imagine what you have come up with, looking forward to seing those pics.

I was going to run a duct from my AC to my sump, but needed some way to open/close the duct based upon a temp controller & find an alternate route once the duct to the sump was closed. So A duct to sump open, then close B alt duct & vice-versa.
 
But what happens if the AC isn't running when the sump needs cooling? Get a mag 3, 50 feet of vinyl hose, a dorm sized refridgerator and make yourself a ghetto chiller. Wrap the hose around a jar of water in the fridge, plumb it into the sump in a closed loop and your done:D
 
My fixture will be about 6" up

Here is the plot I based my decision on, electronic ballasts. The reef fanatic and EVC are the same guts from what I understand.

Link didn't work, plug the lamps into the EVC and reeffanatic electronic ballasts.
 
My AC runs 24/7 during the summertime & I might as well utilize it to the reefs benefit. I would have it blowing right over the sump, so if the AC is not kicked in, at least air will be blowing across, same concept as a fan. I have not heard of anyone who has tried this, but I bet it just might work.

I have seen many debates on the ghetto chiller & it seems that the conclusion is that they force the fridge to run a heck of a lot longer than they normally would. As a result they are not as efficient, nor do they guarantee desired results. Then again these are probably the same individuals who have never tried it. Are you trying this method? How is it working for you?
 
No, I dont use fans or a chiller. I just let the tank cool down at night, usually about 77 or so and it peaks about 81 at lights out. I may have to use a fan with 250's.
 
Compair them both using electronic ballasts. You have to use the reeffanatic for the XM and the EVC or reeffanatic for the EVC. I cant figure out how to link the results or I'd post the graph for you. The EVC has more PAR and better spikes.
 
No one has done standardized readings on T5 yet. I can tell you my IC system was putting 145 UMOL's 18" under water and your system will be brigther than mine by a little. The shorter lamps are overdriven a little more by the Ice Cap ballasts than the long ones. Mine are the 5 foot 80 watt ones.
 
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