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08/29/2008, 05:23 AM | #126 |
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Nice work... got to hang out.
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08/29/2008, 07:34 AM | #127 |
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Excellent thread.
The colors are really improving. Congrats on the awesome setup. Very inspiring. No more halide replacement costs for you!!! Not to mention the electrical consumption cut. Kudos on the hourly shots. Very helpful. Seems like your tank is much more dynamic with the varying intensities throughout the day.... something that most of us lack. |
08/29/2008, 07:46 AM | #128 |
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thanks for the comments all...
unfortunately, this has taken a not so scientific turn.... just before the posting pics last Sunday i realized my kalk reactor wasnt functioning properly (and probably hadnt been for a few days). once fixed, my pH and alkalinity came back up to where they should be, but i think it was a bit too fast. lost a few small mille frags and burned the tips off of quite a few other corals. it is tough to know if it was all bc of the alk change or if the brighter light had something to do with it. i am inclined to think the light had nothing to do with it since i have seen no bleaching, and most of the corals get more and more color daily. i am looking forward to taking/posting new pics on Sunday. Bryopsis still has not returned to my tank, so i think it is gone for good (thank you sun!!!) |
08/29/2008, 07:56 AM | #129 |
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So a lack of alkalinity lead to more coral coloration? How high do you keep the alk normally, and how low did it get?
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08/29/2008, 08:26 AM | #130 |
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no, it typically causes recession at the base of the coral. the pH ran low during the three days of darkness while i was installing the solar tubes, and never really recovered. any time my alk increases too fast i notice browning and even burned tips if it is extreme enough. since the calcium reactor was still running, it drove my pH down without the correct amount of kalk dripping in.
this time, i saw no browning from the alk increase, but a few tips did burn - on small frags, that was enough to do them in typically my alk runs aroun 11 dKh and my calcium runs 450 to 500. my pH normally ranges 8.2 to 8.4 (well it did before the change) it was running as low as 7.8 when i finally realized what was going on. now, it has become stable again, but the range is a little wider (8.2 to 8.5) on really sunny days. Im not sure how low the alkalinity was, i was afraid to test it i should clarify - i dont think the light had anything to do with the tips burning and the frag death.... i am a little amazed that the color continued to improve thru the alk/pH instability. |
08/29/2008, 08:26 AM | #131 |
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nice very nice!
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08/29/2008, 08:27 AM | #132 |
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gasman, i think i push that fine line in your sig to the limit sometimes.....
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08/29/2008, 09:21 AM | #133 |
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IMO I would get a par meter. I'm going to try to just use my skylight with a few T5s for color. The day I ordered the skylight I also ordered a par meter lol. There are a few threads floating around with skylights and solartubes. You might be surprised at how much light your getting.. If you look in the advanced reef topics there is a huge thread over there on solar tubes and skylights.. One guy was getting 1500par on the bottom of is tank at the peak of the day.. If I remember right it was a 36" deep tank lol. Not saying that's what caused your problem.. But It might have added to it. Besides it would be a good idea to keep an eye on par levels over the months to see if you need to shade the tank in the summer or add supplement lighting in the winter.
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The problem with political jokes is they get elected. OK, so what's the speed of dark? Why do we drive on the parkway and park in the driveway? Isn't is it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice"? Current Tank Info: Custom Starfire 300,92Gallon,35 Gallon Hex,Two 40Gallons,125Gallon, |
08/29/2008, 09:40 AM | #134 |
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i agree 8ball - working on getting one right now....
i think you are probably right about the light compounding the issue with the pH burned tips. usually, one change in a tank is enough to stress some of the animals, any additional changes just magnify the effects of that stress in my experience. |
08/29/2008, 10:09 AM | #135 |
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this is amazing..great job!! I was wondering you said you thought the skylight with the same footprint of the house would be the way to go if you had a one story house?
But I was wondering how the light coming into the tank would compare. Here is seems like you get a more focused, therefore stronger, better reflected light. The skylight seems like it diffuses the light more, however his par reading are crazy so I amy be wrong. I will be building a house in the next two years and I am definitely looking at natural sun lighting for the tank. I wonder which of these two options would be best?? Also, I really like the more "blueish" tint that you get from artificial lighting. with the way the sum moves I guess you dont get that blue hue all day loong right? But i guess thats more natural.
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08/29/2008, 10:21 AM | #136 |
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i think the advantage to the tubular lights is you could (i didnt) add dimming capabilities in the tubes to control the amount of light coming in. the blue lights are on from 7 am to 10 pm, but in the middle 2-3 hours of the day, the tank looks like it has white lights over it. the rest of the day has varying amounts of a blue appearance.
the tubes do focus the light, when assembling them the night before installing, i held a 4' section up to my plasma tv and there was a spot of light on the opposite wall - looked like i was shining a colorful flashlight on the wall. |
08/29/2008, 11:33 AM | #137 | |
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good going!
