Folta

I'm still contemplating what to do with the lighting.. I'm going back and forth on this. This weekend I was leaning more towards the MH's again.. and now I'm leaning back towards the T5's. If I were to get (2) - 6 bulb 39w 36" Tek Fixtures, it would span the 6', look attractive, and put out a total of 468 watts. The 6 bulb fixtures are 15" wide, and the tank is 24" from front to back. Keep in mind that on the left side of the tank, my overflow sticks out from the back wall about 6 or 7". I do not plan to have a lot of rock in this setup, giving it a lower look (no rock against the sides or back, no 'rock wall', just a nice curve with a few caves). My first question is this: Will 468 watts of T5 bulbs be enough lighting to have sps grow well? Obviously this takes into account several things... what bulbs I use, how many of each type, as well as the fact that this is 468 watts over a 6' span, unlike having something directly under a MH bulb. I currently have 500 watts (2x 250w) MH over my 55, and things seem to be growing nicely. Will the 32 watt hit prove to be too much when spread out? I'm also looking into tracking down the 8 bulb fixtures, which would add 4" more to the total width (19"). This would mean some overlap on my overflow (and thats even if I have the lights pushed all the way to the front, which I assume I actually would have them set in about an inch or two). Argh, so many choices! :wall: :wall: :wall:

Is the product the same though, in the sand that disolves vs. the 'brand name' sand? If its just the name of the product, then obviously I'd like to avoid paying the extra. If the products are in fact different, then there is more to think about here. As far as buffering, I'm not too worried about that from the substrate; I'll be using a kalk reactor with this tank.

Ok Craig, added you to the list. I bumped Howard down because I'm assuming he's going to be doing the calcium reactor instead. Sam, I need a confirmation by midnight tomorrow (wed, dec 31), or else I'm going to have to bump you for Garrett .

Thanks for the offer Dave. Both are actually pretty far away, so I'm going to see if I can find some locally first. As far as Home Depot Sand, isn't there something wrong with that type that I can't use it for an aquarium? When looking at a label, what do I have to make sure it has and doesn't have?

Hey Jeff, what kind of supplies are you talking about? ~Tim

Hey John, I heard that you might be getting / have gotten a pallet of sand in to sell at nursery prices. I need a bunch of sand for my 180 gallon tank (footprint is 6' x 2', so need roughly 400-500 lbs of sand). Can you confirm this rumor?

Thanks for the link. Ok, So I'm going to need 400-500 lbs of sand (@ 90 lbs per cubic foot) for this tank. Anyone know where I can get this?

Ok, so as my 180 setup is progressing, and there are no leaks, I need to start getting stuff in there. Sand seems like a good place to start. I want a relatively decent depth sandbed. The footprint of this tank is 72" x 24". So, anyone know of a sand calculator for me to figure out how much sand I need? Also, anyone know of a good supplier of sand? I have bags of caribsea in my 55, and like the look of that.. It's white, small, but not too small. I want to go for the same consistency and color. And its gotta be cheap!

Thanks for the info Erik! It does sound like the best thing to do would be to call him. You are selling a g4+? I'm worried that it won't be enough for a 180 gallon tank. How much are you selling it for, anyway?

Ok, time for me to buy my skimmer. I'm going with the ASM G4X skimmer, with both the recirc mod as well as the gate valve mod. I plan to buy from Asmskimmer.com, and have them do the recirc labor and get basically everything I need from them.. What do I need? --- ASM G4X Skimmer --- Gate Valve Mod --- Recirc labor --- seals ? extra pump? elbow? etc? Just want to be able to order it all at once from them. If someone could build a shopping cart for me with everyhting, on there site, that would be awesome. Also, they give the option of how far down / where to drill holes.. I have no idea what I should put in for that, so need advice there too.

Haha... well Erik, more people are invited to come and check things out, however its just a time issue... using the machines necessary, we will only have time for making 9 units... Chip, is that a complete list of materials, or have you thought of anything else we will need to get? I will start pricing stuff out. Know of a good (cheap, reliable, etc) place that sells the majority of these things? I guess I could start with HD and/or Lowes?

Ok, was just thinking... if I go with the 5' setup, that would leave 6 inches on either side.... I could then put some lower light corals on the far sides (like mushrooms).. or do you guys think that would look funny? That is, if there even is a 60" tek fixture...

