Solatubes

[Troy Valentine]

I am thinking really hard about installing 4-14" tubes(+T5s) to light my reef. Are there any Maastards that may have any experience with these? Or have any of you seen them in person? I need some honest local opinions.

Here is what it should look like, or I hope it should look like.

[BIGBIRD123]

All I can say is.... Dayum!

Steve

[subsailor]

Some one had a build thread going that was utilizing something simular, I just cant remember who it was.

[BIGBIRD123]

caferacermike....

[subsailor]

oh yeah..... now i remember.

[CoryDude]

Always wondered if you could use them to supplement lighting on a home tank. Saw a large show tank at our hotel in Honolulu that used a combo of natural sunlight and 1000W MH.

[Troy Valentine]

Dayum is right!!!!

In the morning sunlight pores through my front window and lights the tank up like a light bulb. Not even 400watt 6500k Iwasakis can come close to the intensity. Does Caferacermike have them installed yet?

[Troy Valentine]

I cannot remember where I saw it but someone did PAR readings on their tank and they were getting 1500+ on the bottom of the tank, and I think the tank was at least 24" deep

[hobogato]

thanks troy, now im looking into this also.....

[Bill S]

Wait a minute... Ace, you have a 2 story house!

[Troy Valentine]

I reccommend going to their location here in town. They have an 11x13 room with 1-14" tube, that will light the room completely from the ceiling to the floor. It even has a baffle to control the amount of light in the room.

[hobogato]

i know, the 14" tubes are good for up to 30 foot long tubes, and they would run thru our closet upstairs.... looks like it will cost about $2500 for me to install four tubes. it would take 4 years in electricity to pay for it, not to mention bulbs, etc....

[RayAllen]

Here is a link to a guy who has done it and seems to be working

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=56125&perpage=25&highlight=solatubes&pagenumber=1

[RayAllen]

You should go for it. I was already impressed with your tank Troy this would put it over the top not to mention make it "Green" and save you a little "Green" as well.

[aquasport24]

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f20/warrenerraw/tank.jpg


Check this tank out.

[cpreefguy]

WOW :what_smile:

[hobogato]

here is another one from that thread using skylights

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h231/Rod_the_Roofer/2050c.jpg

[Zoofan]

I wonder if these guys supplement light in the winter or if they do fine with what they get? I guess we are about the latitude as some of the Red Sea reefs maybe it wouldn't be a problem. The cost is not bad when you starting putting the priced of bulbs and if you add up the cost of the lights in the first place it seems like they would pay for themselves quickly.

Mike

[bimmerzs]

Impressive result's, I bet there are no heating issues. :)
Cheers,

[LoneStar]

Wow Ace...Christy is gonna give up closet space for the solar tubes?



...now thats dedication! :)

[captexas]

I'd be curious about the supplementing the light at times when it's not so bright. I guess you could do pendants and hang them between the tubes. Be nice to make some kind of hood or furdown from the ceiling to hide the tubes. Maybe tie a light sensor into a controller that turns them on/off based on the overall amount of light.

[hobogato]

ok, lowe's has suntek solar light tubes:

10"
didnt get pricing

14"

roof mount with flashing and dome diffuser - $207

22" extension tube - $52


solar tube brand from the local dealer not installed:

14"

roof mount with flashing and diffuser - $355

24" extension tubes - $50

so if i get the stuff at lowe's, three 14" tubes (the equivalent of 400W halides +) and enough tube to run to my roof (from the first floor) it would cost about $2000. it would save me at least $600 a year in electricity costs and save more because there would be no halide bulbs to replace. i would still run my actinic T5 suppliments for better color..... very tempting

[Zoofan]

Why do you need the actinic? Does the cover filter out some of the spectrum? If not you would have full spectrum and wouldn't seem like you need to supplement if the sun is out.

[wesheltonj]

While I do not have one of these over my tank I do have one in an interior bathroom. When the sun is out and overhead, its like you are outside it so bright. But with cloud cover and morning and evening, they are not that bright. It will still light up the room. The solortube brand uses a different reflective material in their tube which give out a brighter light. I do not know what of the spcectum is absorbed, filtered or reflected. At night the light that in the house is reflected up and out the tube, so you will have a light on your roof.

[cpreefguy]

very tempting

Do it :bigsmile:

Lowes will email you a 10% off coupon here:
http://www.lowesmoving.com/default.asp

[hobogato]

i would keep the actinic lights for two reasons:

1. some of the UV light is lost in the skylight tubes and
2. the color temp of the sun is about 6500k, not the most pleasing to look at, so the actinic would make the corals and tank look more blue

[RayAllen]

not pleasing to look at but 65k will make those corals grow fast!

[cpreefguy]

I love this guys 90g with solatubes and actinics, the light color is awesome:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=10723853#post10723853
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i122/JMBoehling/P9070106Small.jpg

[caferacermike]

Bah I'd never do it again.

