Jae's 34Gal Solana

[creefer]

Jae,

 

Thanks for the pic. Also, thanks for the thoughts on the NEP. My biggest concern with that fixture is the lamps. I don't want to be limited by getting only current lamps but if the growth is there for the money, it's kind of hard to beat. I've also been looking into the maxspect LED. I'm intrigued by LED but just don't know if coral growth is good enough to justify the expense......many options........

[jae4571]

I hear you on that. I got the fixture for $200 with bulbs you really can't beat that. I'll post how the colors are with the new bulbs once I get them up and running. Im also intrigued by LED's especially the dimable sunrise/sunset function with a controller. As far as the money goes it's going to cost you $120 everytime you switch the bulbs on the NEP (there's six of them at $20 a piece.) so when you look at it like that 5 years of use is going to cost you at minimum $680 ($200 purchase price and then $120x4 for replacement bulbs) when you look at it like that LED's seem pretty good!

[creefer]

No joke about that. The replacement bulb costs is one other factor against the T5. You can pick up a maxspect G2-110 for about $430 right now. If you step up to the G2-160, you might as well just by the AI fixture with the controller for $603. Again.....many choices and options.....I don't really like the idea of the MH due to heat and bulb replacement issues there either. LED is the logical winner I think.

 

Do you think you're getting enough flow with the koralia? Kicking that around against the MP10 as well..

[jae4571]

Something like this Exotic Panorama may be my next light fixture.

[creefer]

Yeah...I've looked at that as well as this

[jae4571]

The AI looks pretty sick my only concern was the color temp on the whites (6500). I also wasn't a big fan of the white casing I think the black looks much sleeker. However, the controller thats thrown in with the AI is pretty tempting. Can't wait to see what you go with when you get your Solana set up.

[jae4571]

So I bought some new stuff yesterday while in Sarasota FL. I think I got some great prices!

 

Bluish/green polyped Birdsnest $15

The birdsnest is mounted on a magnet so I can adjust the height and placement as needed

 

Red and neon green Blastos $20

 

Pink Lemonade Zoa's $20

 

And heres a current FTS

[creefer]

Looks great.

[jae4571]

Well I just scrubbed the GHA and Cyano off a small patch of live rock that had attached by my ZOA garden. It all came off easily and was siphoned out instantaneously. To anyone that buys their water from a LFS be very careful and test it before you use it. I remember one time the salinity was at 1.036.

 

I also did another 5 gallon water change and took the time to re-aquascape! I think it looks pretty cool. I like how the branching live rock is all on one saide now and is more uniform. I also was able to build a place that I am going to put a clam, possibly a maxima. I've been reading mixed reviews on clams and T5HO lighting. Does anyone have any sugestions?

 

I'll post some pics tomorrow (I have stressed my fish out enough for one night).

[jae4571]

Heres some pictures of my new scape

 

 

Here's a close up

 

Heres a pic of my Duncan that is in the process of growing 4 new heads!!! Not bad for $5

[jae4571]

So I bought a used Tunze Osmolator for $100 today....I thought it was a great price. The unit looks brand new and is working flawlessly! I will post picks of the unit set up in the morning once I straighten everything up in the stand.

[jae4571]

This Tunze unit is aweomse!

 

Heres a pic of how I have it set up in the 3rd chamber:

 

Heres a pic of how the cabinet is not set up with the drawer removed:

 

Heres a pic with the drawer back in so you can see how much of it is hidden:

 

A little update on the tank. The GHA came back rather quickly after my water change last week. Im going to do a 5 gallon change today and a 5 gallon change in two days. I found out what the issue was that caused it starting to grow. I discovered that the LFS I had been purchasing the RO/DI water from wasnt RO/DI it was tap water with a dechlorinator in it. Just another example of why not to use tap water for all of the people who think its fine.

 

I'm also going to do a thorough cleaning of the sand and the infected rock. If it comes back again I'm going to pull the rock out. I hate to do that because its a very unique blue skelton coral. Please let me know what you think or if I have missed anything!

[jae4571]

Well its day two(2) of my deep clean for my tank. Yesterday I did a 5 gallon water change vacuuming thoroughly 1/3 of my sand. Today I did another 5 gallon WC vacuuming another 1/3. Tomorrow will be third and final WC of the week vacuuming the last third of my sand. Everything is looking amazing and the algae has subsided and is beginning to recede! Hopefully this will solve my issues and rid me of the plague of using bad water.

[creefer]

For your sake, I hope so too. Good luck.

[shan]

NIce looking tank!!

[jae4571]

So I am seriously contemplating buying an LED fixture rather than replacing my T5 Bulbs. I found a fixture online for $209 shipped. It is a 120watt fixture and claims that it can replace a 250watt MH. The fixture measures 16inches long, 8.5 inches wide and 2.5 inches thick. The unit has a 1:1 ratio of white:blue. (56 1 watt white LEDS and 56 1 watt blue LEDS) It appears that the unit also has 3 cooling fans.

 

Here are some of their claims:

 

Benefits:

 

Powerful 120W LED Aquarium Light can replace 250W Metal Halide Lamp, save 50% on electricity bills.

Lifetime: The high power 1w LED with over 50000hours lifespan, nearly no maintenance.

You don’t need to relpace the bulbs frequently like MH/Fluorescent.

Use built-in switching mode 97% efficiency power supply, no need ballast as MH and fluorescent which will inefficient and burnout finally.

LED is cold lighting that produce much less heat and 3 built-in cooling fans help cool down the lamp very well, you don’t need to buy additional expensive cooling system.

