Starting 90g Reef Tank Build... Finally!!!

[kudora]

ha i always feel like a fool when i have water gushing out since i am always so careful. had to clean the a/c pump today since it was plugged and was able to say "see honey all that reading on pumps and SW tanks has really paid off" lol

[Aquarist007]

two guys that just won't quit arguing:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...=&pagenumber=3

[Tswifty]

Originally posted by kudora
glad you didnt go with the pvc pipe swift, the reactors look good. the 1200 work out well then(since its free lol)

on a side note i lost one of my new frogspawn heads this morning, dont want to blame the camel shrimp but he was hanging on it messing with it all night.

Yeah I just honestly didn't feel like the extra work of measuring, cutting, and gluing. With tubing it only took like 5 minutes to hook up. The 1200 actually was brand new. It was the one included with the busted SeaClone... knew those P.O.S.'s would be good for something

That stinks about the frogspawn... are the fleshy polyps completely gone from the head (usually leaving a bleached white branch tip behind), or is it just retracted?

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by kudora
ha i always feel like a fool when i have water gushing out since i am always so careful. had to clean the a/c pump today since it was plugged and was able to say "see honey all that reading on pumps and SW tanks has really paid off" lol

lucky I am in the basement and my prefers not to go down there--she states that everytime she goes down there there is a tank that she is sure wasn't there before--ain't love grand

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by kudora
glad you didnt go with the pvc pipe swift, the reactors look good. the 1200 work out well then(since its free lol)

on a side note i lost one of my new frogspawn heads this morning, dont want to blame the camel shrimp but he was hanging on it messing with it all night.

so you did check that out last night and it is the camel shrimp??

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Tswifty8
It's probably on the 1st thread somewhere



Currently I am running:

- - - - - FRONT - - - - - (Right Side in Pic)
Geisemann Actinic Plus
UV Lighting 75/25
UV Lighting Aquasun
Geiseman Actinic Plus
Geiseman Aquablue Plus
UV Lighting Super Actinic
- - - - - BACK - - - - - (Left Side in Pic)

do you have a price break down--trying to see if it is worthwhile switching out my halides for your system. I have been told there is more depth of penetration with t5's
I think they are cheaper to run also??

[Tswifty]

Here's the breakout:

$250.00 2 x 54watt VHO retrofit kit w/ IceCap 430 Ballast
$75.00 Used IceCap 660 Ballast
$25.00 New 660 Wire Harness
$46.00 2 SLR recflectors
$40.00 4 pairs of Waterproof Endcaps
$20.00 4 pairs of Standoffs

$42.00 2 Geisemann Actinic Plus bulbs
$22.00 Geisemann Aquablue Plus bulb
$22.00 UV Lighting 75/25 bulb
$22.00 UV Lighting Aquasun bulb

$564.00 Total

I guess I ended up saving about $40 than if I would have ended up purchasing the whole unit all-in-one from reefgeek.com

The 6 x 54 watt IceCap VHO Retrofit Kit with everything included is priced at $609.00

[kudora]

its bleached white, i cant 100% say it was the shrimp but he was sitting ontop of that head moving the retracted heads most of the night, i would try to catch him but he knew i was comming lol

capt i think it depends on how deep your tank is, the shallower the better for T5s, anything over 30 your going to need halides.

[Tswifty]

Originally posted by kudora
capt i think it depends on how deep your tank is, the shallower the better for T5s, anything over 30 your going to need halides.

I'm not 100% sure about that statement. I think the general consensus is exactly what you implied. However, I do not know if anyone has done any 1 to 1 testing under the exact same conditions. Meaning hook up halides... collect data... Unhook halides & hook up T5's.... collect data... compare.

This is probably because the cost to perfom such a test would be extremly high. Also, I would imagine that if anyone ran such a test, more than likely it would be right before they switched from MH to T5's. Thus the MH bulbs would be used and old, while the T5 bulbs and reflectors would be brand new.

Also... The NEED for high light penetration low in a tank would obviously be dependent upon the lighting requirements of the corals housed near the bottom of the tank.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Tswifty8
I'm not 100% sure about that statement. I think the general consensus is exactly what you implied. However, I do not know if anyone has done any 1 to 1 testing under the exact same conditions. Meaning hook up halides... collect data... Unhook halides & hook up T5's.... collect data... compare.

This is probably because the cost to perfom such a test would be extremly high. Also, I would imagine that if anyone ran such a test, more than likely it would be right before they switched from MH to T5's. Thus the MH bulbs would be used and old, while the T5 bulbs and reflectors would be brand new.

Also... The NEED for high light penetration low in a tank would obviously be dependent upon the lighting requirements of the corals housed near the bottom of the tank.

I agree--in my case I had to go with the twin 150 halides due to heat issues on the cheery wood canopy--something my wife insisted on if I was going to take over "her room" for the fish tank
I am wondering if i switch out the halides fixture and mount the t5 system like TJ's in the canopy that I will get more light deeper in the tank(it is a 28 inch high) and whether is would be better for sps corals which I am starting to get into

[kudora]

Originally posted by Tswifty8
I'm not 100% sure about that statement. I think the general consensus is exactly what you implied. However, I do not know if anyone has done any 1 to 1 testing under the exact same conditions. Meaning hook up halides... collect data... Unhook halides & hook up T5's.... collect data... compare.

This is probably because the cost to perfom such a test would be extremly high. Also, I would imagine that if anyone ran such a test, more than likely it would be right before they switched from MH to T5's. Thus the MH bulbs would be used and old, while the T5 bulbs and reflectors would be brand new.

