goin' solar

[hobogato]

we have decided to replace the metal halide lights on the tank with solar tubes. the problem with that decision is that our house is a two story house and the tank is downstairs. luckily, our master closet is directly over the tank and somewhat oversized.

the first thing to do was cut out part of the floor in the closet to look at the floor/ceiling joists (i did this a couple of days ago)

uncut
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3656.jpg
wood laminant removed
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3658.jpg
floor decking removed
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3660.jpg
it turns out, the joists are situated so i will be relocating the tubes about 3" to from centered.

the next thing to do was clear out all of the lighting above the tank (did this yesterday)

before
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3661.jpg
after
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3662.jpg
all the stuff i took out
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3663.jpg

the solar tubes arrived today, so the goal is to install the "inside the house" parts today and go up on the roof tomorrow morning before it gets hot. ill post pics of what i get done in a while.

[ErikH]

You guys are too crafty. :)

[RayAllen]

Holey Moley Batman!! All that was under the canopy. WoW! Are you going to tarp the tank to keep debri out.

[cpreefguy]

Good luck Ace, knowing you, it will turn out like you have done it before :bigsmile:

[aquasport24]

You might be A REEFNECK, if you have more lighting and epuipment under your canopy than all the LFS conbined.

[hobogato]

got the tubes installed over the tank and the floor board back in place in the closet. once the foam hardens, i will trim it and reinstall the flooring.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3666.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3665.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3667.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3668.jpg
now back to finishing the new aluminum light rack for the t5 actinics.....

[tony]

you guys are crazy!

[SoLiD]

Wow... :ph34r:

[RayAllen]

Great Job. You are quick!

[ErikH]

Great Job. You are quick!

No joke, Ace needs to be on a show for the world's fastest DIY!

[LoneStar]

Nice job so far.

Maybe when I fly down in December I'll be able to check it out in person :)

[BIGBIRD123]

Are you going to box them in and add the shelves.....Like I suggested....LOL!

S

[DrMark]

I am impressed. My wife has her "own" closet the size of my bedroom when I was a kid, but no way she would let me do that.
mark

[CoryDude]

Looks like everyone's catching the solar fever.

[subsailor]

I saw this in person last night. man it is going to be nice.

[clone]

nice job Ace, when its done can i go by and check it out?

[patman]

Looks cool. I don't really know anything about this, what's the thought process with the "solar tube" thingy?

[sharkboy]

ingenuity at its finest...wow!

[hobogato]

well, I made the mistake of sitting on the couch to look at the tank after mike and I finished putting the tubes in and I don't think I'll move the rest of the day.

[RayAllen]

Come on Now, get up and snap some pics! You know us fish geeks like the pics!

[alteredego]

What brand solar tube are you using?
Did you order through Home Depot?

I just bought the corner tank I've been looking for. Now I want to light it the best way for coral. What's better than natural sunlight? But the question is, do I need two 10" or one 14"?
The tank is only 100g but I need it to be done right.
Those of you that have done the solar tubes, please let me know what you think in terms of one or two tubes.
I will more than likely add some attinic lighting as well maybe some VHO's.
Any suggestions would be great. I've got a three week window to make this happen.

[RayAllen]

What brand solar tube are you using?
Did you order through Home Depot?

I just bought the corner tank I've been looking for. Now I want to light it the best way for coral. What's better than natural sunlight? But the question is, do I need two 10" or one 14"?
The tank is only 100g but I need it to be done right.
Those of you that have done the solar tubes, please let me know what you think in terms of one or two tubes.
I will more than likely add some attinic lighting as well maybe some VHO's.
Any suggestions would be great. I've got a three week window to make this happen.

We have 2 of the best tanks and guys doing this; Mike and Ace. I would wait and see their results before jumping in. Give it a few weeks and will see how well it works through these 2. Who better to try it than these guys.

[hobogato]

scott, i ordered from a place in florida called sun dome.

ok, so the t5 light rack is finished and hung, so i thought i would snap a few pics....

just the frame
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3670.jpg
with all the stuff
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3671.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3672.jpg
here it is installed, notice the solar tubes look a little different. the diffusers cut out too much light and without them, the light spread too much. so, i added a 12" extension to focus the light into the tank more. these pics were taken around 5:30, and you can see there is still a considerable amount of light coming in.

light rack in place
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3673.jpg
light rack raised - can pick up one end or the other or the whole thing.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3674.jpg

also planning to line the entire inside of the "canopy" with mylar once i find a suitable adhesive. this should direct any stray sun rays into the water as well.

