setting up my new tank

[farmerjo90]

Hey you guys it sounds like you are shipping from the US. How much duty do you have to pay on aquarium items? Also is anyone out there using blueline-e ballasts? What are you guys using for 400 watt metal halide/actinic setups. I am thinking of building a setup for my 180 gallon. Anyone using a Euroreef skimmer? What types of skimmers are you using. Anyone know what happened to Canreef skimmers?

[Dale D]

I just use regular DIY coil and core 400w ballsts with 6500K Iwasaki bulbs on my tanks. For actinic I use 40 watt phillips 03's run by a Hagen electronic ballast.

For a skimmer I use a in sump Red Sea Berlin driven by a Rio 2500.

I have been thinking of building a Becket skimmer or a large (4' or more) counter current or counter current venturi skimmer.

You will have to ask Titus about the Canreef skimmers. They are very nice looking skimmers and I would love to try one some day.

Dale

[titus]

Hello farmerjo90,

For what I know, Premium Aquatics have the last 2 of my CS-2 skimmers. One is used. Ask Jason about it.

For the record, Canreef no longer manufactures "main line", "standard items", or "mass marketed" type products. Only selected custom orders with precise specs.

The business is still registered and is still operating so there is no worry about support. This board is an example.

Titus

[titus]

Hey DaleD,

You've gotta show me how to make a MH ballast one day. Engineers nowadays spend most of the time on software and digital circuits. We don't get to learn these stuff from school anymore. Well, at least not unless I'm in Power.

Titus

[Troy F]

I put together my lighting using a mercury vapour ballast (tar/coil) and a Iwasaki bulb for less than $200. I already had the Icecap 660 otherwise I'd have just used N.O. actinics.

According to an article in one of the magazines, written by either Sanjay or Dana Riddle, the Blueline E was actually less efficient than the other ballasts.

[Shadetree]

farmerjo90,

If the items were manufactured in the US there is no duty on them, but you still have to pay the taxes, and brokerage fees. J&L Aquatics is pretty much the same price as any US MO company after paying taxes and such. You also have access to Animal House which might be able to get a lot of stuff for you. I would recommend going the DIY route for 400 watt halides, I spent the money for IceCaps and they are currently in New Jersey getting repaired already [img]images/smiles/icon_sad.gif[/img] (6 months in use) For actinics I would recommend VHO, here it is very hard to beat the IceCap VHO ballasts, the 430 or 660. They give you lots of choices for how many bulbs you can run on each and have a proven reliability record. I believe Doug has a Euroreef and really likes it on his tank. I currently use an AquaC EV 200 on my 245 and I am really happy with it. It is unfortunate that you can't get a Canreef skimmer as they are very nice also. The only other skimmer series I would consider are the Bullets. I personally do not think Blue Lines would be worth the money.

Scott

[DJ88]

I am running a PFO 250W MH right now and like it. Works really well. Withmy new tank I am working on I wil be using PFO 400's. You may want to look at that route. [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]