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200L Reef Tank


Totara

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Hi All,

Sorry for double post, but I found a relatively good LED light that I can get shipping for $320.

http://www.amazon.com/Marineland-Capable-Aquarium-Lighting-System/dp/B00494JTFU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401781707&sr=8-1&keywords=Marineland+Reef+Capable+LED+Aquarium+Lighting+System+36-48%22

It says Reef Capable but I want to know if it is going to be a good light. Also can anyone tell me if it is the most cost effective solution for me.

Regards,

Will

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Hi All,

Sorry for double post, but I found a relatively good LED light that I can get shipping for $320.

http://www.amazon.com/Marineland-Capable-Aquarium-Lighting-System/dp/B00494JTFU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401781707&sr=8-1&keywords=Marineland+Reef+Capable+LED+Aquarium+Lighting+System+36-48%22

It says Reef Capable but I want to know if it is going to be a good light. Also can anyone tell me if it is the most cost effective solution for me.

Regards,

Will

This could be a better choice for you

http://www.fish-street.com/product_details.php?category_id=118&item_id=593&currency_code=NZD

Same price but higher wattage. But for leds wattage isn't everything.

However all of the high end fittings usually use 3w chips.

Also this fitting has a built in timer

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Only light on my marines that I paid more than 2 hundy for was a double 150w halide and 4 x t5 light, T5's will do a 90cm tank or keep your eye out for 2nd hand units on tard me

Are you able to give me a reference to some lights you used? Are you suggesting that something like this http://www.wonderworldpetcentre.co.nz/shop.php?action=moreinfo&itemid=9826 will work after all?

Regards,

Will

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Sorry big facepalm, put in the wrong link. I was meaning could I use a normal one like this one

http://www.lightingplus.co.nz/lighting/ceiling-lights/fluorescent-lighting/wave-white-single-21w-t5-fluorescent.html

With the reef grade actinic tubes. Will something like that work? Or do I need a specific fixture for aquariums.

Regards,

Will

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Sorry big facepalm, put in the wrong link. I was meaning could I use a normal one like this one

http://www.lightingplus.co.nz/lighting/ceiling-lights/fluorescent-lighting/wave-white-single-21w-t5-fluorescent.html

With the reef grade actinic tubes. Will something like that work? Or do I need a specific fixture for aquariums.

Regards,

Will

No as the wattage is wrong for aquarium T5 tubes

You want something like this for t5s

http://www.trademe.co.nz/pets-animals/fish/lights-lamps/auction-735764649.htm

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Hi all,

Found what looks like a pretty good light. I can swap out the tubes in it, if you look in the questions it says it is 78W so should be adequate. Tell me what you think! http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=735733681

Also, I just found out that a wavemaker and a powerhead are different things, can someone please explain them to me, and which one I will need.

Regards,

Will

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Hi all,

Found what looks like a pretty good light. I can swap out the tubes in it, if you look in the questions it says it is 78W so should be adequate. Tell me what you think! http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=735733681

Also, I just found out that a wavemaker and a powerhead are different things, can someone please explain them to me, and which one I will need.

Regards,

Will

they look ok. but you probably want two or three of those units. you could use 3 or 4 of these. i use one of these on my 2ft reef and its plenty of light but i will be adding another for when i start getting light loving sps. the one thing i have found is you cant skint on lights. you can cut corners in other places but lighting isnt one.

spend the money on good lights, a good skimmer and plenty of rock and youl do fine.

my advice is to buy the rock and get your tank cycling and just have it running while you save for lights and a skimmer.

there is no harm in running it with no light. i usually leave my tanks as long as i can without lights after the cycle. let it really build bio filtration

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they look ok. but you probably want two or three of those units. you could use 3 or 4 of these. i use one of these on my 2ft reef and its plenty of light but i will be adding another for when i start getting light loving sps. the one thing i have found is you cant skint on lights. you can cut corners in other places but lighting isnt one.

spend the money on good lights, a good skimmer and plenty of rock and youl do fine.

my advice is to buy the rock and get your tank cycling and just have it running while you save for lights and a skimmer.

there is no harm in running it with no light. i usually leave my tanks as long as i can without lights after the cycle. let it really build bio filtration

sorry forgot to add the link.

http://www.aquaworld.co.nz/estore/style ... eblue.aspx

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:gpo2:

Thanks! I will get my rock and start cycling it. I was thinking I would do a road trip down to Christchurch with a sheet of cardboard with the same footprint as the tank. So I can go to one of the stores down there and layout the rock in store, buying the bits I like. Can anyone tell me how many KG's of rock I will need for this tank?

