Biocube 14G Lighting Upgrade - Aquarium Advice

Generalx5 · 09-05-2009, 04:54 PM

Hey everyone,

My Biocube 14 gallon has stock lighting (1x 24 watt daylight and 1x 24 watt actinic = 3.43watts/gallon) which is under the 4 watt per gallon ratio.

Being the creative person that I am, I added more light but have came across the problem of heat. I had some HID lights I mounted like this.....

The issue was that the heat from the bulbs got high enough that it would start to melt the plastic cover. That was when I decided to pull the plug and use it else where.

Im out of ideas.... Please help meee, a pendant fixture would require the removal of the hood, which won't look so good. Would like to keep the hood and have plenty of light as well....

What do you think I should do?

thominil · 09-05-2009, 04:59 PM

IMO, you were fine with the original stock lighting. WPG is pointless and obsolete in sw, PAR and penetration are more important.

I would try and mout some pc fans in there.

Generalx5 · 09-05-2009, 11:42 PM

I want some additional lighting because my buttons seem to be stretching to get some light. My other tank had a colony that was previously in the biocube and now its matted against the live rock that its attached to, no longer having to stretch.

The only down side is that I dont have a protein skimmer on the 10 gallon, dependant on the constant replenishment of activated carbon.

thominil · 09-06-2009, 01:03 AM

Carbon does nothing with nutrients, only removes meds and help clear up water a bit, and that is all. A skimmer is not requiered on tanks under 30 gallons as a pwc will do the same thing.

As I said, stick some pc fans in the top of that hood....

Generalx5 · 09-06-2009, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thominil

Carbon does nothing with nutrients, only removes meds and help clear up water a bit, and that is all. A skimmer is not requiered on tanks under 30 gallons as a pwc will do the same thing.

As I said, stick some pc fans in the top of that hood....

The stock fans on the bio cube were long gone. Currently using 46cfm PC fans, even if cooling were sufficient, Ive realized the intake will always force the hot air around the bulb against the plastic cover on the left side still resulting in a melt down. ...unless I use higher air movement.....

The Activated carbon will remove medication, odor, anything between say 10 - 50 angstrom in molecular size. Waste that we cant see can get as large as 30 angstroms, so activated carbon will do the job. It does what a protein skimmer does, but better, imo.

FYI a piece of grain sized activated carbon has 2500 square feet of surface area, thats slightly over 2 tennis courts. A protein skimmer as you know uses bubbles which is also plenty of surface area. Its probably more cost friendly using the protein skimmer in the long run.

Will LED lights help? I've heard of success stories with Cree lights.....those ultra bright flash light lamps..at something like 3 dollars each.... :s

thominil · 09-06-2009, 01:44 AM

Carbon does NOT do the same thing as a protien skimmer, no matter what googling says, it does NOT do the same. Carbon removes meds, odors, and discolorations with some other things only. A protein skimmer removes DOC's, very different.

Try removing the LED panels and sticking in 3 fans that push air in, and 3 fans that blow air out.

Generalx5 · 09-06-2009, 01:49 AM

Does a Reef Tank Need Carbon? « Joe Jaworski’s Weblog

How Activated Carbon Works

Activated carbon is a unique product that starts out as nut shells, wood, or coal. It is pyrolysed in a 750°C oven which cracks the material and creates millions of micro pores on the surface and though the interior of each grain. The surface area of these pores are immense. One gram of granular activated carbon has 5,300 square feet of surface area. By comparison, a tennis court is 2,800 square feet. It is not only the large surface area of carbon that attracts organics, but there is an electrical charge involved that draws organics to the carbon.

A protein skimmer usese oxygen exchange to precipitate the dissolved organics in the water column, bubbles help by increasing the contact time between waterborn organics to the oxygen molecules(if i remmeber correctly). The precipitate is then removed.... physically. But Im a believer of activated carbon, I've seen enough demonstrations on youtube to help me believe that it makes water safe enought to drink. I dont think anyone would drink water that came out of a protein skimmer

The upside is that additives like magnesium and iodine and...strontium are actually not filtered by the carbon....because the charges in the carbon somehow dont attract metals...due to some sort of ion thing that Im not too well aware of.