Questions Questions building a tank.

lngbrdz · 12/23/2006, 02:22 AM

Ok so here it goes. Call me a noob or what ever you want but I am trying to find the best and I love all of your input on solutions so fire away.

I am building a cube tank that will be 3x3x2 in othere words 2 feet tall. There will be an overflow in the middle 6 inches wide and protruding from the back wall 18 inches into the tank. Basically it is more u shaped than anything. I will be running a closed loop with a dart sequence pump with the oceans motions 4 way. There will be an output on each corner of the tank floor then another 4 on the top corners then 2 on the right side of overflow and 2 on the left. For the return from sump I will be running a behind rock pvc pipe with holes drilled in it to push sediment forward. That for flow so now to lights.

I am having some problems here as I love the halide look but I want it to be blue in color. I was thinking 3 250 halides on in the front then one on each side. I was planning on running a t5 or other ho light as an actinicon the front three edges. Now keep in mind it will be a eurobraced tank so very open on top in nature.

I am building a DYI skimmer and calcium reactor and they will be fairly large. I will be making them both out of 4.5 OD acrylic tube and somewhere between 2 and 3 feet tall.

For controll I want to be able to do everything and I wish I could buy a Neptune Auqacontroller 2 but they don't make it anymore sooooo..........

Time for input.

Thanks in advance.

lngbrdz · 12/23/2006, 02:27 PM

I am now thinking a single fixture 600-1000w MH with VHO/HO/T5 actinic support. What do you think about this? I want to use the Lumenarcs as I hear nothing but good news with them they will have a square footprint to match my tank. I am not sure what Kratings they have at the 600-1000w range any ideas? I really like the 14.5 megachrome look.

lngbrdz · 12/29/2006, 09:40 PM

So I found both a 600 and a 1000 watt bulb for the Lumenarc and the price for the kit is outstanding 400-500 complete. The 600w is a 6500 bulb that has a nice blue spike and the 1000w will be a 10k. So I am wondering if one fixture in this watt range will pentrate and cover 3 'w x 3'd x 2't? What do you think? The bulb color is still up in the air so if you have pics and comments please send them.

pjf · 12/29/2006, 10:41 PM

You can use both bulbs if you are willing to have Pacific Garden Supply build a two-bulb Lumenarc for you. Pacific Garden Supply (415-444-5550) will be glad to manufacture a fixture for you with two individually controllable bulbs similar to the Sfiligoi Infinity Twin and the Giesemann Nova II. This will give you a square coverage with a low-high (dawn-dusk?) output adjustment.

As for the light coverage of a Lumenarc, you can see Sanjay Joshi's tests at: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...03/feature.htm. In Table 2, he shows the amount of light cast in a 3' x 3' square.

12/23/2006, 02:22 AM	#1
lngbrdz Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Winchester, CA Posts: 15	Questions Questions building a tank. Ok so here it goes. Call me a noob or what ever you want but I am trying to find the best and I love all of your input on solutions so fire away. I am building a cube tank that will be 3x3x2 in othere words 2 feet tall. There will be an overflow in the middle 6 inches wide and protruding from the back wall 18 inches into the tank. Basically it is more u shaped than anything. I will be running a closed loop with a dart sequence pump with the oceans motions 4 way. There will be an output on each corner of the tank floor then another 4 on the top corners then 2 on the right side of overflow and 2 on the left. For the return from sump I will be running a behind rock pvc pipe with holes drilled in it to push sediment forward. That for flow so now to lights. I am having some problems here as I love the halide look but I want it to be blue in color. I was thinking 3 250 halides on in the front then one on each side. I was planning on running a t5 or other ho light as an actinicon the front three edges. Now keep in mind it will be a eurobraced tank so very open on top in nature. I am building a DYI skimmer and calcium reactor and they will be fairly large. I will be making them both out of 4.5 OD acrylic tube and somewhere between 2 and 3 feet tall. For controll I want to be able to do everything and I wish I could buy a Neptune Auqacontroller 2 but they don't make it anymore sooooo.......... Time for input. Thanks in advance.

12/23/2006, 02:27 PM	#2
lngbrdz Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Winchester, CA Posts: 15	Update I am now thinking a single fixture 600-1000w MH with VHO/HO/T5 actinic support. What do you think about this? I want to use the Lumenarcs as I hear nothing but good news with them they will have a square footprint to match my tank. I am not sure what Kratings they have at the 600-1000w range any ideas? I really like the 14.5 megachrome look.

12/29/2006, 09:40 PM	#3
lngbrdz Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Winchester, CA Posts: 15	So I found both a 600 and a 1000 watt bulb for the Lumenarc and the price for the kit is outstanding 400-500 complete. The 600w is a 6500 bulb that has a nice blue spike and the 1000w will be a 10k. So I am wondering if one fixture in this watt range will pentrate and cover 3 'w x 3'd x 2't? What do you think? The bulb color is still up in the air so if you have pics and comments please send them.

12/29/2006, 10:41 PM	#4
pjf Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,954	You can use both bulbs if you are willing to have Pacific Garden Supply build a two-bulb Lumenarc for you. Pacific Garden Supply (415-444-5550) will be glad to manufacture a fixture for you with two individually controllable bulbs similar to the Sfiligoi Infinity Twin and the Giesemann Nova II. This will give you a square coverage with a low-high (dawn-dusk?) output adjustment. As for the light coverage of a Lumenarc, you can see Sanjay Joshi's tests at: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...03/feature.htm. In Table 2, he shows the amount of light cast in a 3' x 3' square.