Jesse's Plasma 130 Cube

jestronix · 11/14/2018, 07:04 AM

Finally after much fluffing and months of organising my migration to the new tank is done.

For many years I've wanted a nice big cube style tank, I love the depth from all angles. I'm renting so really I cannot go any bigger for now. I also wanted a tank that would take advantage of the square output of the Gavita, they cover a 3 to 4 foot square area.

Tank: Custom 130 gallon (39" X 39" X 20" high) eurobraced with an external overflow. Starfire front.
Sump: Custom
Stand -Custom steel
Lighting - Gavita Plasma LEP bloom version and two Ai Prime
Flow- Three MP40

One of the main reasons for this tank is to test out Plasma lighting, something that didn't really take off in reefing for many reasons, but offers an insanely near perfect light spectrum. I couldn't find any tests of the bloom version in reefing, so I wanted to specifically test for that reason. The bloom version has less red spectrum, which in away mimics what happens when sunlight passes through water.

I have tried all lighting types over a decade and each have their place, for me halide has been the most successful , T5 and then led. Again personal preference and lots of debate in the community

The light is 300w and sits in between T5 and LED for efficiency so it puts out a good punch over a tank this size, maybe similar to 400w halide with way less heat. I am flanking the light with two Ai prime to add more blue peak to the plasma and normal lighting when the plasma is off.

Photoperiod is 12 hours with only 4'hours of Plasma for now. I have to be really careful as I simply have no idea how much par I'm pushing and that plasma is a constant light source.

The tank has been running for a month, the corals are picking up after a troubled time in the old tank where they were neglected.

i want to remain non biased about plasma and try and just let the tank tell me the results over the coming year. I may end up with drab looking brown sticks or it may provide that missing spectrum other lights don't catch and provide a super healthy stunning result, or simply fit in equal with other lights.

Couple of quick photos, I haven't done any proper aquascaping yet, as you can see a fair amount for room for some new coral and fish.

I will take some shots of the plasma running on the weekend when I'm home, it looks very much like coral under normal sun light, which I tend to like as I like 10k halides for looks.

sde1500 · 11/14/2018, 07:28 AM

Nice looking tank. Interesting on the light, I haven't really heard much about plasma lighting for our tanks. I'll be curious to follow along and see how it goes!

xsentrixsupra · 11/14/2018, 08:54 PM

That thing looks amazing! Thats gonna be a pain to move if you decide to move out hah

jestronix · 11/15/2018, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xsentrixsupra

That thing looks amazing! Thats gonna be a pain to move if you decide to move out hah

Thanx , yeh about as big I wanted to go, I'll pay someone to move it, my days of busting a disc to save a fiver are over

homer1475 · 11/15/2018, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jestronix

Thanx , yeh about as big I wanted to go, I'll pay someone to move it, my days of busting a disc to save a fiver are over

Older, wiser, and have more money then back strength. I hear you there.

Used to be, strong back, weak mind and wallet. Now that I'm an adult(damn near retirement age)it's strong mind and wallet, weak back. lol

I am no where near as mobile or handy as I used to be. I would gladly pay someone to do something for me, then do it myself and hurt myself.

xsentrixsupra · 11/15/2018, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jestronix

Thanx , yeh about as big I wanted to go, I'll pay someone to move it, my days of busting a disc to save a fiver are over

Well as someone who is new to saltwater, your tank is the kind of tank I would aspire to have

It made me seriously consider converting my 125g freshwater into a saltwater last night haha

jestronix · 11/15/2018, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xsentrixsupra

Well as someone who is new to saltwater, your tank is the kind of tank I would aspire to have

It made me seriously consider converting my 125g freshwater into a saltwater last night haha

Interestingly after a decade in reefing i was contemplating making this tank a full takashi amano fresh water tank

but couldnt resist a chance to upgrade the reef.

jestronix · 11/15/2018, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by homer1475

Older, wiser, and have more money then back strength. I hear you there.

Used to be, strong back, weak mind and wallet. Now that I'm an adult(damn near retirement age)it's strong mind and wallet, weak back. lol

I am no where near as mobile or handy as I used to be. I would gladly pay someone to do something for me, then do it myself and hurt myself.

Yep, too many times i think ive gotten away with it, two days later the body lets me know

I used to swap engines and do all my own mech work too, now i just look and think ill skip the bloddy knuckles

But some rip off things i still do my self, oil , filters etc.

HumbleFish · 11/15/2018, 08:32 PM

That's a really sweet looking tank.

jestronix · 11/15/2018, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HumbleFish

That's a really sweet looking tank.

Thanks, its very empty on corals so lots of planning and growing ahead. Last thing i want though is a fruit stand

xsentrixsupra · 11/15/2018, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jestronix

Interestingly after a decade in reefing i was contemplating making this tank a full takashi amano fresh water tank

but couldnt resist a chance to upgrade the reef.

lol

I guess as with everything in life the grass always seems greener on the other side!

