New 180+ gallon reef tank, need opinions on LEDs (considering ACAN or AI)

[rkhettry23]

Hi Everyone,
This is my first post on this forum, but will certainly not be my last. I have been keeping reefs/freshwater discus for close to 7 years now. As with most of you, over time you either crave more or give up all together. I'm certainly in the first category of "reefkeeper". I currently have a 65 gallon reef tank up and running for 7 years and finally decided it was time to upgrade. It was also time to add an addition to my house so I figured this was the best opportunity for me to "go big".

My new setup is about 180+ gallons and the dimensions of the tank are ~70"W X 21.5"h X 23.5"D...I wanted to keep the tank wider and longer instead of deeper.

Here are some pictures of the custom cabinets build around the tank. (Keep in mind the room is far from finished)









So as you can tell a lot of thought went into building this tank/setup. The sump is downstairs directly under the tank in a dedicated fish closet.

======
So now that the background information on my tank is out of the way, I can get to the main reason for my posting.

I really want to use LED lights on this tank. I have been doing some research and have limited down my possibilities to the ACAN 600's or the AI sol blues. I was wondering the pro's and con's of each of these units for my specific application. How many AI modules would I need to cover this tank appropriately? I plan on keeping all types of coral and "reef safe" fish in this tank. Down the road I want to hook up a wifi/ethernet controller to the tank so I can monitor it remotely (specifically temp, salinity, and possibly feeding).

I understand that the AI's seamless integrate into some of the more mainstream controllers so that is why I'm slightly leaning towards AI. I also do not know how I should position the lights? I suppose that depends on if I get 3-4-5 modules? I was hoping that since I have lots of clearance above my tank I could hand them high having the long side of the module run parallel to the front of the tank (thus spreading the light out the most since my tank is not very wide/deep). I notice that many of you who run the AI's dont run them even close to max (40-60%). Is it possible to jack that up to 70-80% and get away with 3 modules in that way? Or should I do 4 (or 5) with the long part of the module perpendicular to the front of the tank?


If anyone could chime in that would be great. I'm looking forward to helping/learning a ton on this site.

Best,
Raj

[rkhettry23]

Hmm...I just realized I should probably post a few pics of my current 65 gallon setup so that you can get an idea of the corals I keep and will be moving to the new tank as well as augmenting with plenty of new types.









and my stuppppppid canary eel who only shows his face once ever like 2-3 weeks when he is hungry!



Thanks again for any help!

[socalmonty]

I know people are going to accuse me of being a Pacific Sun cult member because I just got my Metis Hyperion LED fixture up and running last night and I've been posting about it quite a bit today but I am so happy with the flexibility it has given me in terms of customizing the appearance of the tank that I have to throw it out there as a suggestion. The light has 8 channels, each with a different spectrum peak and comes in 36", 49" and 60" fixtures. They are little more expensive than the equivalent number of Ecotech Radions that would be needed to light a tank. It sounds like the 60" fixture would be perfect for your new tank. Your tank and cabinetry is beautiful, by the way. Check out the literature online at Imagine an Ocean, the US distributor for Pacific Sun. The company is based in Poland. Doug

[rkhettry23]

Originally Posted by socalmonty

I know people are going to accuse me of being a Pacific Sun cult member because I just got my Metis Hyperion LED fixture up and running last night and I've been posting about it quite a bit today but I am so happy with the flexibility it has given me in terms of customizing the appearance of the tank that I have to throw it out there as a suggestion. The light has 8 channels, each with a different spectrum peak and comes in 36", 49" and 60" fixtures. They are little more expensive than the equivalent number of Ecotech Radions that would be needed to light a tank. It sounds like the 60" fixture would be perfect for your new tank. Your tank and cabinetry is beautiful, by the way. Check out the literature online at Imagine an Ocean, the US distributor for Pacific Sun. The company is based in Poland. Doug

Thank you for the input, I will definitely look into them. I have a budget of about $3000, so I can definitely move up if people think its really worth it. What made you go with Pac Sun?

*shameless pic wh0ring of the rest of the room









I thought the Brackish Tavern was a cool name considering the second 180 gallon tank behind the bar is freshwater...

[rkhettry23]

Anyone else care to chime in?

