new school

light upgrades * basically i started with 12 t-5's, i changed it to 8 plus double 250's until my new 400 ballasts show up. however things are really looking good with the 250's???? hmmm(scratch). here you can see the basic fixture finished with the icecap 660's and the new halide centerpiece. as you can now tell, this is easily completely changeable. i could add elite fixtures or even make my own. when i choose the wood finish it will simply mount flush to the outside of this and drop to the top of my aquarium. however im having some home interior deco problems. i may finish this off with some skate decks cut up. or maybe some crazy polished metal.... any ideas? anyhow the black centers are out of powder coated aluminum and i robbed some mini reflectors out of an old fixture i got ripped off on r.c. for. atleast it wasnt a total loss! also you can see the twisting of the wires for a nice clean finish. when i used to compete in car audio this was so important. judges would pull removable panels and if you twisted your wire it looked nice. not like some third graders went crazy!(nutty). you can also see the new ballast's in place of old ones, also the finished wire hanging kit. hope you like. if you have old fixtures laying around and ballasts i can build a setup any way you want. you can have a shop get the exact wood to finish it off so it matches your existing get up. or build it into your hood with drawer sliders. also let me know what you dont like about it. i may start building these for people and shops. input is appreciated even if its neg. thanks im still waiting for internal reflector material and to finish this of. no light will escape the top or front. gonna be super cool and modern i think! also different than other options out there. i can even make a rack for someone that they can get down with on their own.(rock2)

wiring i wired this again in the same principal as i would a proper car audio high end system. i use bus bars for ease of service/upgrade. keep wires short as possible! also twist them with your drill, this keeps them super clean. the only shop i "EVER" seen in the aquarium industry do this in my yrs of hobbying is "upscales". travi's hood/light wiring work is second to none. and yes he is a car audiophile as well. not sure where he got it from but over the years i seen him work magic for customers and this is the litle stuff people simply overlook. next time you go in a shop look at the wiring nightmare behind the hoods. this is one reason why travis/upscales is an elitist and also a pioneer in this hobby. builders willing to go the extra mile and try new things. you get what you pay for with upscales. pro work! there is no second chance for a poorly wired light system. once you let the magic smoke out, its all over..... hahaha!!!! i wired and numbered each ballast, used code wiring, and called the manf for any suggestions and opinions on how to better use their product. must do! i ran my end cap wires just a couple inches long on each one, so i can slide end caps or upgrade easily...i have since pulled the fulham workhorse ballasts and put in 2 icecap 660 ballasts. thank you nick (rose city) much nicer and brighter. also added 2x250de halides. overdriving is different than std operation. my experience was way better. some heat, not enough to worry about. i still even have to run a heater! i also used the sunlight supply hanging kit. its easy to mount and looks clean. you can see the ferule in the pictures as well. more to come!!

basically its a box design that fits the size you need. in may case it was 48x30.5. i made this from box aluminum with a chop saw and rivet gun. i worked in car audio for many years and motorized amp racks on this same principal. however we had all the lg tools we needed, and trial and error was of no cost to us (hahahaha). in the first pic i assembled the basic frame and then reinforced it. hard part is keeping it square. i added some other strips that the end caps can actually snap into. no standoffs, not needed. makes it way easier to service this way. also you have to wrap your head around the actual reflector part. the little ones are nice, but...... get salt splash. white reflects evenly and better than the chrome or shiny finishes. the german spectral hammertone is about the best, yet i havent found it in lengths i need. im still currently waiting for the white reflector material to show up. you can see how the end caps snap in place in pic 2 and 3. i riveted "all" this together so i can eventually powder coat it white. screws also have the chance to strip out with thin aluminum...... not cool! if you wanna change something just drill the rivet and add a new one. wait til you see the new addition of halides. i think its sick! i just pulled out a ballast & 4 encaps, added 2 pieces of aluminum 90, and bang...... a easy simple upgrade. gotta love it...

