new tank questions...

[aggman]

hey guys, i am planning my new sps dominant tank and i have a few questions. i am planning on using this thread to hopefully get some help from some of the more experienced reefers on here. so, here it goes...

first-the tank i am planning is a standard 120 [4x2x2] from glasscages. so i am working on the lighting first because that and the skimmer are going to be the most expensive things in this setup. i was going off of the 5 watts per gallon principle, and i came up with this setup...

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d112/mr_everybody/fishies/lightingsetup.jpg

the timing would be:

09:00AM - Fiji Purple On
09:30AM - Super Actinic On
10:30AM - 150/250/150 On
01:30PM - 150/---/--- Off
01:30PM - 250/150/250 On
04:30PM - 250/---/--- Off
04:30PM - 150/250/150 On
07:30PM - 150/250/150 Off
08:30PM - Fiji Purple Off
09:00PM - Super Actinic Off

the way i envision it is to replicate the movement of the sun throughout the day...if that makes any sense. my question is whether or not this would be enough light/or too much. or if it a crap idea...let me know what you guys think.

~alex

[Gseclipse02]

thats a lot of light

[aggman]

also, when the halides are going to be on, it will give me between 5.9/6.7/5.9 watts per gallon, depending on the time of day.

~alex

[aggman]

any suggestions/ideas?

~alex

[alton]

2-250w's with lumeric reflectors, add your Actinics, maybe 2 and 2. Keep your shallow water SPS to the top and your Deep Water SPS towards the bottom. Also you need to look at a glass cages tank before you order one.

[sharkboy]

how are all of those lights going to fit under canopy?

[sharkboy]

I would probably go with 12k or 14K on the metal halides instead of 20k since you will have actinic supplement...you could probably get away with 3-250 watt mh????

[glennr1978]

that really is a TON of light, I would just go with 2x's 250's and your T5's and be done with it!!

or 400w'ers w/ radium 20k's.

[ErikH]

On my 4' tank I have 2x250w DE "PFO Mini-Pendants" with XM20ks and 4x48" T5s. The T5s are one UVL Super, and 3xGeisemann Actinics. I will tell you this, it's ALOT of light, but, with the color spectrum I have I do not get much growth from my SPS. If I could do it all over, I would have stayed at the lower end of the spectrum (let's say 10k) that I could stand without having too much yellow. I say this because you want alot of growth at first, let your SPS get a foothold! Later on, you can switch out your bulbs for something with a deeper blue. Also something to think about while planning.... My zoas grow insanely fast, so if you have zoas, be mindful of your SPS placement because the zoas will crowd out frags, inhibiting their ability to encrust, which ultimately leads to smaller colonies, or death of a frag.
I too had 36" T5s that I used over the tank too. T5s throw light great front to back, but not so much side to side. If you can, sell the 36" for some 48"s, it is a big difference. GrimReefer on RC (search his name for T5 combinations) is pretty much the guru (possibly self proclamied) on T5 color combinations.

With a FP that large, I would go with Lumenarc/bright/ace reflectors on 2x250w 10k SE bulbs. SE/Reflectors will give you better coverage than DE pendants, I have 2 DEs, and with them on alone, I get coverage from end to end, but the higher up you get, the less the coverage, since I only have those two pendants. I could squeeze one more in there, but with the T5s, it's not necessary. I would double check Sanjay's site for ballast/bulb combinations for max par for your dollar.

I also highly recommend quality reflectors, ATI or IceCap. I held one basic curved reflector over a T5, and then an ATI reflector; the difference is staggering!

What's your fish list looking like? Honestly, if you want tangs, get something at least a foot longer. Also, with 1' more, you can eventually pickup a wavebox! :D

Are you going to run a CA reactor? I bought a dual chambered one from Ace, and it's the best thing since sliced bread. Since it has two chambers, your effluent comes out at 8.3 so it has less propensity to crash your tank. I would have lost my tank ten times over if it had been a single chambered reactor. To me, a dual chambered reactor is the best advice I can give! It drips alk, and once the PH in the first chamber gets above 6.6, the CO2 kicks on. This is better to me because other reactors go off the PH in the tank. This can be very very bad. Once that Co2 kicks on, it makes the water more acidic, thus melting more media and lowering your PH. In turn, that adds more CA to your effluent. Getting the drip rate right can be a PITA, and moreover if it is not correct, can anhillate your PH in a single chambered reactor.