[BigKGlen]

3M spray, Ace. Used it on mine and works great.

[glennr1978]

^^ That looks awesome!!! One day when I jump up to the big leagues I'm definitely going to consider natural lighting!

[hobogato]

thanks kevin, i will try that.

[LoneStar]

I want to see a FTS at noon tomorrow with the solar tubes and actinics on :)

[princer7]

More pics pleeeeze :bigsmile:

[patman]

I want to see a FTS at noon tomorrow with the solar tubes and actinics on :)
Absolutely! I love this whole idea. I've got to figure out how I can make that happen at my house....well once I actually have a tank up and running...:redface::D

[Texreefer]

For those thinking about doing this,,,, IT IS A PERMANENT ALTERATION! Make sure you can live with your results. I love the look of Ace's tank since I helped him install them I was able to see that change first hand... very cool.. I can't wait to get my tank back up in a couple of weeks

[Ping]

I would like to know how much your electric bill goes down next month.

Does the chiller come on less often now? Or not at all?

[phrog]

I understand the concept of using natural light, but what will happen in the winter? Are we close enough to the correct latitudes for the corals to get enough light through the winter when the sun will be more diffuse and the days are shorter?

[apedroza]

Even in the winter we get at leat 8 hrs a day of sun, so they should still get enought if the placement of the tubes are unobstructed.

[phrog]

That 8 hours of sun in January is not the same as 8 hours of sun in July.

[alteredego]

Ace, I cant view any pics from here. I bet it looks nice, judgeing from others posts.
Could I take a look at your tank once I get back to the states? I'm looking around mid Aug.
I would also like to talk about some acrylic work for a computer stand if your still interested.
I'll also be installing a Neptune aquacontroller III pro, so I can help with the maintanance from Iraq via the net. My wife is having a hard time.

[hobogato]

sounds good scott.

pete, i hope it goes down quite a bit :)

phrog, if necessary i can add some white t5 lights during the winter to raise the par.

[TexasTodd]

Nice Ace, I've always thought this was the best long term way to go.

There was a guy in CA about 4 years ago that build a tank abou 500g in a separate building/shed with a huge rectangle skylight. He also hung a few 400w halides for low light times.....if he fired the MH during the day you couldn't even tell they were on due to the light intensity from the sun.

I think there's plenty of sun power in the winter here. People culture in greenhouses in Northern states all year and even have to use screens in the summer to cut light amount back.

Very cool!

Todd

[hobogato]

decided to document the sunrise this morning. i will also take a new picture every hour to show how the light changes thru the day.

all of these pics are solar tubes only, no actinics. all are taken at with the aperture at 5 and the exposure time for each is noted.

7:00 - 1.6sec (no visible sun outside, just atmospheric light)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/7.jpg
7:10 - 1.3sec (no visible sun outside, just atmospheric light)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/7_10.jpg
7:20 - 0.8sec (sun peaking over trees and houses)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/7_20.jpg
7:30 - 0.6sec
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/7_30.jpg
7:40 - 0.5sec
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/7_40.jpg
7:50 - 0.4sec
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/7_50.jpg
8:00 - 1/3sec
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/8.jpg

[hobogato]

no for the daily pics, ill come back and update this post every hour with a new pic....

solar tubes only
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/solartubes.jpg
solar tubes with actinics
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/solartubesactinics.jpg

[patman]

those shots are excellent! Man, I want to do this...:)

[RayAllen]

Id have to say that last shot looks excellent. The color IMO is great.

[hobogato]

i would say it is as bright as my tank was with the 5 @ 250 watt SE refflux 12K lights at about 11:00 (one hour earlier than i used to turn them on) it didnt hit the brightest point until about 1:00 yesterday, so the next two pics should be interesting....

