SolaTubes for reef tanks - Page 28

tinyreef · 02/14/2006, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by hllywd
Louvers huh??? Seems like that should work if they're set up right...

not sure if this link ( Sunlight DIrect) was posted, i'm still reading/catching up on this thread.

i don't think it's on the market or even meant for the consumer-market (at this time, probably more commercial/government) but it seems to optimize the light potential. serious bling-bling though.

one significant drawback (imo) is that i don't think it offers the "sun tracking-effect" mentioned earlier, which i kinda value-aesthetically and functionally.

side note: i think the aluminum in the mylar is laminated though. so i don't think it should be a big issue. much like the cheapie backgrounds taped to tanks. (c'mon, we've all used it at one time or another

)

hllywd · 02/14/2006, 01:34 PM

WOW... that looks like it has real potential for us!!! 2008 til a residential unit is available unfortunately

1 dish for 40 track lights. If we can hack that down to a reasonable number to fit over a tank we'll be all set!

The down side is a 4' dish that's not going to fly with some loaclities' zoning limitations.

Point well taken for the mylar.

tinyreef · 02/14/2006, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by hllywd
The down side is a 4' dish that's not going to fly with some loaclities' zoning limitations.

"that's uh...my new DirecTV dish. yeah, that's it! it gets fijian channels."

maybe it can be an option for aquaculturing though. maybe some uber-reefers, a la TOTM.

i'm wondering if the fiber optics filter/change the spectrum though. i think they mentioned (in another article) that it doesn't but i'm the suspicious-type. they probably aren't talking as spectrum-critical needs like we require, i.e. CRI renderings.

hllywd · 02/14/2006, 03:12 PM

Might still need some actinics because it's removing all the UV, it sounds like it's electronics could turn on supplimentals automatically on cloudy days too...

Chihuahua6 · 02/15/2006, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by hllywd
Chihuahua6, How far from the bottom of the tube to where the top of your tank will be?

I was thinking 12"-18". The extensions haven't been added yet.

H20ENG · 02/17/2006, 08:54 AM

I just found some huge gear driven Pan-Tilt drives for some old security cameras. Solar tracker????? Runs on 120v.
Hepervet, what kind of controller does your tracking device use?

cwloo · 02/20/2006, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Herpervet
Nice to see your still watching the progress Alberto.

At this point I have six 20K 150 watt Par lamps (flood type) but I recently added four T5 actinics placed just above the tank front viewing panel to give better fluorescence of the coral pigments.

I guess I have to clean the filter room for photo's

Herpervet ,

Some detail photo of the filter room & the skylight installation will be nice

JMBoehling · 03/06/2006, 08:44 PM

Quick Update. I resolved a 6 month issue with my reef, removed the toxins and things are starting to pop. I also removed all of my pC Supplemental lights and re-worked them with T5's. Here is the latest pic

Stay tuned. things are getting ready to take off !

DanielMar · 03/07/2006, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 440cudaman
I would like to know if anyone else has tried to use this type of lighting scheme?

I have been using them for 2yrs now and have had great success with them.
My SPS corals have been going crazy in the natural light.
I thought that I might need to have supplemental lighting, but I took a chance and it worked out for the best.

I was hoping that someone out there has had the same success I've had.
My next project is to change my tank over to the Eco-Wheel so that the captive reef could be as close to natural as possible.

Any thoughts on that?

I knew someone would do SolaTubes=what I dreamed about!!!!!!
GOOD SHOW!
Daniel

hllywd · 03/07/2006, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by JMBoehling
Quick Update. I resolved a 6 month issue with my reef, removed the toxins and things are starting to pop. I also removed all of my pC Supplemental lights and re-worked them with T5's. Here is the latest pic

Stay tuned. things are getting ready to take off !

JMBoehling, That's what I'm talking about...

What do you have for T5s and how much do you run them?
Tim

JMBoehling · 03/07/2006, 05:55 AM

I've got (02) Geissman Aqua Blue + (11k) & (02) Ati Blue +.

Ati Blue + 7:00 am to 10 pm
Ati Blue + & Aqua Blue + 10 am to 7 pm
Aqua Blue + 11 am to 3 pm

Seems to work nicely and compensate for the cloudy days. I will say on sunny days you can easily see the Soalr Tube BNatural light overpowering all four of the T5's.. It looks really nice...