(can't PM anyone until I get my post count to 10)

[Mark Bianco]

Your new and old tank look great. I have the AI Super Blues a four set. Currently I have a 75gl, the reason I have four set is as soon as I find a deal I will be upgrading to a 180gl Currently I can only adjust the lights to a maxium of 40 percent as they are very bright. I had before 2 150 20K Metal Halides and two 130watt Power compacts. At 40 percent the Ai's kick butt way brighter then then old setup. According to par readings taken by a friend and a long time reefer one Ai module is equivlant to a 250 watt metal halide. So four for a tank your size should be plenty to grow what ever coral you want. You mentioned you were thinking about purchasing a controller. I read I think thousands of posts, and I did decide to go with a Neptune Apex. Works great for everything including the the AI's

Just my opinions
Mark

[VetteFanatic007]

BTT for a beautiful home.

[Donniegnzls]

neither, do what this guy did with his 180. He used Reef Filtration LEDs. with T5 HO. He used 3 LED pannels and a T5 fixture. Look at his amazing growth at the thread below. He also has a build thread on that forum. Save yourself over 1,000. You can just use 6 of these pannels (only 1200 bucks) without the T5. Most people are turned off by them because they dont dimm but I see no point in dimming, it is just a fad to me. Good luck.

http://www.*********.com/forums/reef...lyp-stony.html

[Donniegnzls]

reef 2 reef is what is blanked out

[Donniegnzls]

Just want to point out that AI's are good. Someone I know has them over his 120 deep demention tank. The problem I saw with them was that it took about $6000.00 + worth of AI Sol to get half the growth that I see the guy in the thread above getting with the reef filtration lights and T5's. I gladly pay for T5 bulbs for good growth and a nice looking tank. On top of that the only good growth thread that Iv seen is with the reef filtration leds. I will point out that they are imports but... what can you do right.

[robbous]

Originally Posted by socalmonty

I know people are going to accuse me of being a Pacific Sun cult member because I just got my Metis Hyperion LED fixture up and running last night and I've been posting about it quite a bit today but I am so happy with the flexibility it has given me in terms of customizing the appearance of the tank that I have to throw it out there as a suggestion. The light has 8 channels, each with a different spectrum peak and comes in 36", 49" and 60" fixtures. They are little more expensive than the equivalent number of Ecotech Radions that would be needed to light a tank. It sounds like the 60" fixture would be perfect for your new tank. Your tank and cabinetry is beautiful, by the way. Check out the literature online at Imagine an Ocean, the US distributor for Pacific Sun. The company is based in Poland. Doug

I will agree with socalmonty on the pacific sun lamps i think you would be very happy with this lamp rkhettry23, your tank looks like it will be beautiful once you house it with all your corals and i hope you will be adding pictures of it as you go along. if you do consider the pacific sun lamps like socalmonty says check out the literature online at Imagine an Ocean, the US distributor for Pacific Sun.

[socalmonty]

[QUOTE=rkhettry23;19703723]Thank you for the input, I will definitely look into them. I have a budget of about $3000, so I can definitely move up if people think its really worth it. What made you go with Pac Sun?

After I did all my research and watched the market develop over the last six months or so, I decided that I liked the eight separately controllable channels and the two UV peaks in particular. I wanted a single fixture that wouldn't require any supplemental T-5 lighting to achieve full color adjustablility. I like the Ecotech Radion but liked the addition of the UV peaks offered by the Metis Hyperion. Yorgos at Imagine an Ocean does group buys. I got my three-panel 49" Hyperion in one of the group buys for only a couple of hundred more than three Radions. Well worth it, in my opinion.

[socalmonty]

I think the 65" Hyperion would cost you a little more than $3,000 even with group buy pricing but you should give Yorgos a call.

[dadnjesse]

Originally Posted by Donniegnzls

neither, do what this guy did with his 180. He used Reef Filtration LEDs. with T5 HO. He used 3 LED pannels and a T5 fixture. Look at his amazing growth at the thread below. He also has a build thread on that forum. Save yourself over 1,000. You can just use 6 of these pannels (only 1200 bucks) without the T5. Most people are turned off by them because they dont dimm but I see no point in dimming, it is just a fad to me. Good luck.

http://www.*********.com/forums/reef...lyp-stony.html

I don't see dimming as a fad. Its a great feature to be able to adjust the output to your corals needs and also be able to turn your main lighting into nightime actinics

[socalmonty]

Not to mention the fun of sunrise and sunset transitions...