[hobogato]

adding pics here to keep em on the last page - really changed from 11 to 12

solar tubes only
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/solartubes.jpg
solar tubes with actinic
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/solartubesactinics.jpg

[verynewatthis]

blown away....now im going to be reading up on Solar lights all day..lol....ty ty...
nice thread
looking forward to more pics

rich

Stay Cav

[apedroza]

Excellent job Ace. Keep us posted on how the growth in your tank is!!

[lt1z28]

Sweet!!!

[Tavio]

That is just too cool. Very nice!:applause:

[Triggerman]

very nice clean set-up and coloration so far!!! that zebra eel is awesome!!!

[hobogato]

i made a smaller version of the finished chart of pictures so the color change is easier to see.

no actinics left, actinics right
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/solartubes2.jpghttp://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/solartubesactinics2.jpg

[cpreefguy]

Hows that for a dusk to dawn effect!!!
Awesome.
the 12:00 makes the Vlamingi look like a ghost fish :D

[LoneStar]

That last side by side photo is a nice comparison. Just curious, how cloudy was it today when you took your photos?

[hobogato]

no clouds today....

yesterday there were some clouds and it was really cool to watch the tank dim as they passed. cant wait for the next full moon! also, the shimmer effect is much brighter than it was with halides, almost like looking at a swimming pool.

[Triggerman]

are all the T5 bulbs actinic??? what size and wattages are you using???

[patman]

i made a smaller version of the finished chart of pictures so the color change is easier to see.

no actinics left, actinics right
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/solartubes2.jpghttp://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/solartubesactinics2.jpg

MAN! this really puts it into perspective. really cool:thumbs_up:

[coraline79]

Man That is Nice!!!

[hobogato]

i am running all 24" (8 @ 40 watts each) and 36" (4 @ 65 watts each) URI super actinic. i am running three workhorse 7 ballasts to overdrive them to that wattage. it comes out to 580 watts.


are all the T5 bulbs actinic??? what size and wattages are you using???


thanks patman, i thought it was a cool chart as well.....

[verynewatthis]

i have one question.....First off let me say i love it...But my question is....
when you took the defusers off for better light...what is going to keep dust out of the
tunnels? i would guess after a bit of time dust would kill the reflecting quality and keep
the light from getting all the way down to your tank. Im just wondering...i hope i didnt
sound negative, just wondering...

rich

Stay Cav

[hobogato]

i think i am going to cover the end with clear acrylic rich.

[verynewatthis]

How much light do you think you will lose when you do.....what will pass more light...acrylic...glass, or low led gl*****?...reason i ask is cuz my old man dose leaded glass and can cut out any shape....lol...he even has a glass band saw of sorts..let me know if you go with glass..

rich

Stay Cav

[hobogato]

thanks rich, but the clarity of acrylic is higher than glass, so almost no light should be lost if i do that. not sure if i am going to cover them at all at the moment.

[hobogato]

thanks joe :)

[stoneroller]

That's really awesome, Ace. When did you do the overdrive of the Actinics? From the beginning?

[hobogato]

That's really awesome, Ace. When did you do the overdrive of the Actinics? From the beginning?

yep, i set them up that way from the start. they arent really overdriven, these particular bulbs are supposed to be made for that higher wattage but will still look ok with lower wattage.

[seamonkey2]

Ace dude, it looks great, and the zeebra is sun bathing :)

she looks big, I am thinking almost as big as mine.

Jose

[ErikH]

Man the coloration is very nice with the actinics at high noon! Very cool man, now you need to let us know your savings on bills! :)

[hobogato]

yep, that eel is pretty big - btw, dont let yours bite you, it hurts pretty bad.....

erik, i cant wait for my next electricity bill (that just doesnt sound right eh?)

here is a quick before and after comparison.....
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/compare.jpg

[captexas]

I think your fish are going to need some sunscreen! LOL Looks good.

[seamonkey2]

got it, let me write it down, "dont let eel bite me, it hurts", thanks Ace :)

thats bright, I second the sunscreen for the fish comment.

Jose

[rpc]

That setup looks great!!!

DO you have a PAR meter? I'd be really curious to see the readings throughout the day.

Richard

[roscozman]

Looks Great.

[hobogato]

more changes coming....... stay tuned :ph34r:

[littlewrentx]

After I left your house yesterday, I kept thinking "Wait they have a two story house. how the heck did he do that?"