Are you suuuure, Howard? I don't have a confirmation yet from sam. I've sent her a pm too, but so far no reply. We may need you to fill slot # 9 :D

I remember your tank Dave, and it defintely was very nice. I was hoping to get a pre-made fixture of some sort because I want the finished look, and was hoping for the TEK one because they have individual reflectors. But if I do go with 5' bulbs, I can still buy the TEK individual reflectors (retrofit), correct? I guess I could fashion my own fixture to put them in... hmm...

That is true. If I were to do: 2 GE 6500 bulbs ($12 each) 2 Pure Actinic 03 ($31 each) 2 Aquablue Plus ($28 each) 2 Actinic/Blue Plus ($27 each) That would be : $244 per fixture. Two fixtures, so $488 per replacing each set of bulbs. Not to mention the initial bulb purchase! Would 2 6-light fixtures work over a 180?

I've been giving some thought to doing the dual TEK fixtures. I was talking to someone on reefcentral that has done this, and he gave me a few pictures of his setup: I think it actually looks pretty nice.

T5 Con: No 6 foot bulb fixtures / bulbs! That is a big problem for those like me who are buying lights for a 180.. especially since I do not want a canopy.

I have 10k's over my tank right now, and they are indeed a very bright 'white'. However, the output at 450 nm is insignificant in these bulbs so there's no fluorescing. Both the 15ks and 20ks (as well as the 14ks) spike at 450 nm to give more of a glow to the corals. However they don't provide as much par for growth. This is one of the reasons some people go with 10k bulbs then supplement with actinic lighting.

Ooh, nice input already. I'll just let people scroll at this point because some of the comments made are personal to your tanks and me adding them to the main might not sound right (out of context). Is there a Tek Light System (T5's only) for a 6' tank?

It seems many club members are trying to determine what lights to get (myself included). The main debate seems to be whether to get T5's or get MH's. I have personally seen just downright gorgeous setups with great growth under both types of lights. Obviously there are more factors than just light for the health of corals, but it is signficant. Anyway, I'm going to list out the benefits and drawbacks for each type of lighting. Keep in mind that a third option is to use a combination of the two types. Metal Halides Pros: --Intense light from a point source - higher light corals can be placed more directly underneath while lower light ones can be placed further away. --Shimmer effect (for those who like it) Cons: --Produces alot of heat --Color choice is limited (unless extra fluorescent lighting is used as well) - 10k, 14k, 15k, 20k. T5 Lights Pros: -- Easier to change light color to match what you want, smaller increments of change. (Because of having more bulbs) -- Light in more areas - less shadows as from a point source of light -- Less heat Cons: -- No shimmer effect -- ... Ok, so if anyone would like to add any pros or cons, just post and I'll update this first post to reflect your opinions. My hope is to list out as many thoughts about these types of lighting systems for club members to review when researching lights.

It's a shame what happened with this guy. I blame myself though, for not doing the proper things: Research on any fish purchase I plan to make. I didn't know much about the anthias when I saw him, he was just too beautiful that I decided not to pass him up. How would this have helped?: -- I would have known they need 125 gallons + -- They aren't solo fish. They like to be in groups of 1 male to 2-3 females. In the wild they can school in huge numbers. -- Flame angels think they look too similar, and will chase them relentlessly I also need to set up a QT Tank. Once my 180 is complete and running, I will need to think of how I want to make a QT tank available for a fish to feel comfortable at my place, make sure it eats, etc, is disease free, etc. It would have saved me a few headaches, and more importantly might have saved the fish. I am definitely kicking myself on this one. However, I do plan on learning from my mistakes, and I'm sure the anthias would have been happy to know that his passing on wasn't completely meaningless.

Sadly, he only lasted a few more hours. He started breathing hard, I couldn't get to him.. and he passed on. :(

Ok, so I found him.. and he had his injury turned towards the glass.. so I was able to take a shot: As far as coloring is concerned, keep in mind that the first shot was without flash (he was out under the nice bright lighting) and this one I used flash as he's near the bottom. I fed the tank mysis again today (my typical regimine has been once ever 3-4 days, but I my current plan is to continue feeding various things every day until I see him eat or he passes on), I took a syringe and blew some down into his cave.... unfortunately he didn't go for it at all (not even the one that seemed to practically touch his mouth). He doesn't look 'thin' yet, but if he doesn't eat.. well you know how that goes I'm sure. What do you guys think of the injury? Think this could have been caused by the angel? Or could it be that the angel chased him into something?

Pm Sent Chip.

Thanks Martin! First post modified.