LED’s light is downwards directly and 120 degree wide beam angle help confirm uniform coverage, you don’t need to buy additionl bulky reflector like MH.

Daylight & Moonlight combined in one unit, unique design, high quality, light and beautiful, never found elsewhere.

Easy to install and use, plug into the electric outlet(85~265Vac) directly, no set-up required, Plug-and-play.

CE safety & Patent right approved, no worry about product usage safety and patent.

Environment-friendly: No mercury and other harmful heavy metal.

3 modes optional: A. Blue on, White off; B. Blue off, White on; C. Blue on, White on.

We offer Full 2-Year-Warranty,defected product will be repaired or replaced with new ones if caused by our raw production material or workman skill.

 

 

What are your thoughts? What are things that I need to be looking for if searching to purchase an LED fixture?

[creefer]

So I am seriously contemplating buying an LED fixture rather than replacing my T5 Bulbs. I found a fixture online for $209 shipped. It is a 120watt fixture and claims that it can replace a 250watt MH. The fixture measures 16inches long, 8.5 inches wide and 2.5 inches thick. The unit has a 1:1 ratio of white:blue. (56 1 watt white LEDS and 56 1 watt blue LEDS) It appears that the unit also has 3 cooling fans.

 

Here are some of their claims:

 

Benefits:

 

Powerful 120W LED Aquarium Light can replace 250W Metal Halide Lamp, save 50% on electricity bills.

Lifetime: The high power 1w LED with over 50000hours lifespan, nearly no maintenance.

You don’t need to relpace the bulbs frequently like MH/Fluorescent.

Use built-in switching mode 97% efficiency power supply, no need ballast as MH and fluorescent which will inefficient and burnout finally.

LED is cold lighting that produce much less heat and 3 built-in cooling fans help cool down the lamp very well, you don’t need to buy additional expensive cooling system.

LED’s light is downwards directly and 120 degree wide beam angle help confirm uniform coverage, you don’t need to buy additionl bulky reflector like MH.

Daylight & Moonlight combined in one unit, unique design, high quality, light and beautiful, never found elsewhere.

Easy to install and use, plug into the electric outlet(85~265Vac) directly, no set-up required, Plug-and-play.

CE safety & Patent right approved, no worry about product usage safety and patent.

Environment-friendly: No mercury and other harmful heavy metal.

3 modes optional: A. Blue on, White off; B. Blue off, White on; C. Blue on, White on.

We offer Full 2-Year-Warranty,defected product will be repaired or replaced with new ones if caused by our raw production material or workman skill.

 

 

What are your thoughts? What are things that I need to be looking for if searching to purchase an LED fixture?

 

 

Where did you find this? I just pulled the trigger on a maxspect G2-110. I will post pics in my thread once I get it installed. I hope to get it tomorrow.

[reef-luva]

I likie...

[jae4571]

So I have no idea what is going on with this GHA and patch of Cyano. I tested my water and both phospahtes and nitrates read 0.00ppm. The only place the algea is located is on a piece of live rock that is actually a dead coral skeleton that I had gotten from a coral shop on the beach. I thought it was pretty cool so I used it as ornamental decoration when the tank was FOWLR. So my thoughts are that this piece has absorbed or contains the phosphates that are making the algea grow only on the rock. I subsequently removed it to fix the problem. Thus causing me to re-aquascape yet again. I'm thinking I may just end up trying to creat a bonsai scape in the next few weeks, well have to wait and see.

 

Heres a picture of what the rock looked like that I removed when I bought it:

 

And this is what is looked like in the Solana:

 

And here it was with the nasty algae:

 

Ill post a FTS of the new scape tomorrow when the lights come on. Im actually liking that I took that rock out because its going to give me a lot more room for some new corals.

[jae4571]

Heres a picture of the new scape:

 

And a side shot:

 

Now I have the room to build the Zoa garden and Acan garden that I have wanted! I have also been contemplating purchasing a nicer camera to take pictures with. These blackberry photos suck. What is everyone using?

[jae4571]

Well I was playing around with my camera today and came out with some pretty awesome shots! I still need to buy a tripod and will probably pick one up on Friday. I may not purchase a DSLR right now since these pics turned out pretty well. I'd rather spend the money on the tank rather than a camera. Let me know what you think.

 

Purple Plate Coral:

Blasto's:

Ricordea & Mushroom Garden:

Duncan:

FTS:

[Arkayology]

Those are some nice pics. I wish I had a camera like that to show off my tank.

[jae4571]

Its just a point and shot Cyber Shot 7.2 megapixel. I got some great info from a thread on photographing a reef tank. If you have a point and shot digital camera use the P setting so you can make appropriate adjustments. Thanks for the compliment!

[jae4571]

So i decided to re do the moonlight mod in my NEP. I removed the reflector and hid all the wiring underneath. I then derilled the reflector so the lights sit flush with the unit. The moonilghts are able to be angled so you can highlight certain areas in the tank. Here are some pics:

 

 

And here are some pictures of some of the corals close up with the moonlights:

[jae4571]

So I finally decided what bulb combination to use on the NEP.

 

460nm Actinic

12,000k Power White

420nm Purple Actinic

10,000k White

460nm Actinic

12,000k Power White

 

I am also contemplating purchasing an Ecoxotic Panorama reef white 12.5 inch strip for a little more pop.

 

I purchased the two(2) 12,000k bulbs on Friday and switched them out. The 12,000k really crispens the color of the tank. I'll be getting the rest of the bulbs over the next few weeks.

 

Yesterday I picked up an open brain for $40 and a huge acan colony for $20! Both are open but are still adjusting from the MH to my T5's I'll post some pics in the next few days.