chimera

the first link i posted previous page shows a pic of the diamond lights lumen arc III, the one steve imported from singapore looks identical (as in you cant even tell the difference its a replica, same position of rivet holes and everything) its like someone copied it from the blue prints

test results usually end up on bits of paper and get lost, however dates of things such as water changes, bulb replacement, zeovit replacement etc all go on a whiteboard in the sump room. thats mega convenient, but the test kit and dosing history is more what i need. hmmm, maybe i write one for windows... something simple but practical. if i have time i'll mock one up then let ya know everyone can use and let me know what needs improving on it

what does everyone use for a logbook? (if any) do you know if you can buy them specifically? course i could mock one up but its nice if there is everything in it. if you use electronic logbook, what software do you use? i usually write down test kit info on bits of paper but am forever losing them :-?

yeah alan you are right to an extent, i was going down the saltwater path again, habit lighting perhaps not as crucial for freshwater, depending on amount of planting. coral, much different story

did that include a decent bulb?

is that eggcrate sitting flat on the bottom of the tank? PITA to clean? the substrate can get really dirty or is it temporary? (or am i just blind)

you been fragging again ira?

DEFINATELY! go with ira on this - removal of this protective layer lets too much UV through and can do damage to plants in your tank!!! btw, i guarantee this auction will not go for just $50! probably more $200+

i still disagree with this! too hard to control, overcast days, etc far too hard. much easier to control exact (or near exact) amount of light for tank artificially. many books state this, its not worth the time for these plus many other reasons.

looking great dude, some real good visible growth since i saw it last! nice, must come trade some frags

is that a question or a statement? i see no post called puttputts tank?!!!

yeah, 150W DE 10k bulbs (cheap and dirty ones) around the $70 mark. for something half decent you're more around the $100 mark. as stated above, the bulbs that come with the units are pretty useless, for freshwater probably around 6500k would give best plant growth, for marine 10K or higher is better

hmmm, perhaps...

speaking of sanjay's tests, this is what layton is talking about. a VERY good article!!! so, intensity it is then it clearly shows that the diamond lights lumen arc III design is by far the superior reflector... http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/ ... eature.htm and another good article that compares SE vs DE - concluding that there is very little difference between them when used with various reflectors: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/ ... eature.htm

:lol: perhaps...

im keen, i need a pinpoint pH probe (or two) and some calibration fluid. i cant organise this time though, dont have the time nor money could do with some of those pliers too (the first link) http://www.marinedepot.com/ i guess people should have a looksee and make up their minds what they might like?

having only seen pies ones in photo's, and obviously seeing these ones, i would say from your comments that pies have been exceptionally well made. i would give these a construction rating of 6/10 but a functional rating of 9/10. the material on pies looks rock solid, let me guess if you punched it your hand would come off 2nd best? if you hit these, you'd put a solid dent in it and would not even draw blood. i believe i could personally make them for about $20 each - and that includes someones labour to rivet them together. even so, there are alot of bends to them (although if you had a template its just like a jigsaw puzzle!) and also based on the fact that you aint gonna be hitting them its the reflectivity you're paying for and in that sense, they are seriously awesome.

i must admit i underestimated the benefit of reflectors - more specifically over tanks with larger surface areas they make a massive improvement. while those luminarcs are reasonably expensive for what they are, they really do quite an amazing job!

its also in the sticky section and has been there for sometime - along with many other brilliant links :lol: i suggest you check them out, typically only the very useful sites get added

PAR is an abbreviation for Photosynthetically Active Radiation, it refers to the wavelengths of sunlight that plants can use to power photosynthesis. Intensity is,... well, how intense light is and not a measurement as such. I guess you could consider it slang for PAR :lol:

150W halide will be perfect for that depth (and I'm not just saying that!) thats fine, just leave it use the fluval for carbon. carbon cleanses the water and makes it clearer, cannister or fluidised filters are good for this.

hey nic, looking good, get on the right track from day 1 and you'll be sweet. yeah, mine good buy, but of course i'd say that :lol: but honestly, a halide will make a world of difference to your corals. you never mentioned the dimensions of your tank? yes, definately. majority of anemones require decent lighting (at least halides in most cases) sand is good, although go DEEP (deep sand bed or dsb) or very shallow, say up to 1/2". preference is shallow especially for beginners as DSB's require a bit of knowledge. i think sand is good, being live it helps with filtration and allows you to keep some life that you could not otherwise keep not as good as LR though due to its porisity. get rid of the ceramic media, only good for freshwater tanks. you will need additional test kits once your tank has cycled. i would not add another fish yet til ammonia reads 0. strange that you're reading ammonia and no nitrites or nitrates though? anyways, once its cycled, you will need Ca (calcium), Mg (magnesium) and kH (alkalinity) test kits - especially if you are considering keeping hard corals. If you win my halide, I'll give you a container of kalkwasser (limewater) which you'll need to keep Ca and kH levels up (until you decide to either continue with kalk, use a calcium reactor or dose additives) All this depends on the type and number of corals you keep of course and how regularly you do water changes as well but kalk is probably the easiest starting point.

i think his tank is similar to crackers, about 2.1m long and 700 front/back and 650 deep??

1 x 400W with luminarc installed in the centre tonight. had to take T5's off to make it fit, i can just squeeze in a T5 at either end although one will now have to be a 3 foot T5 coz the seaswirl is in the way. in fact, if i get another luminarc for the right side the sea swirl im gonna have to do some mod's to it and mount it back further otherwise it wont fit! intensity wise, the 400W is not as good as i thought, however its only been on an hour and halides do take a little while for full effect. coverage is insane though, no shaded spots at all in the centre! i've definately made up my mind on going another 2 of these now, i can even see colour in acro's i've never seen before purely brought out by the light. watch this space! (anyone got a large amount of cash to give away? :lol: )

i was actually serious he seems to know this stuff well