For your drip rate, everyone says 1 drip per second. That used to drive me nuts trying to get 1 drip per second!!! I would watch the drip and then start with 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, etc.... Just adjust your reactor on a weekend, like SAT morn. Adjust, then test in 3 hours. If it moved up or down, adjust it VERY slightly. If it was over, it will continue to rise until all of the water has changed in the reactor. Once that water has fully changed, then you will start getting correct readings for your last adjustment. I would start off 1 drip per 2 seconds, it shouldn't be adequate, but you do not want to start off faster than your demand, that's a crash waiting to happen.

If you can keep your CA, Alk, Mg, and water quality nice and steady, your corals will flourish!
OKOKOK, I am done. :)

[aggman]

i know it's alot of light, but i will not be running them all at the same time. i put a schedule up so you can see which ones will be on and which aren't. it will only be an average of 6.5 watts per gallon at any given time.

wow scorpino that's alot of info, lol. i am still hashing out the details on that stuff. i do not like automatic systems, so i will be following a strict regimen as to maintaining/monitoring the system.

glenn and scorpino i will be pm'ing you with some more questions as they come up if that is cool.

~alex

[princer7]

I agree, 2-250 watt halides with the T5s should be plenty. Lumenarc reflectors would give a more broad coverage. Lumenbrights give deeper penetration into the tank. With the later, you would need to mount them at least 14" above the water. Keep your lighting in mind when designing your canopy.

[glennr1978]

I don't know man, it still seems likes it a bit of an overkill. I think you would get virtually the same effect with just the T5's and and 2x's 250's or 400's. You could set them to turn on and off in a somewhat similar fashion as what you have described in your original post, just not quite as complex. Not to mention the coin that you would save w/ just two halides. Replacing all of those lamps would get pricey!!

[glennr1978]

When is the E.T.A. of this monster? Sounds cool, I would definitely like to help out in any way that I can!! Also, what skimmer are you planning on using?

[aggman]

i am planning this all out before i buy the stuff. a plan i am finding real hard to stick to...

since the dude i was going to buy the last 120 from flaked, i am going to be completing this around august. that should give me enough time to decide on everything, change my mind, then decide again. you know how i am, lol.

for the tank i am probably going to go with glasscages, i am about 90% sure. i was going to go with A.G.E. but i am not going to spend $3,000 on a glass box. i would rather spend that money on what is going in it. i really am not too familiar with any other custom tank builders. any ideas would be great.

as for the skimmer i was considering an ATI BubbleMaster 200 or 250. still looking at a few different models.

~alex

[glennr1978]

I'm planning a new tank myself. A member here has a 100g that has the exact dimensions I want. I should be getting it in a few months.

[aggman]

cool let me know if you need any help. you've helped me tons and i will be looking for you when my new tank gets in...lol

~alex

[ErikH]

Oh, My halides are on 12 hours per day. The T5s are on for 10. I like the shimmer effect in the morn and at night, it looks very natural.

"i do not like automatic systems, so i will be following a strict regimen as to maintaining/monitoring the system." PITA!!!!
As for automation.....
I run no skimmer with a heavy bioload. I have been for about 6-8 months. The colors of my SPS are outstanding and have only gotten better. I run a 29g tank under the 75 with 1 1/2" sandbed in it (about two bags). There are no baffles, the return is submerged and surrounded by rocks. There's approximately 70 lbs in the sump. I have no filter socks, nor a sponge filter on my return. I have my floats on the lowest setting (hang on floats) to allow for enough water in case of a power or equipment failure. The excess space in the sump, around 1 cubic foot, is used for macro algaes. I have three different types. I assume that different types absorb different nutrients, so that's my logic there. IT ROCKS. I leave my fuge light on 24/7. I use a tall saltbucket for my ATO reservoir.

The cool part???
This system really runs itself, aside from adding top off water to the ATO, doing a large WC every three months, and feeding every other day.

I used to have my hands in my tank constantly. I believe that hurts more than helping. It only made sense to me to automate what I could without relying on too much. I have had skimmer overflows while out of town, so that was the first item to go!

[aggman]

well, that was kinda what i meant. i will use a skimmer, but all the rest will be as you stated.

i meant that i didn't want all the gadgets and gizmos in my tank, running things.

i want my tank to be self-sufficient and of course i will to my scheduled tests and w.c.'s, but i don't want machines running it all. i think that is for people who just want something pretty to look at. that's not me.

~alex

[ErikH]

for sure man, I was just rambling some things to think about. :)

[princer7]

...but i don't want machines running it all. i think that is for people who just want something pretty to look at. that's not me.

~alex

:bigsmile: I like gadgets and pretty things :bigsmile:

Nice thing about some level of automation is when you are not able to be there to correct what could be a disaster waiting to happen. I agree, a good regimen to follow is necessary for all tanks, but the added peace of mind to know that something out of my control such as an A/C failure will not leave my halides running causing my tank to boil while I am out of town.