60 cube

[zygote2k]

2nd generation LED pendant is about tobe built with 4) PAR38 bulbs and be able to pivot 360 degrees independently. I honestly think the LED's are gonna be the way to light any tank. There is so little heat, I can put my cheek on the bulb and it only gets warm. The shimmer effect is like nothing you've ever seen before.

[epleeds]

I just saw his tank tonight and it looks sooo much better in person. Never thought I would say it, but im liking those LED's.

[zygote2k]

Daniel came over and shot some pix. here's the best of the cloudy series-

Edited February 17, 2010 by zygote2k

[zygote2k]

LED is the light of today. Ditch those money wasting halides and fluorescents.

[fry_school101]

Is there a way to make the pic larger? All I see is the thumbnail.

[El Camaron]

http://www.wamas.org/forums/gallery/image/8385-60cube-dshnarwjpg/

[zygote2k]

I'm finally frag rack free! It's now in the 'fuge under PC's. It's so nice to have 3 equal sized viewing surfaces. Here are a few pix from today.

[spankythepyro]

I think I know where you got that tile idea from

 

and that bellus lol

[zygote2k]

I've seen the tiles used as growing medium, but I am using them to reflect light back up into the water column. I haven't yet decided to put sand on the bottom. I did the 1st water change yesterday after 3 weeks and the complete change of the DSB.

Cal. 420

Alk. 5.7 meq/l

P04 0

N03 less than 4 ppm

Mg 1650

Sal 1.025

 

The ball of chaeto has doubled in size to nearly 1 pound. Somehow I'll be able to figure out how much chaeto is required to filter N03 and P04 from a given volume of water with a certain amount of fish and corals.

I do feed my fish and corals several times per day with a variety of foods including phyto and cyclopeeze.

[El Camaron]

tank is looking great man.

[zygote2k]

top down shot to show how the 20k mix of LED's represents the close to actual colors of various colors. Bright purple- like purple nurple is very radiant.

[zygote2k]

nearly finished.

[zygote2k]

Daniel took these.

 

[El Camaron]

WOW, those are great pictures. Daniel, were you shooting blue leds only or all on? and what settings did you use? did you try shooting in blue led only?

Edited March 9, 2010 by El Camaron

[epleeds]

now that's some photography skills.....

[dshnarw]

WOW, those are great pictures. Daniel, were you shooting blue leds only or all on? and what settings did you use? did you try shooting in blue led only?

 

All LEDs on...I don't think Rob's setup can do just blue LEDs?

 

I was using a tripod and the sigma 150mm macro. camera settings were f/10-f/13, iso 200, EV at -1/3, shutter speed to balance the other settings (usually rather long...tripod definitely needed). Auto white balance (adjusted in Lightroom). LEDs are definitely a more difficult challenge for photography, but the in-tank look Rob's produced is really nice in person.

[Stu]

Rob,

Do your Par38's have 40 degree optics? I saw on nanotuners it gives the option to use 60 and 80 degree optics as well.

[zygote2k]

yes- they are 40's. If you go with 60 or 80 degrees, then you lose much of the PAR because you are spreading the light out further.

The spotlighting is so nice because you can actually make a natural looking lighted tank rather than saturating the whole tank with light. Many LED builders fail to realize the potential that LED's really have. It seems like many of them are simply trying to duplicate the look provided by MH an VHO's.

[zygote2k]

I've seen the tiles used as growing medium, but I am using them to reflect light back up into the water column. I haven't yet decided to put sand on the bottom. I did the 1st water change yesterday after 3 weeks and the complete change of the DSB.

Cal. 420

Alk. 5.7 meq/l

P04 0

N03 less than 4 ppm

Mg 1650

Sal 1.025

 

The ball of chaeto has doubled in size to nearly 1 pound. Somehow I'll be able to figure out how much chaeto is required to filter N03 and P04 from a given volume of water with a certain amount of fish and corals.

I do feed my fish and corals several times per day with a variety of foods including phyto and cyclopeeze.

Water tests and observations

Ca 425

Alk 5.71

Mg 1800

N03 less than 1 ppm------- there is some color in the vial but it is fainter than 0.25

P04 0

Sal 1.027

 

14 gal w/c today, will halve the chaeto and feed the rest to the squirrels.

Blue Staghorn visibly growing new tips about 1/8" this week. It is about a foot from the LED's.

Montiporas on the bottom (33" from the LED's) are fusing together as well. They sit in a direct patch of illumination

and constantly receive shimmering light. I believe this form of light has a great deal of intensity because it is like a million little flashes and warping of the light column.

The shadows have very sharp edges in places. The SPS show drastic color differences between their ventral and dorsal sides, but I imagine that as they grow bigger it will become less noticeable. I believe the same thing happens in the wild, and this is probably a moot point. The Palythoas are the only thing that doesn't like the new regime. They never fully opened but the Tubbs Blues are healthy as can be. No more palytoxin in my tank.

Algae grows extremely slow in the DT. I see no evidence of coralline algae on the glass or the black plastic overflow.

I've been feeding the fish 3 times per day with pellets, flakes, cyclopeeze, and dried phyto. Also some frozen brine once a week. I've been doing w/c about every 2 weeks and adding 1 gallon of top off a day. I dose by hand 12 ounces of alk and cal over the course of the week.

Valonia seems to be slowing in growth, no nuisance algae blooms or cyano outbreaks anywhere.

 

Conclusion so far:

This system has handled a full break down and set up and after nearly 2 months, shows no sign of stress. Corals grow, fish are happy, tank looks cool.

Edited March 14, 2010 by zygote2k

[zygote2k]

The Blue Stag has grown considerably since the new setup-

all of the fresh tips on the right side of the circular base have erupted within the last 3 weeks.

I haven't altered these pictures.

 

The monti patch 33" away from the light has colored up nicely and has grown about an eighth of an inch in diameter.

 

The top down shot shows several corals including the pale greenish white yet to identified sps.

 

I'll take pictures of these 3 things every time I do a w/c and post them here.

Edited March 14, 2010 by zygote2k

[Guest coupester]

zygote2k: Tank looking good! Hey man...I think we used to be neighbors in Parc Reston. We lived above you...

[zygote2k]

coral growth update. My blue stag has visible growth of 1/4" a month and the orange cap has grown 1/2" this month.

This system works fantastically better with LED's instead of the 400w mh.

If anyone would like to donate a very hard to grow sps or very hard to color up sps, let me know. I'm sure this system can accomplish both of those tasks easily.

[gmubeach]

wow tank looks fantastic I hope mine looks this good...I agree that leds are the wave of the future....NO HEAT! Anyway I had fun at the pet expo today ...P.s you tank looks 10times better then the ones there.

[zygote2k]

Thanks for the compliment, Troy.

 

2 weeks later, and the growth on the blue stag and the monti patch are incredible. The blue stag is literally erupting with dozens of new spurs about 12" below the lights and the monti patch is 30" below the lights. I think that this little experiment with LED's has proven itself. I also think that going skimmerless for SPS growth has been proven to work as well or better than with a skimmer. I feel I need to keep pointing this out simply for the amount of naysayers that said I couldn't do it. No need to buy un-needed equipment and spend tons of extra money to pay the electric bill every month. My system costs about $15/ month in electric.

 

[zygote2k]

I have to break the tank down this weekend and move it to another room for 1 week. Next weekend, I have to move it back. We'll just see how resilient this system really is. Just when I was hoping for undisturbed coral growth...