Larry Grenier

I'll be putting 2 of these over my 75 gal (20") along with 2 96w PCs or 2 110w VHOs (1 actinic and 1 50/50 or 2 50/50s). I'm not asking whether to go with single-ended or 250w. I've already started getting the process rolling on DIY. Here are my choices from HelloLights. A) 10,000K Ushio - $84 each B) 20,000K Ushio - $75 (Michaelg just put 1 over his 2# gal). C) 20,000K Radium - $84 D) 20,000K XDE - $55 on sale (HL says whiter than B or C). Your advice would be appreciated. ps. Grim, feel free to comment, I don't have to shop HelloLights.

Thanks Mike, I hadn't head that. :p

Which bulb did you end-out using and is there any supplementation?

Very interesting but as another poster stated, the bulb sure looks like the 65w PC I have in my El-cheapo LOA fixture over my refugium.

Have you guys determined what the spread pattern is? Should the fixture be mounted perpendicular or parallel to the front of the tank. For example, the spiderlight reflector for a mogul bulb and copycats are supposed to be mounted perpendicular and the PFO parallel is supposed to be mounted parallel.

A while back you had that hex tank near the front stocked with softies, LPS, fish and maybe other stuff as I recall. I believe it was lit by a 10000K or a 20000k DE 150w bulb. What bulb was that?

Mike, before you drill extra holes in the fixture consider this rumor or maybe not I heard; "The bulbs are supposed to burn hot inside the fixture fot best performance". You'd use a fan to keep the heat down inside your hood. You'd want 2nd opinions on this.

Paul, I was just reading that Randy-Holmes Farley mixes-up large batches of Limewater for weeks at a time in a 44 gallon barrel with a loose fitting top and a litremeter feeding his sump. He uses alot of powder in-case some is neutralized by exposure to Co2. So there :p

I've been doing it recently but in small quantities. Anyone see any disadvantage with mixing-up a large batch like tgallo does and dosing it over a long period of time? Tony, between this and your Calc-reactor (I think you're running one), any pH problems?

Bob, It may help to also know things like pH, Alk, Salinity, Calcium... If you don't want to disturb what you have, consider minimizing the crushed coral depth in the main tank and adding a large refugium with a DSB in it.

Very very good idea. As detailed as possible.

I built a durso and have done several other pluming projects and got all my stuff at Home Depot. Maybe the one your visiting is understocked.

With your last post I responded by E-mail and PM and never received a response. Now you say you have more???

Kimo, Jose at Marine Depot sent this in response to a few questions. Maybe useful.

Do I have to call him Grimmy now? :p

Good job George. One thought for your next project (the 75); you'll have a hard-time mounting the perpendicular reflectors and 2 VHOs. You may want to consider the PFO parallel reflectors. What is your plan for the 75? I have a 75 and I'm planning a new hood.

FYI, HelloLights currently has M57s for $45 and M58s for $47.

Mike, You talked about a 45 elbo at the sump end. I put 2 45 elbo's (thought 1 90 would restrict too much) and the water rushes across the surfacemaking hardly any noise. I started with it below the surface and it sounded like boiling water and above and strait-down caused too much splashing. Here's how mins is set-up:

I didn't vote because I have only PCs right now but the M57 for a 175w and the M58 for the 250w are an awful lot cheaper than the electronic. Besides heat and space and perhaps slightly shorter bulb life, any other disadvantage? Since we're on the subject, what's a good cheap source for M57 and M58 ballasts? Prevyet; I'm naming the correct ballasts right?

That sounds too good to be true. That would make calcium reactors obsolete. Anyone?

Well bust my freekin britches... how embarrasing!:( I thought that the source water for a calcium reactor was fresh water and not from the tank just like a kalkwasser reactor. Do they always work that way? What pump do you use to supply the slow input to the calcium reactor from the tank?

Ok ok ok fine. The main point is that either reactor is for replacing evaporated water with calcium-rich and buffered makeup water. However, the fluidized bed works on the same principal as the sponge in a powerfilter but suposidly more efficient; but of-course our live-rock and DSB does the work instead

Yup :D

Sanjay showed that the PFO parallel reflector had a more elongated spread over the tank. A tank that is 18" or less would be well-suited for this reflector. Make no mistake that the reflectors meant to be mounted perpendicular should be mounted perpendicular! He said he liked the PFO parallel reflector because of the elongated dispersion it cast over a tank like a 55 gallon.

Calcium Reactor - Water slowly runs from the tap to the RO unit to the reactor and into the tank or sump. Fluidized bed - Tank water circulated from tank to filter to tank and so-on.