[SoLiD]

Electricity Bill............. :ph34r:

[verynewatthis]

OHH...you cant leave a teaser like that....whats next, a wind powered wavemaker??...its going to be hard for you to out do this one...

loven it
rich

Stay Cav

[princer7]

How are the corals adapting to the change?

[clone]

^^^ I second that question,any change in color? any alege blooms?I know we talked about the heat issue when i went by that day ,but has it changed,is it hotter?

[roscozman]

My wife and I went by Ace's house yesterday for him to modify our skimmer collection cup (BTW-Thanks Ace, came out great) and saw the solar tubes first hand. He is making some additional modifications and it looks great so far. Can't want till he puts up pics of the completed project.

[cpreefguy]

more changes coming....... stay tuned :ph34r:
Let me guess, solar panels? A totally self sufficient, sun-powered reef? :ph34r:

[hobogato]

i wish.

[BIGBIRD123]

No,,he's putting together an exercise bike generator for power and with all the energy that Zack and Alex have, there is no problem with the usage...LOL! Might even be able to sell back to CPS...LOL!

S

[hobogato]

here is what i have been working on for the last couple of days - decided to do away with the canopy all together and go open top. still a little finish work to be done, but you get the idea

front
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3675.jpg
back
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3676.jpg
top (the t5 racks will get an acrylic cover painted gloss white tomorrow)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3677.jpg

[LoneStar]

Wow...Love it! Very classy :)

[Triggerman]

very nice...are you able to do away with your chiller???

[subsailor]

That is awesome Ace. Love the new look.

[hobogato]

since i have magdrive pumps for returns/skimmer, seio 2600s in the tank, and a 175 watt halide on the clam tank, there is still a heat load, but i bet the chiller works quite a bit less :) :applause:


very nice...are you able to do away with your chiller???

[Triggerman]

i think you should see a good drop in your elec. bill....going green pays off!!!

[DrMark]

I like it with the open top.
Need a good report at a month to see how you feel corals are doing.
mark

[patman]

Ace! You wouldn't be making a trip to Michigan any time soon would ya? I've got a spare bedroom....:wink_smile:

[stoneroller]

What a difference, absolutely looks great.

[ErikH]

That looks very very nice Ace!

[cpreefguy]

Yeah that looks awesome

[RayAllen]

Nice Ace! A lot more modern and classy. Also makes the space look so much bigger.

[Bill S]

Oh, like usual, you suck. Putting me totally to shame. Seriously, that looks so cool.

[The Butcher]

Stunning, absolutely stunning!

[SoLiD]

Show Off.... :applause:

[Submariner]

Wow... you've got a gift for DIY. Very nice.

[Texreefer]

Yeah,, I guess thats alright.:wink_smile:

[Mr Cob]

Hole cow!!!

How did I miss this thread! Looks AWESOME ACE!

[Mr_Cool]

Wow... you've got a gift for DIY. Very nice.


And, a GEM of a wife! How many others would let us do this? That is, IF we could do this.

Looks great, Ace!

[Richard]

Oh, like usual, you suck.

He does suck. I picked up my canopy from him and the next day he installed 3 solar tubes in a two story building and I hadn't even unloaded the canopy from the back of my truck.

[RayAllen]

Ace how far up does the trim go above the rim of the tank? No chance that the moray might want to get out?

[hobogato]

thanks for the comments all.


Ace how far up does the trim go above the rim of the tank? No chance that the moray might want to get out?


it is 5" taller than the tank, i have never seen him stick more than 1/2" of his snout out of the water.

[RayAllen]

Cool, My snowflake was the same, but some of those eels like the air so I figured Id ask. Im sure having a open top like that is going to allow the air to circulate much better through the bottom floor of the house which will help keep the tank cool. Again another energy saver. You are on your way to a Super "Green" tank.

[greenmako]

that looks great Ace!

[ErikH]

He does suck. I picked up my canopy from him and the next day he installed 3 solar tubes in a two story building and I hadn't even unloaded the canopy from the back of my truck.

ain't that the truth!

[hobogato]

well, it seems i have my first casualty from the solar tubes

bryopsis :D i have had this stuff for years, managing it by pulling it occasionally. now, it is just vanishing! the most problematic areas were in the highest light areas - and they were the first to thin and then disappear.

