SolaTubes for reef tanks

[8BALL_99]

texreefer, Wow that looks great. Looks Very bright to me!

Well My skylight is ordered! I went yesterday and got the thing ordered. I ended up getting a 308 without LoE glass. Its around 30"x56" If I remember right.. Will take about a month or so before It comes in though

[mhurley]

unstuck

[wizsmaster]

Originally posted by texreefer
I did it here are a few shots of my solar tube.. my tank is currently torn down due to a seam leak but is being rebuilt but you can get the idea
this is the light over the tank


this is the tank. it lights the entire tank much better than this pic shows


this is the dome on the roof


This thing is wayyyy brighter than my two 250w MH ever were!

wow. nice bright.

What brand did you end up going with? This doesn't look like the SOLATUBE company, is it?

[wizsmaster]

I've been in contact with the guys over @ SOLATUBE, and have gotten some information:

Some specs on our dome and the spectrum of light transmitted:

UV Absorbing Acrylic – 99.97%
– 100% of UVB (280 to 315 nm) and UVC (100 to 280 nm) blocked
– >95%of UVA (315 to 400 nm) blocked
– Plant growth at 400 to 1000 nm

[wizsmaster]

They have sent me the following picture of a project they have completed.

[wizsmaster]

The following link is to a PDF I was sent by SOLATUBE,

The attached information is a good way to measure equivalencies in lumen output values. They are listed by size and geographic area on the attached chart. I’ve also attached the actual IES file which can be used in any standard lighting simulation program. The lumen output values just need to be adjusted for the geographic location and size.

http://www.swfmas.com/files/Solatube.pdf

[GUILLO1]

just trying to keep this thread alive, I'm very interested on using solatubes for my new tank. Anyone have more info on the pros and cons?

[emissary43]

hey wizsmaster how did you go about doing the back wall of the aquarium? foam/rock/resin mixed with sand or did you try something else?

[wizsmaster]

Originally posted by emissary43
hey wizsmaster how did you go about doing the back wall of the aquarium? foam/rock/resin mixed with sand or did you try something else?

Emissary,

If you're talking about the pictures above with the Solar Light, that was "texreefer"'s tank. I have not done a fake back tank yet ...

Take care,

marco

[GUILLO1]

looks like I just took the solar tubes plunge. Today I drilled 3 14" holes for my new 250 plus in-wall built im planning. I bought some tubes from Home Depot from a brand called ODL, not sure how good they are so we will see.

[emissary43]

oh yeah I see now that was a quote, I should have gone back to page 4 to check the posters name the first time I saw the photo same question passed on to texreefer

[JCTewks]

Originally posted by mhurley
unstuck

and another "lost" thread from my subscriptions

[H20ENG]

Jeff,
I rarely get any update emails until I log in again. My login times out fairly quickly too, an hour maybe. Never used to be that way years ago, but the last year or so.

[JMBoehling]

Originally posted by GUILLO1
looks like I just took the solar tubes plunge. Today I drilled 3 14" holes for my new 250 plus in-wall built im planning. I bought some tubes from Home Depot from a brand called ODL, not sure how good they are so we will see.

They work. That's what I installed over three years ago. The only thing I ended up doing was removed the Dome and replaced it with flat Plexiglass sheets. You get more intense light without the domes.

Jim

[JCTewks]

Originally posted by H20ENG
Jeff,
I rarely get any update emails until I log in again. My login times out fairly quickly too, an hour maybe. Never used to be that way years ago, but the last year or so.

Well, I log in nightly and get LOTS of emails about subscribed threads...I just seem to have "lost" subscriptions to several threads in the "unsticking" process over the last few months I've posted in the "feedback and questions" forum and have not gotten an answer as to WHY this keeps happening....I think that the internet doesn't like me sometimes

[alpha0r]

Has anyone used a PAR meter on one of these things? I would love to know what kind of reading they get.

[JMBoehling]

Originally posted by alpha0r
Has anyone used a PAR meter on one of these things? I would love to know what kind of reading they get.