WAY TO MUCH MONEY!! Thankfully I got a construction hook up or I would have spent near $1,800 for my 3 installed. Installing was a PITA. Did not go anywhere as well as the instructions said it would. I used their equipment to mark out the holes in the roof, cut 3 of them out, lined up the first elbow that goes through the roof, let go, and WHAM! it falls right on through to the floor. The hole was larger than the holding lip. Thankfully I'm a construction guy and was able to have a tin knocker friend bring me in some collars that were 2" wider and actually fit the elbow. I had to fit this "washer" over the hole, nail it down and then place the elbow through it. Then I had to remove almost 1/4 of the shingles from one side of the roof. I hate replacing those shingles. Again another huge pain. Don't forget to worry for several weeks that maybe you'll have a leak somewhere and since it only rains once every 6 months, you'd never know until it was to late. The elbows do not line up as well as described in the manual, I had to finagle it all in place. I had to special order an additional 48" of 14" tube, $130 extra and only available online. The tubing does not quite fit as together as well as you might expect or want.

More issues include.. The fact that as you attempt to place these items close to each other, you'll find space IS an issue. The collectors on my roof practically touch each other. There is only about 6" of space between each tube. This severely limits your ability to install them. Much pre-planning is necessary to work your way out from the tightest spot outwards. Your stud work can limit your ability to bring the tubes were you want them.

I had to remove a huge portion of my ceiling and completely redo the framing near where the tank was going to allow the 14" tubes to make a direct shot to where I wanted them. This was fine with me as I had planned to alter my ceiling over the tank to accommodate this.

Don't believe the hype over at Sola-Tube. I went to their outlet store, I was impressed but not with the double the price. They like to show you their "competitors" material. Of the 2 systems I had to use, they were identical in finish to that of Sola-Tube. Only the collectors were different. I would recommend using the very large 20" kits with the 24"x24" commercial grid system if you can afford $600 apiece. They use a magnifying diffuser.

Now if you've read this far you might be asking how well does it work? It works well enough. At this point I don't have the tank under it yet, crossed fingers it will be in place within 2 weeks. The light output of 3x 14" units in a 7'x3' space is excellent. I would compare it to about 3x250w. Not quite the astounding 1500w I was hoping for. I think it will suffice for the 400g tank I have to place there. I do plan to run about 4 or 6 6' VHO bulbs as supplemental light. Both for color and the fact that the days will be short in the winter.

Check this thread for installation pics. http://maast.org/forums/showthread.php?t=38111

I finally installed the last tube yesterday. I planned to upload new pics on Sunday after I paint my new trailer.

Feel free to PM with any questions. Feel free to come by and take a look at finished product as well.

[caferacermike]

As promised pics have been uploaded to above link. Check it out first hand.

[clone]

oh man this is intresting,tagging along.
the colors would be so intense.
check this out
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1154644

[Texreefer]

Its been ordered,, I am installing 1 - 18" skylight over my reef and the rest will be lit by 6 54w T5s. I am using this one http://www.skylightguys.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=3

I almost went with a 21" but they are mainly commercial, they have a 21" for residential but it is flush mount to the roof and it is flexible ducting and after talking to this guy that sells both, he says the 18" ridgid is brighter Than the 21" flexible

[RayAllen]

Alright Mike im anxtious to see your results.

[hobogato]

just ordered 3 @ 14" tubes for my tank. at 16' long, the grand total including shipping was $1300 from a place called sun dome in florida. they should be here by friday, so hopefully i will get them installed this weekend :D

[Bill S]

OK - but WHERE are you going to put them? You have a 2 story house...

[hobogato]

luckily, they run just inside the wall of our large 12'X12' closet, so we will just lose a little over a foot of closet space :)

[cpreefguy]

just ordered 3 @ 14" tubes for my tank. at 16' long, the grand total including shipping was $1300 from a place called sun dome in florida. they should be here by friday, so hopefully i will get them installed this weekend :D
I knew something wasn't right when you told me "next summer" :lauging:

[RayAllen]

Alright ACE! I will be looking for you build thread. Mikes is a lot of fun.

[Bill S]

There is NO WAY you could be that lucky! How about this:

Put a BIG fuge up in that closet, and run a tube to it too...

Oh, she's going to kill me for that suggestion!

[hobogato]

There is NO WAY you could be that lucky!



whattaya mean?

[Bill S]

That you HAPPEN to have a closet (rather than a room) right above your tank! Like mine. I have my office right above the tank. I'd have 3 tubes going through my office!

