55 gal build 2 years in the making

[darklcd]

UPDATE

Wave makers are in and running but I think I may have over done it. I am running a pair of 1300 gph heads as seen in pics but there is so much flow that the chromis in my tank are having a hard time dealing with it. I pointed the heads at the rock to try and take it down a little but I am not sure if it worked.

here are some pics of what I am using and if anyone has any idea which way point them is going to work best please let me know

thanks

 

[Inconservatory]

The chromis will get used to it and find their own way with navigating the currents. I have the same pumps in a 65. The fish are initially offput by the amount of water movement, but quickly come to terms and embrace the situation.

It's a shame that brace in the middle of the tank absorbs most of the light emitted by the halide. Is there a way to move the light to one side and put another set on the other?

 

[baseballkid5]

I would put the Powerheads on the back of the tank and point them towards the side of the tank. This creates a very Nice Current. And Usually Will not be a Problem when you start putting Corals in the tank. Just creates more of a Diverse flow. It will help also if you have 1 of the Powerheads up high in the back of the tank and 1 down Low helps to take away dead spots in the Tank.
If your Going to go with a 48" Light to cover the tank i would go with a Tek Light T-5 set up either 4-6 bulb set up. You can find them At some of the vendors here on Reef frontiers. Or check them out on Ebay. The downside is very minimal You wont get the shimmer you have with Metal halides. But you can do Sps with a set up like this on your tank. And Heat usually is not an issue. Just Make sure you get one that has 2 plugs for the lights. I made the mistake When i first got mine and didnt know the difference and got the Tek light with only 1 plug in so i had to manually turn certain lights on and off. that becomes very Brutal as well as doing Water changes as the only source of filtration could become.

Last thing when you upgrade to a 48" light your timing of lights going on and off should be reduced by 3-5 hours. with Actinics or moonlights on first hour or so and then your other lights coming on for 6-7 hours and then turning off again to Actinics or moonlights for the last hour your lights on.

I didnt read if you are you using Ro/Di water or Tap water?
This is just my 2 cents.
Looking good though.

 

[darklcd]

I took your advice and moved them to the back this morning and pointed them at the front for now to see how thats going to work and it is working better. I also found out that the one chrmois that I could not find some how ended up getting between the magnet and the pump and didn't make it so that sucked but I will just have to replace it this afternoon.

I was thinking about the lighting and I have herd that the T5s are good but I was always told that I should have MH for corals but if I can get away with T5s and still keep corals I would be interested.

I was also looking at power compact but I don't know much about them. I have been looking at replacing my lighting for something that is a little easier on the eyes

what are you using?

 

[baseballkid5]

Ya i think moving your powerheads is gonna really help with a better flow. I have mine on the back of the tank and there pointed at the left side and the right side of the tank. I hope that makes sense there pointed at the sides of the tank not the front.

And no you dont need Metal Halides to keep corals. They have a different shimmer than T-5 Fixtures. Ive had both and I definetly am a fan of the T-5's. They are less Power consumption and They produce less heat than any of the Metal Halides. Which in turn helps that you dont need a chiller or have to run fans to keep your tank cooled off.

I Have a Tek Light 6 Bulb fixture and ive had it for 6 years and it still works perfectly. I have it on My 75 Gallon anout 6- inches from the water. I have had no trouble keeping any Lps, I dont do to much Sps but what i do have seems to be growing just fine. Heres a Picture of my set up its a little different now but you can see the Light Fixture. It has its own Legs and is Very Sturdy.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=30871&d=1229644601

 

[darklcd]

I was looking at a few but I can't only get a 4 bulb the 6 is too wide for my tank but I can handle that if need be.

I was also looking at a couple PC fixtures and a retro kit you know much about them

 

[baseballkid5]

I wouldnt do Pcs personally. There spectrum to me isnt nearly as nice as the T-5s or Halides. A 4 Bulb would still be good on a 55 easy. Sps would just have to be a little higher up in the tank. But if you could deal with a little overhang a 6 Bulb would be Nice.
The Lighting in your tank would be Very very different from what you have now.
And there are some great choices for Bulbs Purples and Blues, Bright White The combinations make the tank look very different and you can control how you want it to look with the switches on the T-5s. Hook up a Timer on the switches and you have a Perfest ocean Lighting Dawn to Dusk. The Things that come out with the dim lights and go away when the Bright lights fire up. Its amazing to see what comes out in differnt lighting periods.

 

[Chichas01]

Ditto that, go T5 or halide. You will be much happier in the end. If you are only planning on going FO, then A PC fixture is fine.

 

[darklcd]

I don't want a FO tank at all I have had them in the past and I have to say that i like the draw of reef tanks a little more for this round. I was looking at a 6 but I noticed that they will all hang over at least 1" on either side of my tank and I am wondering if its worth it to have that or not. Theres a lot of 4 bulb fixtures out there but I am having a bit of a hard time getting the different looks between them and the MH that I have now.

I understand that the lighting is going to be different but I wasn't sure if that was just the type or the ammount that I will get. I have seen that most 4 bulb T5 set ups are around the 250 watt area and my MH is that alone so I am wondering a lot about that.

I was also looking around and found a reto kit for 4 VHO 48" bulbs and a pair of screw in MH 175 watt bulbs. I was not sure about hte VHO bulbs if they were close to the t5s or not.

 

[darklcd]

well after finding out my light was dead I went to change it and found out that I don't have a 250 watt MH but rather a 150. I was looking for a new bulb and the 250s didn't look right so I checked and sure enough it was a 150 so I am not happy that the fixture I bought was not what I was told it was but I can live with it.

Anyone know if this changes my coral/fish options?

 

[baseballkid5]

Fish are not a problem you dont need lights for fish other than to look at them.
Corals Yes you need some more Rays if all it has is a 150w. No Sps unless there at the tip top and the light is very close to the top of the tank. I would spend the money to buy a new Fixture for sure. Or By another set up like you have and have one on both sides of the tank. Soft corals will be ok but im not sure they would be fast growing under that light set up.

 

[darklcd]

I was worried about that but I don't plan on sps really just lps and softies are all I am really looking at. I have looked into the softies but with the lighting I have it would not be a good idea lol. I took some pics just with the t5s and a pic of the bulb just to make sure that I had the right info.

the pics are not the best but theres an idea of what I am working with.

full tank pic

right end

left end

one of the two chromis in there at the moment

here is the bulb I saw what looks like am small spring rolling around inside so I think its dead and I wanted to make sure this was a 150 HQI before I order a couple more any thoughts on what "K" I should get? I was thinking 10 or 14 because I have the other lights already.

 

[darklcd]

update

I managed to get a standard bulb to work for now and I will be ordering a new one tonight. I think I should be ok. its a little more yellow then I would like but it will work for now

 

[darklcd]

new bulb should be here tommrow and I can get back on track. the bulb that I am using now is really yellow and I have to say I don't like it but its better then nothing....I hope

 

[darklcd]

new bulb is in and its looking great for only a 150 its doing a pretty good job for a 4' tank

full tank pic

right end

left end

flow pics
1300 gph wave makers are doing almost too good of a job the fish stay right in the middle of the tank might bee too much flow

chromis doing their thing

If anyone has any comments please let me know I am open to everything

 

[darklcd]

UPDATE

I started working on my "ghetto" sump set....its a bucket with my skimmer, heater and plumbing in it. I am picking up some algae this weekend to try and help with the brown algae growing all over my tank

its not much but its a start and since I don't have a filter of any kind its a good start lol

Please let me know what you all think