that would make sense, but if you look at all the ATI fixtures and etc they all claim that by cooling the "cold spot" it increases output, but i might have misunderstood that and it is actually increasing bulb life. as for the DIY skills i like to refer to it as "too much time on my hands" haha:lol:

i made the lights myself i had the plastic shop cut the tubes down to size but the flanges on the side i dremeled and sanded. It wasnt too hard just alot more time consuming than compared to a CNC machine doing it.

Hi Imisky,
Thanks for the reply...I will be off to plastic shop tomorrow now..I have a few lights that I can maybe utilize, I have 150W MH and some t5HO stuff I think also..I will see shat I can come up with.
Jim

no problem jim its good to know that i can help someone or at least provide the ideas. good luck!

a little update/question for everyone,

its been roughly a year nice i last replaced the bulbs and time for new ones, i am planning to get ushio 10K bulbs as im starting to like the natural white look more but i'll still be using suppliment actinics for the colors.I was wondering what everyones thought on T5HO combo would be for a 10K bulb. As everyone know the more readily avaliable T5HO bulbs in Canada are the UVI, Giesemann, Aqua Science, and Korallen-Zucht bulbs and not many stores sell the ATIs at least i dont know of any in BC that sells them anymore.

so i was thinking about going with this combo:

2x 150 ushio 10K + 2x 24w UVI super actinic blue (PAR is much better than Giesemann pure actinic)
or
2x 150 ushio 10K + 2x 24w UVI 75.25s

i cant really decide which one i want to go with yet or if you guys have any combos which doesnt end up producing a super blue hue like the phoenix im open to suggestions. im looking for something with a very little amount of blue yet it gives off the florescence of the sps.

now that that question is out there i got a picture i took a few days ago by luck. enjoy
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2075.jpg

heres a picture of the bleached bali tri color but im sure it'll come back in no time as the colors are somewhat still there.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2146.jpg

and the FTS:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2145.jpg

Hopefully the tri-color will get better soon.
Do you know what caused the bleach?

most likely my hands :lol: it was out of water for at least a good 45mins with me holding it and snaping it into pieces prior to that it was perfectly fine ii just moved it so i can give the pink lemonade more space togrow

a little update but not much changed.
recently picked up a yellow candy stripe hogfish so far its been playing nice with the fairy wrasse and eating well. Added a geometric pygmy hawk to the tank thanks to oceanics soft opening and also got a blue polyp digitata......now i have a problem haha...i have no room:redface:

hm...moved the rock work around a little so that the corals have JUST a little bit more room to grow maybe a cm or two for a few selected corals, and lowered the millipora in the center as it was getting a little top heavy and constantly falling over. Now its got more room to grow.

heres some photos FTS and the hogfish, the pygmy hawk is still shy but should be out once it gets used to my feeding schedule, we'll see.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2337.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2319.jpg

so since the olympics is here and all the universities in the GVRD is close i have alot of spare time to kill so i am finding things to do. I havent had moonlights for a while on my tanks but started to miss it a little and so i started planning this project a few weeks ago thinking how i want this to be as natural looking as possible and decided i didnt want blue LEDs instead id go with white ones to replicate what the corals would be exposed to in nature. With all the planning done (took i think 15mins) i went out and bought all the parts and went to town and got it all finished today.

So.. Parts

3x 1/4W white LEDs
1x old cellphone charger with 5.5V and 550ma output
1x acrylic tubing i think its 1" thick
3x daily contact lens casing (for the reflectors that i dont think does anything)

total price? i think its less then $5 if you count out the contact casing that you can keep.

I forgot to take progress photos but i think a project like this shouldnt be too hard. I chained up the LEDs in series so i could avoid the use of resistors, the LEDs are a little underdriven but thats fine for this project as i wanted to keep things dim as the tank is in my room. Cut the acrylic tubing a little longer (1mm) than the 2 MHs beside it and the pressure from the pendents keep the moonlight tubing held pretty well.

heres some pictures.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2378.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2379.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2381.jpg

and what the tank looks like: (in real life its about 10x dimmer)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2384.jpg

Tank is looking awesome! Really starting to fill in for ya!

ya its definitely starting to fill in nicely and some corals are starting to get pretty close to each other. Ive started to take an approach where i snip the tip of my frags that havent grown at all for a while and hoping that it will give them another growth spurt. So far i cant tell if its working or not but i do see multiple branches forming from where snipped them.

not much of an update, but i was playing around with the camera today. I saw my pygmy hawkfish out for the first time since i got it last week so im happy that its alive and starting to come out, so i managed to get a crappy picture of him but good or bad at least i got a picture to show.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2407.jpg

and here are the rest of the photos i got.

appleberry montipora:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2397.jpg

pink lemonade: (November and now)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_1250.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2400.jpg

neon green deepwater Suharsonoi:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2401.jpg

bali tri color (coloring back up nicely):
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2403.jpg

tyree watermelon chalice:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2411.jpg

a new addition to the tank..since i cant add anymore SPS im settling for thing that can go on the sandbed now..haha and whats better then chalices right?

heres the frag of it.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2456.jpg

very nice piece....and great pic!

how did you like that acro-calcium reactor.