[hobogato]

i suppose that is pretty lucky.... also looks like i wont have to even cut thru any rafters, ceiling joists or floor joists :)

[Texreefer]

Mike and I both have tubes but no tank to light up,, Ace will be the first one to actually see what they look like above his Reef..:shades: We are gonna have to start a Solar forum... :wink_smile: I know Brian lives about 70 miles from me but I can already hear the wheels turning :innocent2:,,, comon join club Solar:ph34r:

[Texreefer]

I'd have 3 tubes going through my office!

cover them with carpet and get yourself three big cats(scratching posts)

Or better yet....... aaahhh never mind i'm gonna get you in trouble:bigsmile:

[Bill S]

OK, guys. I really NEED to understand. I've reviewed the threads on RC. Remember, I also NEARLY made the switch last summer to LEDs (I've since become a BIG LED fan of lighting for yachts - it's beginning to turn into a little business). BUT, with NO SIGNIFICANT evidence that this is really a good idea, I'm trying to understand why you two:

The last TWO "TANK OF THE YEAR" guys...

Would embrace this unproven technology? Seriously. I REALLY hope this works. But, I'm kind of dumbfounded... Using sunlight to grow corals that typically grow WAY down in the water column.

I really REALLY hope this works.

[Texreefer]

Well, If it doesn't work I still have FREE light for my fish room.. I'm quite sure my par would not be much more than Brians readings on his tank. the difference is the pare will easily reach the bottom of the tank and in every corner. this light goes through a diffuser, 98% of UV is filtered and the light is 26" above my tank.. its going to save me an estimated $600 a year in electricity, Its been proven by seaworld they have huge vats on their roof in open sunlight and get great results, also their huge tang tank in the entry is open to a skylight above.. with this much stuff working in my favor, I just had to try it.. I am very confident in the results i will see.

[cpreefguy]

cover them with carpet and get yourself three big cats(scratching posts)


Then the cat goes down the tube and you find it in your reef eating your fishies! :bigsmile:

[LoneStar]

It should work pretty good. A LFS up here, Tropicorium, has all their livestock in large vats in a building where they use a slanted wall/ceiling that is a giant green house panel.

[RayAllen]

I agree that it does and will work for whom ever goes for it. We are talking the power of the sun here. I honestly cant think of why it would not work considering how direct the light will be projected into the aquarium.

[Bill S]

Well, here are a couple of thoughts. Seriously, I'm not trying to be negative, it's just that I worry when folks jump into something new...

We grow corals in our tanks, in the top 20" or so of the tank water. These corals grow WAY deeper on the reefs. Reef lighting tends to get much bluer as you go deeper.

In my experience on many reefs, corals at the top of the reef are generally brown. Just plain brown.

Daylight bulbs should be around 5500 Kelvin. Does ANYONE use those in their tanks? 10,000 Kelvin, yes. But not 5500. Tell me if I'm wrong here, but corals seem to respond best to lighting between 10K and 20K - with more growth and less color at the bottom end, and more color and less growth at the top end.

If 5500 really worked, than the coral farmers would be using 5500 bulbs instead of 20Ks.

Remember, the Sea World tank is insanely deep - allowing for natural filtration of the sunlight. I didn't get the "behind the scenes" tour to see the coral tanks under natural light.

Like I said about the LED lights: Someone show me growing corals with good coloration under daylight, and I'm in!

[LoneStar]

Thats why you just supplement with t5 actinics.

[Jamie]

I agree. I think that good growth will come from the 6000K range (the sun) and good coloration will be obtained through T5 suplementation. One of the 6 bulbs over my tank is 6000K and IMO it is helping growth out.

Without the T5's in the blue/actinic range, I would tend to agree that the coloration would be poor.

[hobogato]

one other thing to remember, the aluminum tube does not transmit ALL of the light, and tend to shift the light to a slightly more blue tint than natural sunlight. the light coming in to mike's tank from the solar tube was white - there was no tint of yellow like a 6.5K bulb will give. also, almost all of the uv is blocked by the collector and the diffuser.

[RayAllen]

Good thing most of the uv is blocked or you and Mike would have tan hands year round, lol.

[DrMark]

Time will tell on how the corals grow and color with the solar tubes and actinics. Or, as my Dad would say, "proof is in the pudding"............he is British.
Thumbs up, you guys, for going to all the work and expense to install these. If works well, will be a money savings in the long run. If not, another expensive (time + money) experience in this hobby to learn from. There are many of those, at least for me anyway.
My house would be impossible to do Solar tubes on any of the tanks. I will soon be at about 2200 watts of lighting with the 3 tanks.
mark

[RayAllen]

Time will tell on how the corals grow and color with the solar tubes and actinics. Or, as my Dad would say, "proof is in the pudding"............he is British.


Trial and Error has been part of the hobby for me since the beggining.

On a side note Dr. Mark

LOL, My wife and I are huge british television/BBC/comedy fans. I love the saying "Proof is in the pudding"

[RayAllen]

Another Sun Lit realted thread. Pretty cool green house at the end.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1095596&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

[Captain Jack]

Let us know how it turns out.