I found out I had (02) chemical issues with my reef. the fiorst was I installed a healthy amount of Oatey Plumbers putty in my Megaflow to atttempt to fix a slow leak in a bulk head. I didn;t know it had petroleum (Hydrocarbon Oils) in it.

The slow leak was going thru some 3/4 " plywood and then dripping into my sump. another "No No" with SPS..

Well all is better now, and I have seen more growth an encrusting on my SPS in 3 weeks than I got all last year.. I am pretty excited!

I'll update periodically.

hllywd · 03/07/2006, 07:39 AM

Duh... I guess if I'd read about your current tanks....

Looks good though!!!

wazbot · 03/13/2006, 12:03 PM

Havn't posted in a while...but i'm still around

Here's my 10 x 2.5 x 2.5, solatube only tank:

everything is going smashingly

I will add some small metal halides if I can find some that look good and dont ruin the aesthetics of the solatubes!

Not all the corals look as good as they did under MH 14000k lighting, there is a distinct lack of green, however the reds look awesome, and blues show up heaps better. I was thinking of adding some 150w 20000k MH's or maybe some t5's to blue it up a bit, but they need to look good or be hidden in the wall/behind the tubes...

this pic is taken about 1pm'ish if i remember, the light is so intense the picture doesn't do it justice..

The way the light moves around, and slowly intensifies towards mid-day and then disperses as evening comes along is awesome...
And the moonlighting is superb!

:cheers:

hllywd · 03/13/2006, 12:11 PM

Waz, Is your mandarin pic natural light? Tank looks good, that's a pile of rock!!!

wazbot · 03/13/2006, 12:35 PM

The mandarin in my gallery has sadly perished

.

It was destroyed by my sixline wrasse, for no apparent reason, right before my eyes

.

But no, those pics are three years old now! I should update my gallery, I had completely forgotten those pics were still there. Note the awesomely scratched glass in the pics, that tank is atleast 20 years old, and has seen a scourer too many times. I decomissioned the tank only 4 weeks ago as it was the sump for my 6x2x2, which is now the sump for my 10x2.5x2.5 , which may in turn be sump for some humugeous tank in the distant future...

Here is another piccy taken in the afternoon, about 4pm'ish:

:cheers:

JMBoehling · 03/13/2006, 12:53 PM

Wazbot... Looks fantastic! I bet (04) tubes really make your reef sizzle. Thanks for the update.

JMBoehling · 03/13/2006, 01:18 PM

Wazbot,

As I am sitting here looking at my reef on a Partly Cloudy day, it is pretty awesome to watch the light intensity fluctuate at clouds cover the sun then as they move away the tank just "Booms" with light...

Have you noticed that with your reef?

Jim

imbuggin · 03/13/2006, 02:45 PM

what about heat into the tank. Have you noticed much heat transfer with that set-up?

JMBoehling · 03/13/2006, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by imbuggin
what about heat into the tank. Have you noticed much heat transfer with that set-up?

Don't know about others, but I have little or no heat with my Tubes. All my heat comes from my pumps and supplemental T5's, whick is very little. I do not run a chiller..

hllywd · 03/13/2006, 09:05 PM

No IR is supposed to tranfer. I've felt around the one in our dining room and there's nothing noticable.

hllywd · 03/13/2006, 09:05 PM

No IR is supposed to tranfer. I've felt around the one in our dining room and there's nothing noticable.

hllywd · 03/13/2006, 09:05 PM

No IR is supposed to tranfer. I've felt around the one in our dining room and there's nothing noticable.

wazbot · 03/15/2006, 10:19 AM

@ JMBoehling : the clouds effecting the tank are brilliant, I don't know why everyone isn't doing this. My power bill is a lot better of too!

the sun rules!

No heat at all transferred, but i do think some supplemental light is a must, unless all your friend and family only come over during the day

or if you dont mind the loss of a bit of green colouration

:cheers:

Hef · 03/15/2006, 10:59 AM

Those are great pics Waz. Got to get some SUN.

AJT · 03/15/2006, 11:05 AM

Wazbot, are those the brand "SolaTube", or antother brand that some people are using? Are you using the deflector?

Any more pics, close ups of corals with light shining on them?

