CNCreef Asis Pro 824 LED/T5HO Evil Cluster Hybrid

[McJosh13]

They are par monsters no doubt but lack of par has never really been a problem with DIY led fixtures in the first place. The main advantage SHOULD be #1) aesthetics #2) simplicity of the build (less leds, lenses, etc). Now that so many people are building these clusters maybe we can get some accurate photos and compare the aesthetics to more traditional arrays. I'm not sure that there have been any good photos of an Evil cluster in action over a tank yet posted.

[jedimasterben]

They are par monsters no doubt but lack of par has never really been a problem with DIY led fixtures in the first place. The main advantage SHOULD be #1) aesthetics #2) simplicity of the build (less leds, lenses, etc). Now that so many people are building these clusters maybe we can get some accurate photos and compare the aesthetics to more traditional arrays. I'm not sure that there have been any good photos of an Evil cluster in action over a tank yet posted.

I think my sister may have left me her DSLR.... so this may happen, even though my tank looks like garbage.

[McJosh13]

I think my sister may have left me her DSLR.... so this may happen, even though my tank looks like garbage.

 

Really, the last FTS I saw from December looked pretty freakin sweet

[jedimasterben]

 

Really, the last FTS I saw from December looked pretty freakin sweet

(note, this is not the evil cluster light)

 

:/

[dacdaddy]

Which light is above that there? So hard to tell with cameras vs what the eye sees

 

Looks like issues can happen to the best of us. Good thing we got a good forum to help each other figure this sh*t out

[McJosh13]

Damn, that sucks! I had a tank crash in similar fashion about 8 months ago after I started my residency and didn't have time to properly maintain it for a while, a lot of work and patience to get it back up again. I'm sure you will get it back to top shape soon

[jedimasterben]

Which light is above that there? So hard to tell with cameras vs what the eye sees

 

Looks like issues can happen to the best of us. Good thing we got a good forum to help each other figure this sh*t out

No, not the evil cluster. Dinoflagellates are rough.

Damn, that sucks! I had a tank crash in similar fashion about 8 months ago after I started my residency and didn't have time to properly maintain it for a while, a lot of work and patience to get it back up again. I'm sure you will get it back to top shape soon

Soon. All my corals and fish will be separated and the main tank will be cleaned out, rocks acid etched, and the sand rinsed, and all started over. And it won't suck then.

[Mr. Microscope]

IEEEEE!!! Yikes! Good luck with the reload Ben. I'm looking forward to seeing everything cleaned up. Will it all go into your new tank?

[jedimasterben]

IEEEEE!!! Yikes! Good luck with the reload Ben. I'm looking forward to seeing everything cleaned up. Will it all go into your new tank?

Yes. I'm hoping to get the racks for the temporary tanks built today (weather permitting, I hate having to do woodworking outside!) and then I'll start pulling water out and moving the fish and corals. I've got about 13g of water from my new RO/DI that I'll be using to put the fish systems into hyposalinity, then I'll start with the cleanup of the corals before they're moved into their new home (50/50 peroxide dips to try and kill what algae is on them) and THEN the cleanup of the tank, which is going to be a nightmare, I'm thinking. And it'll be stinky

[banshee]

You're speaking Greek as far as I can tell. All I want to know is can it grow my corals and can I get a clam?

[jedimasterben]

You're speaking Greek as far as I can tell. All I want to know is can it grow my corals and can I get a clam?

 

All you need to know is that at 12", I got 2300 PAR out of 75w of LEDs, and can easily get more.

[banshee]

What would that mean for my 18" deep tank?

[evilc66]

More light than you can shake a stick it.

 

In all seriousness though, the mid day sun at the equator during the summer produces about 2000 PAR. Intensities a few feet below the water in tropical areas of the world, where we would see reefs, would be in the 1000-1500 PAR range. Anything more than 600 PAR in the home aquarium is very difficult to deal with. Most of the time, I like to hit between 50 and 100 PAR on the sand for a mixed reef, and 200 PAR for an sps heavy tank.

 

So, knowing that, can you use an Evil Cluster setup like Jedi is using? Absolutely. Just maybe not with the tight reflectors that he used to get 2300 PAR

[bpaston]

More light than you can shake a stick it.

 

In all seriousness though, the mid day sun at the equator during the summer produces about 2000 PAR. Intensities a few feet below the water in tropical areas of the world, where we would see reefs, would be in the 1000-1500 PAR range. Anything more than 600 PAR in the home aquarium is very difficult to deal with. Most of the time, I like to hit between 50 and 100 PAR on the sand for a mixed reef, and 200 PAR for an sps heavy tank.

 

So, knowing that, can you use an Evil Cluster setup like Jedi is using? Absolutely. Just maybe not with the tight reflectors that he used to get 2300 PAR

Evil if its ok to pick your brain, why is it that anything over 600 par is hard to deal with in home setups? With a long acclimation period to the light intensity shouldn't we be able to mimic what these corals are used to in the wild?

[dacdaddy]

More light than you can shake a stick it.

