danskim

Thanks for the info. $500 is not bad at all. But for some reason I think my setup might be a bit more expensive. I think I would need to run the line from my main breaker to the future subpanel's location outside in pvc conduits. This is because both rooms where the main panel is and where the future subpanel will be are finished. I'll probably get a few quotes first, and go from there.

I have a large tank on order with them. Although it does scare me that there are lots of problems and of course their bad customer service, the other side is that they are a large manufacturer supplying thousands of tanks a year to wholesalers and retailers without many problems - at least none that I have heard of. Luckily the one I ordered is a commercial-class tank according to their site, so I hope they build it well. 3/4 starphire.

Dan, the tank looks amazing... can't wait to see it set up too! I'd be willing to help, but unfortunately I have work...

For my upcoming tank, I'm going to need an electrical subpanel. I've been mulling over how exactly and when to do it. Well my tank delivery date got pushed back a month, so now's the time. Obviously, it's not the most difficult thing to do myself, but it probably requires a bit of know-how, experience and caution.... so I was wondering if I should even try to do this myself? I'm thinking of adding a subpanel with 4 - 20 amp circuits.

Hello WAMAS friends. Unfortunately my tank delivery date, 9/23, is a Sunday. I am expecting the truck early to mid-afternoon, and during that time, all my friends and family will be at church. Would anyone be willing to come help me move the tank? I'm guessing I'll need 6-8 people including myself. I will provide lunch - do burgers and hot dogs sound okay?. I have a few frags too. Also for entertainment I have a Wii and a PS3 on a 120" 720p screen. I've already asked the good folks at CMAS, and right now I have 4-5 people that are certain and several maybes. So I was hoping perhaps for 1 or 2 more people willing to help. I'd really, really appreciate it! The manufacturer, GlassCages, is going to be dropping off the tank at a truck stop in Jessup off I-95, about 5 minutes from my house. So I would need help getting it into my Uhaul, and then from the truck into my house. The tank will be going into the basement, which is just a short walk around the house into the sliding door. No stairs to deal with And finally, the tank size is a 96x31.5x24.5 with an estimated weight of 800-900lbs.

Yes, the long box is the wavebox. I'm going with a 2x6100, 1x6200 and 1x6212. One of the 6100s will be on a WavySea. If I can't sell my VorTechs soon... I'll probably just hook them up too.

A picture of some of the goodies that have come in so far. My tank delivery date is 9/23! Oh, and another little diversion. 1:8 scale of the tank to come... a picotope!

I have also been satisfied with my TekLight over the past year. I've gotten very good growth with it. But with that said, I don't plan on using their fixtures anymore because of better options (although at a higher price).

1. He was running the same bulbs. I think it's mentioned on the same page. (It would be much of a comparison if different bulbs were used. And he really does know his stuff about lighting). I agree that the 220v model might have affected the results. However, I'm sure he'll test it with the US version as soon as he can get one. 2. Same bulbs 3. Yes, I agree. But their 220v ballasts can run 50hz or 60hz. "The ballasts for 110v/220v are the same for many makers like Sylvania which can run 110-220-270 (50 or 60hz). And The Universal, Advance, and Sylvanias are identical. The power factor at 220v is something like 1% better... so the power use is slightly more efficient, but what you pay will be identical. As far as how the bulbs are treated between the two voltages... they will be the same. I bet the largest difference would be that if you are 110v in the house and have to use a voltage converter, the converters arent always very efficient... often making some heat, and wasting 5-10% electricity make the converters less attractive." 4. But they only have those reflectors for retrofit kits and a limited number of fixture models. At least that's the last I saw... only available in 6 bulb 48". The ATI fixtures are not double the cost of a Tek fixture. ReefGeek's pricing on the ATI fixtures come with bulbs standard. $899 for an 8 bulb powermodul. $529 for an 8 bulb TekLight. That's a $370 difference. So 1.7x more expensive. If it can produce 1.7x more PAR, I'd be more than thrilled with my new lighting. For the same wattage and bulbs I can get a better result. Plus, the ATIs are better looking.