[rkhettry23]

Thanks everyone for your input. I did a lot of research on the AI's, ACAN's, and after your suggestions the Pac Suns. After speaking with my LFS, they have swayed me towards the brand new Acan Prisms (http://www.acanlighting.com/index.ph...mart&Itemid=27). They have almost as many LED channels as the Pac Sun's and what drove me the most in my decision is that they are made not far from my home in NJ. I love the fact that if something goes wrong they can send a tech or I can send my lights a short distance to get them repaired instead of say sending the Pac Sun's to Poland. My LFS told me that the Pac Suns cannot be repaired by anyone in the US. Is this accurate? If it is, then I'm going to purchase the ACAN's, but if the Pac Sun's can be fixed domestically, I would rather get the added benefits of the Pac Suns.

Thanks for any more help.

[socalmonty]

The Prisms look like an interesting possibility. I'm sure you would be happy with them. The only thing that they don't appear to have is the ability to control the channels independently for finetuning the light to your taste. But I totally get the point about buying a local product. My understanding is that Pacific Sun lamps can be serviced by Imagine an Ocean in Massachusetts. That what Yorgos has told me. You should give him a call. He is very helpful.

[rkhettry23]

Originally Posted by socalmonty

The Prisms look like an interesting possibility. I'm sure you would be happy with them. The only thing that they don't appear to have is the ability to control the channels independently for finetuning the light to your taste. But I totally get the point about buying a local product. My understanding is that Pacific Sun lamps can be serviced by Imagine an Ocean in Massachusetts. That what Yorgos has told me. You should give him a call. He is very helpful.

I just sent him an email. Hopefully they can service them. How quickly do they usually ship? I'm looking at getting whatever lights I choose installed sometime early next week. The tank has been up and running for over a month with just live rock!

[socalmonty]

I'm not sure about shipping times. The first shipment just arrived in the US just before Christmas. Yorgos can let you know what, if anything he has in stock and how long your wait might be.

[socalmonty]

I wouldn't underestimate the value of being able to adjust the channels separately. After all, the whole objective is to make the tank as beautiful to your eye as possible. If think I would look hard at the Radions if you need something quickly and are looking for a product that want a product that can be serviced easily. I think the Hyperion is a step ahead of the Radion but the RadiOns are really. Nice lamp

[socalmonty]

I wouldn't underestimate the value of being able to adjust the channels separately. After all, the whole objective is to make the tank as beautiful to your eye as possible. If think I would look hard at the Radions if you need something quickly and are looking for a product that want a product that can be serviced easily. I think the Hyperion is a step ahead of the Radion but the Radi

[socalmonty]

Sorry for the poor typing in my last post. I'm in a cab in NYC.

[rkhettry23]

Originally Posted by socalmonty

Sorry for the poor typing in my last post. I'm in a cab in NYC.

No problem, I know that feeling. I have an apt in NYC also which I spend a few days a week at which is why I want the ability to remotely connect to my tank. I will have 2 dedicated cameras watching the tanks at all times too. (I want to be able to monitor as much as possible from my iphone/laptop)

Any advice on controllers? I was thinking neptune?

EDIT: I feed exclusively frozen food, but for days when I'm not home, I was wondering if there was any good combo of automatic feeder/dry food I could try? Like I said I could monitor the feed to make sure the autofeeder actually dispenses food. (I'm only 25-35 min outside of the city so if anything goes wrong, I can come home pretty quickly)

Sorry for all the questions, but you guys are helping so much!

[socalmonty]

I just bought an Apex last month and I'm just getting up the nerve to add equipment to it. For me, the programming is intimidating. So far, I really like it. I know there are plenty of die-hard Profilux and Digital Aquatics users out there who would say great things about those products. It seems like the majority of folks go with the Apex, though. I just couldn't justify the cost of the Profilux for my first controller.

[ilv4xn]

we just went with 2 AI over our 65g I have to say the color is spectacular this was by far the best reef decision we made for our tank.