I would prefer to get just one light unit, this has stopped being such a budget build 1) I have a considerable bit of funding towards this coming my way in the up and coming future and 2) I will possibly be living in the same room as this tank in the near future, so I want quiet equipment.

Because I want one unit, will this light suffice?

http://www.amazon.com/Marineland-Capable-Aquarium-Lighting-System/dp/B00494NBEA/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I can ship it to NZ for $250 so for a LED unit it is a pretty good deal. And from my understanding Marineland is a trusted brand.

I am also interested in adding a wet/dry filter with a sump in it. This means I have a wider variety of Skimmers to choose from. I was thinking I would build my own for this as I would like the experience, and it seems like a fun project.

Regards,

Will

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:gpo2:

Thanks! I will get my rock and start cycling it. I was thinking I would do a road trip down to Christchurch with a sheet of cardboard with the same footprint as the tank. So I can go to one of the stores down there and layout the rock in store, buying the bits I like. Can anyone tell me how many KG's of rock I will need for this tank?

I would prefer to get just one light unit, this has stopped being such a budget build 1) I have a considerable bit of funding towards this coming my way in the up and coming future and 2) I will possibly be living in the same room as this tank in the near future, so I want quiet equipment.

Because I want one unit, will this light suffice?

http://www.amazon.com/Marineland-Capable-Aquarium-Lighting-System/dp/B00494NBEA/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I can ship it to NZ for $250 so for a LED unit it is a pretty good deal. And from my understanding Marineland is a trusted brand.

I am also interested in adding a wet/dry filter with a sump in it. This means I have a wider variety of Skimmers to choose from. I was thinking I would build my own for this as I would like the experience, and it seems like a fun project.

Regards,

Will

yea that light looks ok to me says reef compatible and that is a really good price. and should be plenty of light for soft corals and lps.

and as for sumps have you thought about adding a refugium ? thats the next thing im going to add. and if you make a sump you should add a place in the sump for one even if you arnt planing on having one at first.

this will explain

after watching that heres a few more

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:gpo2:

Thanks! I will get my rock and start cycling it. I was thinking I would do a road trip down to Christchurch with a sheet of cardboard with the same footprint as the tank. So I can go to one of the stores down there and layout the rock in store, buying the bits I like. Can anyone tell me how many KG's of rock I will need for this tank?

I would prefer to get just one light unit, this has stopped being such a budget build 1) I have a considerable bit of funding towards this coming my way in the up and coming future and 2) I will possibly be living in the same room as this tank in the near future, so I want quiet equipment.

Because I want one unit, will this light suffice?

http://www.amazon.com/Marineland-Capable-Aquarium-Lighting-System/dp/B00494NBEA/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I can ship it to NZ for $250 so for a LED unit it is a pretty good deal. And from my understanding Marineland is a trusted brand.

I am also interested in adding a wet/dry filter with a sump in it. This means I have a wider variety of Skimmers to choose from. I was thinking I would build my own for this as I would like the experience, and it seems like a fun project.

Regards,

Will

From experience it is best to spend the money upfront on you lights and skimmer do not skimp on them as they are a very important part of the system.

I'm going through an upgrade at the moment is it is costing over 4k for led lights, new tank, sump ad skimmer alone plus the 2k i have already spent on all the stuff in my current tank.

Those lights look ok but there really is not enough blue chips in it

Generally most people go for 50/50 white blue ratio.

If you were to get that light you would want the 36" to 42" since you have a 3 foot tank.

If i were you i would spend more on the lights so you don't get disappointed

As for a skimmer it is probably best o buy one so it works properly like this one

http://deepblueaquarium.co.nz//product_info.php?cPath=42_43&products_id=219

For coral rock if remember correctly is about 1kg per 10L

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Because I want one unit, will this light suffice?

http://www.amazon.com/Marineland-Capable-Aquarium-Lighting-System/dp/B00494NBEA/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I can ship it to NZ for $250 so for a LED unit it is a pretty good deal. And from my understanding Marineland is a trusted brand.

I am also interested in adding a wet/dry filter with a sump in it. This means I have a wider variety of Skimmers to choose from. I was thinking I would build my own for this as I would like the experience, and it seems like a fun project.

Regards,

Will

Like I said before, that light isn't great, it doesn't put out much light and you will be disappointed. 1W LEDs simply don't have the penetration.