Also... The NEED for high light penetration low in a tank would obviously be dependent upon the lighting requirements of the corals housed near the bottom of the tank.

ha i knew i shouldnt have posted as i was going out the door lol
this is something that is debated on most SW forums and i have yet to see a test done to prove or disprove what i said. i kinda generalized so that was my mistake. I think capt might like the switch to T5s since he has alot of softies, again this is purely on what i think it depends on your tank and what you plan on keeping imo.

i am going T5 myself

[rayoto]

The 1200 actually was brand new. It was the one included with the busted SeaClone... knew those P.O.S.'s would be good for something

Ha, thats where my 1200 came from too. I agree.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Tswifty8
Here's the breakout:

$250.00 2 x 54watt VHO retrofit kit w/ IceCap 430 Ballast
$75.00 Used IceCap 660 Ballast
$25.00 New 660 Wire Harness
$46.00 2 SLR recflectors
$40.00 4 pairs of Waterproof Endcaps
$20.00 4 pairs of Standoffs

$42.00 2 Geisemann Actinic Plus bulbs
$22.00 Geisemann Aquablue Plus bulb
$22.00 UV Lighting 75/25 bulb
$22.00 UV Lighting Aquasun bulb

$564.00 Total

I guess I ended up saving about $40 than if I would have ended up purchasing the whole unit all-in-one from reefgeek.com

The 6 x 54 watt IceCap VHO Retrofit Kit with everything included is priced at $609.00

Aqualight 48 " Pro Series Strips
Two 150(or 250) watt 10,000K double-ended HQI metal halide lamps - Two 96 watt True Actinic 03 Blue square-pin compact fluorescent lamps - Three(four) 1 watt Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow 470nm LED lamps - Two external HQI metal halide ballasts with on/off switches, 12-foot lamp cords and 6-foot power cords - Two on/off switches and two 12-foot power cords (one for two True Actinic 03 Blue compact fluorescent lamps and one for two Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow 470nm LED lamps) - Sleek, anodized black-aluminum housing - Highly-polished reflectors - Built-in cooling fan - Acrylic compact fluorescent and glass lens covers - Mounting Legs included

$839

Now, how do you compare the two

[Siffy]

Those are power compacts, capn. Outdated technology that the entire reefing industry should be moving away from. You don't want to waste your time or money on it.

[Tswifty]

Originally posted by kudora
ha i knew i shouldnt have posted as i was going out the door lol
this is something that is debated on most SW forums and i have yet to see a test done to prove or disprove what i said. i kinda generalized so that was my mistake. I think capt might like the switch to T5s since he has alot of softies, again this is purely on what i think it depends on your tank and what you plan on keeping imo.

i am going T5 myself

haha

No worries, I'm not saying your wrong, I'm right, or anything like that.

Just like you stated, there hasn't been any testing that I am aware of to make clear cut call either way.

However, I am in the process of trying to find a PAR meter to borrow from someone locally, so I can perform some testing of my own

[Tswifty]

Originally posted by capn_hylinur


Aqualight 48 " Pro Series Strips
Two 150(or 250) watt 10,000K double-ended HQI metal halide lamps - Two 96 watt True Actinic 03 Blue square-pin compact fluorescent lamps - Three(four) 1 watt Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow 470nm LED lamps - Two external HQI metal halide ballasts with on/off switches, 12-foot lamp cords and 6-foot power cords - Two on/off switches and two 12-foot power cords (one for two True Actinic 03 Blue compact fluorescent lamps and one for two Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow 470nm LED lamps) - Sleek, anodized black-aluminum housing - Highly-polished reflectors - Built-in cooling fan - Acrylic compact fluorescent and glass lens covers - Mounting Legs included

$839

Now, how do you compare the two

Oh the T5 retrofit kits are definately less than any decent all-in-one MH unit.

However, versus like a 175w MH/T5 retrofit combo... The prices get a lot closer.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Tswifty8
Oh the T5 retrofit kits are definately less than any decent all-in-one MH unit.

However, versus like a 175w MH/T5 retrofit combo... The prices get a lot closer.

I meant both systems have app the same wattage which will be the more effective system assuming a mix of sps and lps/softies

[Tswifty]

The only way you would be able to effectively compare the 2 units, would be to take PAR readings for each unit at the same locations, within the same tank, with the same PAR meter.

[Tswifty]

Quick picture of the new brain coral settling in and opening up nicely:

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Tswifty8
The only way you would be able to effectively compare the 2 units, would be to take PAR readings for each unit at the same locations, within the same tank, with the same PAR meter.

As far as penetration though--given the identical set of variables such as reflectors, surface agitation you would think they would be identical given they have the same wattage.

This is what I am getting at--whether t5's or metal halides will give you the same depth of penetration if they are the same wattage in total

[Tswifty]

I sought out some help regarding the lighting comparison:

Originally posted by Tswifty8
Grim... Here is a question that was asked on my thread regarding the differences in light penetration between an IceCap 6 x 54watt T5 Unit vs The 48" AquaLight unit pictured below.

Any insight? I don't have an answer for it, and would appreciate any feedback that you could offer.

Here's some of the conversation:

Originally posted by The Grim Reefer
If you are talking the VHO T5 Ice Cap against 250 watt halides I would say it would be a draw assuming the halide fixture has good reflectors,

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Tswifty8
I sought out some help regarding the lighting comparison:

great but I only have 150 watt halides

I also sought out some help but they haven't replied yet

[Tswifty]

Yeah I realized that after he replied, but I'm thinking that would mean that the T5's would out perform the 150's.

[Tswifty]

Fresh Water Dip #2 Down...

The PBT did much better this time around during the dip, and remained pretty active throughout the whole 5 minutes.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Tswifty8
Yeah I realized that after he replied, but I'm thinking that would mean that the T5's would out perform the 150's.

me too

I'm sorry I can't watch that second video--not after the first one--there has to be a more humane way to treat a sick fish.