Jump to content

GaryL

BB Participant
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    2,260

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by GaryL

    lighting question

    in General Discussion

    Why is 250 too much? The 400 is perfect for a 40. If you already have a 250, it will be fine. 150's are kind of weak and are best used as a book light. I grow zoas, shrooms, softies, LPS, SPS, and clams with great results. I use the pc's because they come in various combinations. I like the 10k/460nm smartpaq bulbs in particular. PC's and fans run about 12 hours and halide runs abot 8 hours. I keep the condo at 74 degrees and use a 50w heater to keep the temp around 80 in the tank.

     

    my diy has the smartpaq bulbs...i was actualy loosing a ric and it was shrinking...when i moved stuff over from the 150 i placed the ric high up closer to the PC and it actualy is rebounding. which is making me happy. i have the 2x65w ballast that marine scene sells or used to sell.

    lighting question

    in General Discussion

    Since the 40g is shallow I think you would be fine with a less wattage light like a 150 or 175. I would go with a 4 or 6 bulb T5 setup.

     

    If you do go with the 250w 20k you will want some T5 lights also so you have some kind of dawn/dusk effect instead of the tank going from full 250 watts to nothing. It also gives you more viewing time instead of the 6 hours your MH would be on.

     

     

     

    I've got a 400w 14k with 2) 32w pc's. Light is suspended 12" above surface. Still needs a heater otherwise it runs cold.

     

    i guess one issue for me is that i already have the 250wMH and i also have some retro pc ballasts and lights..but need new bulbs for...but i think i would prefer the t5s. i think the way i measured it the bulb would be a little over 12" from the water and i have a chiller if i have heat issues.....

     

    coralhind, do you have any ballasts that would fire some 24" or 36" t5 bulbs for sale? i think we talked about it at frag fest.

     

    I think i would go with a 150 watt MH. The tank is shallow and a 250 watt would be to much. It would also cause a little more temp. problems. A couple T-5's would not be a bad thing to give some color and also like stated in the post above ( Coralhind).

     

    well there are options i see on ebay with 150w MH and t5 combos that are inexpensive....but i never used DE bulbs before.

     

     

    thanks for the replies!

    lighting question

    in General Discussion

    ok so i'm setting up a 40g breeder and was planning on putting a 250w MH with a radium 20K in it.

     

    would the 250w be to much light?

     

    would i need to supplement any other light in your opinions?

     

    would i need actinics and if so go VHO or T5?

     

    thanks in advance.

    cheap DIY pc light

    in Do It Yourself

    Too much light, I disconnected one of the bulbs, so now there are 4. Those are in addition to the 50/50 40 watt PC bulb in the Current USA fixture. I may have to disconnect another one if stuff doesn't start looking better. Some stuff in the tank enjoys the stronger light, but I have a little colt coral frag that has scrunched up (there was not enough light for it before, but now too much or too much all at once).

     

     

    i guess one point that was missed is that when you amp up the lighting then you should acclimate to the lighting or some critters get burnt like a sunburn. you could start with one light on then like every few days fire the next light up untill you have them all lit.

    What am I doing myself?

    in Do It Yourself

    are you sure that stuff is aquarium safe?

     

     

    yeah i dont think so..reading the label its pretty toxic. not sure if it becomes inert like silicone once it cures...

     

    my question would be about pond foam. if you need to coat it with something. or is it good to go out of the can?

    It seems that a lot of my favorite local stores are closing :(

    in General Discussion

    I have also been to Pristine recently and their tanks are almost always full. I have been buying from them often lately and their lifestock is great.

     

    As a note from an independent small business owner:

     

    If you want to keep your lfs open try to purchase as much of your supplies there as possible. Even though it is convenient to buy dry goods on line (and yes, often less expensive), buying dry goods at your lfs helps them make enough enough of a profit to 1) stay open and 2) keep happy healthy livestock.

     

    I also buy on line since I want those stores to stay open too, but consider spreading your purchase power around and supporting business in your community (which also creates job etc etc).

     

     

    Laura

     

    2nd

     

    i am partial to BRK but i have never been to PA. aquaco was awesome and am sad to see them go, but hopeful when the economy does better, there will be more competition. in the earlier days i was in some group buys..but really like to go a take a look myself....and i always find some drygood that i need.

    cheap DIY pc light

    in Do It Yourself

    · Edited by GaryL

    bravo to you forrest for making something that fits your budget, IMO its the true meaning of DIY.

    i understand both sides as some people are about practical to them and some people are about aesthetics.

    nothing wrong with either of those things. this can work two ways..one person comes up with the idea and another can clean it up into a pretty package.