 

In all seriousness though, the mid day sun at the equator during the summer produces about 2000 PAR. Intensities a few feet below the water in tropical areas of the world, where we would see reefs, would be in the 1000-1500 PAR range. Anything more than 600 PAR in the home aquarium is very difficult to deal with. Most of the time, I like to hit between 50 and 100 PAR on the sand for a mixed reef, and 200 PAR for an sps heavy tank.

 

So, knowing that, can you use an Evil Cluster setup like Jedi is using? Absolutely. Just maybe not with the tight reflectors that he used to get 2300 PAR

When you mention 50-100 par on the sandbed, is this taking air measurements at sandbed depths or is this PAR in the water. I know Ben mentioned it's all air measurements but I want to make sure were all on the same page. Not sure if theres a way to measure par in the water.

[Tripwyr]

Evil if its ok to pick your brain, why is it that anything over 600 par is hard to deal with in home setups? With a long acclimation period to the light intensity shouldn't we be able to mimic what these corals are used to in the wild?

 

My understanding is that the higher the light available to the coral, the faster they metabolize. This means that the water fouls more quickly, nutrients are consumed more quickly, and reef building elements are depleted more quickly. In most cases the higher light causes bleaching because in our closed systems we are unable to cope with the increased production it causes.

[Confuse]

I'm ordering parts for my single evil cluster and I'll be running the following setup based off some of Ben's recommendations...

 

1x Bridgelux 950-B
3x Luxeon M royal blue 450-455nm
3x Luxeon Rebel cool blue 475-480nm
2x Luxeon Rebel cyan 490-495nm
12x LEDgroupBuy hyper violet 430nm

 

What "size" power supply would I need to run all the leds off ldd-1000's (950-B, M's, CB, Cyan) and an ldd-700 for the hyper violets?

[MeepNand]

I'm ordering parts for my single evil cluster and I'll be running the following setup based off some of Ben's recommendations...

 

1x Bridgelux 950-B

3x Luxeon M royal blue 450-455nm

3x Luxeon Rebel cool blue 475-480nm

2x Luxeon Rebel cyan 490-495nm

12x LEDgroupBuy hyper violet 430nm

 

What "size" power supply would I need to run all the leds off ldd-1000's (950-B, M's, CB, Cyan) and an ldd-700 for the hyper violets?

That seems like a lot of HV. Maybe replace a couple with royals or a larger bridgelux chip?

[jedimasterben]

That seems like a lot of HV. Maybe replace a couple with royals or a larger bridgelux chip?

Why is that?

[jedimasterben]

Evil if its ok to pick your brain, why is it that anything over 600 par is hard to deal with in home setups? With a long acclimation period to the light intensity shouldn't we be able to mimic what these corals are used to in the wild?

No matter the acclimation time, there are tons of corals that simply cannot handle that much light, and especially not how most tanks are lit (100% all the time).

 

When you mention 50-100 par on the sandbed, is this taking air measurements at sandbed depths or is this PAR in the water. I know Ben mentioned it's all air measurements but I want to make sure were all on the same page. Not sure if theres a way to measure par in the water.

Yep, just stick the sensor under water

 

People don't do this because my water is nothing like your water, and my numbers might be higher than what you get, so air measurements give you your baseline. Water refracts light and actually increases readings, especially with good surface agitation, but if the water has a lot of particulates or discoloring it will decrease.

 

My understanding is that the higher the light available to the coral, the faster they metabolize. This means that the water fouls more quickly, nutrients are consumed more quickly, and reef building elements are depleted more quickly. In most cases the higher light causes bleaching because in our closed systems we are unable to cope with the increased production it causes.

The more energy that hits the zooxanthellae, the more energy they produce and can give to the coral. There is a lot more than just light, though, as there needs to be great flow, stability in calcium and alk (and mag), and an abundance of food. Look up the 'Blu Coral' method, it uses a combination of ridiculous light (as in 400w halides over every tank), a large amount of powerheads, calcium reactors, and 'Pappone' food which is full of proteins and amino acids - growth rates average among stony corals are absolutely ridiculous, especially if somatotrophin is added to the pappone.

[Mr. Microscope]

I've got about 13g of water from my new RO/DI that I'll be using to put the fish systems into hyposalinity

Why? What will you bring it down to? 1.019ish?

[jedimasterben]

Nope, gonna be around 1.009 (12ppt), true hyposalinity, that was just all the water I had made.

[Tripwyr]

The more energy that hits the zooxanthellae, the more energy they produce and can give to the coral. There is a lot more than just light, though, as there needs to be great flow, stability in calcium and alk (and mag), and an abundance of food. Look up the 'Blu Coral' method, it uses a combination of ridiculous light (as in 400w halides over every tank), a large amount of powerheads, calcium reactors, and 'Pappone' food which is full of proteins and amino acids - growth rates average among stony corals are absolutely ridiculous, especially if somatotrophin is added to the pappone.

 

Wow, I've never seen that method before. Somatropin is also not easy to get, as it is very fragile and can not be couriered.

[jedimasterben]

Wow, I've never seen that method before. Somatropin is also not easy to get, as it is very fragile and can not be couriered.

Not to mention illegal without a prescription.

[bhazard]

Some nice work being done on these. Impressive.