Larnie's Nano-Cube DX 92w

[halfpint]

the hidden pump is a good idea! i'll have to try to get a pump small enough to replace my HUGE one i have in my tank now.

 

GOOD IDEA MAN!!!

[larnie]

Ever since I picked up my torch coral I've been looking for a hammer coral to add to my cube. I like the fluid motion that these corals add to the tank. When I was in Denver last week I found this compact, four stalk, neon green tipped hammer that was perfect for my NC.

 

[larnie]

This is an update on my T. crocea that was injured when I moved it last week. The byssus gland was severely damaged by the move. There is very little tissue remaining in the byssal gap of the clam. Delbeek and Sprung report, in The Reef Aquarium Volume One, that byssal damage is not always fatal... we'll wait and see what happens.

 

The mantle's extension is improving and the crocea's coloration is good. Here is a close-up of part of the mantle that shows its color pattern.

 

[Bruce86]

did you ever change the 24w actinic to the 10k day light? if so, how does it look?

[larnie]

Bruce

 

Unfortunately JBJ has been out of stock on the 10k 24 watt bulbs. As soon as Chris gets them in, I will give it a try. I don't plan on trading out the 24w actinic for 10k. I am looking to use the 10k's in place of one or both 50/50's. I don't care for the look of a "whiter" bulb in the back position (where I have the 24w actinic), as it illuminates the back wall almost like a spotlight. I like the softer, deeper, look of the actinic light on the back wall.

[dzergoski]

Okay, Larnie, you've become my hero. I'm getting ready to start my JBJ Nano 24g DX. I am a total newbie and need help! I've followed your thread about the lights, but it seems like you've made or are going to make changes from what's available on the nanocustoms Larnie kit. You have a 12 right? Will your lights work for a 24g? What is the exact list of lights you will have after you've made your changes and how do you have them ordered in the hood? Thanks! Ilove your threat because you give specifics which makes your tank easier to recreate.

[larnie]

dz

 

My lights are basically the same as described on the initial pages of this thread. The only changes I plan on making are to replace one, or both, of my 50/50 bulbs with 10k bulbs as soon as they are back in stock at JBJ.

 

My tank is a Nano-Cube DX which is JBJ's "12 gallon" model. I would recommend that you look into Nanocustom's Nano-Cube 24 gallon lighting upgrade.

 

Click here for details on the upgrade

 

As far as the bulb placement is concerned, I recommend the following order (from the back of the hood to the front)

 

Actinic 36w

Actinic T5

10K 36w

Actinic T5

10K 36w

R2 Moonlight

 

This will give you the option to develop a lighting schedule that is similar to mine (described earlier in this thread). Chris at Nanocustoms.com is very helpful and he can help you with questions regarding the upgrade and its installation. His contact information is provided on Nanocustom's site.

 

I hope that this is helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions for me.

[larnie]

dz

 

If you haven't already purchased your tank, I would recommend that you consider buying the Nano-Cube with the modified hood complete from Nanocustoms.com. This will give you a turn-key system and eliminate a good deal of work on your end.

[larnie]

dz

 

After further thought, don't neglect consideration of the DX "12 gallon". There are design elements that are superior in the 12 than in the 24. Nanocustoms has posted some information regarding the NC 24 upgrade on another thread that you should look at.

 

Click here for Nanocustom's NC 24g thread

[dzergoski]

Okay, just what I needed. More to think about! So am I reading it correctly that I wouldn't be able to get the "Larnie" light package on a 24g because of safety concerns?

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Hi Larnie,

 

I have a quick question? I read your post about you changing two of your 50/50 bulbs for 10k daylights. But what I didn't understand is that under your configuration, you state they are 36 watt bulbs?

 

Have you placed new ballasts in your tank? Because I thought we can only fit 24 watt bulbs under our hoods?

 

I'm a little thrown off, can you help?

 

mike

[larnie]

Sorry dz, but it's best to be as well informed as possible when making decisions in this hobby.

 

The "Larnie Signature" from Nanocustoms is designed for the "12 gallon" Nano-Cube (NC DX 12). It uses 24w PC lights that fit the form factor of the NC DX 12 hood. Nanocustom's 24 gallon Nano-Cube (NC 24) upgrade uses 36w PC lights that fit the form factor of the NC 24 hood.

 

The concerns regarding the current NC 24 mostly involve the splashguard and exposed fans. These design elements on the NC 24 lead to a less effective moisture seal and higher evaporation levels. You'll have to decide whether or not these are prohibitive issues for you.

 

If you do purchase the NC 24 with the Nanocustoms upgrade, you can have up to 128w of PC light over the main tank. The NC DX 12 can hold 102w of PC light over the main tank. I really like the size and design of the NC DX 12. Well stocked and maintained, they make a great nano-reef environment.

[larnie]

Mike

 

Sorry for the confusion. I was responding to two different questions from dz above.

 

dz had asked about planned changes in the lighting of my tank, to which I answered that I am planning on swapping out one (or both) of my 50/50's for 10k's.

 

dz is interested in the 24g Nano-Cube. I outlined above what I would suggest for a possible configuration of lights on a Nanocustoms 24g Nano-Cube hood. The 24g uses 36w PCs.

[dzergoski]

Thank you so much for your patience with this, Larnie. One last question (yeah, right!). If I go with the 24g with the Nanocustom upgrade, would I still be able to have the different color bulbs like you have--your 2 JBJ 50/50, Jalli Actinic/ 2 Helios T5 Actinis and R2 moonlight? Although Moonlight comes on that tank. I like the way your tank "cycles" lights throughout the day. I do understand that the 24 takes different sized bulbs but I like your effect and wonder if it's possible with the 24g 2004.5. Dz

[larnie]

Dz

 

You're welcome.