     

    when i first started i got my first pfo ballast from reefotto (i think). it was an EYE ballast..it fired 2 250w MH and i used VHO actinic to supplement. i really didnt have an algae problem and the corals grew pretty fast...switched to 20k later because i liked the way things colored out.

     

    the only thing different i might have done was paint the bottom side of where the lights mount a gloss white, or used the CF flood lights we all like for our fuges' that way they have a built in reflector.

     

    my .02

     

    oh and i agree with nate...the comment wasnt off topic just an opinion..and thats why we are here...to get others ideas and opinions to help us be better reefers

    Rozen Nursery Inc.

    in Vendor Experience

    there has been a many discussion about roozens on here. i used to go there when i first started out.

     

    you might have opened a hornets nest. but i have had pretty good luck with their fish.

    Does anyone dose lime water?

    in General Discussion

    Thanks for the input everyone.

     

     

    at this point I am not prepared to spend 200+ on a kalk mixer, though it sounds like it is a nice product. I can live with mixing limewater in my RODI water tub if need be.

     

    Dell2go, where do you buy the pickling lime?

     

    just find a gallon water container that has a spout you can set to a slow drip and you can mix it up in there and set it to drip.... i have used a gallon jug before and used IV pump line with the thumb valve to control the drip.

     

    or you can get a kent aqua doser for fairly cheap..its low tech and simple to use. my one gallon jug was based on that design.

    Is this a mojano?

    in General Discussion

    to me looks like a strawberry anemone.

     

    "Corynactis californica is a bright red colonial anthozoan similar to sea anemones and scleractinian stony corals. Unlike the Atlantic true sea anemone, Actinia fragacea, that bears the same common name, strawberry anemone, this species is a colonial animal of the order Corallimorpharia. Other common names include club-tipped anemone and strawberry corallimorpharian. The anemone is known to carpet the bottom of some areas, like Campbell River in British Columbia, and Monterey Bay in California.

     

    The strawberry anemone grows no larger than 2.5 centimeters. The anemone is always bright red with transparent to white tentacles that are bulbous at the tips. The strawberry anemone resembles sea anemones in that they lack a calcareous skeleton, but are closer related to stony corals in that they lack basilar muscles.

     

    The strawberry anemone is found in water deeper than ten feet and may not be visible in intertidal pools. When held and raised in captivity, the strawberry anemone may be fed on tiny crustaceans including brine shrimp. Aquarium hobbyists integrating Corynactis california into live coral settings provide hard stubstrates for colonial expansion, since this species kills coral and anemones when competing for resources. Like most cnidarians, the strawberry anemone can replicate both asexually (cloning) and sexually through polyp dispersion."

     

    from wiki

    Skimmer Question.....

    in General Discussion

    i was told when i first got into this hobby that skimmer perform much better clean, including the chamber. i pulled my beckett skimmer apart and and found a buttload of tube worms in there.. all be it a good sign of a healthy tank IMO they can cut down the foamy action. so i guess the buildup in the skim mate the i guess it could hinder foamy performance..if that make sense.

    Custom rockwork

    in General Discussion

    once it groes out it wont look like jar jar....i do however think it looks great and cant wait to see it live in the tank with fish hangin around it.

     

    where'd you get the pond foam? i looked in lowes and all i found was the window and regular stuff. i have an idea for my overflows

    Get a cleaner shrimp!

    in General Discussion

    to each his/her own....i never qt i feed a varied diet with real garlic(minced) and have cleaner shrimp...i introduced a powder brown tang with ich in my system even when i had big mama in there (tekken can back me up about her) and she ruled the roost but the PB recovered and the other fish never caught it.

     

    and i actually never had a fish die of ich either. but i may be more attentive in my routine to feed and watch the fish, so i still recommend QT because it is the safer route. also if the fish needs to train on frozen or different foods because of the diet requirements.

     

    i have only used copper on a FW tank and would say it worked nicely, just be careful of cross contamination in salt water.

     

    just my experience it may not work for others.

    one tip to consider

    in General Discussion

    ok i have saved alot of piping over the years of tank moves, and i have noticed alot of tube worm colonies building up in the piping. usually at the the couplings where they can get a good footing.

     

    if you notice you have to turn your pumps back over the years because your drains cannot handle it anymore, you may have a colony build up. one suggestion i have is try to make your plumbing easy to get to and use true unions to easily remove for clean out.

     

    just and idea i was thinking about, thought i'd share.

×
×
  • Create New...