MadDevil's BC14 (Retired 7/4/2013)

[LogansRunRx]

We still on for June 5th? I actually will be going to AAF this weekend if things have changed for you.

 

i think so...

my BC29 goin' down hill.

bought a new RO/DI unit from AirWaterIce. making up a big batch of fresh SW.

gonna pull the sand and do a 100% water change this weekend.

my clown is in hospital tank getting Furan-2 (cloudy eyes).

and i've pulled most all the coral out of the BC29.

will hopefully have everything back together by 6/5...

but...

eveything looks GREAT in the half-arsed, scrapped together 20L!

[Maddevil1]

New FTS under 150W Phoenix 14K MH

 

Side View

 

View of new light over the now topless tank

 

The light is about 12" above the tank. Thought I'd leave it this high for a week to acclimate the livestock to the new lighting. Seems I could lower it more since it seems my mushrooms are stretching for more light. I am afraid to lower it though, I dont want to bleach anything Plus at this height, its not affecting the tank temperature any.

 

Moonlights in action

 

Moonlight View

 

 

 

Up next......JBJ Mini-Arctica 1/15hp Chiller

[opy01]

Dude! That is crazy awesome! I actually build a 70W into my hood and the temps are out of control. I like yours alot better than mine right now

[Maddevil1]

Dude! That is crazy awesome! I actually build a 70W into my hood and the temps are out of control. I like yours alot better than mine right now

 

Thanks!! I am definitely liking the MH a lot better than the LEDs right now. Before I lower the light anymore, I need to install a chiller though. Its amazing how much heat that thing puts out!

[opy01]

Thanks!! I am definitely liking the MH a lot better than the LEDs right now. Before I lower the light anymore, I need to install a chiller though. Its amazing how much heat that thing puts out!

Trust me I know lol. I drilled 2 holes on top of my hood with fans on top. I also have a fan on the back of the hood sucking the warm air out. My temps still get up to ~82.8.

[Crazy Tiki]

Tank looks great, got to keep us updated on how your coral colors turn out due to the switch

[Maddevil1]

Tank looks great, got to keep us updated on how your coral colors turn out due to the switch

 

Thanks! If you look at my first post, you will see a 2 FTS, one with LEDs and one with MH. The camera settings are the same. Seems like some color is already starting to come back or pop more. Just my opinion, but we'll see how things look in the future.

[devmasa]

very nice tank!

I was very sure to make the switch from my pc lights to LEDs till I saw your thread. I am following along to see the results with 150 w MH.

I might end up going the same way but I am concerned that the 150w would be too much for my 12 gallon nanocube at work.I also dont want the light's brightness to be distracting to my colleagues

[Maddevil1]

very nice tank!

I was very sure to make the switch from my pc lights to LEDs till I saw your thread. I am following along to see the results with 150 w MH.

I might end up going the same way but I am concerned that the 150w would be too much for my 12 gallon nanocube at work.I also dont want the light's brightness to be distracting to my colleagues

 

Thanks! Some ppl have luck with LEDs & COLOR but I didnt and I am blaming the light source (my opinion). Now if things dont improve (which I doubt), the question is would I go back to my LED setup. Most likely not. I have never owned a MH light. And now I understand when some ppl say that LEDs dont look natural. I absolutely love the way the MH makes my tank look, something very peaceful and natural about it.

 

Would I advise you to go MH instead of LEDs? Prolly not. If for some reason you are one that LEDs work for, then there are a lot of positives, especially for a tank at work with colleagues around. With the FNI MH light, you could contain the spread by putting flaps on the side - would be a mod though. I called and asked if they sold them and the guy said they dont carry them anymore but might reorder them sometime late summer. Also you'll most likely need a chiller. If your arent keeping SPS then you could prolly go with a 70W, but the 150W I dont think is too much, as long as you can adjust the height. Right now at 12" above the tank, my mushrooms are stretching for more light. I think I'll get down to the 6"-9" range when I find the sweet spot.

 

I'll update and post pictures as much as possible.

[Ricky Ortiz]

very nice, I hope my'n looks like this someday. A quick question what is that cover you have over the top of it? I have a topless 14 BC as well and I am have to dogs that shed constantly and I keep finding hair floating on the top of the water lol.

[devmasa]

Hey Maddevil1..thanks for the clearup on the MH.Yep I am limited as to how much high I can raise the MH light due to a shelf obstructing the top. So I expect to get a lot of evaporation and high temps from the 150w MH...and this was my reason for the LED setup.

Btw can you show us how exactly you modded the mh fixture to fit the fans and the moonlights ?