[Texreefer]

Awe!!! Thats too bad.. I knew this was a bad Idea:bigsmile:

[ErikH]

Hats off to you two. You guys definitely keep this hobby interesting! What is the correlation to the die off, did you check the par in the tank? I know you are the man, but could that possibly be not good?

[hobogato]

so far so good, all bryopsis has gone away. some corals have browned a bit (expected that at first), hopefully they will color back up.... at least none have bleached :D

[Bill S]

Wow. So this MIGHT be a solution for bryopsis too? Wonder if it could be related to the light spectrum?

[ErikH]

Wonder if it could be related to the light spectrum?


That's what I was thinking. Got any PAR measurements for us yet?

[brewercm]

Man, I've been off of here for a while and this is just stunning. So are you running the solar tube through the closet and out the attic the full height of the house then. Curious because although I can't do anything like this now I though once we finally decide to move down the road and into a single story I'd like to try. If that is the case I wonder how much more (if any) light would be brought in with less distance to run?

BTW, outstanding job as usual. Really interested in the overall coloration you end up with.

[Jeff]

ABSOLUTLY AWSOME!!!!

[Texreefer]

full moon is supposed to be this sat in the early evening

[rpc]

Pics during full moon, please!

I'd love to do this, but I'm going to let these guys do the proto testing for me. I'm going to wait for some longterm results of the SPS coloration and growth.

Richard

[AquaDen]

!!WOW!! That is amazing. I hope that everything colors back up. I am excited to see how the coral do over a period of time.

[hobogato]

here is the outside of the tubes on the roof
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02479.jpg
here it is at night when the actinics are still on
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02481.jpg

we had a full moon last night, but it was solid cloud cover, so no tank pics :(

maybe tonight the clouds will break a bit......

[hobogato]

have had the solar tubes two weeks now, but didnt take any individual coral pics the first week....

took baseline pics a week ago and tried to take identical pics today, so here goes.

valida 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/valida1.jpg
same top down 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/validatop1.jpg

ultimate frag's best stag ever 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/ufbeststagever1.jpg

tyree lime in the sky 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/tyreelimeinsky1.jpg

texreefer green with blue tip stag 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trgreenstag1.jpg
same top down 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trgreenstagtop1.jpg

texreefer A. chesterfieldensis 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trchester1.jpg
same top down 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trchestertop1.jpg


texreefer blue tip stag 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trbluetipstag1.jpg

seaworld sa blue tip teal stag 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/swsablutiptealstag1.jpg

[hobogato]

salmon A. millepora top down 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/salmonmilletop1.jpg

red robin stag top down 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/redrobintop1.jpg

pink jade 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/pinkjade1.jpg

paletta lovelli 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/palettaloveli1.jpg

ora blue tip stag 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/orabluetipstag1.jpg
same top down 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/orabluetipstagtop1.jpg


greenmako A. meridiana 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/gmmeridiana1.jpg

cpreefguy A. florida 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/cpflorida1.jpg

bigbird toxic acro 8-10-08 (no, no AEFW - has had those light patches on and off since i got it and has been dipped several times)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bbtoxictable1.jpg


B&B shiny A. sp. 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bbshinyacro1.jpg

[hobogato]

B&B A. efflorescens 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bbefflo1.jpg

ATL tulip A. millepora 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/atltulipmille1.jpg
same from back of tank 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/atltulipmilleb1.jpg
same top down 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/atltulipmilletop1.jpg

AKM yellow A. sp. table 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/akmyelloacro1.jpg
same top down 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/akmyelloacrotop1.jpg

[roscozman]

Wow, pics look great.

[greenmako]

looks like a large improvement in just a week can't wait to see it in a few months!

[edshas2]

thats some amazing color changing in just a week. awesome

[apedroza]

Looks good Ace, almost unrecognizable in color after 1 week.

[cpreefguy]

Everything has colored up very nicely!

[Paul28]

Thars sweet, bet your going to love the El bill now love the work

[MeteorFlower]

Wow, that's amazing!

[patman]

looks good. where they taken with the same lighting? some of the pics seem to have actinic on and some don't. either way simply awesome.

oh yeah....better get those aptastia. they probably like all of that new light too....:D

[hobogato]

patman - it was cloudy on the second day, so the pics look a little different, but the camera did a pretty good job with the color on both days.