thank you im pretty pumped, i know that downhill biker set this same aquarium up as well. i like your scaping, its nice and open. did you have the same overflow restriction problems at first? i really like the size but woulda been a lot happier if the 250 was available..... i wanted that size bad. no one from salem to seattle had one. same depth and height. however, instead of 48 long it woulda ben 60 long. just enough room to not feel so cramped with all the livestock. you will see. i have room to grow, just not nearly as much as i want. but isnt that the case for everyone? as for the lighting, ima post that next. every one thats seen the frame has loved it. its modular and capable of any upgrades or additions you could want to add. i just added double 250de halides, and it took about 30 minutes. i have considered making this for others if any one is interested. you can use reflectors, make relectors, skin it with wood or any material. i was thinking something unique..... install it in a canopy with cabinet sliders or use it as a pendant like i did...... it wasnt nearly as cheap as i hoped it would be but i had to buy all the tools, metal and then all the lighting parts. it was a nice learning exp as well!(nutty) thanks again undertaker_00, you making use of that light yet? if you can, try the radium 20k. the ushios i used were nice but i lost some blue and purple. my buddy has the same fixture with radium 20k bulbs and it brought out more colors for sure. he also used the split purple/pink actinic combo and his tank was fantastic......growth was nice too. i still have extra zooas and a nice little frag here for you as well!

day two this was more fun than the stand, however there has since been a sump change so i ill leave the old sump pictures out. it was a very nice tru vu platinum refugium sump, however if there was ever an electricity loss it woulda overflowed. check valve or not. just too small and not very effective. so these will just be some random plumbing pictures. seaswirl photos with bulkhead, a front shot and overflow.

as a couple of you know, this tank was finished being built this week. after not having the time to load any pictures, each evening im going to try to post a few build pics, as i have been super busy. i really hope you all enjoy. this took about a week to build. then the transfer of all the livestock was an even more unbelievable task. i want to thank tom from upscales for making all this possible. this is a livestock combination of my tank and another mature aquarium he maintained weekly. a good man named "al". also isaac of coralmafia.com helped tremendously with the tear down. this is a 200 gal marineland starphire build 48x36x27. and a 55 gal custom sump, 31x24x18. phosban x 2 reeflo 200 dnb precision calcium reactor 4 koralia 4's 2* 250de 20k plus 8 t-5, 4 ati+, 2 supe ati, 2 blue + 2 seaswirl 3/4" reeflo dart neptune ac3 w exp module red sea ozonizer starting with the stand........ nothing special, pretty basic open and finished of with a layer of killz and silicone to help with some moisture protection. took about a day and a half since i ran outta paint. this is to be finished off with some very nice stained wood and unusual doors. more to come.......

na, he comes around here and hangs out. eats a bunch a food, then jams off like a bum. every once in a while i catch him going thru the garbage. do not give him any cash or food, he will never leave you alone!

i wanted to take a moment to thank the team at "davy jones locker" for coming to my rescue. i needed a sump in short time. dave was able to build me one that was far better for less money than ordering one thru a vendor. i had some pretty specific wants and after sitting down for a few short minutes he drew exactly what i needed. not only that, he manufactured it out of 3/8's acrylic, smoothed all the corners, then euro braced it..... put in bubble baffles, probe holders, and a schedule 80 bulkhead. 30.5X24X18 apprx 50 gal. NO WAY could any vendor compete with this quality for the price. not only that, but it is great custom work!! and did i say it took less time then ordering me one..... wow!!! so thanks guys. heres a few pics so you can see what im happy about(clap)......

spacelight was sold and picked up, thank you undertaker_00, it was nice meeting you. glad to see the light go to a good tank. sorry i was in such a rush, hit me up in a few days about some zooas. tank, stand, sump, pump, still available for 400.

looks like undertakr_00 will be first in line and is tentatively sold. if for some reason it falls thru, i will contact next in line. thank you very much. i have more equipment and items to post soon. no lights however.

thank you garrett. i was wondering if anyone noticed what it is. the single 150de with no bulb retails for more. hahaha this light is super nice and i would keep it if i could use it over my new 200. even though the new tank is 48" wide its still 36" deep and this light as nice as it is, and as much as i love it, could not spread the 36" width.(sad) if i hadnt dropped 2 grand this week on my new tank, i would save it and throw it in my closet. i would keep the 120 too. just got the stand 8-9 months ago from isaac when he was at seahorse. its plumbed for double seaswirls and looks kinda funny in the pics without em. i had to install a makeshift return so i could use them on the new tank as well.

