Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted September 27, 2006 Author Share Posted September 27, 2006 In an attempt to keep my 6 gallon cool and without having to drill onto the precious tank I'm testing a fan that I once used on my pico. It's the dual fan Vantec HD cooler designed to cool Hard Drives. It has a built in heat sink and it fits right over the top of my drop in filtration. All I had to do was invert both fans so the air will be shooting straight down to the trickling of the water; instant cooling. Last night my tank went from 85.9 down to 75.5 in the morning. It would have kept crawling down but my heater counteracted it. This fan is much cheaper than any chiller, less plumbing, less cables and efficiency seems to be great. Only problem will be salt creep over time, but routine cleaning should keep this free of problems for some time. Here is a picture of the cooling fan and I will be posting pics of it in action over the weekend. Also I'll have the results of how well it does while the lights are on, so far I only have a coralife 18 watt mini light, that things gets really hot to the touch. If all goes well, I will be upgrading the light to 36 watt 12 inch coralife or current usa. So far I have the fans on a timer that will come on during light time only; working in sequence against the light as a source of heat production. MG Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted September 27, 2006 Author Share Posted September 27, 2006 Here are some new pics of my new setup; let me know what you guys think? Link to comment
Obsessed Reefer Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Looks good. As always Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted September 27, 2006 Author Share Posted September 27, 2006 Because I believe in the clean look both in and out of the reef, I thought I would share these pics with you reefers that are advocates of cord concealment within your systems... MG Link to comment
CyCLOnE Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Very Nice. But what if you have to get to your cords? It doesnt look like you can get to them with out lifting up your tank. Link to comment
Obsessed Reefer Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 Ohh. He does have a point. Other than that. I love it Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted September 28, 2006 Author Share Posted September 28, 2006 Okay Folks, We are talking about a nano reef that only holds about 4 gallons of water. Moving the tank isn't a concern at all for me. But turning off and on the powerstrip is, when I want to do water changes. So what I did is make sure the switch is within my fingers touch. All I do is reach in with my fingers and push the button and the tank shuts off. I even have the dial on the airpump within touch and can dial up or down without moving the tank. Now if this was my monster tank 72 forget it.... MG Link to comment
sororityreefer Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 Is that base the base that Tru Vu sells? (in their canopy/base combo option) ... it looks great! Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted September 29, 2006 Author Share Posted September 29, 2006 Is that base the base that Tru Vu sells? (in their canopy/base combo option) ... it looks great! It sure is. I'm a big fan of keeping everything stock. And Tru Vu has a beautiful line up of tanks... I need feedback from all reefers on my lighting scheme. The race is between Coralife's 12 inch 36 watt and Current USA's 12 inch 36 watt. Here are the facts: Coralife You get 36 watts of power with two 18 watt 50/50; 10,000K and True Actinic per bulb. No fans and no moonlight. Current USA You get 36 watts of power with two 18 watt bulbs. One bulb is dedicated exclusively for daylight 10,000k and 6,700k and is independant. The second light is an additonal 18 watts but instead of mixing the daylight is inclusive to actinics. One is a true actinic while the other is not, just a superficial bluer for color enhancement and nothing in value to the corals. The kick is that you also get a white moonlight that stays on 24 hours a day. And each lighting can run independant, giving you dusk to dawn feature. The current USA cost about $20 dollars more than the coralife. Also current does not give you any fans but from the pics I've seen the holes on the side; so does anyone know if I can purchase the fans from current and place them inside? What would power them? Now I'm a big fan of coralife lights, I think the bulbs are very nice spectrum of color. I'm going to post some pics of the two; I NEED ANSWERS AND SOME VOTING; REMEMBER THIS POLL WILL BE THE DECIDING FACTOR FOR MY MINI REEF. THANKS, Mike G Link to comment
reefman23 Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 I like the Current USA line myself. Jesse Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted September 29, 2006 Author Share Posted September 29, 2006 I like the Current USA line myself. Jesse How do you like the spectrum? Does it light up your tank evenly, not too blue, not too much yellow? MG P.S What about the moonligth, I've never seen the all white light at night, how does it look compared to the blue moonlights coralife puts out? Link to comment
Sea_Of_Treachery Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 coralife bulbs are crap compared to sunpaq. sunpaqs are so much brighter and have more blue to them. the coralife almost looked yellow compared to the sunpaq bulbs. Link to comment