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08/29/2008, 11:49 AM | #138 |
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I think a skylight the same size as the footprint of the tank is not the way to go.. Just think about it.. I went with a smaller skylight and plan to flare the shaft down to the tank with reflective metal on the shaft.. If you built a MH reflector the same size as a tank with the sides straight up and down I dont think it would direct the light down in the tank. But take that same source and build a reflector that is flared with the source of light in the middle then you get much more light directed down and into the tank. Anyway hope that makes since.. I thought about it for a while before I decided on mine. I have no idea if this is true or not.. Just makes since to me.. If the sun stayed directly above the tank all day then of course it wouldn't matter. But a lot of the time the light will enter at an angle and rely on the reflective walls to direct the light. Straight walls lined up with the rim of the tank would seem to me to not direct the light in the tank but just bounce it all over the shaft..
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The problem with political jokes is they get elected. OK, so what's the speed of dark? Why do we drive on the parkway and park in the driveway? Isn't is it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice"? Current Tank Info: Custom Starfire 300,92Gallon,35 Gallon Hex,Two 40Gallons,125Gallon, |
08/29/2008, 12:42 PM | #139 |
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yeah....thats kind of what i meant by the light not being focused into the tank.....i wonder?
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08/29/2008, 12:50 PM | #140 |
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great addition and nice install - I was considering going with these (or some other version) but never found out how long the tubes could be and still be affective. You may have it posted but how long are your runs in he attic and did you ever find any information on how far the runs can go or some sort of chart that shows light loss per ft of tube?
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08/29/2008, 01:25 PM | #141 |
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8ball and jgoal - i think it would depend on how high above the tank the opening ended. i can see your point tho....
psteeleb - thanks, mine are 16' total length, if i just had to go thru the attack and ceiling (not thru the 2nd floor) they would be about 6' to 8'. some manufacturers claim you can go 25-30 feet without "significant" loss of light, but the rep at sun dome said i was at the limit for length with 16' i havent seen one of those charts anywhere.... |
08/29/2008, 01:30 PM | #142 |
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it looks from the pictures that a lot of your corals are doing better and that some are not doing as well.
IS it just the picture or would you say that's the case? I'd be so curious to see par numbers from these setups over the course of a day. And then compare that to par over the course of a day at a a natural reef.
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08/29/2008, 02:00 PM | #143 | |
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08/29/2008, 02:05 PM | #144 | |
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pretty fair assessment, i would say at least 80% are doing better. i am pretty sure at least part of the problem with the others is the recent problems i had with pH and alk.
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08/29/2008, 02:54 PM | #145 | |
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Quote:
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The problem with political jokes is they get elected. OK, so what's the speed of dark? Why do we drive on the parkway and park in the driveway? Isn't is it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice"? Current Tank Info: Custom Starfire 300,92Gallon,35 Gallon Hex,Two 40Gallons,125Gallon, |
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08/29/2008, 03:25 PM | #146 |
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This is such a sweet set up. I look forward to updated pics. Next time in SA I want to check it out!
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08/30/2008, 06:59 AM | #147 | |
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thanks, let me know when you will be in town, you are welcome to come by. we are only 10 minutes from 35 and 1604 on the north side....
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08/30/2008, 08:05 AM | #148 | |
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I have noticed "interesting" coloration when my alk drops low as well. Several of my corals took on a pretty, almost pastel coloration. However, when I got my alk levels in check, they deepened and returned to normal.
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BS in Marine Bio ('96), First SW tank in 1992. Current Tank(s) 300g SPS with 90g frag tank and 40 anemone tank - decommissioned 46g LPS/Softy Cube 300g FOWLR under construction - decommissioned Last edited by serpentman; 08/30/2008 at 08:11 AM. |
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08/30/2008, 08:30 AM | #149 |
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in my tank, i think because i have such i high bioload of fish (i am no where near low nutrient), any change in alkalinity (up or down) seems to brown things out. gonna take a few pics in a little while when the light gets brighter, overall color is really starting to improve....
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08/30/2008, 09:13 AM | #150 |
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beautiful set up!
we have thought about doing those but have a vaulted ceiling (above the tank) so dont know if its an option or not - but plan on checking w/ some of these solar-tube companies to find out... really like the 'look' of yours though w/ those tubes coming down from the ceiling... almost looks like something out of "20,000 leagues under the sea" very 'marine' looking! i used to live in SA and still travel there on business every couple of months... where are the best reef stores in the area? and when are the next frag meets? thanks regards |
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