Gr808's addiction

GR808 · Oct 2, 2011

Ok, I don't even know where to start...
Well, I've always had saltwater tanks since I can remember but it was majority fish only. Since losing my 30 from a seam leak, I gave it up for a while. Almost 2 yrs ago my in-laws moved and didn't want to take their 120g long with them and offered it to me but I didn't want it because it'd be too much work... I'd never hear the end of it from the kids so I told my wife, if were getting this tank, I'm making the tank the way I want too.. The rest is history.
I'm still new to reefing and have had my tank up for almost a year and a half. I built a new stand, new hood, and just cheap t12 lamps that came with the tank. I had a friend give me a bunch of faux rock and I just had fish only for a couple of months. I modified a AMiracle wet/dry sump to a sump/refugium combo and got a skimmer. Then I got t5s and modified the hood. Then I got LR. Then I made some friends and soon after I started getting coral.. then I got a TLF reactor and finally converted to a DIY LED light.. I'm very happy with my tank and gives me alot of enjoyment watching it and taking care of it's inhabitants. This is the latest FTS in which it looks a whole lot better in person. That's what I get for a cheap camera... guess the next thing is a DSLR camera..

skinz78 · Oct 2, 2011

Your tank looks great, keep the updates coming!

secretreefer · Oct 2, 2011

Nice!! Maybe get some clams in there! LMFOOOOOOOO!!!!

skinz78 · Oct 2, 2011

LOL I like how you think!

secretreefer said:
Nice!! Maybe get some clams in there! LMFOOOOOOOO!!!!

GR808 · Oct 2, 2011

I'm working on it guys... I really am...

revsgirl · Oct 2, 2011

Oooooh pretty!

GR808 · Oct 3, 2011

revsgirl said:
Oooooh pretty!

Thank you

kyo7878 · Oct 3, 2011

Your tank looks great! Please keep us updated, can't wait to see more!

Electrobes · Oct 3, 2011

Oi! You tease us with this sweet pic and no info or more pics!?

GR808 · Oct 3, 2011

thanks for all the kind words...
Since that picture not a lot of changes except for a couple of SureFlow 2100 mods on my MJ.. that really increased the flow and has helped substantially. Also, just started dosing Lugols (drop/day) and coralamino which I think has great benefits in color and growth. I've also started target feeding once per week with Ova(prawn roe) and zoo/phyto. starting to see some positive results so i'll just stick to that regiment for now. My params are 1.026 sal, ca 440, alk 8, mag 1350, n03 0, and phos is 0 (API).
My equipment consists of a modified wet/dry sump into a sump/refugium. Sump has a SWC 160 skimmer and a RIO HF17 return pump. Refugium has LR rubble and chaeto. Circulation is my return and the 2 MJ with the 2100 Sureflow mods.
Biggest change is my lighting from 6-54w t5s to 98-3w cree LEDs. Run them all on an RKL.. I like it..
Heres a top view pic

link to my LED build:
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/led-lighting-specific/63489-another-led-build.html

I'm always open for suggestions so please don't hesitate to offer some..

Onedesign1 · Oct 3, 2011

looks great! Must be a 125? looks like a 6 footer. Love the open island scaping too....

GR808 · Oct 3, 2011

Onedesign1 said:
looks great! Must be a 125? looks like a 6 footer. Love the open island scaping too....

Thanks, yes it is a 6 footer.
Onedesign, I read one of your posts talking about adding reds and greens, I'm thinking of doing that to widen the color spectrum any suggestions? I have 30 royal blue and 18 cw Xr-es on each heatsink.

Onedesign1 · Oct 3, 2011

GR808 said:
Thanks, yes it is a 6 footer.
Onedesign, I read one of your posts talking about adding reds and greens, I'm thinking of doing that to widen the color spectrum any suggestions? I have 30 royal blue and 18 cw Xr-es on each heatsink.

IMO 4 greens and 2 redson each side would be a good start and you will see a noticeable difference in the color temp. Do not put optics on the reds..they will spotlight. I'm ramping sunset and sunrise and its really nice. Too soon to say anything about growth but greens and reds are usable wavelengths and my corals are all doing great.

GR808 · Oct 3, 2011

Onedesign1 said:
IMO 4 greens and 2 redson each side would be a good start and you will see a noticeable difference in the color temp. Do not put optics on the reds..they will spotlight. I'm ramping sunset and sunrise and its really nice. Too soon to say anything about growth but greens and reds are usable wavelengths and my corals are all doing great.

would the greens and reds be the same forward voltage as the XR-E emitters? I am running 24 parallel strings. Figured I could just replace a few RB with the greens and reds or does replacing the CW do a better job? I have also a similar sunrise/sunset setup on my RKL. It's about a 90 min ramp time up/down.

Onedesign1 · Oct 3, 2011

GR808 said:
would the greens and reds be the same forward voltage as the XR-E emitters? I am running 24 parallel strings. Figured I could just replace a few RB with the greens and reds or does replacing the CW do a better job? I have also a similar sunrise/sunset setup on my RKL. It's about a 90 min ramp time up/down.

Yes I was able to get the greens and reds from LEDsupply.com in XPE...so no problem....though, that is probably the highest priced place to get LEDs from I figured since its not alot and I wanted XPEs and nobody else stocks greens and reds, then what the heck. I happened to mix mine with the XPG whites too so don't worry about mixing the slightly different Vf so long as each string is balanced in total voltage its not a problem.

Onedesign1 · Oct 3, 2011

Onedesign1 said:
Yes I was able to get the greens and reds from LEDsupply.com in XPE...so no problem....though, that is probably the highest priced place to get LEDs from I figured since its not alot and I wanted XPEs and nobody else stocks greens and reds, then what the heck. I happened to mix mine with the XPG whites too so don't worry about mixing the slightly different Vf so long as each string is balanced in total voltage its not a problem.

Oh yeah...I replaced blues with my greens but they are in the CW strings because I had added an additional 6 RBs to the whites. The reds I just added period to the fixture, also to the CW strings. Did not reduce the amount of whites, Depending on which drivers you are using you may be able to just add them. 24 parallel strings seems like alot of strings unless you are running 4 in a series.

GR808 · Oct 3, 2011

Onedesign1 said:
Oh yeah...I replaced blues with my greens but they are in the CW strings because I had added an additional 6 RBs to the whites. The reds I just added period to the fixture, also to the CW strings. Did not reduce the amount of whites, Depending on which drivers you are using you may be able to just add them. 24 parallel strings seems like alot of strings unless you are running 4 in a series.

sounds good. I have 4 60-48D drivers with 24 emitters on each driver. Each heatsink has 24 RB on a driver and 18CW and 6RB on another driver. Figured I can replace the greens and reds with some on the 24 RB strings to soften the heavy blue on that string.

Onedesign1 · Oct 3, 2011

GR808 said:
sounds good. I have 4 60-48D drivers with 24 emitters on each driver. Each heatsink has 24 RB on a driver and 18CW and 6RB on another driver. Figured I can replace the greens and reds with some on the 24 RB strings to soften the heavy blue on that string.

That will work but I did make a supplemental RB bar for a friends tank and it is running 28 RBs off one of those 60-48Ds. Either way...after you do it if you want to add them back in you know it has been done