34, 90 and now a 40, what a story.

[mch1984]

Question for everybody, how much difference would 2 T5 bulbs make? I would kind of like to bump up the light a little on this. The ethereals do ok, but even after bumping them up after testing they could still use a little more. I like the thought of going hybrid but with an 18" tank and 9" wide lights my options are limited. I've looked around and I could fit two of the single reefbright t5 figures and hang everything under a kind of floating canopy. I originally thought my t5's were giving me the electrical problem but have since figured out it was the breaker.

 

[Fudsey]

Do you still have your old unit? You could try a couple bulbs in it and see if you like the lighting before you try and get something... just a thought.

 

[mch1984]

I do and the tank ran for a couple of months on t5, I like the look. Just not sure how much difference two bulbs will make.

 

[Reefpuck]

Depending on what you already have on there now...2 lights could make a noticable difference. If you're looking for more light...I'd say go for it. I started with 4 T5s on my 90g. Since I've added another T5 and a sbreef sbar actinic led supplementation. Mostly SPS

 

[mch1984]

Just some random fun shots, I hit the tank at the perfect time for pics.

 

[Reefpuck]

Looking good!

 

[showmebutterfly]

All your corals look great, Matt! That frogspawn is my favorite and the pic with the clown is frame worthy. Great job on the tank and the pics.

 

[mch1984]

We are actually talking about getting some prints made for the bedroom out of pictures from the tank. That one is on the short list.

 

[mch1984]

Ok, so I have been researching and researching for the best way to go led/t5 hybrid with my ehtereals. I love my ethereals but they are bigger than a lot of the LED's on the market and so a lot of the prebuilt hybrid kits aren't big enough. I found this one on BRS and with this I could actually get 4 T5 bulbs under a floating canopy with the ethereals. Has anybody ever done one of these kits? I am compantant enough with electrical to change plugs and switches, change lighting fixtures and stuff but that's it. Is this simple enough for a lay person to figure out?

 

[Fudsey]

I don't see why not. I was looking at this kit as well before the hybrid. I just don't have a canopy and thought it would look a little too ghetto for me.

 

[mch1984]

I don't have one either and my wife's one stipulation to putting up with my aquarium habit/addiction/obsession is that it has to look nice. So I would just make a nice floating canopy to hide everything. It shouldn't be hard to make the canopy. I have an old old t5 fixture at the house, I'm going to let it run this weekend and test my new breaker out. I'm a little gun shy with T5 after all the electrical problems I've had. The breaker seems to have been the issue though, it hasn't tripped since I replaced it.

 

[Hemmdog]

Great build and tank man! That was enjoyable

 

[mch1984]

Great build and tank man! That was enjoyable

Thanks! and thanks for tanking the time to read along.

 

[Reefpuck]

Ok, so I have been researching and researching for the best way to go led/t5 hybrid with my ehtereals. I love my ethereals but they are bigger than a lot of the LED's on the market and so a lot of the prebuilt hybrid kits aren't big enough. I found this one on BRS and with this I could actually get 4 T5 bulbs under a floating canopy with the ethereals. Has anybody ever done one of these kits? I am compantant enough with electrical to change plugs and switches, change lighting fixtures and stuff but that's it. Is this simple enough for a lay person to figure out?

I've bought 2 of the LET retrofit kits...and they're pretty easy to install. Shouldn't be a problem. Let me know if you have any questions when you're installing them.

 

[mch1984]

That’s great to hear! I will for sure. It will probably a month or so but it’s going to happen soon.

 

[mch1984]

So I’m still battling back the algae a little at a time. It’s not spreading like it was so that helps. So this time I did the same siphon while picking I did last time, but this time I went back to the same spot and took a tooth brush to it. I would keep the siphon going while I scrubbed. I think if I spend an hour a couple time a week, I can have it whipped pretty quick. Here’s a shot of an area I got done with today.

 

[Janci]

Great looking tank.
I have some catch up to do, but enjoy it so far.

 

[mch1984]

Great looking tank.
I have some catch up to do, but enjoy it so far.

Thank you!

 

[mch1984]

So I have a confession to make, I don't test my PO4 nearly enough. I have been battling the algae and just assumed it was the TDS spike I got in my source water. Well I did a round of testing last night and did the PO4 as well, I'm ashamed of the level it was at. I have yet to institute GFO in my tank, but I think I am going to steal some of my dads and add it tonight. At least draw it down and then maybe reduce the amount of it to help maintain. My NO3 is in good shape, if not a little low. Although I know that's probably misleading with the algae in the tank.

 

[mch1984]

Went to the store to get a few turbos and came home with more. I have been considering trying this for a few month and wouldn’t pull the trigger. Went to the store and they had probably 40 green chromis, so I broke and brought home 6. I hope this goes well.