glennr1978 Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 your tank is amazing I was wondering how you get such get good color from your night shots? I get some color, but a lot gets lost He has crazy LED's. Link to comment
cruzH20polo Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 He has crazy LED's. touché i was wondering more along the lines of camera settings Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 Wow, that's actually kinda flattering and that's not the whiskey talking. Ben's tank was great, I can definitely see how it could give someone something to strive for. And any tank you touch basically turns to gold. I was never all that satisfied with my 40g. It was never really much more than an overstocked (with corals, not fish. I figured I'd clarify that for the masses, I know you and I are on the same page in that department) tank full of a ton of frags. I will very likely have to move the 20g again in as little as 1 month, but maybe not for another 6 months (I'm waiting on a job), but I hope to be able to keep this one long enough to mature to its full potential. It's only 20g, it shouldn't take long to reach that point, lol. Hopefully this tank of mine will become gold enough for TOTM in the future! I know your 20g has the potential for greatness, and I expect it from your sir! a few nice show corals in a 20g can make it look packed! lol... touché i was wondering more along the lines of camera settings Camera settings were fun... (NOT) Basically it is a custom white balance that I achieved from setting the white balance while having the tank in focus, with the room behind it lit with dimmed halogens that are pretty orange. Don't ask... I can't explain that any further lol... other important settings: ISO 80 F2.8 0"5 I shoot with a Canon G9 and a crappy mini tripod to prevent blurring. Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Hopefully this tank of mine will become gold enough for TOTM in the future! I know your 20g has the potential for greatness, and I expect it from your sir! a few nice show corals in a 20g can make it look packed! lol... Honestly, I think CM should go back into the archives at times when picking TOTM. Your 20g blows away most of the tanks that get that honor these days (no disrespect to any of the TOTM's). If this tank turns out half as good as your 20g then TOTM is a lock. It's just a matter of time. From what I've seen recently, Tigahboy is your only real competition. No pressure, lol!! Link to comment
cruzH20polo Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Camera settings were fun... (NOT) Basically it is a custom white balance that I achieved from setting the white balance while having the tank in focus, with the room behind it lit with dimmed halogens that are pretty orange. Don't ask... I can't explain that any further lol... well it works Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 Honestly, I think CM should go back into the archives at times when picking TOTM. Your 20g blows away most of the tanks that get that honor these days (no disrespect to any of the TOTM's). If this tank turns out half as good as your 20g then TOTM is a lock. It's just a matter of time. From what I've seen recently, Tigahboy is your only real competition. No pressure, lol!! Duuude all Tigah has got is freaking mini nems... that's like bringing a thimble collection to a motorcycle show... Jokes hahaha. I don't care who my comp is, there will always be another TOTM as long as their are months in a year, and sponsors to fund this forum! hahaha... I will wait my turn. I want it to be well deserved. If my tank isn't up to my TOTM standard and it gets picked - I WILL TURN THAT SH!T DOWN!!! hahaha well it works It did! lol Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Duuude all Tigah has got is freaking mini nems... that's like collecting thimbles... Jokes hahaha. I don't care who my comp is, there will always be another TOTM as long as their are months in a year, and sponsors to fund this forum! hahaha... I will wait my turn. I want it to be well deserved. If my tank isn't up to my TOTM standard and it gets picked - I WILL TURN THAT SH!T DOWN!!! hahaha It did! lol Regradless, if you want TOTM then I'm quite confident that you will have TOTM. It's just a matter of time. Honestly, I'm very curious to see how things go with your LED's. I love the idea behind LED's, but I'm not sold on the actual functionality of them just yet. I haven't done much research on the subject, but do you know of any nice tanks that are solely lit by LED's, and have been for any significant length of time? I'm just curious, I hate my current T5's but halides are out of the question for the time being. Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 Regradless, if you want TOTM then I'm quite confident that you will have TOTM. It's just a matter of time. Honestly, I'm very curious to see how things go with your LED's. I love the idea behind LED's, but I'm not sold on the actual functionality of them just yet. I haven't done much research on the subject, but do you know of any nice tanks that are solely lit by LED's, and have been for any significant length of time? I'm just curious, I hate my current T5's but halides are out of the question for the time being. My LFS uses a I5 solaris on their display reef, and also over their top-down coral tanks. Both have been in use for over a year and both have sustained coral without issues. I will say though - my donut has bleached out significantly since I got it. I had to move it to a much more shaded portion of the tank and am currently pounding it with food to bring it back. It will be fine - but it shows how much balls LED has... I have since turned down the output of the LEDs from all 100% to blues at 80% and whites at 60%. Clams seem to be happy though - proper response, no stretching or shyness. The SPS seem to be ok for now. I will have to see how it goes over the next month or so. If I don't like the results, then the AquaticLife 6 bulb HOT5 unit may be on the menu. Link to comment
rtparty Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 TJ I think it is time for an index on the first post! I forget what pages have the pictures I need for the plumbing and what pages have the pics of sweet lights and corals. Just a thougt Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 TJ I think it is time for an index on the first post! I forget what pages have the pictures I need for the plumbing and what pages have the pics of sweet lights and corals. Just a thougt lol, fair enough. I will make an index today! Link to comment
rtparty Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 You are a gentleman and a scholar Mr Burton. Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 You are a gentleman and a scholar Mr Burton. I have implemented the TABLE OF CONTENTS! lol... Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 So I got the replacement SCWD in the mail this weekend which was great. Unfortunately the new one is making a stupid amount of noise as well. If they can't trouble shoot this one and find out why it is so damn loud then I am just going to throw a T on there and not worry about the alternating current. I am sure the MP10 is going to do a great job all on its own. Link to comment
spanko Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Is the squid attached to something to hold it steady? Do you prefilter the water going into it? I am sure you probably saw this in the instructions but will post it anyway. "Symptom: SCWD is noisy or stops abruptly, stops and starts sporadically. Remedy: Foreign debris is lodged in switching mechanism. Flush out unit to dislodge debris. Verify pre-filter is installed and is not clogged or restricting flow. Installation: There are many ways to install you new SCWD. The following instructions reflect the preferred method of installation. In addition, even though your new SCWD is not overly sensitive to the normal particulate and debris found in aquarium systems, to ensure long life, water must be filtered prior to entering the SCWD. 1. Measure and cut two pieces of 3/4" (ID) hose for the two outlets. For best results, it is strongly recommended that both outlet hoses are cut equal in length, leaving the SCWD centered between the two outlets. At this time, you should support the SCWD by mounting or hanging the SCWD from the back of your tank using bendable wire." Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 Is the squid attached to something to hold it steady? Do you prefilter the water going into it?I am sure you probably saw this in the instructions but will post it anyway. "Symptom: SCWD is noisy or stops abruptly, stops and starts sporadically. Remedy: Foreign debris is lodged in switching mechanism. Flush out unit to dislodge debris. Verify pre-filter is installed and is not clogged or restricting flow. Installation: There are many ways to install you new SCWD. The following instructions reflect the preferred method of installation. In addition, even though your new SCWD is not overly sensitive to the normal particulate and debris found in aquarium systems, to ensure long life, water must be filtered prior to entering the SCWD. 1. Measure and cut two pieces of 3/4" (ID) hose for the two outlets. For best results, it is strongly recommended that both outlet hoses are cut equal in length, leaving the SCWD centered between the two outlets. At this time, you should support the SCWD by mounting or hanging the SCWD from the back of your tank using bendable wire." I have owned a couple of these before. The water is prefiltered at the pump, and the squid is held in place. It is not stopping/starting, it's simply noisy. The bugger of it is that if I use it on a pump that is less than 1000gph it is perfectly quiet. I throw it on the MJ5500 which should be producing a bit less than 1100gph at 3' and it starts up with the rattling again. I just think that it might be too much flow/pressure for the unit to handle, although it is rated for up to 1400gph. Link to comment