If you have a reasonable amount of money going towards your setup, you should get a light you won't be disappointed in. The quality of light will directly influence how good your corals look. Cheap light, you get poor intensity colors and everything is either washed out or dim.

Here are a few popular choices:

http://ecotechmarine.com/products/radion/

http://www.amazon.com/Maxspect-Razor-LED-Lighting-System/dp/B00AZMR0OC

http://www.amazon.com/AquaIllumination-Hydra-Light-Aquarium-Black/dp/B00DCDN5NQ/

http://www.amazon.com/Aqua-Illuminations-Color-Aquarium-Light/dp/B009AEDH3Y/

http://www.fish-street.com/coralbox_m1_led_aquarium_lighting (90cm version)

http://www.fish-street.com/maxspect_led_aquarium_lighting_220v-240v

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:gpo2:

Thanks! I will get my rock and start cycling it. I was thinking I would do a road trip down to Christchurch with a sheet of cardboard with the same footprint as the tank. So I can go to one of the stores down there and layout the rock in store, buying the bits I like. Can anyone tell me how many KG's of rock I will need for this tank?

I would prefer to get just one light unit, this has stopped being such a budget build 1) I have a considerable bit of funding towards this coming my way in the up and coming future and 2) I will possibly be living in the same room as this tank in the near future, so I want quiet equipment.

Because I want one unit, will this light suffice?

http://www.amazon.com/Marineland-Capable-Aquarium-Lighting-System/dp/B00494NBEA/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I can ship it to NZ for $250 so for a LED unit it is a pretty good deal. And from my understanding Marineland is a trusted brand.

I am also interested in adding a wet/dry filter with a sump in it. This means I have a wider variety of Skimmers to choose from. I was thinking I would build my own for this as I would like the experience, and it seems like a fun project.

Regards,

Will

You're still going to need 2-3 of those to get into the low-moderate light range.

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Hi all,

I was only considering LED's because I saw that module heavily discounted and thought it maybe a good idea. I will buy the Hagen Glo T5 double previously recommended to me. Also can anyone tell me if the Bubble Magus Curve 5 is a good, quiet skimmer? I was thinking I would buy that as my skimmer.

Regards,

Will

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Hi all,

I was only considering LED's because I saw that module heavily discounted and thought it maybe a good idea. I will buy the Hagen Glo T5 double previously recommended to me. Also can anyone tell me if the Bubble Magus Curve 5 is a good, quiet skimmer? I was thinking I would buy that as my skimmer.

Regards,

Will

Bubble magus are great skimmers, a lot of people use the curve 5.

How much are the t5?s coral box m1 90cm is a better option

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I have narrowed it down to three options really,

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/36-Aquarium-T5-HO-Light-39W-x4-Reef-Coral-Fish-LED-w-Timer-Hood-Fixture-CE-NEW-/301167522433?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item461efbb281&_uhb=1

The only problem with that is it is a US product, so I would need a step down transformer. If it wasn't for that it would be ideal....

http://www.pet.co.nz/product/fish/glo-t5-double/6712

The problem with that is I would possibly have to get a second one, and I would prefer 1 unit.

Or I could get ballasts and build my light hood. Does anyone have any experience importing lights like the one I previously showed, and getting them working in NZ? I really like the look of that hood....

Regards,

Will

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I'd say go LEDs. If they are more costly initially it will balance out as you won't be replacing tubes yearly and they use comparatively less power.

Plus you get much better colour options.

The coral box is great. Different colour channels that can be in independantly adjusted as well as built in timer functions for them, and with LEDs you don't have to worry about input voltage from overseas as they all have variable power supplies kinda like a laptop power supply.

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I'd say go LEDs. If they are more costly initially it will balance out as you won't be replacing tubes yearly and they use comparatively less power.

Plus you get much better colour options.

The coral box is great. Different colour channels that can be in independantly adjusted as well as built in timer functions for them, and with LEDs you don't have to worry about input voltage from overseas as they all have variable power supplies kinda like a laptop power supply.

Will the cheap Reef LED Units off of EBay do it? The reason is, I go to uni in only 3-4 years so I will eventually have to sell this stuff off.... With bulb replacements, Fluroscent tubes will still cost less that the $620 I would need to spend on the CoralBox LED Unit. I would need a LED unit that costs comparatively less over that timeframe. Can you reccomend one? I am going to trawl EBay and Amazon for a led fixture.

Regards,

Will

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