SolaTubes for reef tanks - Page 29

p4ck37p1mp · 03/18/2006, 07:06 AM

Tagging along, very interesting concept. Waiting for a house that I might be able to do it.

Scuba_Dave · 03/23/2006, 09:35 PM

I'm still planning on adding solatubes to my addition for my tank
Just a matter of where it will be located

wazbot · 04/05/2006, 10:46 AM

@AJT, yup they are the solatube brand. There is an acrylic dome on the roof with a mirror attachment to catch most of the days sun. Apart from that the tubes are hollow and I'm not using any of the deflector plates on the end of the tubes. That being said, in the next few months I am going to have to clean the domes on the roof and give the tubes a light dusting as the spider webs are starting to build up, and nothing is allowed to block the sun over my reef!

:cheers:

AJT · 04/05/2006, 11:04 AM

I am looking for property to build a new home & upgrading my 200 to a 500-600 gallon. I'm thinking these solatubes might be a good option.

tinyreef · 04/05/2006, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by AJT
I am looking for property to build a new home & upgrading my 200 to a 500-600 gallon. I'm thinking these solatubes might be a good option.

just build a sunroom. that's what i'm planning (wishing). a gigantic 2000g+ cube tank, viewable on all sides (sunlight on 3-sides, 4th being the house).

i'm building it shortly after winning the lottery. any day now. any day. yup, any day...

oh yeah, this is my back-to-reality 2.5-gallon sunlight pico-tank.

i think the sola-tubes is more applicable to a house/structure already built and defined. if you're building from scratch, a series of skylights or a sunroom is probably a better option imo.

KMDO · 04/05/2006, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SAT

The light meter in my camera indicates that a high percentage of the light hitting the top of each tube is coming out the bottom. Not a very precise measurement, but good enough to make me very happy.

Maybe sometime you can take a meter reading from an 18% gray card at the water surface and if the shutter speed is the recipricol of the film speed @ f16 it would be roughly eqaul to full sunlight in intensity, it will likely be less from some loss but with the number of stop or stops to open up it could be SWAGed pretty close.

Would be very interesting to know what the meter says, an incident light meter would negate the need for a gray card, so if anyone has access to a flashmeter like a Minolta Flashmeter IV or V AND a light tube maybe post the results.

KMDO · 04/05/2006, 01:21 PM

SAT sorry about the query I saw your gray card post on page 5, long thread been all over this one.

The 20% difference on a scale would be markedly reduced in a sensistive flashmeter that will show 1/10th stops.

Thanks for info, impressive that the outside reading is same as inside on card.

wazbot · 04/05/2006, 10:28 PM

I will never build a tank again without using the sun as the main source of light. I am so stoked I took the plunge. even on overcast days it looks good.

Next tank I might just build it outside, above the house so there is no shadow, with a ladder to get up to the viewing platform! Kinda like a castle tower, but with a fish tank.

:cheers:

Dwayne · 04/07/2006, 04:35 PM

I just came across this and thought it might worth mentioning in this thread. Pardon me if this was mention earlier in the thread.

Parans

FWIW

JMBoehling · 05/02/2006, 12:51 PM

As promised, some updated pics.. Things are really starting to take shape...

Will update as things continue to grow

Later,

Jim

kmacartney · 05/03/2006, 10:39 AM

Wow, that is a great looking tank. Do you have any supplimental lighting?

kmacartney · 05/03/2006, 10:40 AM

Oops. i see that you do. Can you post a pic of how you have the tubes arranged with your lights?

pvtschultz · 05/03/2006, 12:04 PM

A quick trip to his gallery gives this picture:

He's got a bunch of others in there too for ya.

Great updates though, I definately need to take advantage of the sun for the next tank setup...

kmacartney · 05/03/2006, 12:26 PM

Cool setup! Is the veiwing done from the other side of the wall?

JMBoehling · 05/03/2006, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by kmacartney
Cool setup! Is the veiwing done from the other side of the wall?

Thank you! Yes the viewing is from our Great Room.. The previous photo is from the Mudroom side (Very convenient for doing water changes

)

Later,

Jim

Lordhelmet · 05/03/2006, 11:05 PM

well I'm sold on them. the tank is really starting to look great.

onetrickpony · 05/04/2006, 09:12 AM

great setup
what brand are you using and size
I am thinking of trying the 24"
what side of the house are they on /orientation to the sun n-e -s =w
what do you think
thanks
ken

JMBoehling · 05/04/2006, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by onetrickpony
great setup
what brand are you using and size
I am thinking of trying the 24"
what side of the house are they on /orientation to the sun n-e -s =w
what do you think
thanks
ken

Brand is Gordon from Home Depot. (02) 10" tubes with approx 12 ft. of extensions. I do not have the diffusers mounted.

The tubes are positioned that I get perfect, unobstructed sunlight from approx 9 am to 3 pm.. At this very moment I am getting max sunlight.

Iabsolutley love the natural light, but you do need supplimental light like T5's or VHO's to get the purples, etc out of your SPS...

Thanks again for the kind words!