Cliving1 · 11/16/2018, 12:11 PM

Sweet looking tank

Fourstars · 11/16/2018, 01:56 PM

Cool! can't wait to see the plasma fired up. maybe a shot of the sump too?

Webmanny · 11/16/2018, 05:09 PM

Nice. You still skimmer less?

jestronix · 11/17/2018, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourstars

Cool! can't wait to see the plasma fired up. maybe a shot of the sump too?

Quick video of the plasma running.

https://youtu.be/YjLeOH4c4iw

jestronix · 11/17/2018, 03:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Webmanny

Nice. You still skimmer less?

Not at this point, I ran skimmerless in my other tank and for the most part had no issue. I may go back, some of my best coloured sps has been when I'm not running a skimmer. I'd actually like to go to a mix, maybe skim for a few hours a day and run a scrubber. Just my view but I think skimming takes out good stuff too, scrubbers take out bad and different bad to skimming. Both may be the key in some kind of balance.

I have 3 fish in this 130g tank, so my bio load is next to nothing

Fourstars · 11/17/2018, 08:22 AM

That’s insane, looks like the reef crest at high noon. Bet you’ll get some great acro growth. I’m in the skimmerless/algae refugium boat. I’m going with a shallow cube on my next build for sure. Not sure about plasma yet, metal halide is my choose at this point. Can corals benefit from 100 CRI?

jestronix · 11/17/2018, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourstars

That’s insane, looks like the reef crest at high noon. Bet you’ll get some great acro growth. I’m in the skimmerless/algae refugium boat. I’m going with a shallow cube on my next build for sure. Not sure about plasma yet, metal halide is my choose at this point. Can corals benefit from 100 CRI?

the nicest lit tank I've had, looks great in person. Has a real crisp look with that midday feel. Will see how it pans out, halide is still king (in my eyes) when it comes to results, look forward to seeing your build.

jestronix · 11/19/2018, 06:06 AM

And some pics, I'll have to get the DSLR out at some point as the iPhone just can't capture the look.

Very very happy so far, things are colouring up well, dead neglected sticks are colouring

I added one of my old DIY royal blue LEDs to bring the colour up when the plasma is on, the tank feels like it's at about 12k for looks.

Plasma cranking, with leds it would be around equal to 600w of halide

during the 4 hour midday blast. I'm particularly interested to see how the UV spectrum of the plasma plays its role in exciting the pigments.

Simple but sweet skimmer. Once a week clean keeps life simple.

All electrics housed in a giant metal tool box, my attempt to keep a would be fire contained to some degree

also waterproofed to some degree, over estimated and have quickly run out of space

needs a tidy though.

jestronix · 11/25/2018, 07:25 AM

In the last few days I have seen a huge pickup in colour! but.... I have noticed my Gonis's are going nuts, swelling up way bigger than they used to, maybe now they are getting higher par. Either way I hadn't planned on owning gonis this big! They now take up the front view which means I'll probably have to raise the rocks a bit at the back.

No that's not a baby tang

Fourstars · 11/25/2018, 09:25 AM

That’s nuts! Sounds like the plasma is a success. Any issues with heat build up?

Webmanny · 11/25/2018, 01:00 PM

Those Gonis are amazing and huge. I wish mine had that extension. Great work bud,.

jestronix · 11/25/2018, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourstars

That’s nuts! Sounds like the plasma is a success. Any issues with heat build up?

I'd say they are 1/3 or less heat than halide, you can hold you hand underneath and it gets warm, but nothing compared to halide. However the top of the light generates lots of room heat. I'd treat the heat build up around the same as a 150w halide above the light, so if you have a canopy u would need to think of this.

Long way from success yet

I remember my old tank when I put a 400w 10k XM bulb on, my corals loved that thing, but man the heat ! Chiller ran all day apart from a month or two in winter.

jestronix · 11/25/2018, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Webmanny

Those Gonis are amazing and huge. I wish mine had that extension. Great work bud,.

Yep just when you expand your tank the gonis do the same! Like they knew what I was up to

jestronix · 11/26/2018, 07:32 AM

I tried to move my Goni tonight without luck, in just a month it's grown onto the bottom which means I've now gotta move these guys onto their own rocks. Or tiles of some sort. It would be horrible to have to move tank and they can't be pried off! How big is too big ? , the guy I bought these from said he's had ones as big as huge beach balls that he used to drop onto concreat to split them up.

