clownfish1124 Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 what if i use a makeshift aluminum foil reflector??? Link to comment
circusordie16 Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 not gonna matter, id say you want at least triple the wattage, probably more if youre going with pcs. Link to comment
clownfish1124 Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 but it's really shallow, 7 inches Link to comment
clownfish1124 Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 Bump Anyone????? Link to comment
evilc66 Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 For the monti you are really going to have to bump up the light output. Going up in wattage in PCs will give you a lot of heat. A cheap 2 bulb T5 fixture would be a better choice. Ditch the monti and you can still use the PCs, but the monti will brown out under those 50/50's. Look at this. Far better than PCs, less heat, and you can get far more different color bulbs than PCs. Plus it won't break the bank. There is even a 4 bulb version if you want to get really crazy. Link to comment
d0ughb0y Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 some options, the t5h0 24" 2 bulb current nova extreme retrofit kit for $120 (can't say if this will fit in the hood though). or the 4 bulb t5ho you originally inquired about for $75. I would go with the 4 bulb and go open top. If you are up to it, you can always convert the reflector later to individual, but I think there is sufficient light as it is. this tank http://www.oc-creative.com/reef/#specs uses 32watt pc and has sps and clam. Link to comment
clownfish1124 Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 so ill ditch the hard corals, and go with just soft. here's a new diagram: oh yeah, evilc and doughboy, the problem with the t5 fixture is don't know anything about quality and also will have to change lightbulbs, 20-40 dollars extra, so then 2 bulb fixture will be 70 shipped and 4 bulb will be 100 shipped. Link to comment
d0ughb0y Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 so ill ditch the hard corals, and go with just soft. here's a new diagram: oh yeah, evilc and doughboy, the problem with the t5 fixture is don't know anything about quality and also will have to change lightbulbs, 20-40 dollars extra, so then 2 bulb fixture will be 70 shipped and 4 bulb will be 100 shipped. 2 bulb is $47.98 total shipped, 4 bulb is $82.98 total shipped if you get directly from his website. Bulb from the same seller is $8.99 each. You're going to have to change bulb, regardless of what type of light and what manufacturer you get it from. You can try contacting previous buyer of the 4 bulb light on ebay and ask what they think. Link to comment
clownfish1124 Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 its great b/c ive decided not to return the tank!!! i will be doing cf lighting using stuff i have at home: 2 12" incandescent light fixtures to have 20 watt screw in coralifes! also will use an old 10-15 gallon whisper for filteration. corals will be zoos, xenia, colt and or kenya tree, maybe candycane, and red or purple shrooms. will run carbon as well as phospate remover in filter and maybe later turn into refugium. I will have company over because of fathers day but other than that were still back on with the tank! Could i go back to this lighting plan? i already have 1/2 of the stuff needed. Thanks! Link to comment
clownfish1124 Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 Bump... Anyone... Link to comment
angelacbishop Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 So are you saying you're going to have 80 watts of PC lighting over this tank? The 10 gallon screw in fixtures I've seen hold 2 bulbs each and you mentioned 2 fixtures. 80 watts would be more than enough. Even if you only are talking about 2 20 watt bulbs, then 40 watts should be enough for the corals you mention but you couldn't keep much else. Link to comment
d0ughb0y Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Could i go back to this lighting plan? i already have 1/2 of the stuff needed. Thanks! I have done that route. The bulb cost me like $15 each from a local store. If you use two, that is $30 already for 40 watts of pc lights. And if you do not protect the bulb from moisture/condensation, it dies after a month or so (that happened to me). At $30, you would be better off with the 2 light (48 watt total) $48 fixture. Note that will will need to change the coralife 50/50 bulb more often than a T5HO. Link to comment
clownfish1124 Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 Thanks so much everyone! and yes doughboy, the tank comes with an acrylic cover so were all set with lighting. it's a great thing petsmart has free shipping on orders of 50+ because i will probably buy some phosphate absorber and some spare bulbs. Link to comment
d0ughb0y Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 petsmart.com will probably add tax to your order. The coralife bulb there is $14.99 each, and the phosphate remover is $6.69. Do you have phosphate problem in your tank now? I have used similar filter pad, but the nitrate remover kind (cost $7 from a local store), on my freshwater tank. I thought the chemi-pure was good already by reducing nitrate, but the pad actually brought the nitrate down to close to 0 on my freshwater tank. I have not used the phosphate filter, since I never had phosphate problem on my saltwater tank. BTW, those same filter pads cost less than half the petsmart.com price elsewhere online. Link to comment
clownfish1124 Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 luckily petsmart doesn't tax me! the reason i want phosphate remover is because i read phosphate causes brown algae, so im thinking better safe than sorry. Link to comment
clownfish1124 Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 just finalized my order, and the whole thing about tax was a major moment... it cant be blond because i have dark brown hair... so it turned out to be 50 shipped with free shipping and their 5 dollars off coupon. i got the light bulbs, a small magfloat for acrylic, phosphate remover, and some stuff for my fw tanks. does anyone know how long it takes for petsmart to ship? i read 1-2 days to get out of building, but do you think it could be here by Thursday or friday?? Link to comment
evilc66 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Don't count on it. Depends where you are and where the warehouse is, but figure Monday or Tuesday if they get off their ass and ship same day. Link to comment
jgilvey Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 To follow up on my previous post, I returned to Petco to exchange my scratched bookshelf aquarium and the other they had in stock was damaged in exactly the same way. Not just small scratches but abrasions, as if the boxes inside had been rubbing for quite a while during transit. Needless to say, I merely returned mine and left tankless. I'd advise anyone interested in the Petco bookshelf aquarium to avoid mail-order and to inspect any you find locally before purchase. Link to comment
clownfish1124 Posted June 12, 2008 Author Share Posted June 12, 2008 thats bad, but you can always try again. also i really lucked out with my tank: about 10 small scratches on the whole tank, and i didn't even inspect it at the store. i guess beginners luck! you could try glasscages because they have a similar one 24x8x8. Good luck if you try again, Clownfish1124 Link to comment
evilc66 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 I wonder if the scratches would buff out as easily in plastic as they can in acrylic. Link to comment
clownfish1124 Posted June 12, 2008 Author Share Posted June 12, 2008 i dunno but all the scratch kits are for the outside of aquariums not the inside... Link to comment
jgilvey Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 thats bad, but you can always try again. also i really lucked out with my tank: about 10 small scratches on the whole tank, and i didn't even inspect it at the store. i guess beginners luck! you could try glasscages because they have a similar one 24x8x8. Good luck if you try again, Clownfish1124 I think I'll pass on another try, my guess is I'd be really lucky to find a decent one now with the way they're packing them. I mean, it's a cool tank, but not worth a PITA. That glasscages site is really cool...thanks! I didn't see a 24x8x8, but there are some nice sizes there. Link to comment
evilc66 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 i dunno but all the scratch kits are for the outside of aquariums not the inside... Actually, there are. My LFS has one. I'll try and find the name of it. Link to comment
clownfish1124 Posted June 13, 2008 Author Share Posted June 13, 2008 Cool! that kit would really help with my aquarium and also jgilvey's if he gets another that is scratched. Link to comment
PBUEHH Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 i saw one moderately noticable scratch on mine.. and i was using it for almost a year before i got a brighter light. Update on your lighting clown? what fixture did you get, or finally decide to use? Link to comment
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