Awesome thread. The tank is gorgeous!

thanks
the acro-cal reactor was ok at first, but as time went on it started to do weird things. it would stop taking in CO2 at times or the impeller would just stop spinning, so in the long run its not the most reliable reactor but it definitely will fit the budget of those that want something for there nanos without breaking the bank.

thanks for the compliment:smile:

there's a great sales pitch!:lol::wink:

lol i know eh? let everyone know that it'll break after a few months but say it wont break the bank and that there is what seals the deal:lol: now on a note for those that cant pick up internet sarcasm, these units are not worth the money, bubble magus calcium reactors are $50 more and 200x better

had some time tonight to grab the camera out to get my custom white balance correct so that i can take some photos showing the proper colors of things in the tank. So now that all is done enjoy the photos guys. LOTS OF PHOTOS

hot pink birdsnest (round tip):
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2505.jpg

ORA ice tort:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2513.jpg

lime in the sky:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2519.jpg

green pocci:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2520.jpg

weird color changed oregon tort:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2529.jpg

no idea what this is but its cool:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2541.jpg

bali tri color:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2544.jpg

ORA borealis:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2552.jpg

unknown acro:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2557.jpg

rainbow pocci from the front:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2562.jpg

sand sifting star on the glass just had to take it:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2568.jpg

so ever since i started working at Oceanic Corals i stare at that big vertex reactor every time i go...they just had to have it sitting out in the open so..the temptation got to me and i JUST HAD TO GET IT (imagine what my girlfriend said when she heard that). So after a few weeks of getting everything together and waiting on the pellets the reactor is finally running.

For those who have been into the store, i am tumbling these pellets faster as a test to see how fine i can get the mulms coming out of the reactor to be as we all know SPS corals cant catch things that are too big and even cyclopeeze is hard for some to catch. So hopefully the speed of the tumbling will do SOMETHING other then to lower the overall maintenance of the reactor.

reactor mod
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMGP6968.jpg

close up of pellets
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMGP6967.jpg

in action
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMGP6981.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...h_IMGP6978.jpg

Man i have too much time on my hands lately, I just keep on updating this thread, Im enjoying the low maintenance that the bio pellets has provided me, no more daily dosage! cant believe i didnt get it when it first got out. Now i was staring into the tank after i got back from O.C, and decided that i had to move the right side of the tank a little as it was getting a little crowded and corals have no room to grow. So did some cleaning, moving, rescaping, coral removal and ended up wth 2 spots for corals! So whats better then to stick a hawkins echinata and rainbow stylo as i had them on hand.

OH and i got my custom white balance figured out! Look at the difference in the photos.

old scape of the tank before
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2337.jpg
new
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2652.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2636.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2647.jpg

Very nice Eugene. I'm very tempted in trying these pellets. Would they be just as good for LPS?

The pellets will work perfect for LPS systems, they will lower the nutrient levels to a point where there will be roughly 1-5ppm of NO3 and 0.01-0.04 ppm of PO4 from what ive seen. I have currently 2 chalices inside the tank and both have never looked happier.

finally got around to changing the bulb, the previous lighting system was:

2x 150W phoenix MH + 4x T5HO (fiji purple,giesemann pure actinic, UVL super actinic, aqua science 22,000K)

now:

2x 150W ushio 10K MH + 4x T5HO (ATI actinic, ATI blue plus, UVL super actinic, aqua science 22,000K)

im liking this setup alot better, its not as blue and definitely brighter, to the point that my blueberry cheese cake monti is bleaching at the bottom of the tank. I think the corals are still adjusting to the change in lighting but the change doesnt look bad. I'll let the photos do the talking, theres less floresence but i see an increase in color pigment with only a few days use.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2697.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2701.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2702.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2703.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2704.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2705.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_2706.jpg

update time...its been a while, having the tank in my room at home is where i prefer it to be so that i can relax once i get off work or from school..but its not all that fun when the tank creates more noise then a truck driving by (exaggerated) Originally having the BM C120 calcium reactor running in my system was great, i loved it all except for hearing the bubbles get churned up while i sleep...and thats the only thing i hear..the constant *tss tss tss sound sure wasnt very good for trying to get a good nights sleep. So i started to source out dosing pumps to use over my system as i heard they run nearly silent.

