Hello all!
I'm having a 150 gallon reef system built for me (I'd do it myself but I'm limited due to some health problems) with the following hardware:
Acrylic Tank 48x30x24 with Black Back & built-in centered Overflow
ADHI Wet/Dry Trickle Filter for 200 gallons (not sure which product exactly, I need to clarify with builder)
ASM G-2 Protein Skimmer
Supreme Mag 9.5 Pump
Hydor 1050 Circulator Pump (2)
300 watt Submersible Heater
Anything else to consider? Reactor? etc
The main issue I want to address is the lighting. Although I will take it slow I would definitely like the ability to grow anything I want (within reason). I've been in and out of the hobby quite a bit over the last 20 years and a lot has changed. After the research I've done in my spare time, LED lighting sounds very interesting. Unless I am mistaken this type of lighting is the most versatile regarding timers, dimmers, and spectum blending utilizing different bulbs at different power levels. It sounds like they are also capable of unique effects like storms and cloud cover, lunar cycles, etc. I realize they are generally more expensive than standard T5 or MH systems but I'm also finding that they would probably pay for themselves within a couple of years due to savings in bulb replacement and electric bills. Also, the light "quality" in LEDs seems to be very good with most people saying they much prefer the LED lighting effects (colors/vibrancy/flourescence) over other lighting types except for some people who still prefer MH. I'd like to get more perspectives from viewers of this forum since I haven't seen many LED fixtures in person.
Also, it may end up that I do the lighting myself after I do more research. Perhaps I will have the tank installed without the lighting while it cycles and stabilizes. I could use some old PC's I have for basic lighting before I add livestock while I complete my light construction and installation. There are lots of interesting "do it yourself" LED lighting kits which I think I could pull off....
Here are some of the manufactured products I found that looked interesting:
http://www.aquaillumination.com/sol/ Probably my favorite but pricey and would need at least 4 units. http://www.acanlighting.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=77 Looks like I would need multiple units also, not sure how many or if they integrate with each other
http://www.coralifeproducts.com/product/aqualight-led/ Single unit
http://www.jbjlighting.com/prod-unibody.html Looks like I would need multiple units, not sure if they integrate with each other
http://apolloreefled.com/shop/solarblast-dimable/ Looks like I would need multiple units (maybe only 2) but also an Apex controller
http://ecotechmarine.com/products/radion/ These seem popular but I haven't fully researched them yet
Also, here is a website with a lot of info as well as walkthroughs on DIY projects. Anyone have info on their DIY kits? Or other kits that would suit my needs?
http://reefledlights.com/
I liked this section that gives some info about how to place the fixtures to maximize coverage etc
http://reefledlights.com/ledmytank/
Thanks all for your feeback and thanks for reading!
I'm having a 150 gallon reef system built for me (I'd do it myself but I'm limited due to some health problems) with the following hardware:
Acrylic Tank 48x30x24 with Black Back & built-in centered Overflow
ADHI Wet/Dry Trickle Filter for 200 gallons (not sure which product exactly, I need to clarify with builder)
ASM G-2 Protein Skimmer
Supreme Mag 9.5 Pump
Hydor 1050 Circulator Pump (2)
300 watt Submersible Heater
Anything else to consider? Reactor? etc
The main issue I want to address is the lighting. Although I will take it slow I would definitely like the ability to grow anything I want (within reason). I've been in and out of the hobby quite a bit over the last 20 years and a lot has changed. After the research I've done in my spare time, LED lighting sounds very interesting. Unless I am mistaken this type of lighting is the most versatile regarding timers, dimmers, and spectum blending utilizing different bulbs at different power levels. It sounds like they are also capable of unique effects like storms and cloud cover, lunar cycles, etc. I realize they are generally more expensive than standard T5 or MH systems but I'm also finding that they would probably pay for themselves within a couple of years due to savings in bulb replacement and electric bills. Also, the light "quality" in LEDs seems to be very good with most people saying they much prefer the LED lighting effects (colors/vibrancy/flourescence) over other lighting types except for some people who still prefer MH. I'd like to get more perspectives from viewers of this forum since I haven't seen many LED fixtures in person.
Also, it may end up that I do the lighting myself after I do more research. Perhaps I will have the tank installed without the lighting while it cycles and stabilizes. I could use some old PC's I have for basic lighting before I add livestock while I complete my light construction and installation. There are lots of interesting "do it yourself" LED lighting kits which I think I could pull off....
Here are some of the manufactured products I found that looked interesting:
http://www.aquaillumination.com/sol/ Probably my favorite but pricey and would need at least 4 units. http://www.acanlighting.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=77 Looks like I would need multiple units also, not sure how many or if they integrate with each other
http://www.coralifeproducts.com/product/aqualight-led/ Single unit
http://www.jbjlighting.com/prod-unibody.html Looks like I would need multiple units, not sure if they integrate with each other
http://apolloreefled.com/shop/solarblast-dimable/ Looks like I would need multiple units (maybe only 2) but also an Apex controller
http://ecotechmarine.com/products/radion/ These seem popular but I haven't fully researched them yet
Also, here is a website with a lot of info as well as walkthroughs on DIY projects. Anyone have info on their DIY kits? Or other kits that would suit my needs?
http://reefledlights.com/
I liked this section that gives some info about how to place the fixtures to maximize coverage etc
http://reefledlights.com/ledmytank/
Thanks all for your feeback and thanks for reading!
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