Jesse's 20L+20L fuge...
- Thread starter reefman23
- Start date
Well the deal with the trade sorta fell through so I didnt end up with the Tek fixture. However, I will still be going with all T5ho lighting, just taking a different route.
I just bought (2)2x24 watt T5HO Tek retros off of ebay. They were only $69.99 each, so total with shipping was around $156. Now I just need to buy the lamps which will be around $80. The last thing will be a canopy which I will be trying to buy from a local pet supply wholesaler (unfortunately they to provide alot of reef stuff... they supply Petco/PetSmart with their goods). I should be able to get that for around $20. So all said and done, I will have a *BRAND NEW* 4x24 watt retro'ed canopy for just about $260... that is just $20 more than the Tek fixture route would have costed me... I was supposed to trade my MH+$80 cash for the Tek fixture which hypothetically would have been around $240.
ANyways, point is, I will be diving into T5Ho lighting... I think the first one to do so on this site. I will keep you all well-informed with plenty of pics and info from the retro, as well as plenty of updates on how the tank does with the new lighting.
Jesse
I just bought (2)2x24 watt T5HO Tek retros off of ebay. They were only $69.99 each, so total with shipping was around $156. Now I just need to buy the lamps which will be around $80. The last thing will be a canopy which I will be trying to buy from a local pet supply wholesaler (unfortunately they to provide alot of reef stuff... they supply Petco/PetSmart with their goods). I should be able to get that for around $20. So all said and done, I will have a *BRAND NEW* 4x24 watt retro'ed canopy for just about $260... that is just $20 more than the Tek fixture route would have costed me... I was supposed to trade my MH+$80 cash for the Tek fixture which hypothetically would have been around $240.
ANyways, point is, I will be diving into T5Ho lighting... I think the first one to do so on this site. I will keep you all well-informed with plenty of pics and info from the retro, as well as plenty of updates on how the tank does with the new lighting.
Jesse
mikeguerrero
Active Member
I know Incysor messed around with HO lamps, not sure which ones though....
I just placed my order for the lamps from reefgeek.com... I will be picking them up Sat morning. My 4x24 watt retros should be here Friday and I should be able to pick up a canopy on Fri too.
So... looks like I will be able to have it all set up and running by Sat afternoon!
Plenty of pics to come!
Jesse
So... looks like I will be able to have it all set up and running by Sat afternoon!
Plenty of pics to come!
Jesse
I received my retro kits yesterday!!
I built a little temporary "canopy" to mount them into. Here they are with the atinics centered (the two outside lamps) and the daylights staggered( the two inside lamps).
Here is a FTS shot with just the two daylight lamps on...
Here is the inside of the canopy again with only the two daylight lamps running...
Now unfortunately one of the ballasts isnt firing. I contacted the company who I bought the kits from and they are sending me out a new one tomorrow. So until I receive the second ballast, I am only going to show you actinic-only or daylight-only shots :sad: .
First, the daylight shots...
My blues seem to be coming back from their pale tan color...
Now these are WITH actinic but WITH white balance...
And now......... the actinics!
Hope you like!
Just for comparison... I am going to post a pic of the old 150 watt 14,000k MH and a pic of the 2x24 watt T5HO daylights...
Now the PAR is obviously more with the MH, but the MH isnt much brighter than the 2x24 watters.
I CAN'T WAIT to see what these babies look like with all 4 lamps firing!
Jesse
I built a little temporary "canopy" to mount them into. Here they are with the atinics centered (the two outside lamps) and the daylights staggered( the two inside lamps).
Here is a FTS shot with just the two daylight lamps on...
Here is the inside of the canopy again with only the two daylight lamps running...
Now unfortunately one of the ballasts isnt firing. I contacted the company who I bought the kits from and they are sending me out a new one tomorrow. So until I receive the second ballast, I am only going to show you actinic-only or daylight-only shots :sad: .
First, the daylight shots...
My blues seem to be coming back from their pale tan color...
Now these are WITH actinic but WITH white balance...
And now......... the actinics!
Hope you like!
Just for comparison... I am going to post a pic of the old 150 watt 14,000k MH and a pic of the 2x24 watt T5HO daylights...
Now the PAR is obviously more with the MH, but the MH isnt much brighter than the 2x24 watters.
I CAN'T WAIT to see what these babies look like with all 4 lamps firing!
Jesse
I dont miss the shimmer much at all. I cant really FULLY compare the two yet because I am not able to fire up all four lamps without that 2nd ballast, but I love them so far. I havent had the actinic supplementation for a while and that really makes up for the loss of shimmer lines IMO. Without the shimmer lines, it looks like there is no water in my tank!
What I did do was switch out one of the daylights with the Blue+ actinic to get an idea as to what it will look like and I liked what I saw! They run pretty warm, but definitely no heat problems so far. Even with the other two lamps going I dont see any issues with the heat. With the 5" fan blowing accross the top of the 20L sump, I have never had heat problems.
All in all I am SUPER pleased with the few changes that I have made.
Now the time is coming to switch out some of the LR and start stocking this thing!
Jesse
What I did do was switch out one of the daylights with the Blue+ actinic to get an idea as to what it will look like and I liked what I saw! They run pretty warm, but definitely no heat problems so far. Even with the other two lamps going I dont see any issues with the heat. With the 5" fan blowing accross the top of the 20L sump, I have never had heat problems.