So the switch over began around June when i got our first trial units from our supplier for the OC ACCU-Dosers. Like i was expecting they ran silent, no rattling noises during operation, except for the intial *click that you would hear on startup. Tried testing the dosage rate they were almost always dead on 1ml with excess in the container which would probably equate to the .1ml remaining. The unit was paired up with just regular bottles however i had a company do Vinyl Stickers for Alk, Ca, and Mg for me for a reasonable cost that i can probably pass onto people who are interested or OC could do custom vinyl stickers to your spec for a certain cost (will have to work that out later). After the switch to 2 part dosers i had the initial learning curve which wasnt fun, gave me spikes in alk to 12 then down to 6 then 4 and now its steady at 8.5 where i want it the corals did go through quite a bit of shock and it can be seen in some of the corals as they have browned out a little but should come back in no time. The hot pink birdsnets seems to have liked the change and decided that it wants to spawn in my system, never occurred before but its sure cool to see.

I dont update for so long that i usually have a million things to say but ill shush up and let you guys enjoy the rest of the thread via photos and let them do the talking! enjoy guys.

Edit: Forgot to mention that new additions to livestock has been added into the system, 8x Chrysiptera Talboti (Tracys Damsels) were added, they are awesome little fish with stunning colors imo, aggression is pretty low and the few times ive seen it, it is well spread out through the 8 that i have, but as they get bigger that'll probably change a bit.

Dosing Units:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_3110.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_3112.jpg

FTS:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_3580.jpg

Chrysiptera Talboti
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_3562.jpg

MACROS:
Spawning Birdsnest
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_3570.jpg
literally white tenius, but look at the PE
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_3571.jpg
Can anyone guess what this is? (everyone can guess except keith HaloReef)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_3572.jpg
my weird orgeon tort turned baby blue...but i like the change!
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_3576.jpg

update!

PAR38 spotlight XPE version change over, 5 LED spotlights at 60 degrees over the tank, the reason i went with more then 3 was for the PAR i wanted it to get as much as possible to help the corals color up.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_3831.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_3833.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_3834.jpg

brain = exploded.

Ok so what's the deal here? Is your tank ALWAYS that clean or do you spend a few hours prePost and make it so fantabulous?

Colors are looking great. Your DIY fixture was really neat but the LED setup looks really unique too and seems to be hitting the reef with tons of light. Notice your fan's aren't on. Are they temp controlled? Bet they're coming on less these days...

im not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing but in this case i'll take it as a compliment :lol:

The deal is my tank always looks that clean :razz: i try and clean the backwall a little every week to keep the coralline algae from growing on there, and the front is just cleaned through a magnet cleaner. Just regular maintenance so that I dont end up doing alot at once, which i find actually equates to much less work in the long run.

I kind of miss the old fixture a little as Ive had it for so long but i think this will run much better and more efficient as well. As for the fan, when i took the picture I had actually unplugged it, the fan turns on at the same time as the lights to keep them running cooler for longer bulb life but the chiller doesnt turn on anymore which im happy about.

definitely a good thing! one sharp looking bb tank for sure.

Droooool, made your room much "cooler" now, literally :) :) :D

Ed you should sooooooooooooo do this toooo

any updates? how are the corals reacting to the LEDs?

All the corals are reacting pretty good. Im in the process to finding out if my 2 part dosing is working agan as im switching from recipe 2 to 1 so im getting a bit of fluctuations in my parameters but so far its not effecting the corals too much.

Heres some pictures of the tank and new inhabitants thanks to Oceanic Corals(tang police is going to come after me) enjoy it guys, and anyone see micro bubbles? :)

**im trying to figure out the correct white balance for the LEDs still...it is harder to do than the MHs but im getting there, these pictures are pretty close i would say 80-90% to what they would be like in real life.

New FTS
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_4048.jpg

New blue eye cardinals (small)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_4030.jpg

Size difference
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_4031.jpg

Anyone see something odd in this pic?
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_4028.jpg

corals
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_4015.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_4017.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_4018.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_4026.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_4027.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_4034.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_4040.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_4036.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...y/IMG_4041.jpg

bahahaha i didnt think you would actually do it.

tank is lookin awesome!

:) thanks lee i think the "dory" fits very well in my tank

wow man....that thing is ......stuff.....ed......looks good!:biggrin:

That is one tiny little tang... they are soooo cute at that age.. I wish the scientists would start genetically modifying them to stop there growth so they would stay that small. Then all of us could have one.

thanks, it sure is filling in isnt it:lol:

ya i was thinking the same thing, i wouldnt mind a group of miniature tangs sure beats a school of damsels that only eat and lives free in my system.