Wolf-Head Mountain Reef Tank- 200 gallons

LRT · Jul 26, 2020

Shawn_epicurious said:
The next thing I did was take care of the plumbing : )

I wanted this to be easy to take care off. 5 gallon buckets gets old! (Yes, I’m lazy). You can kinna see the reverse osmosis system in the pics too : ) automated top offs (did I mention I’m lazy?)

the sheet rock has now been repaired and painted. You cannot tell I did anything to those walls now.

Did the same thing with my RODI

Watching

Shawn_epicurious · Jul 28, 2020

sp1187 said:
I find that scotch always helps in making important decisions.
enjoying your build.

Heeeeellllppppp....scotch is about to buy me new lights! Lol

Vette67 · Jul 28, 2020

Shawn_epicurious said:
Heeeeellllppppp....scotch is about to buy me new lights! Lol

If it is buying you metal halides, I won’t stop you! I might be biased that way, though...

Shawn_epicurious · Jul 28, 2020

Vette67 said:
If it is buying you metal halides, I won’t stop you! I might be biased that way, though...

I’m safe lol... I swear, it doesn’t matter what I want to buy... they are always out of everything. Lol

I think I decided against MH Bruh... my canopy... my LEDs are already 9” off the water. Most MHs I’ve seen are at least 5” thick... I dunno...

here is what I have been looking at.

60" LED T5 WIFI PowerModule Hybrid

Create a balanced spectrum with T5 & LED lights Over the past few years we have really grown to love hybrid LED/T5 light fixtures for their coverage, intensity, and capability to create a complete spectrum, making it the perfect light for any reef tank. Built-In WiFi Controller Individual...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Vette67 · Jul 28, 2020

I used to be really against LED lights. They didn’t impress me when they first came out. I also looked at doing my own, until I realized I would only get about a 10-20% energy savings if I bought my own 50 watt diodes. But LED’s have come a long way, and if I was getting into the hobby now, I’d probably do a T5-LED combo, heavy on the T5. Seems like the best of both worlds. But holy cow, that price. For less than half that, you could get halide bulbs, ballasts and reflectors. Keep an eye on the used section, and it’s even cheaper. And you are sacrificing nothing in terms of quality. No fancy app, no need for a PAR meter (sorry!), they just work. But it’s your tank, and you have to do what you feel is best.

I hope the scotch chooses wisely!

Shawn_epicurious · Jul 28, 2020

Vette67 said:
I used to be really against LED lights. They didn’t impress me when they first came out. I also looked at doing my own, until I realized I would only get about a 10-20% energy savings if I bought my own 50 watt diodes. But LED’s have come a long way, and if I was getting into the hobby now, I’d probably do a T5-LED combo, heavy on the T5. Seems like the best of both worlds. But holy cow, that price. For less than half that, you could get halide bulbs, ballasts and reflectors. Keep an eye on the used section, and it’s even cheaper. And you are sacrificing nothing in terms of quality. No fancy app, no need for a PAR meter (sorry!), they just work. But it’s your tank, and you have to do what you feel is best.

I hope the scotch chooses wisely!

Lol... the scotch can only find “zero quantity on hand” ... “notify me when in stock?”

I have waffled on that price : ] ....there is one thing I can’t get past... that whole thing is only one plug in.

I did buy a PAR meter : ) A light system with an adjustable yield and quality equipment, you should be able to grow anything right?

Shawn_epicurious · Jul 28, 2020

Shawn_epicurious said:
Lol... the scotch can only find “zero quantity on hand” ... “notify me when in stock?”

I have waffled on that price : ] ....there is one thing I can’t get past... that whole thing is only one plug in.

I did buy a PAR meter : ) A light system with an adjustable yield and quality equipment, you should be able to grow anything right?

The other thing I am waffling on with that set up is this... I don’t know if I can control the left side and right independently. With five or six separate light... I could have a PAR at sand level on the left side of 90 and on the right ride... 220... supporting 2 different species equally... I dunno... still working out what I want... tooooooooo many choices!

sp1187 · Jul 29, 2020

Shawn_epicurious said:
Heeeeellllppppp....scotch is about to buy me new lights! Lol

I fear I'm too late?

Shawn_epicurious · Aug 2, 2020

My PAR meter came in. This thing is awesome!!!

Vette67 · Aug 5, 2020

So what’s your PAR results? How bad / good is your current lighting?

Shawn_epicurious · Aug 5, 2020

Vette67 said:
So what’s your PAR results? How bad / good is your current lighting?

Yeah.... they were bad! Okay, so... it is still a tank full of softies and they all seemed nice and healthy the way I had the lights. I really was running a very reduce lighting schedule. ......but, I wasn’t even getting 40 on the sand : ( the very tops of my highest softies was running a little below 190. I did bump up my lighting a little... planning on bumping it up a little more each week.

I get my new T5 fixture this weekend : ) Almost there!

Shawn_epicurious · Aug 7, 2020

My weekend project! : )

Shawn_epicurious · Aug 8, 2020

DIY! I got my light installed today. ....very happy it is done! Too tired to take new PAR measurements. I kind of need to wait until tomorrow when my LEDs are at their max value in their cycle. It looks like it has always been there!!! : ) I had to partialy disassemble the fixture so that I could drill holes in the top. It’s a fairly heavy fixture I wanted to be able to use nuts and bolts to carry the weight. I mounted two pieces of steel square tubing to the top of the light fixture and then bolted that thru the top of the canopy. It should be very stable.

AquaticLife 61" T5HO X18 Hybrid NON-Dimmable Fixture

LegendaryCG · Aug 15, 2020

I'd take a good look at All-for-reef..

Shawn_epicurious · Aug 18, 2020

I am loving my new lights. I put 2 super blue T5HOs, 1 actinic and 1 purple in it. It is really making my tank pop!

Shawn_epicurious · Aug 19, 2020

I started out with a used... yes, crappy RODI system and have been having problems with it. So... this is today’s project. Replacing it : )

Shawn_epicurious · Aug 22, 2020

Boom, another DIY project complete! : ) This was easier to install than I thought it would be.

(I still have to figure out the auto shut off float system for the barrel) It doesn’t look that hard.

Shawn_epicurious · Sep 8, 2020

Okay so first I gotta say this... there was no scotch involved in this decision. I just bought 3 Hydra 64’s to complete my lighting. I am replacing the 2 Hydra 32s and the 1 Hydra 26. They will be here in a few days!

(even better) I think I just fixed my flow issues as well. I’ll be ready for SPS in 2 weeks... max!

Vette67 · Sep 8, 2020

I liked it better when the scotch almost talked you into halides!

What was your flow issue?

Shawn_epicurious · Sep 8, 2020

Vette67 said:
I liked it better when the scotch almost talked you into halides!

What was your flow issue?

I have three power heads in my tank right now... they move the water, just not enough. My return pump is strong enough. It is a 1,260 gph There are too many places in my tank where I can see suspended particles hanging in the water.... but not really moving thru the water.

I did almost buy those MH’s! Truth is, I couldn’t handle the heat with a canopy.