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dzhuo

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Hi,
This is my first post to reefs.org! :wink:

I am planning to purchase a 100G tank with dimension 48"x24"x20". First of all, will this be a good size tank? too short (only 20")?

I am planning to keep soft coral first as they are easier to keep but I would eventually want to keep SPS and calm so I want to have a good lighting system to begin with and avoid upgrade later (I don't like the upgrade later theory). my plan is to have a 2 x 250W MH + 2 VHO (or PC) actinic. will this lighting combination be enough to keep SPS and calm (as well as soft corals of course)? how about 2 x 400W Pandent?

how about 4 x 96W PC since my tank is only 20" high and after a 4" DSB, it will only be about 16" high. will the PC be enough?

any other idea? Lighting is very confusing... :cry:

thanks!
david
 

Len

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WELCOME TO REEFS.ORG!!!!! :) :P :D

Size of the aquarium is just fine. If you can, might as well go 4" deeper and get a 120 gallon like mine (www.reefscapes.net). It's a standard size nowadays.

For lighting, I highly recommend you go with Aqualine lights (got mine at The Coral Reef Aquarium). I am using a 2x250W Aquaspacelight with 4 VHO actinics on my tank at the moment, and my tank is heavily stocked with LPS, SPS, soft, and clams. Sunlight Supply units (also available on that website) manufacturers terrific fixtures as well. Keep reading www.advancedaquarist.com the next few months as each month will have an exclusive and very in-depth review of lighting setups.

PCs are a big step down from these units. They will work for most corals, but not all. Since you have the right attitude in buying "right" the first time, go with the Aqualine fixtures or Sunlight Supply pendants.
 

AgentSPS

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Don't take shortcuts with lighting! Go with what has been tried and proven over a decade. PFO hands down makes the highest quality product. Have them make you a custom pendant hood with a pair of 400W PFO HQI 20K Radiums (only $25-30 more to step up from 250 to 400 watt) and two VHO actinics. They will custom make the hood with spider reflectors and fans. Mine has a very clean look...all the cords are neatly covered in a single sheath. It is not the cheapest way to go but again...if you get into SPS, you will regret going with anything less. I don't want to piss off any of the people using those HQI double ended systems but I have seen many of those lights in use and they just do not look as nice as a normal mogul halide. They are very bright but very yellow/white. You will need a lot of actinic to balance it out. Plus they cost BANK.

Just a thought on the tank, I find that a 24" x 24" profile works a little better when working with reefs and building live rock structures.
 

Len

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Reefer_Guy":zb7dkx9u said:
I don't want to piss off any of the people using those HQI double ended systems but I have seen many of those lights in use and they just do not look as nice as a normal mogul halide. They are very bright but very yellow/white. You will need a lot of actinic to balance it out. Plus they cost BANK.

Reefer_Guy,

At the risk of sounding strident, I am not sure what DE systems you have looked at, but from my extensive experiences with just about EVERY imaginable light used over reefs, I am confident DE bulbs look just as crisp white (if not more so) then mogul halides. They are also brighter. I replaced my 400W Moguls/Spiderlights with 2x250W Aqualine DEs, and without exaggeration, they are brighter. If my eyes lie, my PAR meter does not. ANd they are better built then ANY American comparables for not much more (maybe a $100 premium, well worth it). Sunlight Supply is the only American manufacturer that comes close. :)

Follow the upcoming advancedaquarist articles to get a sense of who actually makes the best lighting for reefs. PFO makes good units, but are by far not the best. For the price, they're generally good deals.
 

NaH2Ofreak

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First of all....Leonard....I very much enjoy the EXPERIENCE you are willing to share with other reefers. I know that I have personally learned A LOT from your posts!

site1004.jpg


Duhzo, the above tank is a Tenecor tank. It is the EXACT deminsions that you are thinking about, 48x24x20. I have enjoyed this size tank. The 20" height is nice in my opinion because it makes lighting a tad bit eaiser. I have 2 175W 10Ks and 4 VHO's and I am growing SPS corals just fine. I dont think the liverock structures look too bad either.

If I had it to do all over again though, I would DEFINITLY go with the 250W aqualine lights recommended by Leonard. I have seen these lights in person and they truely are AWSOME!!!!!

Dennis
 

dzhuo

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Thanks for Leonard,Reefer_Guy and NaH2Ofreak for the valuable information! It's very helpful and it cleared out alot of confusion for me. I will probably go with 2x250W Aqauline MH + 2 VHO (or PC). As I said before, lighting is very confusing but with all of your help, I think I am on the right direction.

Reefer_Guy mention that PDO can make custom hood. I think that's exactly what I am looking for since I can DIY a hood. Do you guys know if any company can make custom Aqualine hood? I have checked a couple of places(yes, include hellolights.com) but none of them helps customer to make custom hood! Any suggestion?

thanks again!
david
 

AgentSPS

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dzhuo":pp39p2k8 said:
Reefer_Guy mention that PDO can make custom hood. I think that's exactly what I am looking for since I can DIY a hood.
thanks again!
david

PFO will only make you a custom one with their lights. Most of the dual ended solutions are german made and standard hoods/pendants. I must say, they are very very sleek in design. I think it is aqualine that has one with lunar simulation. Those Germans go nutz on this sort of stuff.

this is what mine looks like without the canopy over it:

http://www.ververate.com/cgi-bin/i/erik ... nk_far.jpg

http://www.ververate.com/cgi-bin/i/erik ... d_Side.jpg
 

Len

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Dennis, thanks for the encouraging words. There's nothing more rewarding in this hobby then having your experiences (good and bad) benefit other fellow hobbyists.

David, Aqualine can't build custom units for numerous reasons. But if you look at their design, it is simply an engineering marvel :):
spacelight.gif


All the components are built into that sliver of a fixture, very handsomely packaged and supremely built. For some unexplainable reason, it actually runs cooler then other DEs and moguls once you factor in heat of ballst (since it's built into the fixture), all the while being brighter then my previous 400 watters. As an American, I hate to admit it, but Germans have us beat with lighting and pumps. :)

Mine is mounted in the canopy since I had didn't want to hang it from the ceilng; the unit comes with a hanging system that is more sophisticated then some American units as a whole! ;) Shame too, since the design is so sexy. But I am defintely getting the light intensity I want, with less wattage and heat to boot.
 

dzhuo

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I am thinking about this one in particular, do you think it's a good one for my tank?

http://www.inverts.com/Merchant2/mercha ... de=ABHoods

you mention that you don't want to hang it over your ceiling so you have it mount in a canopy. where did you buy the canopy? which lighting system you buy and is it easy to mount?

Sorry and I know my question is very newbie! Thanks!

david
 

dzhuo

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houstonreefer":3a0qgd0l said:
Go for AB fixture. You will love it.

Hi,
what do you mean by AB fixture? I am very new and don't know what AB fixture is! If you could provide a link where I can find this product, it will be great!!!

thanks!
david
 

Len

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I am using the Aquaspacelight 250x2 without PCs. I have 4 VHOs in my canopy. I had the canopy built locally by a company named Lee Mar.

For ceiling mounts, it's relatively easy but the unit most be mounted to solid material (i.e. not drywall) since these fixtures weigh around 40 lbs. The mounting hardware that comes with these fixtures is innovative.

AB=Aqualine Buskhe, the name of the manufacturer for these lights.
 

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