8G Biocube, 27G Sump, 70W MH

[doctorgonzo788]

OK,

Trying something new for my bedroom.

This is an 8 gallon Biocube, drilled for a 3/4" overflow which leads to a 27 gallon sump. Grech return pump (about 200gph with 5' of head), Eshopps Sno Cone 120 skimmer. Probably a little too much skimmer but I'll be treating this sort of like a frag tank and feeding heavily.

The tank is drilled, everything is plumbed, and I just filled it with sand and saltwater last night. Got the flow tuned so it's basically silent, no gurgling or flushing.

Big thanks to Brad in Toccoa for the cheap 'cube (and an excuse to go for a drive to the mountains), Bill and Jet at the Aviarium (for being awesome), and Rit for talking me in to this Grech pump. Silence is golden.

I'm building a 70W metal halide fixture for this thing, using a Home Depot 500W Halogen work light. The ballast will be here Thursday. 14K double ended bulb. Also have blue DIY LED's for moonlight/night light sexiness.

If anybody needs a 1-3/8" hole drilled in glass, I sprung for the Lenox diamond bit...
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[doctorgonzo788]

MH fixture in progress. High temp paint. You know, for fun.
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[myreefclub0070]

very neat, I like the direction so far.
not sure if I would use that 120v light fixture you plan on using......is halogen one and that much light over an 8g tank.
I would swing more in lines if a 10w led, just my 1/2 of cent.

 

[dapperjman]

Can you give me any more info on the moonlights you're using?

 

[doctorgonzo788]

They were about $15 at O'Reilly's Auto Parts, I have a proper 12V power supply coming later this week, hold the phone until I test them. The color isn't as good as I'd hoped, but they are running on about 9.5V with the "Try Me" button and battery from the packaging. They will probably perk up with better voltage.

I'm a firm believer in the idea that anything labeled "for Aquariums" or "reef" is hideously overpriced, and there is always a less expensive way to get the same result. On the other hand, what you pay for with a consumer product, is R&D. Sometimes, DIY doesn't work the first time. Or the second, or the third...lol

 

[doctorgonzo788]

I'm investigating a DIY LED fixture, using 3 Cree cool white and 3 royal blue LED's. 2 separate dimmable channels, 12 watts total.

I have a 70W MH and a 150W MH ballast and bulbs sitting around, and I can get away with the heat until springtime, but I'm leaning towards the LEDs.

Do you think the above setup is reasonable? I have 2, 16 watt Ecoxotic LED's over my 29G Biocube and while I like the color, the growth isn't really impressive. I may put the 70W on the 29G and move the Ecoxotics to the new 8G setup.

Decisions, decisions.

 

[doctorgonzo788]

Built and hung the 70W pendant. Need sunglasses in my room now. :shades:

The whole arrangement screams for a bigger tank, but that has to wait a little while.

 

[doctorgonzo788]

Wired up the LED driver and stuck the moonlights on. The location seems fine, off on each side, but I need to angle them inward 30-45 degrees instead of pointing straight down. I'll cut some UHMW or PE wedges to put underneath them at some point.

Color is pretty good for no-name LED strips. We will see how well corals fluoresce in another few weeks.

At this point it's a waiting game. I still need to set up the skimmer, but there's no need for it right now.

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