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pdxmonkeyboy

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Posts posted by pdxmonkeyboy

    The dream light for sale

    in Classified Threads

    Posted

    Do you have a 6' long tank?  No?  then stop reading.

    For those that do have a 6' long tank, or plan to get one.  I am selling one of THE nicest lights for growing corals that you can buy... The Giesseman spectra halide T5 hybrid.  For those that think your energy costs are going to skyrocket or that your tank is going to boil over with heat, I have no other way to say it other than your dead wrong.  In our climate, our heaters run virtually all day and night.  I have never had my water temperature vary more than 2 degrees throughout the day.  In the summer I have a desk fan that blows over the tank when the temp gets to 78.  I have never needed a chiller.  

     

    The spectra has 3 250watt single ended halides and 4 t5Ho bulbs.  The shimmer is terrific and if you can't grow corals with this light, then you can't grow corals, period.  This thing casts THE most even light in your tank, it is pretty crazy.  No LED unit can match this coverage.  None.  Not to mention that it is beautifully crafted and is one single fixture.  I LOVE this thing but I am upgrading to a larger tank.   $1500 new, priced at $1k.  

    Don't believe me that it is dope... check out this BRS review of it.. 

     

     

    If you lived in florida or so-Cal.. yeah halides would likely be too much.  In oregon though... they are Awesome!! 

    Putting this up here for a week or two then putting it on R2R.  

     

    geisseman.jpg

    geisseman2.jpg

    • Like 1

    UV Questions

    in Equipment

    Posted

    FWIW.. I ran an $80 55 watt strelizer on my $10k + system.

    The mark up on UV units is absolutely ridiculous.

    A UV unit for an aquarium is four things and four things only.

    1. A pvc tube
    2. A uv bulb
    3. A quartz sleeve around the bulb
    4. A ballast to power the light.

    The turbo twists or whatever are a neat idea and have a space saving form factor..but at 3x the price.. no thanks.

    The jebao lamps can be had on amazon for $35 for two of them. Uv bulbs only last a year...

    And lastly... if you mount it horizontally make sure the inlet and outlet are pointing up.




    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

    UV Questions

    in Equipment

    Posted

    Ok, so here is the basic scoop... UV will not change the clarity of your water.

     

    Freshwater can get algae in the water column, but saltwater...not so much. I mean, it CAN, but it if you have green water then you should be spending your money on something else because there is an issue.

     

    If your goal is to increase water clarity then you should look into running some carbon. It will absorb and bind impurities that will tint the water. It will also bind toxins and other stuff that get into your tank... like skin oils, lotions, stuff in the air, erc.

     

    Uv is tyicpally used in reef tanks to fight viruses, bacteria, and othet nasties..like ich thormonts..or is it trophonts? Anyways... things like that.

     

    The flow rate has to do with the time it takes to affect different organisms.

     

    Make sense?

     

     

     

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

     

     

     

     

    • Like 6
    • Thanks 1

    Is this brown hair algae?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I called cyano because of the stringiness you claimed and the bubbles, the bubbles are often a tell tail sign.

    FWIW, in my experience cyano shows up when there is an imbalance in the ratio of phosphates and nitrates.

    This would also make sense in a newer tank as things... (bacteria) numbers tend to swing widely for a bit.


    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

    Float valve recommendation's?

    in Equipment

    Posted · Edited by pdxmonkeyboy

    Bicycle bill points out a good website for those.  You however don't need the realys and what not because your apex will control it. 

    My only recommendation is to crimp a pair of bullet connectors on the float switch wires, that way when you take your lid off to wash it in the sink you can just easily disconnect and reconnect the float switch. 

    If you buy a break out box you can make DIY leak detectors as well.  Just run two wires to floor, strip of an inch or so of the wire insulation off and tape them to the floor about 1/2" apart.   

    You can also make a simple button switch to start feed mode with a break out box.  

    • Like 2

    Someone PLEASE 3d print this..

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    LOL, hey whatever you are into. Seriously, some people go to great lengths to make their sumps and what not all pretty and organized. Some are completley OCD and some are disasters. Mine is probably somewhere in the middle.

    I have seen some tanks with like 10 schedule 80 unions and I think.. [language filter] man, you could have purchased a couple nice pieces with that money.

    (Oh no.. you don't have 10 sch. 80 unions do you? I was thinking of this tank on R2R.)

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

    • Haha 1

    Someone PLEASE 3d print this..

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    FWIW... while schedule 80 fittings are nice, I always secretly make fun of most of them on reef tanks. Schedule 80 is for high pressure applications.

    So spend $80 on ball valves for my mixing station it spend $12 and struggle at times.

    Yeah $24 is stupid

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

    Anyone interested in a shallow reef tank?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    13 hours ago, milesmiles902 said:

    How is this an easy shape? Aren't those sheets 8' x 4' ft? The length has to be the 6' dimension and the width is coming to 5' with the long walls (2' + 1.5' + 1.5').

    Also, where you picking it up? One of these days, I am still planning my acrylic build.

    It's an easy shape when you are cutting two 8' long 30" wide pieces for your 600 gallon build. 

    I am buying plexiglass G from Laird plastics.  Was looking for acrylite but could not find it locally 😞  everyone is selling the cheap poor quality import stuff. 

     

    When is it too much??

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Well, while I know it’s off topic, you could instead put time and effort into a track car to race. I’ve been seriously thinking of that, though not having a double garage would make it difficult. I actually think I enjoy wrenching just slightly more than reefing.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    That is a great way to burn through some serious cash for sure. Fun!! But expensive.

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

    • Haha 1

    When is it too much??

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    120 gallons?  Bro... why are you even here?  LOL

    I must confess that if I didn't do EVERYTHING myself, I could never in a million years afford a mosnter tank. Plus, for my first tank I bought all the stuff I would need for a bigger tank (except for the lights).  My skimmer, calcium reactor, fuge, apex, water mixing station, .. all that stuff will just be shifted over to my larger tank.  I am building the tank myself, so that saves 2-3 thousand right there, and I am going to try and cut down on heating costs by heating the tank with my hot water heater.  

    I think if I REALLY knew what this hobby was going to cost, then I probably would have never started.  But I do really enjoy building things and creating a beautiful piece of art in my house.  

    This next tank will be OFF THE HOOK COOL!!!  

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