[Maddevil1]

very nice, I hope my'n looks like this someday. A quick question what is that cover you have over the top of it? I have a topless 14 BC as well and I am have to dogs that shed constantly and I keep finding hair floating on the top of the water lol.

 

Thanks! I am sure yours will look awesome!

 

Here is what I used for the cover:

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=212941

 

Or if you dont want to DIY, then here:

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=223125

 

Let me know if you have anymore questions.

 

Hey Maddevil1..thanks for the clearup on the MH.Yep I am limited as to how much high I can raise the MH light due to a shelf obstructing the top. So I expect to get a lot of evaporation and high temps from the 150w MH...and this was my reason for the LED setup.

Btw can you show us how exactly you modded the mh fixture to fit the fans and the moonlights ?

 

I have pics in posts 193 & 195 of the mods. If thats not what you are looking for, let me know exactly what you would like to see and I will see if I can take some pics of it.

[Ricky Ortiz]

Awsome thanks for the link!!

[QuickSilver525]

dude mad your tank is soo sick. i want mine to look like urs

[Maddevil1]

dude mad your tank is soo sick. i want mine to look like urs

 

Thanks man!! I appreciate the compliment.

[Maddevil1]

Decided to see what kind of pics I could get with my P&S (macro mode). Would really love a macro lens for the DSLR, cant justify it yet (to the wife that is! )

 

New Rainbow Acan Lords

 

 

 

 

 

Random Macro Shots

[Crazy Tiki]

those are some good pics for a point and shoot. Must help that you don't have led's anymore. I can't even get that close with a DSLR

[Maddevil1]

those are some good pics for a point and shoot. Must help that you don't have led's anymore. I can't even get that close with a DSLR

 

 

Yea, I was surprised. I actually love not having LEDs anymore! Yea, maybe i'll ask for a macro lens for XMAS and hope this doesnt happen ->

[devmasa]

very nice shots

[opy01]

Holy crap!

 

That all I can even say about those guys.

[Maddevil1]

Holy crap!

 

That all I can even say about those guys.

 

I agree! I hope they dont color morph, well if they do, only for the better. Had to put them in a slightly shaded area due to my lights being too intense.

[CrushtheTurtle]

Hey man, love the tank setup, was wondering how you did the hanging fixture for the MH, didnt see any pics of construction, might have missed it tho, i have a stock BC14, so pretty interested in lighting upgrades maybe to start some SPS, thanks!

[Maddevil1]

Hey man, love the tank setup, was wondering how you did the hanging fixture for the MH, didnt see any pics of construction, might have missed it tho, i have a stock BC14, so pretty interested in lighting upgrades maybe to start some SPS, thanks!

 

Thanks! No, you didnt miss it - I didnt take any pictures of how I did it. You could try and in-hood retro with LEDs, like I did at first. You wont have any heat problems and will be able to keep anything in the tank. I didnt like the colors of the coral, so I switched to MH and have never been happier. Though ppl have had luck with LEDs.

As for the hanging fixture, just go to Home Depot or Lowes (electrical section) and buy 1/2" EMT Conduit. I bought 2 10' poles. You'll also need to buy conduit clamps. My home depot didnt offer the service to cut them or bend them for me. So I bought a cheap hacksaw to cut it. I wasnt going to buy a conduit bender just for this, so I decided to buy a 90 degree conduit connector, they also sell a 90 degree curved elbow, if you want the curved look. Make sure you have a drill bit to drill through metal. I purchased a 12" long wood panel (I cut it in half), 1/2" thick so I could clamp the pole onto this panel and bolt the panel onto the stand. The 1/2" thickness makes the pole flush with the back of the tank because the BC14 stand has a 1/2" space in the back. I also bought self tapping screws. I drilled through the middle of the clamps and through the pole, then used the screws to secure everything. Now the poles cant move in any direction ( I used 2 clamps per pole to secure them to the panel). I drilled a hole for the wires. The hole looked more like a pill capsule so I could have room to play with to make the light centered in case I messed up somewhere. Painted it with black Krylon and then hung the light. I made the poles line up with the inside of the hood hinges and then used zip ties to secure the poles to the hood hinges.

 

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have anymore questions.

[CrushtheTurtle]

thanks man! appreciate the detailed description, will probably try somthing similar if i go MH. thanks again!

[td92467]

Sorry to bring up an old post,But I was wondering how your corals are liking the mh,and how far off the tank did you end up mounting the light,and did you get a chiller!

Trying to decde where to go with the lighting on my new bc 14.Thanks!