11/14/2018, 07:04 AM	#1
jestronix Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 451	Jesse's Plasma 130 Cube Finally after much fluffing and months of organising my migration to the new tank is done. For many years I've wanted a nice big cube style tank, I love the depth from all angles. I'm renting so really I cannot go any bigger for now. I also wanted a tank that would take advantage of the square output of the Gavita, they cover a 3 to 4 foot square area. Tank: Custom 130 gallon (39" X 39" X 20" high) eurobraced with an external overflow. Starfire front. Sump: Custom Stand -Custom steel Lighting - Gavita Plasma LEP bloom version and two Ai Prime Flow- Three MP40 One of the main reasons for this tank is to test out Plasma lighting, something that didn't really take off in reefing for many reasons, but offers an insanely near perfect light spectrum. I couldn't find any tests of the bloom version in reefing, so I wanted to specifically test for that reason. The bloom version has less red spectrum, which in away mimics what happens when sunlight passes through water. I have tried all lighting types over a decade and each have their place, for me halide has been the most successful , T5 and then led. Again personal preference and lots of debate in the community The light is 300w and sits in between T5 and LED for efficiency so it puts out a good punch over a tank this size, maybe similar to 400w halide with way less heat. I am flanking the light with two Ai prime to add more blue peak to the plasma and normal lighting when the plasma is off. Photoperiod is 12 hours with only 4'hours of Plasma for now. I have to be really careful as I simply have no idea how much par I'm pushing and that plasma is a constant light source. The tank has been running for a month, the corals are picking up after a troubled time in the old tank where they were neglected. i want to remain non biased about plasma and try and just let the tank tell me the results over the coming year. I may end up with drab looking brown sticks or it may provide that missing spectrum other lights don't catch and provide a super healthy stunning result, or simply fit in equal with other lights. Couple of quick photos, I haven't done any proper aquascaping yet, as you can see a fair amount for room for some new coral and fish. I will take some shots of the plasma running on the weekend when I'm home, it looks very much like coral under normal sun light, which I tend to like as I like 10k halides for looks.

11/14/2018, 07:28 AM	#2
sde1500 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Glocester, RI Posts: 3,336	Nice looking tank. Interesting on the light, I haven't really heard much about plasma lighting for our tanks. I'll be curious to follow along and see how it goes! __________________ My build thread: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2548422 Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef, Eshopps sump and HOB overflow, RO-110int skimmer, Reefbreeder 32" photons V1.

11/16/2018, 05:09 PM	#14
Webmanny Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: 33612 Posts: 2,461	Nice. You still skimmer less? __________________ 32 gallon Biocube, DIY LEDs and Triton Method. My N=1 study of me, validated by me, and supported by completely anecdotal evidence, states that my advice is 100% correct, most of the time.

11/25/2018, 07:25 AM	#20
jestronix Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 451	Goni Gone Big! In the last few days I have seen a huge pickup in colour! but.... I have noticed my Gonis's are going nuts, swelling up way bigger than they used to, maybe now they are getting higher par. Either way I hadn't planned on owning gonis this big! They now take up the front view which means I'll probably have to raise the rocks a bit at the back. No that's not a baby tang

11/25/2018, 01:00 PM	#22
Webmanny Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: 33612 Posts: 2,461	Those Gonis are amazing and huge. I wish mine had that extension. Great work bud,. __________________ 32 gallon Biocube, DIY LEDs and Triton Method. My N=1 study of me, validated by me, and supported by completely anecdotal evidence, states that my advice is 100% correct, most of the time.

11/14/2018, 08:54 PM	#3
xsentrixsupra Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2018 Posts: 68	That thing looks amazing! Thats gonna be a pain to move if you decide to move out hah

11/15/2018, 08:32 PM	#9
HumbleFish Moved On Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 4,757	That's a really sweet looking tank.

11/16/2018, 12:11 PM	#12
Cliving1 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 1,923	Sweet looking tank

11/16/2018, 01:56 PM	#13
Fourstars Registered Member. Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Third rock Posts: 291	Cool! can't wait to see the plasma fired up. maybe a shot of the sump too?

11/17/2018, 08:22 AM	#17
Fourstars Registered Member. Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Third rock Posts: 291	That’s insane, looks like the reef crest at high noon. Bet you’ll get some great acro growth. I’m in the skimmerless/algae refugium boat. I’m going with a shallow cube on my next build for sure. Not sure about plasma yet, metal halide is my choose at this point. Can corals benefit from 100 CRI?

11/19/2018, 06:06 AM	#19
jestronix Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 451	And some pics, I'll have to get the DSLR out at some point as the iPhone just can't capture the look. Very very happy so far, things are colouring up well, dead neglected sticks are colouring I added one of my old DIY royal blue LEDs to bring the colour up when the plasma is on, the tank feels like it's at about 12k for looks. Plasma cranking, with leds it would be around equal to 600w of halide during the 4 hour midday blast. I'm particularly interested to see how the UV spectrum of the plasma plays its role in exciting the pigments. Simple but sweet skimmer. Once a week clean keeps life simple. All electrics housed in a giant metal tool box, my attempt to keep a would be fire contained to some degree also waterproofed to some degree, over estimated and have quickly run out of space needs a tidy though.

11/25/2018, 09:25 AM	#21
Fourstars Registered Member. Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Third rock Posts: 291	That’s nuts! Sounds like the plasma is a success. Any issues with heat build up?

11/26/2018, 07:32 AM	#25
jestronix Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 451	I tried to move my Goni tonight without luck, in just a month it's grown onto the bottom which means I've now gotta move these guys onto their own rocks. Or tiles of some sort. It would be horrible to have to move tank and they can't be pried off! How big is too big ? , the guy I bought these from said he's had ones as big as huge beach balls that he used to drop onto concreat to split them up.