This isn't the original, original post (I cannot seem to find it), but TGR refers to his test data: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...295#post9030295 "As I remember the ATI Fixture did 302 Aquactinic with 4 lamps did like 198 Tek with a fan did around 190 Tek with no fan did 152." The PAR was tested at a depth of 17". So a fanless TekLight basically produces 1/2 the PAR of the ATI. But something as simple as adding a fan (although it might look ugly) increases it by almost 33% to 2/3 of the ATI.

TheGrimReefer over on RC. He is regarded as a/the T5 guru. He really has no reason to have a biased opinion. He uses whatever meters or devices to measure PAR. From off the top of my head, he tests the fixtures when they first come on and after a while when they've had time to stabilize. He's not only tested nearly every T5HO fixture worth mentioning (i.e. the ones with individual parabolic reflectors), he's also tested many bulbs from major manufacturers. It's also worth noting, and I'm sure many of you already know, but the Tek reflectors aren't the best performers. IThe Aquactinics' reflectors so far have been the best... even better than the IceCap SLRs, but they don't sell the reflectors individually. TGR hasn't had the chance to take out the reflectors from the ATI fixtures yet to test them with the same ballasts and bulbs as the others, so the data isn't out yet. But even the expensive FaunaMarin fixtures have tested rather poorly... their ballasts and their reflectors, so it's probably a good idea to stay away from them unless they change their design. So the nearly "2x" figure is a combination of a better reflector and actively cooled bulbs. The biggest performance gain is the cooling though. Actually you are almost entirely correct, but actually there's a point at which a bulb that is too cool starts to lose PAR and suck up more watts. I don't understand it fully, but it happens.

Yes, I am considering it, but I want to see how the system runs in the basement with just a 1/3 HP chiller.

I'm actually leaning mostly towards the spotlights. I don't need the MH for my real lighting. The T5s take care of that. I just want to be able to accentuate certain corals or areas of the tank. I'm positive that the T5s alone would be fine since my current setup is fine, and the ATI fixtures have tested to put out about twice the PAR of a TekLight fixture. The MH would be aesthetics mostly.

Still haven't decided on the MH and LED supplementation, but here is something I am looking at: Spotlight

Thanks. To be honest, I am also used to seeing overbuilt stands, so I was a bit nervous when I first looked at the frame completed. However, I think it'll be okay. I just used a plain old compound miter saw. Yes, the linear overflow size is 21". 15x6x24.5. The two holes will accommodate two 1.5" bulkheads. I only want somewhere between 1200-1500gph going through the sump. I'm pretty sure that'll be enough. So about 4-5x display volume turnover per hour.

Display: - 96x31.5x24.5 in 3/4 glass. Front and right panes are PPG Starphire. It is built by GlassCages. - 1" SSB. - 2 x 1.5" drains Lighting: - 2 ATI Powermodul 8x54w - 2 types of spotlights to come - MH and LED Circulation: - 2 x Tunze 6200, 1 x 6100, 1 x 6212 Wavebox on 7095 Multicontroller - 1 x Tunze 6080 - AquaMedic OR6500 return on WavySea (Approximately 17,000gph or 55-60x turnover) Skimmer: - ATI BM250 -> ATB L in a few weeks Sump/Refugium: - 75g sump - 30g refugium Miscellaneous: - Remote DSB - 20g Brute - Octopus Dual Calcium Reactor - Two Phosban reactors - AC Jr - DC8 and DC4 -> ReefKeeper Elite in the near future

I mean that there is no eurobracing or black/wood frame on the top. A la Japanese or European style. Elos makes their tanks rimless I think.

I ended up going with GC... so I'm crossing my fingers. Final dimensions are 96x31.5x24.5" 3/4" starphire and rimless.

Thanks for the link, EBR. There seems to be a few I can call tomorrow. Anyone know perhaps a ballpark figure for a steel stand with dimensions of 96x30x45?

Yeah, that's what I understood his post to mean.

Ok thanks.

Is there anyplace local or somewhat close that makes the cool steel stands that I see some people have made?

Oh I wasn't aware of the Manassas thing. I didn't notice it on their site. But this is helpful. Thanks! I'll probably go with them.

Are there any local custom glass aquarium builders? I'm trying to find one for a 96x24x24 display.

Looking good.