 

Actually, there are more bulb options available in 36w than in 24w. You could utilize the bulb sequence I outlined above. The built-in moonlight version of the 24g is probably not a good idea for you. The upgraded hood packs in the lights pretty tightly, and they would cover the built-in moonlights. Adding an R2 moonlight would be a better idea.

[dzergoski]

I just heard from Chris at nanocustoms. He suggests waiting for the 2005 if I want to be able to phase my lights like yours. Thanks for your help and advice. Now I have to wait patiently. I hate that! Dz

[larnie]

I think that is a wise decision. If it were up to me, I would either wait for the updated 24g or buy the current 12g. Stay in touch and let us know when you get started.

[dzergoski]

Thank you so much. I really appreciate all your help. I'll keep following your thread so I can keep learning while I'm waiting!

[larnie]

Many have asked about my planned use of 10K bulbs in my hood. I recently tracked down some new bulbs at my LFS. I purchased a couple of the JBJ 10K 24w bulbs and one of the Realux Blue & White 12K/7.1K 24w bulbs.

 

After experimenting with various combinations and placement, I have decided to go with the following (from back to front):

 

24w Actinic [Jalli or Realux]

10w Actinic

24w 50/50 [Realux 12K/7.1K]

10w Actinic

24w 10K [JBJ}

R2 Moonlight

 

A combination of two 10K bulbs produces an overly white, or even yellow, coloration to the tank. The Realux 50/50 produces an intense bluish white light that I find very desirable. By using these bulbs in timed sequence, the illusion of a rising and setting sun is given.

 

The following images show the progression of light in my cube.

 

Early Morning and Evening [2-10w Actinics]

 

 

Late Morning and Late Afternoon [additional 24w Actinic and 24w 50/50]

 

 

Mid-Day [additional 24w 10K]

 

 

I haven't included a picture with just the moonlight since I took these during the middle of the day. You can see the progressive intensity of light that moves from dawn/dusk blue light to full blown mid-day light.

[rbaby]

Larnie that's looking great, how's the spectrum of your tank now? Do you like it better? Do you like the 7100? I'm actually going to replace my 7100 with a 10k, personally I find that it's too bright for me and I've also read somewhere that the 7100 exudes spectrums that algae feed off more, moreso than the 10k's...but Chris hasn't gotten any yet from JBJ so I'm staying with the 7100's until then .

[larnie]

Hi RB

 

Now that I've had the opportunity to play around with a few different bulbs in my hood, I think that I have found the combination that I visually like best. My current spectrum of lighting is outlined in my previous post. I think that it provides a natural progression that reasonably simulates the appearance of the sun rising and setting in a reef environment. My observations to this point have been aesthetic in nature.

 

I am no expert on lighting dynamics or photosynthetic needs, but I can relate some of what I have read and learned.

 

The lower the kelvin rating (K), the more red the color. The higher the kelvin rating, the more blue the color. Thus 10000K bulbs are bluer than 7100K bulbs. In addition, the greater the distance that light travels through water, the more red color is filtered out. Simply put, the deeper the water the bluer the color.

 

The kelvin rating of sunlight is between 5500K and 6000K. The deeper the reef environment, the lesser the red color content. The question is now, what reef environment are we attempting to replicate? In addition, what light spectrum best displays the colors of our corals?

 

In Eric Borneman's book "Aquarium Corals", he offers a balanced lighting option consisting of a mixture of 6500K and 20000K halides along with fluorescent actinics. This mixture of lighting allows a variety of coral colors to be more "accurately" depicted, to the eye, in the aquarium.

 

Using PC lighting, we can try to do this same thing to a degree. We can combine a mixture of lower kelvin bulbs along with higher kelvin bulbs, adding actinic supplementation. This balance helps our red corals appear red and our green corals appear green.

 

I really like the look of the Realux 12000K / 7100K bulbs. I was tempted to use two of these bulbs in my front 24w positions. However, I wanted the additional "white intensity" of the 1000K bulb, in the front position, to help create the mid-day appearance of the sun.

 

Generally lower kelvin bulbs, in the 4000k to 4500k range, are used for horticulture lighting.

 

This is my "layman's" understanding and perspective. I hope that it is helpful to you.

[larnie]

As I posted earlier in this thread, I have been running a small water pump behind the grate of the Nano-Cube intake. I don't run it constantly, but I have it timed to run 30 minutes out of every hour. It provides good opposing flow to the MJ600 running out of the sump. Running it half-time allows it to kind of serve as a wavemaker.

 

I've now used three different pumps in this configuration.

 

1. Stock JBJ

2. Rio 90

3. Tunze 5024.04

 

 

The stock JBJ has a tendency to spray small air bubbles when it is located so close to the water surface. The Rio is a little noisy and runs somewhat hot. The Tunze is smaller, quieter and runs cool. It has an adjustable output of between 35 and 70 gallons per hour.

[larnie]

After much consideration, I picked up a montipora digitata this weekend. It is purple/lavender in color and is exhibiting good extension at the present.

 

 

I have it positioned high in my cube with substantial indirect flow from my return nozzle. It will be interesting to see how this piece does in the weeks ahead.

[larnie]

Here's a picture of the front right corner of the cube, showing the placement of the montipora.

 

[larnie]

Here's an update on my pink yuma. This ricordea is the same color as tigah's, just smaller in size. It is responding very well under my PC lights.