Kittysnax Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 so many pages, so if you already had this question im sorry! Do you run your lights on a timer? What is your sequence? This tank looks insanely awesome so I was just curious about that part! ^_^ Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 so many pages, so if you already had this question im sorry! Do you run your lights on a timer? What is your sequence? This tank looks insanely awesome so I was just curious about that part! ^_^ The light is a Solaris so it is running on Auto-Mode following the solar/lunar cycle. Link to comment
rtparty Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Well I ordered my stuff from Savko on Sunday and it should arrive on Friday. Their prices were awesome. So I should have my tank plumbed this weekend. Now just to dig up your pictures and see how you went from the drain to the sump. Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 Well I ordered my stuff from Savko on Sunday and it should arrive on Friday. Their prices were awesome. So I should have my tank plumbed this weekend. Now just to dig up your pictures and see how you went from the drain to the sump. Good to hear! Did you take a look at those Wyes valves? Hopefully finding my plumbing pics won't be too hard since both this thread and my 40br thread have linked tables of contents on the first post! Link to comment
rtparty Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Good to hear!Did you take a look at those Wyes valves? Hopefully finding my plumbing pics won't be too hard since both this thread and my 40br thread have linked tables of contents on the first post! Yes I looked into those. I remember you using them on your 40. I didn't purchase one yet but I may in the future. If my calculations are correct then I will have plenty of room in my sump for the tank to drain into it, should the power go out. The Table of Contents is the best idea since sliced bread on these build threads. I hate having to dig through 40 pages for one picture! Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 Yes I looked into those. I remember you using them on your 40. I didn't purchase one yet but I may in the future. If my calculations are correct then I will have plenty of room in my sump for the tank to drain into it, should the power go out. The Table of Contents is the best idea since sliced bread on these build threads. I hate having to dig through 40 pages for one picture! Then you probably won't need it! My current tank suprisingly enough doesn't need it. And I agree with the table of contents - a must have for any build thread. Did some testing today. So far all I have had to dose is buffer as it seems to drop every 4 days or so. The cal and mag levels are identical to last week. Alk 7 Cal 480 Mag 1280+ Nitrate 0 To be honest, my SPS are not very happy right now, and the light was a little intense for the LPS at full pop so I dropped the day whites intensity from 100% to 65% - the LPS seem a bit happier. The clams seem to be top notch regardless, although when the light was at full blast, the crocea would not open up completely (escaping the light is my guess). Sooo tank looks a little bleh right now but I am sure it will pick up. I will keep everyone posted on the progress. Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted February 4, 2010 Author Share Posted February 4, 2010 So this may come as a shocker - but I am considering selling the solaris and going with 6 bulb HOT5 hahaha... The Solaris so far seems really unpredictable with light output. LPS are bleaching, SPS are browing, softies are thriving, and my params are all perfect. SOOOOO all I can think of is that the light is not doing what it should. Maybe I am just LED retarded? Either way, if anyone has any suggestions feel free to drop me some hints! as mentioned above it is on Solar mode, Daywhites 65% Dayblues 100%, approx 12" off the surface. Link to comment
rtparty Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Come back home TJ! You know T5's have the upper hand! A new Sunpower would look really good over that tank. My 40 is gonna have a 6x24W Sunpower over it. Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted February 4, 2010 Author Share Posted February 4, 2010 Come back home TJ! You know T5's have the upper hand! A new Sunpower would look really good over that tank. My 40 is gonna have a 6x24W Sunpower over it. Well, I have a guy interested in the Solaris for more than enough to purchase a 6 bulb HOT5 and a few replacement bulbs for it... I have till Saturday to make up my mind since that is when he wants to pick it up. I will probably get the new AquaticLife 6 bulb HOT5 if I switch. The reflectors are MUCH better than that of the Current USA Nova Extreme Pro. I am hoping to get some response from the LED users on the site to see if my problem is with my lack of LED experience or something else. Link to comment
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