Thanks
Andy

02/14/2006, 01:34 PM	#677
hllywd Premier World Traveler Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Ohio Posts: 4,293	WOW... that looks like it has real potential for us!!! 2008 til a residential unit is available unfortunately 1 dish for 40 track lights. If we can hack that down to a reasonable number to fit over a tank we'll be all set! The down side is a 4' dish that's not going to fly with some loaclities' zoning limitations. Point well taken for the mylar. __________________ "The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it..." J.M. Barrie Current Tank Info: 210 AGA RR, Apex, 3x Kessil A360W & 2x 80W T5s, GEO 618 Ca Rx, BM220 CS2 skimmer, Tunze 6100s, 42" ETSS/AE Tech refugium/sump

02/14/2006, 03:12 PM	#679
hllywd Premier World Traveler Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Ohio Posts: 4,293	Might still need some actinics because it's removing all the UV, it sounds like it's electronics could turn on supplimentals automatically on cloudy days too... __________________ "The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it..." J.M. Barrie Current Tank Info: 210 AGA RR, Apex, 3x Kessil A360W & 2x 80W T5s, GEO 618 Ca Rx, BM220 CS2 skimmer, Tunze 6100s, 42" ETSS/AE Tech refugium/sump

03/07/2006, 05:55 AM	#686
JMBoehling Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 2,353	I've got (02) Geissman Aqua Blue + (11k) & (02) Ati Blue +. Ati Blue + 7:00 am to 10 pm Ati Blue + & Aqua Blue + 10 am to 7 pm Aqua Blue + 11 am to 3 pm Seems to work nicely and compensate for the cloudy days. I will say on sunny days you can easily see the Soalr Tube BNatural light overpowering all four of the T5's.. It looks really nice... I found out I had (02) chemical issues with my reef. the fiorst was I installed a healthy amount of Oatey Plumbers putty in my Megaflow to atttempt to fix a slow leak in a bulk head. I didn;t know it had petroleum (Hydrocarbon Oils) in it. The slow leak was going thru some 3/4 " plywood and then dripping into my sump. another "No No" with SPS.. Well all is better now, and I have seen more growth an encrusting on my SPS in 3 weeks than I got all last year.. I am pretty excited! I'll update periodically. __________________ Richmond Reef Club Current Tank Info: 90 Gallon AGA, Bare Bottom, (02) 10" Skylights, 216 Watts T5HO, (04) 4 watt cree LED's, Deltec AP600 Skimmer

03/07/2006, 07:39 AM	#687
hllywd Premier World Traveler Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Ohio Posts: 4,293	Duh... I guess if I'd read about your current tanks.... Looks good though!!! __________________ "The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it..." J.M. Barrie Current Tank Info: 210 AGA RR, Apex, 3x Kessil A360W & 2x 80W T5s, GEO 618 Ca Rx, BM220 CS2 skimmer, Tunze 6100s, 42" ETSS/AE Tech refugium/sump

03/13/2006, 12:03 PM	#688
wazbot Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Western Australia Posts: 46	Havn't posted in a while...but i'm still around Here's my 10 x 2.5 x 2.5, solatube only tank: everything is going smashingly I will add some small metal halides if I can find some that look good and dont ruin the aesthetics of the solatubes! Not all the corals look as good as they did under MH 14000k lighting, there is a distinct lack of green, however the reds look awesome, and blues show up heaps better. I was thinking of adding some 150w 20000k MH's or maybe some t5's to blue it up a bit, but they need to look good or be hidden in the wall/behind the tubes... this pic is taken about 1pm'ish if i remember, the light is so intense the picture doesn't do it justice.. The way the light moves around, and slowly intensifies towards mid-day and then disperses as evening comes along is awesome... And the moonlighting is superb! :cheers: __________________ Wazbot Current Tank Info: 2500L Reef

02/17/2006, 08:54 AM	#681
H20ENG Pro builder/aquarist hack Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: NORCAL (Vacaville, CA) Posts: 5,125	I just found some huge gear driven Pan-Tilt drives for some old security cameras. Solar tracker????? Runs on 120v. Hepervet, what kind of controller does your tracking device use?

03/06/2006, 08:44 PM	#683
JMBoehling Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 2,353	Quick Update. I resolved a 6 month issue with my reef, removed the toxins and things are starting to pop. I also removed all of my pC Supplemental lights and re-worked them with T5's. Here is the latest pic Stay tuned. things are getting ready to take off !