Obsessed Reefer Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 Mike, I have the 1.18 Current USA on my Pico, I love it. IN the week its been set up, I've seen more Coraline Algae growing then in my nano cube in a while. Also the white moonlight is something different. I like it. Yes, There are no fans, but you could probably attach one to the outside, not sure if one would fit in the inside. For some pics, check my Pico thread. I know you've posted in it. Jesse Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted September 30, 2006 Author Share Posted September 30, 2006 I'm not sure if the current will fit in my canopy, it's 7.25 inches in width and I know the coralife is 7 inches in width and fits but very tightly. I don't know if I have that extra .25 in space. Also I have heard that the white moonlight is pretty bright and not as natural looking as the blue coralife moon lights. I have also heard that most users don't like the daylight lamp and change it out for a 50/50 bulb but they do love the actinic bulb at 420 nm and 460 nm. I currently have the 18 watt coralife 50/50, it's the 9 inch mini. It's nice in the spectrum it has but not bright enough so that's why I want at least the 36 watts of power. MG Link to comment
Obsessed Reefer Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 Actually the White moonlight isnt that bright, to me its more natural, since the moon is white and not blue. Link to comment
travisurfer Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 i definitely like the sunpaq bulbs better. not sure about their fixtures but the bulbs are the best. i also like a white moonlight too, as does my mantis. good luck. Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted October 4, 2006 Author Share Posted October 4, 2006 I finally decided to go with the current usa 12 inch dual fixture. I went this route for many reasons but mainly because of the design. It's built like a tank, high quality metal and super clean look. I took several pictures at different angles so you reefers can get an idea of the bulbs coloration. I took pictures with just actinics then with just daylights and then together. You guys be the judges of what you like. Overall, I'm very impressed with the design, just take a look of how flush it caters to my system. I'm all about efficiency and elegant design. TruVu and Current are in my book of MG approved. Here she arrives... Two 18 watt fixtures and a moonlight... Side view... Side view... Top view... Actinics only... Actinics and Daylight... Front shot Actinics and Daylight... Side shot daylight only... Front shot daylight only... Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted October 4, 2006 Author Share Posted October 4, 2006 Here she is with her canopy on, what a snug fit. These two were made for each other. What do you reefers think? MG Link to comment
Obsessed Reefer Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 Very Nice Ditto, lol. I swear you had more LR in there before you took her down. What happened? Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted October 4, 2006 Author Share Posted October 4, 2006 Yeah, I did have a ton of live rock in there when I listen to LFS and go home and cannot find space for it. The rule of 1-2 lbs of live rock is good for large tanks, but not for nanos. Forget about placing corals in there when all you have is live rock everywhere. I hated it, trying really hard not to scratch the acrylic. I love this more simple and more beutiful look that draws your eyes to the design of the Tru Vu in all it's elegance. I want to keep the tank crystal clean on all four sides and this look is just what the doctor ordered. I can hardly wait to see what I will add to make this tank come alive and grow. MG Link to comment
DeepBlueC Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Mike, Tank is looking good. I've been following this thread for some time, and have done a bit of research on these cubes for myself. There are however, a few questions I still have, that I hope you may be able to answer for me before I make my final decision to buy. First - With regards to the canopy you just recently added. Is the rear of the canopy open? In other words, are there just 3 vertical sides to it (left, right, front)? Second - Now that you have had the tank up and running a short while (both times), and assuming that you've been performing some routine maintenance. What are your thoughts on the design of the rear chambers? Media chamber, etc.? Are they large enough (and yes, I have not forgotten this is a nano sized tank)? Are they suited well for all types of media? Is flow ok? Please be honest. Third - What's circulation like in your tank? I know you installed that loc-line nozzle, and it appears that it is directed at an appx. 45deg upwards. It doesn't seem ideal, but tell me your take on it. Lastly, just as you. I am obsessive/compulsive about clean lines, consealment, and wire management, but usually try to satisfy functionality first. You comment on the perfectly snug fit of the canopy over the Current light fixture, and I've noticed the vents for your fans are located on the endcaps of the housing. How is it going so far with temps? Thanks in advance for your assistance and for your frequent updates. Link to comment
supernip Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 theres one thing I was wondering about mg. I noticed that your actual outlet is right in back of the tank, are you worried about the skimmer overflowing and getting into the outlet at all? I only bring this up because I recently had a rio fry my entire tank and since I did not have a gfci(which I couldnt see in your pics), taam did not even bother to grace me with a reply to my email when I brought up the issue about their build quality. Link to comment
trl2112 Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Mike nice setup! Around the same time you got your I bought a 15 gallon BF from truvu directly. I had to send it back do to custom work not being done and decided to scrap it. Here is a pic My question is how tall is the entire base tank and canopy? I have around 19” under my kitchen cabinets and want to know if this 6 gal would fit. Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted October 8, 2006 Author Share Posted October 8, 2006 Here is a sneak peak at my Tru Vu evolving to it's second stage; the addition of small frags from one of my LFS, Atlantis Aquarium... Enjoy... MG Link to comment
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