this fixture retails for 850.00 without bulbs at premium aquatics 859.99, coralreefecosystems 859.99, and aquacave for 799.... as special order. includes 2, 24 watt compact actinic, bulbs purchased from seahorse 3 months ago maybe..... fixture is german design, low profile and thus ballasts are built internally in the hood. when these first came out 5 yrs ago they were over 1200.oo.....this works and in use currently over the left over zooas and livestock in my 120 also posted here.

price change on the 48" spacelight before i list it on r.c. tomorrow. i would rather not have to ship this. 250.00 also tank, stand, sump, and iwaki for 400.00. this needs to leave my living room as i just purchased a new 200 gal starphire tank.

spacelight sold. tricon acrylic 120 with middle overflow that also has dry box for plumbing or wires. makes it nice for custom plumbing/fixtures straight thru the back with nothing visible behind. in good shape. no major scratches but a little coraline on the back. tricon sump with drip tray and media shelf underneath. (could cut it and add sock if you like) included is a iwaki 40 md. pre plumbed for calc reactor or any extra reactor you may desire to run. the stand is only 9 months old, black. no water damage! also silcone on the inside. there is a little overspray that can easily be touched up. no biggie. i would prefer to sell this as one unit. all this for 350.

SOLD BOTH SOLD. THANK YOU

skimmer gone.

photo bump. anyone? i will separate and consider offers as well. thank you....

i need t5. i have lots to trade but cash is a little low as yesterday i bought about 3 g worth of equipment for a new build. also have mh ballasts, pendants, aqualine double 250 fixture, tanks, skimmer, pumps, you name it. trade maybe? maybe some cash too? frags and goodies possibly? pmd

1. i have a solana tank in exc condition with black factory stand. also comes with a lumenmax2 250de,20k ushio used for 3 months. slight coraline on the plastic back but in fantastic shape. 575.00 or offer?? will seperate also. 2. also a bubblemax 2500 skimmer by ruben at nw plex in good condition. up to 150 gallon tank, it didnt quite fit my sump so i trimmed 1 inch off the base to squeeze it in. i have since upgraded to a much larger skimmer for a new much larger tank.. i will throw in an extra needlewheel pump / modded venturi. 120.00 or offer

we have decided to part with ours and can make a deal possibly.....i have what you are looking for. solana in exc condition. has the black stand and i also have a 250 watt pendant with a ushio 20k only 3 months worth of use. very small amount of coraline. im not desperate to sell it and willing to separate. p.m me

thanks isaac. the water pump in my car threw in the towel so ima play catch up on my posting of pics tonight..... also thanks for some of the many fine corals i will soon be posting here.

adds more pics both sides of calc reactor, skimmer. also one sea swirl right side wave maker w union and ball valve. some of my current lighting.

some pics i took early in the setup. i never got to do my build thread, but here are the first of my 120 from months ago. one of the old skimmer and one of the new skimmer. top wave action and two front shots.

im at the opposite end of the spectrum, always wish my xenia and zoas "will" shrivel up and die. i did have hydnophora like yours in the photo, at night its stingers would wreak havoc on its neighbors, sometimes 6-9 inches, was crazy. check it long after its dark, (typically when your catching your best sleep) hahaha, longest sps stingers i ever had. hence the my removal. too cramped in the old tank. great stony, one of my favs. also some of my corals dont like kh over 12, typically sps. seems as if your alk is low? also as impur suggested, a weekly water change is great way to fix things.... seems odd your calc is good, kh good, but alk low? might retest it? or take it in to your fav lfs. you can verify if you have any old/incorrect test kits. some corals are very sensitive to nitrate over 25.. i know when my nitrates are on the up, my xenia shows it first. also i have seen many tanks with a lower salinity that were excellent but 1.025 is normally the benchmark for reef and 1.022 for fish..... its been hot lately too, what are your temps at the end of your light cycle?

what can i get for 20 dollars? i kinda like that tiny electric green one with the orange eyes, hahahahaaaaaa.