Brand New 8 gallon bio cube

[JoshH]

I agree. The most natural looking tanks to me were actinic/MH combos. However, a VERY close second is T5/LED with the blue being handled by the T5 and the LED more of a daylight setting.

By daylight settings do you mean mostly whites/green/red and little to no blue/UV atall? I never really played with my LEDs all that much and still don't so alot of the spectrum blending is still outside my ballpark so to speak.

 

[ShadowReef]

I've heard Xenia is good at cleaning water and grows like a weed.

I can vouch for this! I dont even think bleach could stop the PX in my old nano

 

[PanchoG]

I'm older, I don't do change well sometimes. I'm hoping this will be one of the things that will turn out to be a good surprise.

Change it is tough for me as well, I like too stick to the few things I know/like but then I miss so many good things for my stubbornness. Old people.... lol

 

[Katrina71]

SVHO actinics (ice cap ballast) was my goto mixed in with 2x175 W MH. The only thing I didn't like was replacing the bulbs. Probably why I switched over to LED's years ago. The SVHO/MH combo probably made my 100 gallon look more natural back then.

Would you happen to have a pic?

 

[Fin]

This was my 75 with that combo - 2x 250 watt (14k) + 4x VHO bulbs (2 Actinic Whites and 2 Super Actinics, I believe). Pictures were much easier to take than under LEDs too.

 

[Katrina71]

This was my 75 with that combo - 2x 250 watt (14k) + 4x VHO bulbs (2 Actinic Whites and 2 Super Actinics, I believe). Pictures were much easier to take than under LEDs too.

Wow. Just wow.

 

[JoshH]

This was my 75 with that combo - 2x 250 watt (14k) + 4x VHO bulbs (2 Actinic Whites and 2 Super Actinics, I believe). Pictures were much easier to take than under LEDs too.

;Drool;Drool;Drool;Drool

Thanks for putting me back on the fence with my lighting choice@Fin ;Shifty

I don't mean to sidestep the convo but it's been on my mind lately. I think I've settled on a Reeflo Swordtail for my retun pump for my system, good price, excellent head height and roughly the GPH I'm looking for with the head height I have, anyone have any thoughts as to why this might be a bad idea?

 

[Katrina71]

That is the lighting I want.

 

[PanchoG]

This was my 75 with that combo - 2x 250 watt (14k) + 4x VHO bulbs (2 Actinic Whites and 2 Super Actinics, I believe). Pictures were much easier to take than under LEDs too.

I love it ! ;Woot

 

[Katrina71]

;Drool;Drool;Drool;Drool

Thanks for putting me back on the fence with my lighting choice@Fin ;Shifty

I don't mean to sidestep the convo but it's been on my mind lately. I think I've settled on a Reeflo Swordtail for my retun pump for my system, good price, excellent head height and roughly the GPH I'm looking for with the head height I have, anyone have any thoughts as to why this might be a bad idea?

You can sidestep any time. I'm not really qualified to answer you on this.

 

[Fin]

This was the lighting set up on that tank. I didn't even use reflectors, other than the flat reflector screwed to the bottom side of the top of the canopy. Pretty simple, bt it worked pretty well for me.

 

[Fin]

;Drool;Drool;Drool;Drool

Thanks for putting me back on the fence with my lighting choice@Fin ;Shifty

I don't mean to sidestep the convo but it's been on my mind lately. I think I've settled on a Reeflo Swordtail for my retun pump for my system, good price, excellent head height and roughly the GPH I'm looking for with the head height I have, anyone have any thoughts as to why this might be a bad idea?

I had a ReeFlo Dart on my closed loop on my 140 for 12 years. Good pumps. I did have to change the shaft seal every few years, but it was pretty simple to do. Not familiar with the Swordtail though.

 

[Katrina71]

This was the lighting set up on that tank. I didn't even use reflectors, other than the flat reflector screwed to the bottom side of the top of the canopy. Pretty simple, bt it worked pretty well for me.

KISS. Think we can do this on a diagonal for the cube?

 

[JoshH]

KISS. Think we can do this on a diagonal for the cube?

How wide is the cube again?

 

[Katrina71]

How wide is the cube again?

30x30

 

[Fin]

KISS. Think we can do this on a diagonal for the cube?

WHy on a diagonal?

I also need to point out that the picture of the canopy is 20 years old. A lot has happened in the industry since I put that tank together.

 

[Katrina71]

WHy on a diagonal?

I also need to point out that the picture of the canopy is 20 years old. A lot has happened in the industry since I put that tank together.

This is where y'all help me learn.

 

[JoshH]

30x30

You could go with 24" T5 fixtures and one MH, purely speculative on my part but you wouldn't need to make it diagonal

 

[Fin]

I am using the 48" ATI LED / T5 Hybrid Powermodule on my "new" tank.

 

[Fin]