03/13/2006, 12:11 PM	#689
hllywd Premier World Traveler Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Ohio Posts: 4,293	Waz, Is your mandarin pic natural light? Tank looks good, that's a pile of rock!!! __________________ "The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it..." J.M. Barrie Current Tank Info: 210 AGA RR, Apex, 3x Kessil A360W & 2x 80W T5s, GEO 618 Ca Rx, BM220 CS2 skimmer, Tunze 6100s, 42" ETSS/AE Tech refugium/sump

03/13/2006, 12:35 PM	#690
wazbot Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Western Australia Posts: 46	The mandarin in my gallery has sadly perished . It was destroyed by my sixline wrasse, for no apparent reason, right before my eyes . But no, those pics are three years old now! I should update my gallery, I had completely forgotten those pics were still there. Note the awesomely scratched glass in the pics, that tank is atleast 20 years old, and has seen a scourer too many times. I decomissioned the tank only 4 weeks ago as it was the sump for my 6x2x2, which is now the sump for my 10x2.5x2.5 , which may in turn be sump for some humugeous tank in the distant future... Here is another piccy taken in the afternoon, about 4pm'ish: :cheers: __________________ Wazbot Current Tank Info: 2500L Reef

03/13/2006, 12:53 PM	#691
JMBoehling Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 2,353	Wazbot... Looks fantastic! I bet (04) tubes really make your reef sizzle. Thanks for the update. __________________ Richmond Reef Club Current Tank Info: 90 Gallon AGA, Bare Bottom, (02) 10" Skylights, 216 Watts T5HO, (04) 4 watt cree LED's, Deltec AP600 Skimmer

03/13/2006, 01:18 PM	#692
JMBoehling Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 2,353	Wazbot, As I am sitting here looking at my reef on a Partly Cloudy day, it is pretty awesome to watch the light intensity fluctuate at clouds cover the sun then as they move away the tank just "Booms" with light... Have you noticed that with your reef? Jim __________________ Richmond Reef Club Current Tank Info: 90 Gallon AGA, Bare Bottom, (02) 10" Skylights, 216 Watts T5HO, (04) 4 watt cree LED's, Deltec AP600 Skimmer

03/13/2006, 02:45 PM	#693
imbuggin Moved On Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: chicago Posts: 1,495	heat what about heat into the tank. Have you noticed much heat transfer with that set-up?

03/13/2006, 09:05 PM	#695
hllywd Premier World Traveler Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Ohio Posts: 4,293	No IR is supposed to tranfer. I've felt around the one in our dining room and there's nothing noticable. __________________ "The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it..." J.M. Barrie Current Tank Info: 210 AGA RR, Apex, 3x Kessil A360W & 2x 80W T5s, GEO 618 Ca Rx, BM220 CS2 skimmer, Tunze 6100s, 42" ETSS/AE Tech refugium/sump

03/13/2006, 09:05 PM	#696
hllywd Premier World Traveler Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Ohio Posts: 4,293	No IR is supposed to tranfer. I've felt around the one in our dining room and there's nothing noticable. __________________ "The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it..." J.M. Barrie Current Tank Info: 210 AGA RR, Apex, 3x Kessil A360W & 2x 80W T5s, GEO 618 Ca Rx, BM220 CS2 skimmer, Tunze 6100s, 42" ETSS/AE Tech refugium/sump

03/13/2006, 09:05 PM	#697
hllywd Premier World Traveler Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Ohio Posts: 4,293	No IR is supposed to tranfer. I've felt around the one in our dining room and there's nothing noticable. __________________ "The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it..." J.M. Barrie Current Tank Info: 210 AGA RR, Apex, 3x Kessil A360W & 2x 80W T5s, GEO 618 Ca Rx, BM220 CS2 skimmer, Tunze 6100s, 42" ETSS/AE Tech refugium/sump

03/15/2006, 10:19 AM	#698
wazbot Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Western Australia Posts: 46	@ JMBoehling : the clouds effecting the tank are brilliant, I don't know why everyone isn't doing this. My power bill is a lot better of too! the sun rules! No heat at all transferred, but i do think some supplemental light is a must, unless all your friend and family only come over during the day or if you dont mind the loss of a bit of green colouration :cheers: __________________ Wazbot Current Tank Info: 2500L Reef

03/15/2006, 10:59 AM	#699
Hef Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Fair Haven NJ Posts: 2,291	Those are great pics Waz. Got to get some SUN.

03/15/2006, 11:05 AM	#700
AJT Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Houston Posts: 856	Wazbot, are those the brand "SolaTube", or antother brand that some people are using? Are you using the deflector? Any more pics, close ups of corals with light shining on them? Thanks Andy __________________ " You get what you pay for" Now lit with 12 G3 Pros & Reef Link! Current Tank Info: 380 Gallon, Lit by 12 G3 Pros