CPS BILL TIME :D

last month - $592

this month - $419

- not all due to solar tubes tho, we also eliminated the 180 gallon tank which had a 250 watt external pump and 480 watts of T5.

[dustint21]

WOW! congrats on the lower bill!

[mikedelgado]

I am going to stop crying about my $375 elec bill last month, and the month before. WOW SA elec bills are brutal

[patman]

Lower electric bills rule!

I too thought I had it bad with my old tank, set up and running, at $201.00 a month. Now without a tank I'm at $115.00 a month. I'm going to show this thread to my wife and then tall her how great we have it here! :bigsmile:

[hobogato]

well, we have a two story house, large deep freezer in the garage and three kegerators for homebrew, so our electricity draw is a bit higher than the "normal" house :)

[patman]

well, we have a two story house, large deep freezer in the garage and three kegerators for homebrew, so our electricity draw is a bit higher than the "normal" house :)

I just think you all are getting raped down there. :eek::D

[hobogato]

this week's update

valida 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/valida2.jpg

ultimate frag's best stag ever 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/ufbeststagever2.jpg

tyree lime in the sky 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/tyreelimeinsky2.jpg

texreefer green with blue tip stag 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trgreenstag2.jpg

texreefer A. chesterfieldensis 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trchester2.jpg

texreefer blue tip stag 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trbluetipstag2.jpg

seaworld sa blue tip teal stag 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/swsablutiptealstag2.jpg

[hobogato]

B&B A. efflorescens 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bbefflo2.jpg

ATL tulip A. millepora 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/atltulipmille2.jpg
same from back of tank 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/atltulipmilleb2.jpg

AKM yellow A. sp. table 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/akmyelloacro2.jpg

GM A. meridiana 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/gmmeridiana2.jpg

cpreefguy A. florida 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/cpflorida2.jpg

pink jade 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/pinkjade2.jpg

B&B Shiny A. sp 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bbshinyacro2.jpg


ORA blue tip stag 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/orabluetipstag2.jpg

[clone]

man Ace loving the new colors.

[Rychek]

Wow! Those are some nice changes.

[joelb]

way to go! that looks awesome!

[coraline79]

those colors are awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hobogato]

took some pics today and darnit it if i didnt find redbugs! here is a pic of where i first saw em


A. efflorescens
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02642.jpg

i went ahead and started the interceptor treatment, so hopefully they will be taken care of by tomorrow.

it is a little cloudy here today so i thought i would share a comparison fts - both of these shots were taken today at the brightest time of the day.

full sun
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02616.jpg
passing cloud
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02618.jpg

some other random coral pics
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02621.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02622.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02624.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02627.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02636.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02643.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02644.jpg

[hobogato]

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02641.jpg
same coral - closer
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02640.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02655.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02654.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02650.jpg

you can see the alk burned tips on this one - should heal over now that things are stable
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02625.jpg

[hobogato]

this weeks pics - not much change from last week.

ultimate frags best stag ever 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/ufbeststagever3.jpg
supposed to be tyree lime in the sky 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/tyreelimeinsky3.jpg
texreefer green with stag 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trgreenstag3.jpg
texreefer A. chesterfieldensis 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trchester3.jpg
texreefer blue tip stag 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trbluetipstag3.jpg
seaworld sa blue tip teal stag 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/swsablutiptealstag3.jpg
pink jade 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/pinkjade3.jpg

[hobogato]

paletta A. loveli 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/palettaloveli3.jpg
greenmako A. meridiana 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/gmmeridiana3.jpg
cpreefguy A. florida 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/cpflorida3.jpg
b&b shiny A. sp. 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bbshinyacro3.jpg
b&B A. efflorescens 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bbefflo3.jpg
atl tulip A. millepora 8-10-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/atltulipmilleb3.jpg
akm yellow A. sp.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/akmyelloacro3.jpg

[chrismunn]

thats pretty amazing! i would have thought that natural sunlight would have "yellowed" out the entire tank making corals look brown even with the use of actinics but that doesnt seem to be the case at all! everything looks great! i own a single story house and will be putting a little 75g in my livingroom wall here in about a year from now. after witnessing what you've done i might just have to give it a go with the solar tubes? you do plan on keeping up with progressive information for the next year right? ;) i really like the idea of saving a buck by using a natural resource like the sun to light my tank. are you going to do any PAR measurments or did i miss that part? i only kind of skimmed through the thread. ide really like to see how the tubes read PAR-wise in comparison to MHs. i really want to say that the PAR will better with sunlight obviously, but after the traveling through the tube and penetrating the water you never know?

cant wait to follow along with furhur progess, and keep up the inspiring work!