Later,

Jim

nyvp · 05/05/2006, 08:21 AM

I wonder how many I would need to fill a 120"x 36" tank

pvtschultz · 05/05/2006, 12:02 PM

I would consider the tube lights to be similar to MHs: one for every 24" of tank. If you go with 10" units, you can probably go with four if you desired, two on each side of the center brace. I am thinking that I will be using two 14" tubes over my 90 AGA (48x18x24, LxWxH). The 14" tubes should fit between the rafters snug.

JMBoehling · 05/05/2006, 02:29 PM

Sizing depends on what type of Supplemental lights you are planning to run, if any...

For the 120" tank I would think (04) 14" ers would work great, unless you can step it up to the 20"ers.. Unfortunately you'll need some major planning on boxing out rafters and joists, as 20" Tubes don't fit very well on 16" centers...

On a 90, the 10" tubes are all I could fit, in addition to my supplemental T5's.. Even at that, my T5 bulbs block the natural light a bit..

Later,

jIm

sushiking · 05/06/2006, 09:55 PM

Wish I could use SolaTubes. But my tank is on the lower level of my home which would require too many elbows and thus decreasing the efficiency of the tubes.

T Man · 05/06/2006, 10:05 PM

I'VE GOT A 4FT. BY 4 FT. BY 2 FEET TALL PLASTIC TANK THAT I'VE BEEN EXPOSING TO THE SUN IN THE AFTER NOON [ ABOUT THREE HOURS] A DAY AND THE REST OF THE DAY IS SOLEY AMBIENT SUN LIGHT.
I HAVE A VERY SMALL ATOLL IN THE CENTER OF THE LAGOON THAT HAS SPS ON TOP OF IT AND VARIOUS FRAGS DOWN BELOW MOSTLY SOFTIES. THEY REACT TO THE SUN LIKE THEY WERE IN THE WILD, WHICH ALLOWS FOR ACCELERATED GROWTH. I'M ALL FOR NATURAL LIGHTING, AFTER ALL THATS WHAT WE STRIVE TO GIVE OUR INVESTMENTS.TINMAN

DgenR8 · 05/07/2006, 07:12 AM

Tin man,
Please do not post in all caps, it is the BB equivelant of screaming at us.
I promise we'll hear you just fine if you take off that caps lock.

Sanjay · 05/08/2006, 06:06 AM

has anyone tested light output from the sola tubes ? I am curious as to how it compares to MH in terms of intensity and spread.

sanjay

03/18/2006, 07:06 AM	#701
p4ck37p1mp Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Atlanta Posts: 419	Tagging along, very interesting concept. Waiting for a house that I might be able to do it. __________________ -- "Unix is user friendly. However, it isn't idiot friendly." Current Tank Info: 90g reef, 100g sump, 40g fuge

04/05/2006, 10:46 AM	#703
wazbot Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Western Australia Posts: 46	@AJT, yup they are the solatube brand. There is an acrylic dome on the roof with a mirror attachment to catch most of the days sun. Apart from that the tubes are hollow and I'm not using any of the deflector plates on the end of the tubes. That being said, in the next few months I am going to have to clean the domes on the roof and give the tubes a light dusting as the spider webs are starting to build up, and nothing is allowed to block the sun over my reef! :cheers: __________________ Wazbot Current Tank Info: 2500L Reef

04/05/2006, 11:04 AM	#704
AJT Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Houston Posts: 856	I am looking for property to build a new home & upgrading my 200 to a 500-600 gallon. I'm thinking these solatubes might be a good option. __________________ " You get what you pay for" Now lit with 12 G3 Pros & Reef Link! Current Tank Info: 380 Gallon, Lit by 12 G3 Pros

04/05/2006, 10:28 PM	#708
wazbot Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Western Australia Posts: 46	I will never build a tank again without using the sun as the main source of light. I am so stoked I took the plunge. even on overcast days it looks good. Next tank I might just build it outside, above the house so there is no shadow, with a ladder to get up to the viewing platform! Kinda like a castle tower, but with a fish tank. :cheers: __________________ Wazbot Current Tank Info: 2500L Reef

04/07/2006, 04:35 PM	#709
Dwayne Protector of Diver Dan Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Minneapolis, MN - Land of the Frozen Reef Posts: 2,478	I just came across this and thought it might worth mentioning in this thread. Pardon me if this was mention earlier in the thread. Parans FWIW __________________ SPS - Reactor media waiting to happen. "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." Sir Winston Churchill Current Tank Info: 125

03/23/2006, 09:35 PM	#702
Scuba_Dave EMERTXE YID Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Asylum, South of Boston, MA Posts: 10,362	I'm still planning on adding solatubes to my addition for my tank Just a matter of where it will be located

04/05/2006, 01:21 PM	#707
KMDO Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: PRC Posts: 10	SAT sorry about the query I saw your gray card post on page 5, long thread been all over this one. The 20% difference on a scale would be markedly reduced in a sensistive flashmeter that will show 1/10th stops. Thanks for info, impressive that the outside reading is same as inside on card.

