TheKleinReef Posted December 16, 2013 Author Share Posted December 16, 2013 Solatube! lol why not!? hahaha Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 yeah but 2x250W in a 12" deep tank... they'll be strong enough won't they? Depends on the bulb, some are more efficient than others. Should be ok. lol why not!? hahaha THEN DO ITTTT Link to comment
TheKleinReef Posted December 16, 2013 Author Share Posted December 16, 2013 Depends on the bulb, some are more efficient than others. Should be ok. i know XM's 20Ks aren't that great. any others i should avoid? Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Get a set of radiums and be done with it Link to comment
TheKleinReef Posted December 16, 2013 Author Share Posted December 16, 2013 Get a set of radiums and be done with it aren't those SE? i have a dual DE ended fixture Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 aren't those SE? i have a dual DE ended fixture That's right, I forgot about that...What's wrong with phoenix? Nothing is going to replace T5 or halides to you because you have your mind made up, as does just about everyone that has been in the hobby before LEDs caught on. LEDs can grow and color corals better than any previous lighting while using half the energy (or less) if the right spectral coverage is achieved and a specific output (PAR) is reached. There are drawbacks, such as extreme point-source lighting from a small number of high-powered diodes (causing shading to a degree not seen with halides due to very wide reflectors), and the fact that most people don't understand anything about the technology (including the people behind the design of 'big name' fixtures) to know what is necessary and what is not. A slew of diodes of dozens of colors can be helpful in adding the needed spectra, but can cause wicked color disco if tight lenses are used and are wholly unnecessary if the base white diodes are high-CRI, which will cover the entire spectrum from 500-680nm, almost into IR territory. Add some 400-430nm, 440-450nm, 460-470nm and a little bit of 490nm and that's it. The fixtures you see for sale commercially are simply going to continue to add more colors to confuse people and convince them that more colors means better, and to be frank most are dumb enough to not do any research and will just hand over their wallet. /rant Better than mh or T5, are you sure about that? I love LED's for softies and LPS but they still lack the capabilities of other lighting for SPS. That's a generalization there, they are fine for many SPS, but certainly not all. Believe me, i would LOVE to be a fan of LED, and so would my wallet. However, I would rather pay extra for electricity and replace bulbs every 6 months in order to have the best artificial lighting available for SPS. It's fact, it has nothing to do with being closed minded. Link to comment
TheKleinReef Posted December 16, 2013 Author Share Posted December 16, 2013 play nice guys. That's right, I forgot about that...What's wrong with phoenix? they seem so white, i'm not getting very good coral color from them. some are okay. like the slimer and desalwii (which made a remarkable turn around actually). but others seem so faded like the echinata and deepwaters Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Better than mh or T5, are you sure about that? I love LED's for softies and LPS but they still lack the capabilities of other lighting for SPS. That's a generalization there, they are fine for many SPS, but certainly not all. Believe me, i would LOVE to be a fan of LED, and so would my wallet. However, I would rather pay extra for electricity and replace bulbs every 6 months in order to have the best artificial lighting available for SPS. It's fact, it has nothing to do with being closed minded. What capabilities are we talking about? The only thing that can compare directly between the two in which halides have the advantage is single bulb vs multibulb to get coverage, both spectral and physical. I have no problem making you a light for you to test out so long as I had the extra to put into the parts. I've actually wanted to do that for a while now after the last time we had talked. I've got a few things to get rid of, and once I do I'll have some spare hobby money and will throw one together. Actually, I think I've got all but the LEDs. I'll figure that out, though. Also, my blood sugar was probably low when I posted that first one, so I came off a bit harsh. I swear, my life is like those snickers commercials lol Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 play nice guys. they seem so white, i'm not getting very good coral color from them. some are okay. like the slimer and desalwii (which made a remarkable turn around actually). but others seem so faded like the echinata and deepwaters Faded in what way? It could possibly be that they are getting a little too much light, which could easily cause fading. I think you should just give them a while to comeback. Unfortunately in many cases with SPS they just need time (a lot of time) to color up, not necessarily lighting or parameter changes. If you have other corals that show improvement then you are on the right path, I wouldn't stray from that just yet if I were you. Link to comment
