albertthiel Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Saw this post on another forum in response to a guy asking if he should choose T5s or LED's. QUOTE "You don't save any power these days because the led units use just as much power as the T5's anyway." Is that the case? how can say a 120w LED unit be as expensive to run as the equivalent in T5s? Surely a well designed LED unit is more efficent that a T5s giving the same PAR and POR? QUOTE "T5's provide a much better blanket of light compared to point source LED's." Again is that really the case. We have various optics now for LED's most notably 90 and 120 degree lenses. My 120w 16" unit covers my 2' cube no problem esp if I had is suspended 12" from the surface of my tank water when in fact I only have it 8" above the surface of my tank water. . QUOTE "I can see the benefit of led's and full coverage lights like the custom made lani's are an excellent alternative but you still cant beat T5's for colour and spread." Again is that really the truth? I saw some Radions Gen 3 yesterday and the colour of the SPS corals under them were superb and IMO match any T5 array. QUOTE "They do look different though. Led's can look a lot more sterile than T5's, you dont get shimmer with T5's and some people think the tank looks 'flater and less 3 dimensional". Hmmm "More sterile" yse if you have the wrong LED's in the unit and if you have say lit a tank with just 14k tubes wouldn't that look "sterile"? QUOTE "I think this comes down to the fact that you dont really get shadowing with T5's like you would with LED's so under overhangs and in caves are brighter." Why do you want caves etc to be brighter? Surely one of the ideas of caves is to provide cover for fish and to give an area of reduced light?. QUOTE "T5's wont punch as deep and dont have the same level of power of LED's though, but tbh many LED's units are overpowered hence why most are run at reduced capacities." Overpowered? I run all my LED's at 100% if you choose a lesser wattage LED unit you can run it at or near 100% IMO or slowly acclimatize your corals to the higher level of light as in PAR and POR.. I would discount all the statements made by that poster as there are no measurements of the consumption of the T5 and the LED's and there are no pictures of the color reference he is making And the shimmer is irrelevant .. that is a matter of preference not a good/bad situation I say he uses T5's and did not even try LED's but is just punching letters on the keyboard and not giving evidence ... Albert FWIW Quote Link to comment
Paul.b Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 My tank is featured this week at Saltwater Smarts I can't post the link as my pasting doesn't work on this forum. But it works everywhere else. 2 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 My tank is featured this week at Saltwater Smarts I can't post the link as my pasting doesn't work on this forum. But it works everywhere else. Thanks Paul I guess I can go to saltwatersmarts and see it there ... I will try to do so ... Albert This should be the link : http://www.saltwatersmarts.com/paul-baldassano-40-year-old-saltwater-aquarium-3078/ 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Thanks for the Article Paul ... A great read for everyone !!! Albert Quote Link to comment
Paul.b Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I liked it so much that I read it twice. 2 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I liked it so much that I read it twice. Good for you Everyone should Albert Quote Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 And Paul's ... ... How to Breed Brine Shrimp .... and end up with Nauplii for feeding .. http://www.saltwatersmarts.com/diy-brine-shrimp-hatchery-shell-separator-2842/ Albert What are the smallest dimensions you'd make this hatchery for one green/blue mandarin? Thanks for the link, BTW. :-) 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 What are the smallest dimensions you'd make this hatchery for one green/blue mandarin? Thanks for the link, BTW. :-) I will let Paul post an answer to your question .. Albert Quote Link to comment
Paul.b Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I would use the dimensions I gave in that article. I have about a pint of water on each side of the hatchery. I have a pair of mandarins, a pair of bluestripe pipefish, a scooter bleeny and whatever else wants to come by. If I had manta rays I would have built it larger, but what I stated would be fine. 2 Quote Link to comment
bucfan Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Is the fish scratching against the substrate or rock ? Going to the surface is not necessarily a sign of marine Ick Do you see white spots on its body ? Albert few white spots on tail only, not scratching on rocks, just stays mostly near water surface which is unusual since these clowns always hung at the bottom by 2 torches 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 few white spots on tail only, not scratching on rocks, just stays mostly near water surface which is unusual since these clowns always hung at the bottom by 2 torches Is one of the clowns attacking the other one ? To be on the safe side I would treat the affected clown for marine ick in a separate tank and also make sure that the other one is not affected in any way or you will need to treat that one too and any other fish in your aquarium and leave the DT fallow for 60 days or more. It does not sound like marine ick ... maybe Velvet .. but the clown needs to be treated and it would be safe to treat all fish in your tank ... Albert Quote Link to comment
bucfan Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Yes, one clown is attacking the other going after his fins. And I cannot catch them. 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Place a fairly large fish net in the tank not too far from where that clown that goes to the surface usually can be seen Leave the net in place Gently approach the tank when the fish is at the top and I mean very slowly Gently grab hold of the net, very gently Them move it rapidly to catch the fish you want ... That IME works but you may need some practice ... meaning it may not work for you the first time around Of core since the one Clown is chasing the other one, one of the two will need to go back to the LFS or another Hobbyist as this will not stop and lead to the demise of the clown that is being chased (or get it to jump out of the tank) Albert Yes, one clown is attacking the other going after his fins. And I cannot catch them. Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Plablo's 2000 Gallon Tank Quite a tank indeed http://www.newlife.ipbhost.com/forums/topic/66-pablos-2000-gallon-aquarium/ Albert Quote Link to comment