-chris munn

[hobogato]

thanks chris, i have been really pleased so far - no plans to stop documenting here anytime soon as long as people dont get sick of reading about it :)

i was picking up toys this morning and looked up at the tank - thought it would make a neat pic, so here it is....

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02692.jpg

[ErikH]

That is a sweet pic. It's really cool that archway was still intact because it really adds to the look of the tank! Seeing all of your stained glass makes me want to try it again. Good stuff as always! Your corals seem brighter!

[RayAllen]

very cool pic, you can really see the water surface moving.

[ErikH]

Ace, thanks for the macro! It's cool to see the tank in person again to appreciate it.

[hobogato]

Ok, here is this week’s update….

First – a full tank shot with bright sun
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02708.jpg
Just the tank with a small cloud passing
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02709.jpg

Some tank sections
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02733.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02734.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02735.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02736.jpg

I have finally started to add clams back into the clam tank as well – it has been over six months since my total loss of all clams to perkinsus (these are in the clam tank btw – not in the main tank under the solar tubes)

So far I have two large T. squamosa – one is about 7” and the other is about 11”
Little one
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02757.jpg
Big one
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02758.jpg
Together
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02759.jpg

[hobogato]

Now for the comparison pics – not much change over last week, a few corals are really starting to add lots of new growth tips. Hopefully they are all acclimated to the changes now.

A. valida 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/valida4.jpg

ultimate frag best stag ever 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/ufbeststagever4.jpg

supposed to be tyree lime in the sky 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/tyreelimeinsky4.jpg

texreefer green stag 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trgreenstag4.jpg

texreefer A. chesterfieldensis 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trchester4.jpg

texreefer blue tip stag 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trbluetipstag4.jpg

seaworld sa blue tip teal stag 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/swsablutiptealstag4.jpg

pink jade 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/pinkjade4.jpg

[hobogato]

Paletta A. lovely 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/palettaloveli4.jpg

ora blue tip stag 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/orabluetipstag4.jpg

greenmako A. meridiana 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/gmmeridiana4.jpg

cpreefguy A. florida 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/cpflorida4.jpg

b&b shiny A. sp. 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bbshinyacro4.jpg

b&b A. efflorescens 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bbefflo4.jpg

atl tulip A. millepora 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/atltulipmille4.jpg
same from the back 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/atltulipmilleb4.jpg

akm yellow A. sp. 8-7-08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/akmyelloacro4.jpg

[falcondob]

Ace, your work is excellent. The tank looks fantastic.

[chrismunn]

wow, some of the corals have changed to an almost complete different color. thats really amazing!

[hobogato]

ok, small update. i lost a few colonies over the last month, not certain why. could be all the changes over the last two months: kalk reactor issue followed by calcium reactor issue, change in lighting, tear down to catch sps munching damsels

all of the corals that are still with us are doing great....

here are a few comparison pics (the ones that are missing here are mostly because i had a hard time taking pics today - i did lose the large blue slimer, paletta lovelli, uf best stag ever and the A. florida tho :( )

you will notice a different orientation in the pics - that is because the tank was rearranged when reassembling after catching the damsels

texreefer blue tip stag 8/7/08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trbluetipstag8.jpg

ora blue tip stag 8/7/08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/orabluetipstag8.jpg

atl tulip mille 8/7/08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/atltulipmilleb8.jpg

bigbird toxic table 8/7/08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bbtoxictable8.jpg

greenmako A. meridiana 8/7/08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/gmmeridiana8.jpg

texreefer A. chesterfieldensis 8/7/08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trchester8.jpg

texreefer blue tip green stag 8/7/08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/trgreenstag8.jpg

A. valida 8/7/08
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/valida8.jpg

[Alex]

wow you have me drulling, lol dam time to google: " Solar Lighting " -.-
speachless dude... gratz and hug for kicking so much butt on your set up.