TheKleinReef Posted December 16, 2013 Author Share Posted December 16, 2013 Faded in what way? It could possibly be that they are getting a little too much light, which could easily cause fading. I think you should just give them a while to comeback. Unfortunately in many cases with SPS they just need time (a lot of time) to color up, not necessarily lighting or parameter changes. If you have other corals that show improvement then you are on the right path, I wouldn't stray from that just yet if I were you. okie. i'll keep the halides going for a tad longer. i guess this just reinforces that nothing good happens quickly in this hobby. Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 What capabilities are we talking about? The only thing that can compare directly between the two in which halides have the advantage is single bulb vs multibulb to get coverage, both spectral and physical. I have no problem making you a light for you to test out so long as I had the extra to put into the parts. I've actually wanted to do that for a while now after the last time we had talked. I've got a few things to get rid of, and once I do I'll have some spare hobby money and will throw one together. Actually, I think I've got all but the LEDs. I'll figure that out, though. Also, my blood sugar was probably low when I posted that first one, so I came off a bit harsh. I swear, my life is like those snickers commercials lol Particularly reds, but mh or T5 IMO just get SPS to produce better corals in general. Again, that's not always the case, there are definitely some nice LED lit SPS tanks out there, but not a whole lot. Where as a lot of the seious SPS guys over on RC have tried LED's and switched back to either mh or T5. FYI, you almost convinced me to switch to LED's last summer but I'm just not 100% sold on them yet. Talk to me again when it's 95 degrees outside and my electric bill jumps from $200 back up to $400 a month. I might be easier to convince then, lol. Don't sweat it man, I'm the same way when i'm hungry, lol. I'm aslo a huge Cowboys fan, so I might be a little cranky today myself . okie. i'll keep the halides going for a tad longer. i guess this just reinforces that nothing good happens quickly in this hobby. pretty much . Link to comment
Arkayology Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 IMO, theres nothing wrong with sticking with MH. The grass is not always greener. Do the research and decide based on the results you can see. I will admit that it was easier to get some great colors out of my 250w Mh fixture than my LEDs, but the ability to fine tune my LEDs is a double edged sword; I can change things to optimize results, but it forces me to learn and wait to see what the results will be when I change something. Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 IMO, theres nothing wrong with sticking with MH. The grass is not always greener. Do the research and decide based on the results you can see. I will admit that it was easier to get some great colors our of my 250w Mh fixture, but the ability to fine tune my LEDs is a double edged sword; I can change things to optimize results, but it forces me to learn and wait to see what the results will be when I change something. That's a big part of why I'm hesitant to pull the trigger on LED's. I would probably tinker with them to the extent of messing up my corals. Link to comment
Arkayology Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 That's a big part of why I'm hesitant to pull the trigger on LED's. I would probably tinker with them to the extent of messing up my corals. Ya, I like my LEDs well enough and I am getting ok results with them. I think I need to learn a bit more about how to get the colors I want. Unfortunately, MH is not an option for me right now in my apartment. It makes things unbearably hot during the summer and it being Santa Barbara, there is no air conditioning anywhere because it is Santa Barbara and you just open a window under normal circumstances Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Ya, I like my LEDs well enough and I am getting ok results with them. I think I need to learn a bit more about how to get the colors I want. Unfortunately, MH is not an option for me right now in my apartment. It makes things unbearably hot during the summer and it being Santa Barbara, there is no air conditioning anywhere because it is Santa Barbara and you just open a window under normal circumstances Back when I was single with no kids I use to take trips out to Ca once or twice a year. Santa Barbara is beautiful, you're very lucky to live there. I would gladly switch to LED's to live in SB. Link to comment
evanski Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 IMO, theres nothing wrong with sticking with MH. The grass is not always greener. Do the research and decide based on the results you can see. I will admit that it was easier to get some great colors out of my 250w Mh fixture than my LEDs, but the ability to fine tune my LEDs is a double edged sword; I can change things to optimize results, but it forces me to learn and wait to see what the results will be when I change something. Damn you and your scientific approach! Link to comment
