LCDRDATA

+1

Just a clarification on the pricing - after doing some additional looking it appears that I've been mainly looking at lower-end LEDs, so as I alluded to the "plug & play" price advantage is likely an apples-to-oranges comparison. I also came across a number of "DIY" kits; this one in particular looks like it might have promise. Do you have any experience with these, and/or know who does? 36W (50/50?) with 60-degree optics and a dimmable driver would seem just about perfect for my new cube -- although I still might ask you to (help?) build it.

I bought a green feather duster from Blue Ribbon Koi about a year ago. It was somewhat pale but definitely green. Unfortunately something dislodged it in the middle of the night and it drifted into the bowels of my rock work never to be seen again.

Slightly less "voluntary," on three occasions our blue tuxedo urchin has "collected" pieces of xenia to carry around, on one occasion for at least a month. How happy the xenia was seems to have varied, according to what we don't know.

Thanks for the comparison information. "What's in the tank" right now is a trio of small chromis, an 8" snowflake moray, and an increasing amount of nuisance algae from a combination of cycle and less-than-great lighting. Eventually I'm planning a reef setup with encrusting/shelving SPS (monti, chalice, etc), maybe some acros/millis, probably some LPS and softies, and possibly an anemone (RBTA/LTA). In researching my options I came across this article that goes into extensive detail on all kinds of lighting. Per the information there, 24 top-quality LEDs should give me enough light to keep about anything, although not necessarily down to the bottom of the tank. If I did a custom build I might go 30, especially if they're dimmable. I'm also not entirely sure what overall color temperature I'm looking for, although I think probably 12-14000K. Color aside, to do the same job with T5s would take 60W at a minimum, and probably more like 90. As to the shimmer, I wonder if an old fashioned frosted/crystal acrylic lens (as on commercial fluorescent fixtures) wouldn't take care of the "problem" - I think I read it comes from the point-source nature of LEDs, so theoretically if you make them no longer a point source that should do it. The downside is how to figure your light loss and heat gain to compensate. Bottom line, it sounds like (and you can correct me if I'm wrong) the up-front cost of a custom setup would be on the order of 15-30% more than a "plug and play" solution from among the options I've been seeing, but the latter would most likely be significantly less customizable and/or flexible. If you don't mind my asking, how is the response so far on the group buy, and what are you looking at for a cutoff date? Thanks!

I'm pretty sure paul b uses one. I could almost count, with the algae that's growing in my overflow box and 'fuge (where it overflows back into the sump) but that's developed on its own and isn't what you're looking for. I believe I also saw information on ReefCentral. Good luck!

My cube is basically 20" (+/- 1") on a side; from the research I've done for T5s I'd need at least a 4-bulb (18") fixture. A unit with 24" bulbs would be hanging past the sides. My guess is that I probably wouldn't get significantly more useful light out of it and would probably have to come up with something to deal with the "light pollution." I was also hoping to save a little money by spending more up front now and less in replacement costs later, since I'm already replacing 4x48" T5s every 9-12 months for my main tank (8x48" T5), and there isn't much economy of scale in bulb size (i.e., 18" bulbs are only a couple dollars less than 48" bulbs). All that being said, if your unit uses 18" (or possibly 24") T5s and is a 4 or 6-bulb fixture, please let me know what you're asking for it in case the LEDs don't work out. And I don't want to sound down on T5s - the fixture on my main tank is great, and everything in the tank grows well. Thanks!