*thinking: hmmm when can I get a chance to see it in person. hahaa

[glennr1978]

wow, everything looks great, especially the valida.

[hobogato]

shoot me a pm before you come to town, you are welcome to come by.




*thinking: hmmm when can I get a chance to see it in person.

[Bill S]

Let me know if you want a piece of my P. A. lovelli, as it came from you.

[hobogato]

next time you accidentally break a piece off :) couple of other frags i would like to get from you some time as well....


Let me know if you want a piece of my P. A. lovelli, as it came from you.

[Bill S]

Any time. Just let me know.

[hobogato]

i had been AEFW free for nealy two years...... until this morning.


i found eggs on the bottom of two large colonies and on a third colony, one large (1/4") worm. i took all three of them out and dipped them, but found no other flat worms :confused: i thought my fluke tabs may be too old, so i even took a large chunk of one of the colonies with eggs and put it in tap water - no flatworms came off :confused::confused:


i will not be tearing the tank down to dip and quaranteen like i did the first time. instead, i will get some AEFW hunting wrasses to keep them under control.

[fjr_wertheimber]

Oh, man, Ace, sorry to hear about that...

[d3rryc]

Any idea what introduced them?

[hobogato]

nope, i have dipped every coral coming in since treating two years ago. all it takes is one.......


Any idea what introduced them?

[aquasport24]

Man that's sucks Ace, have you ever try to treat the whole tank with Flatworm Exit before? I"ve read in Reef Magazine that you have to keep blowing with turkey baster if you plan to use fishes to eat them. Good luck.

[Texreefer]

Man that's sucks Ace, have you ever try to treat the whole tank with Flatworm Exit before? I"ve read in Reef Magazine that you have to keep blowing with turkey baster if you plan to use fishes to eat them. Good luck.

That is a whole different type of flatworm. that stuff will not work on AEFW

[aquasport24]

Thanks Mike , I thought that stuff would work on all flatworms.

[bimmerzs]

Awesome, awesome setup....sorry to hear about the aefw's

Cheers,

[JeffCo]

man that is hard to type. I think your probably doing the correct method to bear with them. What type of wrasses are you getting?

[hobogato]

yellow coris, radiant, leopard, mystery (maybe), and a candy hogfish. as well as any other that i find i really like. may also do a pair of clowns at some point.

i have lots of room for fish after removing all those damsels, the halequin tusk, lunare wrasse, large gsm clown, and three pj cardinals.

[mikedelgado]

I have a green coris. he is a killing machine

[hobogato]

ok, since i have a few sps again, i thought i would start the comparison pics weekly (for now)

all of these were added the same day except the bnest. it was in the tank about a week before i started taking pics. i think the first pics were taken on a cloudy day, so the color differences may not be as drastic as the photos show, but there has been some change already :)

bnest 5/18
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bnest1.jpg

monti 5/18
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/monti1.jpg

bali acro 5/18
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bali1.jpg

seaworld stag 5/18
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/stag1.jpg

[LittleReef]

Looks good!

[hobogato]

this week's pics. notice how difficult it is to take consistent pics with a sunlit tank...

the last couple of days were very sunny in the middle of the day, i think the birdsnest and the new mille from jimd were a little overwhelmed - notice the buned tips on the mille and the faded color on the bnest. hopefully they will be ok.

5/18
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/stag2.jpg

5/18
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/monti2.jpg

5/18
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bnest2.jpg

5/18
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bali2.jpg

not really any change in these in the first four days, but gives a starting point

5/28
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/tulipmille1.jpg

5/28
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/stubbymille1.jpg

5/28
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/pinkmille1.jpg

5/28
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/orabts1.jpg

5/28
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/jenmille1.jpg

5/28 - lost a couple of branches the second day and the tips burned (i think because of the change in light) - hopefully it will recover
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/jimille1.jpg

[Texreefer]

I think your right Ace,, The sun has kicked the crap out of a couple of my corals as well

[dipan]

Just found this thread. Awesome concept and execution. Subscribing ...