All in all I am SUPER pleased with the few changes that I have made.
Now the time is coming to switch out some of the LR and start stocking this thing!
Jesse
EDGRAY
New Member
:whoa: AMAZING :whoa: well done im so happy for you :mrgreen: JESSE cant wait for you to get the ballast so you run the 4x24... and well .. you bet ill be calling you to go see the new light fire it up... that makes me think MUAHAHAHA everyone get Jealous cause i have the the luck to be close to JESSe and i can go see it on person MUAHAHA :twisted:
for you :mrgreen: JESSE cant wait for you to get the ballast so you run the 4x24... and well .. you bet ill be calling you to go see the new light fire it up... that makes me think MUAHAHAHA everyone get Jealous cause i have the the luck to be close to JESSe and i can go see it on person MUAHAHA :twisted:
reefermike
New Member
sorry but why did you get rid of my MH or want to swap?
I felt like the MH wasnt the best bet for the direction I want to take my tank... My clams loved it, but I missed the fluorescence that I got in my other corals with actinic supplementation. I wanted a canopy, but didnt want the 10"-12" tall canopy that would have been necessary for the MH. I began really looking into T5HO's and they sounded like something that I wanted to try out. Overall, I am very happy with them. I felt that the 150 watt MH was a little intense for a 12" deep tank, and for the 30" length of the 20L, I felt T5HO's were more appropriate.reefermike said:
I would highly recommend them for anyone setting up a 24" or longer tank. They penetrate as far as MH's, so they are suitable for tanks up to about 18" deep. If you overdrive them with an Ice Cap ballast, you could even keep things like SPS and clams in a tank as deep as 24". Eventually (years down the road) I do plan on setting up a large walk-around tank about 5-6 ft long and would probably go with all T5HO lighting based on all the info I have read and after seeing the actinic lights in action. The ATI Aquablue Special daylights are fantastic too... very much the advertised 12,000k'ish look.
I will keep you all informed with any colorshifts and growth changes that I experience.
Jesse
Thanks Ed! I am very pleased with them. Once I get the second ballast, feel free to come by whenever you want! The cost of admission will be a low low price of only a handful of frags! :thumbup:EDGRAY said::whoa: AMAZING :whoa: well done im so happy
jk!
Jesse
reefermike
New Member
would there be a differance in power use?
A
Anonymous
Guest
very nice - gotta love actinic
and i wouldn't worry about switching out too much rock - now that the MH is gone the coraline will grow faster then you can imagine
also watch your corals for bleaching - the difference in spectrum will take time for some of them to adjust - although that mostly applies to LPS/SPS, your zoas could be slightly effected, although i have never had much trouble with them acclimating to different lights
and i wouldn't worry about switching out too much rock - now that the MH is gone the coraline will grow faster then you can imagine
also watch your corals for bleaching - the difference in spectrum will take time for some of them to adjust - although that mostly applies to LPS/SPS, your zoas could be slightly effected, although i have never had much trouble with them acclimating to different lights
I plan on switching out some of the rock because I want more shelf rock as opposed to alot of the baseball/softball sized rock that I have now. Im sure that the coraline will come right back.johnanddawn said:
As far as the bleaching goes, I think that only being able to run the 2x24 watters right now should help to acclimate the tank a little bit right??? So far everything is showing signs of coloring up a little bit.
Jesse
aquemeni5110
New Member
Nice pictures Jesse! I was always under the impression that MH was the pinnacle of reef lighting but after seeing your comparison pics I'm looking at it differently now.
Alrighty... more to update.
I got the LR from my brother-in-law's NC that he is tearing down. There isn't much life in it because his tank has been inactive for a year or so with no corals, inverts, etc. The lights havent been on it either during that period, but he did have the filter/powerhead running so the rock didnt need to be re-cycled.
So I began by removing most of my corals and placed them in my sump. Some corals and my clams remained in the tank....
...then I removed all the LR...
...then after hours of arranging, this is what I can up with...
...overall I am pretty pleased. It allows for MUCH more room for corals.
I've got a little "mushroom corner"...
My YWG has already found a new spot right in the front!
And of course I have to throw in some miscellaneous shots too!
My brain seems to be recovering nicely...
I should also be receiving my replacement ballast today so I should have all lamps up and running by tonight! :eudance
Thansk for checkin' me out!
Jesse
I got the LR from my brother-in-law's NC that he is tearing down. There isn't much life in it because his tank has been inactive for a year or so with no corals, inverts, etc. The lights havent been on it either during that period, but he did have the filter/powerhead running so the rock didnt need to be re-cycled.
So I began by removing most of my corals and placed them in my sump. Some corals and my clams remained in the tank....
...then I removed all the LR...
...then after hours of arranging, this is what I can up with...
...overall I am pretty pleased. It allows for MUCH more room for corals.
I've got a little "mushroom corner"...
My YWG has already found a new spot right in the front!
And of course I have to throw in some miscellaneous shots too!
My brain seems to be recovering nicely...
I should also be receiving my replacement ballast today so I should have all lamps up and running by tonight! :eudance
Thansk for checkin' me out!
Jesse