05/02/2006, 12:51 PM	#710
JMBoehling Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 2,353	Updated Pics - May 2, 2006 As promised, some updated pics.. Things are really starting to take shape... Will update as things continue to grow Later, Jim

05/03/2006, 10:39 AM	#711
kmacartney Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Athens, OH Posts: 1,444	Wow, that is a great looking tank. Do you have any supplimental lighting? __________________ <--That's my boy! To see my tank, click the...Oh wait! Where did it go? Current Tank Info: 75 gallon display, 20 gallon sump/refugium, 6X54W T5, ASM G2, Mag 9.5 return, 2X Gulf Stream II Maxi-Jet Mods

05/03/2006, 10:40 AM	#712
kmacartney Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Athens, OH Posts: 1,444	Oops. i see that you do. Can you post a pic of how you have the tubes arranged with your lights? __________________ <--That's my boy! To see my tank, click the...Oh wait! Where did it go? Current Tank Info: 75 gallon display, 20 gallon sump/refugium, 6X54W T5, ASM G2, Mag 9.5 return, 2X Gulf Stream II Maxi-Jet Mods

05/03/2006, 12:04 PM	#713
pvtschultz Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: New Berlin , WI Posts: 1,247	A quick trip to his gallery gives this picture: He's got a bunch of others in there too for ya. Great updates though, I definately need to take advantage of the sun for the next tank setup...

05/03/2006, 12:26 PM	#714
kmacartney Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Athens, OH Posts: 1,444	Cool setup! Is the veiwing done from the other side of the wall? __________________ <--That's my boy! To see my tank, click the...Oh wait! Where did it go? Current Tank Info: 75 gallon display, 20 gallon sump/refugium, 6X54W T5, ASM G2, Mag 9.5 return, 2X Gulf Stream II Maxi-Jet Mods

05/03/2006, 11:05 PM	#716
Lordhelmet Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 2,008	well I'm sold on them. the tank is really starting to look great. __________________ I need a new signiture Current Tank Info: 90 gallon, 14 gallon

05/04/2006, 09:12 AM	#717
onetrickpony Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: TX Posts: 502	great setup what brand are you using and size I am thinking of trying the 24" what side of the house are they on /orientation to the sun n-e -s =w what do you think thanks ken

05/05/2006, 08:21 AM	#719
nyvp Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Hollywood Florida Posts: 3,633	I wonder how many I would need to fill a 120"x 36" tank

05/05/2006, 12:02 PM	#720
pvtschultz Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: New Berlin , WI Posts: 1,247	I would consider the tube lights to be similar to MHs: one for every 24" of tank. If you go with 10" units, you can probably go with four if you desired, two on each side of the center brace. I am thinking that I will be using two 14" tubes over my 90 AGA (48x18x24, LxWxH). The 14" tubes should fit between the rafters snug.

05/05/2006, 02:29 PM	#721
JMBoehling Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 2,353	Sizing depends on what type of Supplemental lights you are planning to run, if any... For the 120" tank I would think (04) 14" ers would work great, unless you can step it up to the 20"ers.. Unfortunately you'll need some major planning on boxing out rafters and joists, as 20" Tubes don't fit very well on 16" centers... On a 90, the 10" tubes are all I could fit, in addition to my supplemental T5's.. Even at that, my T5 bulbs block the natural light a bit.. Later, 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

05/06/2006, 09:55 PM	#722
sushiking Moved On Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 50	Wish I could use SolaTubes. But my tank is on the lower level of my home which would require too many elbows and thus decreasing the efficiency of the tubes.

05/06/2006, 10:05 PM	#723
T Man ~PPPPPPP~ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Emerald City Posts: 1,045	I'VE GOT A 4FT. BY 4 FT. BY 2 FEET TALL PLASTIC TANK THAT I'VE BEEN EXPOSING TO THE SUN IN THE AFTER NOON [ ABOUT THREE HOURS] A DAY AND THE REST OF THE DAY IS SOLEY AMBIENT SUN LIGHT. I HAVE A VERY SMALL ATOLL IN THE CENTER OF THE LAGOON THAT HAS SPS ON TOP OF IT AND VARIOUS FRAGS DOWN BELOW MOSTLY SOFTIES. THEY REACT TO THE SUN LIKE THEY WERE IN THE WILD, WHICH ALLOWS FOR ACCELERATED GROWTH. I'M ALL FOR NATURAL LIGHTING, AFTER ALL THATS WHAT WE STRIVE TO GIVE OUR INVESTMENTS.TINMAN __________________ He that can have patience can have what he will. ~ Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: click the "TzFuture" folder in my profile

05/07/2006, 07:12 AM	#724
DgenR8 I'm an American and I remember Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Long Island, New York Posts: 43,992	Tin man, Please do not post in all caps, it is the BB equivelant of screaming at us. I promise we'll hear you just fine if you take off that caps lock. __________________ “I wish there was a way to know that you were IN the good old days, before leaving them.” ~Andy Bernard Regional Manager, Scranton branch Dunder Mifflin Current Tank Info: Unknown slow drip, over 20 years damaged my house and heating system. No more tank.

05/08/2006, 06:06 AM	#725
Sanjay Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: State College, PA Posts: 2,302	has anyone tested light output from the sola tubes ? I am curious as to how it compares to MH in terms of intensity and spread. sanjay