Well, we were able to get out to BRK on Saturday and it looks like my wife will be OK with LED lighting -- although we won't really know for sure until it's set up and running for awhile at home. Now "all" I have to decide is between the Ecoxotic 21W, Nanotuner (Evil's) 21W, RapidLED 17W, Orphek PR25, Ecoxotic Panarama 12W modules, and others not listed ... oh, yes, and what color combination, since I'll probably need 2-3 depending on the one selected. Not to mention the the group buy thefishman65 is starting up (of course, I'd probably need to have him build it for me - and I'm seriously considering his offer above, although I'd probably still need to add something else). So, in order to make my 30-gallon cube and occupants happy, I'm open to any suggestions/experience/recommendations. This applies both on fixtures themselves and vendors. I know these above (and others) are all available online, but I'm willing to spend a little more to support my LFS, especially a WAMAS sponsor. If you know who carries which of these -- especially if they have a good return policy (just in case) -- that would be great. Thanks again.

So, to paraphrase, you aren't looking for 'pods with good taste, you're looking for 'pods that taste good? Never mind how I'm dating myself with that line ...

I was going to make the same suggestion (both the wrasse and the net). Any number of other small-mouthed wrasses would probably be happy, too, as would a long-nosed butterfly fish (either flassisimus or longiroster), or, as they say in Hawai'i, lau wili-wili nuku-nuku oi oi ("the fish that shakes like the 'wili-wili' leaf).

Do any area LFS carry PAR 38 LED lights (especially the 21W ecoxotic, nanocustoms, etc.)? I'm seriously considering this for a new tank but reading about the MH-like shimmer is a concern as MH lights trigger my wife's migraines. So before deciding I really need to be able to let her "see them in action" to find out if they'd work for us. The closer to Springfield the better. I'd rather not have to try to contact each LFS individually. Thanks!

That was helpful in terms of fish, and confirmed what I was thinking in that area. However, I'm still trying to figure out a cleaner crew. It seems to me that hermits would almost certainly become dinner very quickly and cucumbers ought to be safe, but there's a lot of "gray area" in between - what about (what kind of) snails? Brittle/serpent stars? Other? He seems to be settling in well but I'm going to need something before too long; anyone have any experience and/or other references? Thanks!

Timing is everything - I'm going to be setting up a new tank soon and remembered your presentation about this at a WAMAS meeting awhile back. I was was thinking about posting somewhere tonight to see if someone had the information as I could only remember the result. And here it is - thanks! It would also help if you (or someone) could figure out how to make the pictures show up, but it's a good description even without. A couple of other questions. First, do you build "large/thick" pieces with a single large-diameter pipe or a group (3-7) of small-diameter pipes wrapped together? Pros and cons of one method over the other? Also, we already have a good quantity of nylon (?) screening; would that work to wrap the tubes with as opposed to the string? Thanks again!

I recently picked up a 30-gallon cube I plan to use for a species tank. I have my eye on a small (~ 6-8") snowflake moray, which I figure won't outgrow this tank for quite awhile. I've also tossed around the idea of cuttlefish instead of the eel - I'd be very interested in hearing from anyone who has experience with them. In either case, what would you recommend in terms of tank mates, particularly cleanup crew, that these guys won't eat? As the lighting setup isn't that great and the money will be going into other aspects, I'm thinking of lower-light softies and maybe an anemone of some kind, but since I expect the moray (especially) to mainly hang around the bottom of the tank, any good ideas for higher in the water column / further up the rock work? Thanks!

Not as far as I know. As I said, all the pumps were shut off so the water was still; however that's a weekly event so I wouldn't think that would have anything to do with it. For that matter, if the urchin had ever done this before with normal flow, depending on where it was in the tank it might well have not been noticeable.

Nothing tricky about this, the urchin really is white.

I had just started feeding my tank this evening (full lights, all pumps off) when I noticed my short-spined urchin pumping out sperm (at least, I think that's what it was, since you really couldn't make out any individual particles). Hopefully you can tell in the pictures, as the "best" had dispersed before I could get my camera, but the "haze" around the urchin isn't spooge on the glass but gametes in the water column. I'd seen my snails do this before, but this is a "first" for an urchin in my experience. With no ladyfriend their obviously won't be the pitter-patter of extra-tiny tube feet in the tank, but all the filter feeders got the main course AND dessert tonight !