Arkayology Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Back when I was single with no kids I use to take trips out to Ca once or twice a year. Santa Barbara is beautiful, you're very lucky to live there. I would gladly switch to LED's to live in SB. Well, when you put it like that... ya lol. I have another 2 years or so at UCSB to finish up my Ph.D and then I will probably be living somewhere cold for the rest of my life. At least I could enjoy loving here for awhile though! Damn you and your scientific approach! Hah! Well, I am a scientist. It's just how I work. Sorry to hijack your thread Roger! LEDs and color have been on my mind a lot lately. Link to comment
TheKleinReef Posted December 16, 2013 Author Share Posted December 16, 2013 I guess it's payback for when I did it with Ben a few days ago. Lol Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Solatube! I remember them being called"light chimney's" many years ago... What's funny/ironic about this post is that while they advertise "solatubes" there appear to be about 20 other fixtures over the tank, a complete hodge podge of LED's, MH's, and T5's from different brands and at different heights. Looks quite hideous IMO. I believe tanks like that, should be really left to Australians and residents of the Hawaiian Islands, whether or not the maker of this video comes from either of those two locations, I cannot say. Link to comment
TheKleinReef Posted December 28, 2013 Author Share Posted December 28, 2013 took a visit to reefwise in lisle, il and wow i am impressed. the livestock selection was amazing and Brian, the owner, is an awesome guy. i decided on these three beauties. (they're not going into the 65 because of the low nutrient problem, and the redbug problem). Untitled by TheKleinReef, on Flickr ORA Hawkins ORA Purple Nana ORA Red Planet. Just thought i would say.. the plugs freaking S U C K. lol black and beafy... and that freaking turf algae, i can't get rid of it. some other pics: big bubble tips doing well: Untitled by TheKleinReef, on Flickr alfred is still the man, i've had him for a little more than a year now: Untitled by TheKleinReef, on Flickr other updates: lowered the halides 2" 10G waterchange. completely removed the radion. doing tests later today. thanks for stopping in! Link to comment
TheKleinReef Posted December 29, 2013 Author Share Posted December 29, 2013 today's little project: http://www.flickr.com/photos/99601460@N03/11614796124/'> http://www.flickr.com/photos/99601460@N03/11614796124/'>Coral look down box by http://www.flickr.com/people/99601460@N03/'>TheKleinReef, on Flickr (i'm using tape for the sides now becasue i don't have black acrylic, or krlyon fusion, but i'll paint it black eventually.... if i ever get around to it. so prevent bottom pane scratching: blurry but meh too lazy to retake http://www.flickr.com/photos/99601460@N03/11615205156/'> http://www.flickr.com/photos/99601460@N03/11615205156/'>View box legs by http://www.flickr.com/people/99601460@N03/'>TheKleinReef, on Flickr iphone pic of my new ORA Hawkins through the new top down box: http://www.flickr.com/photos/99601460@N03/11614674133/'> http://www.flickr.com/photos/99601460@N03/11614674133/'>ORA Hawkins Top Down by http://www.flickr.com/people/99601460@N03/'>TheKleinReef, on Flickr Link to comment
Chadf Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Must be nice to be able to go to a lfs and buy sps colonies, I'm jealous. Link to comment
TheKleinReef Posted December 29, 2013 Author Share Posted December 29, 2013 Must be nice to be able to go to a lfs and buy sps colonies, I'm jealous. they're frags. do you know what's happening in you tank yet? and don't you have an LFS by you? Link to comment
Chadf Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 they're frags. do you know what's happening in you tank yet? and don't you have an LFS by you? Everything else seems to be doing fine so far, but no I have no idea why the birdsnest and clam died. There are a couple lfs near me if you like brown corals. I'd have to drive at least an hour and a half one way for anything decent. Wouldn't be a problem if they were a sure thing, but too long of a haul to possibly go home empty handed. Link to comment
TheKleinReef Posted December 29, 2013 Author Share Posted December 29, 2013 Everything else seems to be doing fine so far, but no I have no idea why the birdsnest and clam died. There are a couple lfs near me if you like brown corals. I'd have to drive at least an hour and a half one way for anything decent. Wouldn't be a problem if they were a sure thing, but too long of a haul to possibly go home empty handed. its good to hear everything in your tank is doing fine. try your luck with a brown SPS colony. i bought one a while back and it turned out to be a northern lights granulosa (at least i think that's what it is). odds are LFS's will charge more for colorful coral. maybe try a brown one, it could be a diamond in the rough. i don't trust online that much anymore either, i bought 5 coral (2 colonies, 3 frags) off of LA, and lost both colonies and 1 frag. i don't think i'll buy from them again anytime soon. I dk if it was my fault or not, but they just melted over time... Link to comment
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