atoll Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Have we gone too far with lighting? Strange thing to ask maybe but consider the following. I was in a great LFS probably the best for many a mile around which is a 40 min drive from me on Wednesday afternoon. While in the shop I saw the new EcoTech Radion XR3)W pros that they recently put over some of their SPS tanks. The Radion's were replacing some AL Sol's that the shop had been using for a couple of years. I have to say the colours of the corals in particular reds were very bright, reds, pinks, blues and greens also stood out as did most of the other colours. That's my problem you see the corals looked like they had been Photoshopped. I have seen lots of pic's on here and other sites that have been photoshopped and the colours look more than just brilliant. IME they are just not natural looking. I have been lucky to dive and snorkeled in the Red Sea and although the colours of the corals were fantastic none looked like the corals I saw under the new Radion's. Seems now we are trying to improve on nature and IMO when you try and do that you introduce unnatural looking corals. I am sure many will simply say so what I love the bright red blues and greens I see under these lights. Fair enough but after being knocked out by these unnaturally bright radiant corals i'm now not so sure that we are going in the right direction with lighting. I am sure my thoughts will be a contentious issue with many and you will have your own views on such. If you have seen these lights or have a set I would be interested to hear your views on them and esp the look of the corals under them. . 2 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Have we gone too far with lighting? Strange thing to ask maybe but consider the following. I was in a great LFS probably the best for many a mile around which is a 40 min drive from me on Wednesday afternoon. While in the shop I saw the new EcoTech Radion XR3)W pros that they recently put over some of their SPS tanks. The Radion's were replacing some AL Sol's that the shop had been using for a couple of years. I have to say the colours of the corals in particular reds were very bright, reds, pinks, blues and greens also stood out as did most of the other colours. That's my problem you see the corals looked like they had been Photoshopped. I have seen lots of pic's on here and other sites that have been photoshopped and the colours look more than just brilliant. IME they are just not natural looking. I have been lucky to dive and snorkeled in the Red Sea and although the colours of the corals were fantastic none looked like the corals I saw under the new Radion's. Seems now we are trying to improve on nature and IMO when you try and do that you introduce unnatural looking corals. I am sure many will simply say so what I love the bright red blues and greens I see under these lights. Fair enough but after being knocked out by these unnaturally bright radiant corals i'm now not so sure that we are going in the right direction with lighting. I am sure my thoughts will be a contentious issue with many and you will have your own views on such. If you have seen these lights or have a set I would be interested to hear your views on them and esp the look of the corals under them. . You have a good point Les especially that those who buy those corals but do not have the same kind of lights over their tanks will never get those colors when the corals are placed in their aquariums and in addition they will have to re-acclimae their new corals to the lighting they have as it will be totally different from what was used at the store ... But let's see what others have to say .... Albert 1 Quote Link to comment
bucfan Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Place a fairly large fish net in the tank not too far from where that clown that goes to the surface usually can be seen Leave the net in place Gently approach the tank when the fish is at the top and I mean very slowly Gently grab hold of the net, very gently Them move it rapidly to catch the fish you want ... That IME works but you may need some practice ... meaning it may not work for you the first time around Of core since the one Clown is chasing the other one, one of the two will need to go back to the LFS or another Hobbyist as this will not stop and lead to the demise of the clown that is being chased (or get it to jump out of the tank) Albert OK caught the clown who was being harassed and he's now in my sump. So now what? Do I need to get rid of him? He seems fine swimming in the sump where he's not being harassed. 1 Quote Link to comment
baldrick Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 hi i have a 6 gallon nano reef tank and would like to find a protein skimmer for it. its a fluval edge, it has a zoo med nano 501 canister filter and upgrade led reef lights and a mini hydor powerhead. the problem is the tank only has a 6.75 inch opening so the only skimmers i can find that will fit are the biocube nano skimmer which is a crappy skimmer with an airstone that goes in the tank and is an eye sore or one from japan which i cant find in the states that is a waterfall type filter with built in skimmer similar to the rio skimmer but the rio skimmer is 1/2 inch too big for my opening. what can i buy or is there a way to make a custom skimmer? were looking at the reef octopus ns-80 but we dont want one that has to sit inside the tank are there any external skimmers (hob) that would be good for my tank? thank you 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 OK caught the clown who was being harassed and he's now in my sump. So now what? Do I need to get rid of him? He seems fine swimming in the sump where he's not being harassed. If he is doing fine there you can leave him in the sump, just make sure he cannot get too close to the intake of the pump and get sucked in it so put something in front of the intake to prevent that from happening The bottom of a 2 liter soda bottle that you have perforated in multiple places to let water get through in all those areas will do fine and put that in front of the pump intake. Alternatively trade the fish at your LFS for something different that you can place in our DT, e.g. a Citron Goby or a Banggai Cardinal maybe or a fish that your clown in the DT will leave alone. A Bi-color Blenny should be OK as well. I have long explanations of what fish to use in my Nano Reef Aquariums book (see signature) and the e-Version is a good buy and will give you plenty more info (448 pages). It may help you along for more than just fish selection but also for the selection of corals etc ... Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 hi i have a 6 gallon nano reef tank and would like to find a protein skimmer for it. its a fluval edge, it has a zoo med nano 501 canister filter and upgrade led reef lights and a mini hydor powerhead. the problem is the tank only has a 6.75 inch opening so the only skimmers i can find that will fit are the biocube nano skimmer which is a crappy skimmer with an airstone that goes in the tank and is an eye sore or one from japan which i cant find in the states that is a waterfall type filter with built in skimmer similar to the rio skimmer but the rio skimmer is 1/2 inch too big for my opening. what can i buy or is there a way to make a custom skimmer? were looking at the reef octopus ns-80 but we dont want one that has to sit inside the tank are there any external skimmers (hob) that would be good for my tank? thank you Finding a suitable protein skimmer can indeed sometimes be little difficult depending on what type of aquarium one has. Here is a link to a reseller that has many and you may want to look into what they offer as HOB skimmers to find one that suits your needs http://aquariumsupplies.marinedepot.com/ppc/search?w=protein%20skimmers&gclid=COiIzrexqL0CFUVp7Aod-A8A9Q' Personally on my smaller tanks I use the Red Sea Prizm Pro HOB ones and other than having to clean them about once a month I have nt have any issue with them. Albert Quote Link to comment
atoll Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I wonder if I should copy and post my post above about the new Radion LED units on the main lighting forum on nano reefs as I may well just get more of the abuse I have had in the past for daring to question the "lighting gods" views. Not that that kind of response would bother me and I might even get some interesting responses both positive and negative to my post. 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I wonder if I should copy and post my post above about the new Radion LED units on the main lighting forum on nano reefs as I may well just get more of the abuse I have had in the past for daring to question the "lighting gods" views. Not that that kind of response would bother me and I might even get some interesting responses both positive and negative to my post. Not a bad idea to see what kind of reaction you get there Les Albert 1 Quote Link to comment
atoll Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Here is a repose I just got from the same post I made on another forum. " If the colours prefer it thouh les its a win win. After all none of us wants to cause stress to our corals but we do want them to look their best and be nice healthy specimens. I just need a lottery win for some nice shiney leds " Not sure what you would call the colours preferring it though. Just because the colours stand out hardly mean they prefer it or does it?. Just posted this to his reply. "Not sure what you would call the "colours preferring it" though. Just because the colours stand out hardly mean they prefer it or does it?. We can make something which appears "better" in our eyes and yes the corals may grow just as well under a not so "artificial" light. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but after being initially knocked out by the colours of the corals under these particular lights i'm now not so sure. Each to their own I guess and I welcome yours and anybody else's views on the subject." Les. 1 Quote Link to comment
atoll Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 OK. I have done the deed. I have lit the blue touch paper (which I seem to have a habit of doing on Nano reefs) time to stand back and take the flack. . Albert I will blame you for encouraging me to start a thread on it in the lighting forum. http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/343530-are-we-going-in-the-right-direction-with-our-lighting/ 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Here is a repose I just got from the same post I made on another forum. " If the colours prefer it thouh les its a win win. After all none of us wants to cause stress to our corals but we do want them to look their best and be nice healthy specimens. I just need a lottery win for some nice shiney leds " Not sure what you would call the colours preferring it though. Just because the colours stand out hardly mean they prefer it or does it?. Just posted this to his reply. "Not sure what you would call the "colours preferring it" though. Just because the colours stand out hardly mean they prefer it or does it?. We can make something which appears "better" in our eyes and yes the corals may grow just as well under a not so "artificial" light. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but after being initially knocked out by the colours of the corals under these particular lights i'm now not so sure. Each to their own I guess and I welcome yours and anybody else's views on the subject." Les. Corals preferring a certain coral ... ? Makes no sense to me ... strange answer indeed Les Albert OK. I have done the deed. I have lit the blue touch paper (which I seem to have a habit of doing on Nano reefs) time to stand back and take the flack. . Albert I will blame you for encouraging me to start a thread on it in the lighting forum. http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/343530-are-we-going-in-the-right-direction-with-our-lighting/ Well let's what comes back Be ready for the flack indeed Albert 1 Quote Link to comment
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