Metal Halides for a 220g tank

[ebosshard]

petsupplyliquidator.com
colin is the guy helping me, helpful guy
Haven't bot it yet, but close.

Reefnutz-if I get icecaps (ballasts, right?) can I just substitute those for the ballasts they use and it will still work? can I get away with no chiller with those ballasts and no fan?

 

[Unarce]

You'll be fine sticking with their ballasts. I was recommending that you NOT pay extra for the fans that their providing. You're better off installing the IceCap brand fans. The ones they carry are pretty crappy.

You may be able to get away with no chiller if you have AC in your home, plus it's a big tank. Although the aluminum hood has a lot of surface area for heat dissipation, you'll definitely want to have a high quality fan with that much lighting. Be sure to have the fan blow out instead of into the bulbs.

My experience dealing with them was pleasant as well. Despite all my requests to get exactly what I wanted, they were very patient. Let me know how things turn out.

 

[ebosshard]

so i tell them to not put in the two fans they are proposing. I then buy two icecap brand fans and install them where they would have put their fans?

 

[ebosshard]

reefnutz

psl will put icecap fans on it for me instead of their cheapo fans. that solves my problems, right?

 

[ebosshard]

and one other question

better to go with 4 pc's rather than 2 6 footers?

72inch tank
3 mh's
question is to go with 4 power compacts or with 2 full length vho's.

thanks for feedback, ordering today probably

 

[Unarce]

That's correct about the fans.

Choice of supplement actinics is really preference. I think the PC's run cooler.

 

[reefann]

I have 4pc's 55watt running actinic on my 210. I dont feel I am getting enough from them so I hope to add some VHO
HTH
_________________
Yamaha Wiki

 

[reefann]

BTW
Yes, I agree PC's run cooler and do add blue to the tank. BUT I am not happy with the florecence I am getting and I think I would get more with VHO
_________________
Ferrari 365

 

[ebosshard]

I placed my order by can change it this morning.

reefann, you have a tank nearly the same as mine, tell me what you think I should do.

I got the 3x400 MH's. Put a 20k in the middle and 10k's on the side
I went with 4x96 pc's. I want to minimize heat (aka avoid a chiller) if possible.

Tell me if you think I am making a mistake with the pc's rather than going with vho's

Thanks (and hurry if you can!)

Eric

 

[Unarce]

Eric,

Did you order 400W moguls? Since your primary concern is heat, I would just go all out and get four 250W double-ends and run 20K's on all of them. A 250W double-end will give you the same output as a 400W single-end, but at a cooler temp. Plus, if you run all 20K's, you won't need the actinics at all, and 20K bulbs also run cooler than 10K's.

This system would give you total efficiency. You'll provide most of what the reef needs for photosynthesis with 20K without all the extra green, orange, and yellow spectrum that photosynthesis doesn't require much of.

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/s_ ... 02/pas.jpg
http://www.science.uts.edu.au/des/Staff ... hesis.html

downside: if you don't like blue
upside: fast-growing corals with the best coloring

 

[ebosshard]

Too late!!
Will have to stick with my 400w moguls and the 4x96's

remember i got 2 10k 400w and 1 20k for the middle

Your tank is the same size as mine (220g vs 210). Do you have an equipment/etc list describing anything in your tank somewhere?

WOuld be interested to learn more about what you have going on.

Mine:
220g
born on 11/30/03
200lbs live rock, 200lbs live sand
hsa-250 skimmer
you know the new lights
looking for a calc reactor now
3 clowns, 1 naso tang, 1 cleaner shrimp, 4 damsels, 1 gobie
1 leather, 1 christmas tree worm
10 blue leg hermits, 6 nassisurius snails

 

[paulfromero]

Hi guys,

I was reading the posts, and I have a question on upgrading my tank. I have a 96"x24"x30" deep tank with 4x 265W Coralife PC fixtures running 2 10k 65W PC lamps and 2 actinic 65W PC lamps each. The actinics make it look real cool in themornings and nights, however, I'm not sure my corals will thrive at the current light levels. I do, however, mount my high light requirement corals above the midway point. BTW my tank was born 12/23/2003, and is now being stocked.

I have about 9" of open space between the present fixtures if I place two in the very back and two in the very front.

My question is, given the current lighting, what MH fixtures and what temperature of light bulb should I get for maximum coral growth?

Thanks for any replys,

Paul

 

[Unarce]

To do it as efficiently as possible, I would go with 3 double-ended fixtures. One 10K in the middle and two 20K's on each end. 250watt double-ends will cover a bit more area and will be enough for a 30" deep. This will meet most corals photosynthetic need of the red spectrum (10K) and more importantly the blue spectrum (20K's). Your tank could pretty much handle anything lightwise.

One thing to keep in mind is that lighting is only a part of the equation. If you want maximum growth, you have to make sure your tank is providing enough zooplankton. Corals will grow at least twice as fast if zooplankton is regularly available to them. Those pods need to be mass-producin'!

 

[ebosshard]

Best way to make sure zooplankton are growing as quickly as possible?

 

[Unarce]

Having some type of refugium is a good start. The meiofauna can proliferate quite readily within the rock, sand, or macroalgae. The main system doesn't necessarily have to have a DSB. 2" of mixed grains will provide a variety of habitats for a wider variety of meiofauna. Regular feedings of phytoplankton will help them thrive. Each time they breed, the larvae provide exceptional nutirition for SPS corals. The primary reason I don't use a skimmer is the removal of the larvae.

BTW, how are your new lights coming along?

 

[ebosshard]

new lights are doing great!! have dialed the temps back on my heaters a bit as lights increase temp 3-4 degrees. Used to aim for 78 and could get to 81-82. Now aim for 76 and dont get past 80.

On my fuge I am going to add around a 25 gallon fuge below the tank. Put some live rock in it, sand, and buy some fauna/algea/calerupa(sp). will pump around 100gph to the tank, then have it gravity drop back to the sump right next to the return pump (so they dont get skimmed).

I know this will chop up my new friends most likely, but it is the only way I can do this(???).

any input would be appreciated.

everything else in the tank is doing great (12 fish, plate, sarco/leather, elegance, frogspawn)

Eric

 

[Unarce]

Glad you like them. I really like how they lined the whole hood with reflectors. It allows the actinic light on my refugium to reflect back up and illuminate the tank with moonlight during the reverse photoperiod.

Your softies will actually feed directly from phytoplankton, so you'll want to shut off the skimmer while feeding.

 

[ebosshard]

you have a hang on fuge?

how big is your tank and how big is your fuge

 

[Unarce]

I have a built-in wet/dry that I keep coral rubble, Chaetomorpha, and some turbos in. Since the rear glass is clear, I simply just velcroed the actinic light to the back. I just prefer the simple plumbing and convenience.

 

[kim]

A 250W double-end will give you the same output as a 400W single-end, but at a cooler temp

Hi !

Do you have the evidence for this ? I've read of a few people comparing intensity at particular points, and finding that a 250 W DE plus reflector gave, within a small area, an intensity comaparable to that of a 400 W SE plus reflector. But that's (IMO) a function of the reflector's design. I just doubled the peak intensity of my 400 W reflectors by adding a strip of aluminium to restrict the beam spread - so you see how difficult it can be to get true data.

If I look at lamp manufacturer's data (eg BLV, who make both designs) (and ignore reflectors), they suggest that output per watt is pretty much the same for the two designs, which makes more sense to me.

I would agree that it's probably easier to find a DE reflector appropriate to aquaria - and that is an important factor for those not interested in pfaffing about.

Many thanks,

kim