Don't own one.. Maybe other guys and gals will chime in.



Jim

[Opsanus tau]

I have a 21" tubular skylight (Sun-Dome of Florida) doesn't "yellow" like Sola tubes do over time(sending yellow light into your tank after a couple years).

I also have a PAR /Quantum Meter and it changes every minuet of the day, just like in nature...so what are you asking,..what's is the average par?,min+max?....they don't act like some stagnant tank light that you can put a PAR meter under and say..O.K. my SPS corals are receiving 300 microeinsteins.....it doesn't work that way in nature/or in a tank lit by the sun.

I can tell you that I have readings from 10 Microeinsteins to 2000 in one day, plus because of the nature of the "TUBE" sends different intensities all over the tank at different times of the day.

[K' Family Reef]

very kewl thread!

is anyone familiar w/ using these on a vaulted ceiling???
our tank resides in the living room and we have thought about the s-tubes... but being that we have a vaulted ceiling then dont think its going to work... unless there was some way to run a 'tube' down from the ceiling to top of the tank... and it would have to be something that was aesthetically pleasing (vs looking like an attic).

recoms?

thanks

regards

[GUILLO1]

Originally posted by Opsanus tau
I have a 21" tubular skylight (Sun-Dome of Florida) doesn't "yellow" like Sola tubes do over time(sending yellow light into your tank after a couple years).

can you be more specific about solatubes sending yellow light after a few years. Have you had solatubes before or how do you know? I just got 3 14" solatubes for a tank I'm building and looking around the solatubes looked like the best tubes overall.

[hypernesia]

Neptune,
I was thinking the same question as I have vaulted ceilings. I have been thinking of using 3 tubes going down the vault 12 , 10, and 8 feet from the ceiling. The best info I have gotten is to buy the tubes Lowes,HD etc and have a good carpenter put them in and box them in, either indiviually or in one box. I currently have 2 people working on quotes to do this. The one thing they both said was: Woa I have to work 12ft in the air above your tank, thats going to be tricky. I interpreted that to mean expensive. I will post back when I get the quotes.

[GUILLO1]

Originally posted by GUILLO1
can you be more specific about solatubes sending yellow light after a few years. Have you had solatubes before or how do you know? I just got 3 14" solatubes for a tank I'm building and looking around the solatubes looked like the best tubes overall.

well I just checked the solatube manual and it turns out Solatubes come with a 10yr warranty.

[Opsanus tau]

My good friend lives in AZ and after three years his solatubes turned a weir green/yellow color.
He replaced them with a different brand, but I belive they have only been installed about 2+1/4 years now.
....I then read on another thread (about sola-tubes a while back,(A few years now))..were a few folks complained of the same "yellowing".
Then belive it or not , the guy from another company I was looking into used it as his selling point, saying"his didn't yellow like Solatubes"......however, this is only what I have been told, and apologize for posting it as some sort of fact.

[hahnmeister]

Originally posted by hypernesia
Neptune,
I was thinking the same question as I have vaulted ceilings. I have been thinking of using 3 tubes going down the vault 12 , 10, and 8 feet from the ceiling. The best info I have gotten is to buy the tubes Lowes,HD etc and have a good carpenter put them in and box them in, either indiviually or in one box. I currently have 2 people working on quotes to do this. The one thing they both said was: Woa I have to work 12ft in the air above your tank, thats going to be tricky. I interpreted that to mean expensive. I will post back when I get the quotes.

Thats easy... just build a temporary floor/deck just above your tank, supported on the sides with posts. Your tank should be fine for a day or two without light while the tubes are put in. Nothing but 2x4's and plywood... I think that contractor was just trying to give a $200 excuse for a $40 solution.

[juliovideo]

Alternatives.......................


http://www.himawari-net.co.jp/e_page-index01.html

http://www.parans.com/

http://www.sunlight-direct.com/

http://www.solatube.com.au/asp/index.asp?page=skylights

http://www.solatube.com.mx/distribucion.html




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