AaronT

I would go with the HQI lighting and supplemental flourescents setup. Have the fl bulbs on for 12 hours a day and the HQI for only 6-7 hours and you'll have less battles with algae and healthy plants.

This also provides a cool sunrise / sunset effect. The fish probably appreciate not having all 500+ watts coming on at once also.

BryceM

The order from Manzanita.com showed up a couple of days ago. It did take a couple of phone calls to actually get it in the mail, but I'm pretty impressed with the quality and quantity that they shipped.

I can tell that it's going to take a few tries to arrange this into something that looks nice. It also occurred to me that I don't have a place big enough to soak all of this.


As for lighting, I've settled on a 4x39W T-5 retro kit from reefgeek.com for regular viewing supplemented by a 3-150 HQI retro kit from hellolights.com. This all comes with electronic ballasts and pretty good reflectors, so it should work pretty well. I took a trip to a lighting store and decided the T-5s were very slick & much more efficient compared to T-8 or T-12 bulbs. Getting the lighting parts ordered and installed will be a project for after I get the tank situated and the plumbing done.

The Eheim in-line pump, 2 canister filters, 2 in-line hydor heaters, and a few other odds & ends are in the mail. The next task will be to pull up some carpet, do a little tile work, and run the plumbing through the wall behind the tank. I'm still trying to invent a good way to bypass the water softener. It looks like I'll be looking around for a real plumber for this part.

mrbelvedere138

Are you not worried that this will be a little too much light?

The 3 halides would have been more than enough.

Why add to it?

As for the Manzanita, why not screw stainless steel bolts into the bottom to add weight?

AaronT

I think the idea is that the halides are for growing and are only on for 6 hours a day or so. The T5s are just so the tank can be viewed for more than 6 hours and are on for 12 hours or so. This also makes for a cool dusk/dawn effect.

BryceM

Yup, just like Aaron said.

Skelley

Cheap kiddie pool in the backyard? When I was doing my thesis for my BFA I had seaweed soaking in the bathtub. The SO didn't like that .

BryceM

An update.... The Eheim pump & canister filters showed up along with some in-line Hydor heaters. They might be slightly undersized, but the house temp stays pretty constant. Maybe I should be worried about keeping the tank cool - we'll see how it goes with the lights. The Eheim 1260 pump is a monster. I hooked it up in the sink just to play with it a little bit. I was very pleased with the flow it produces. It will slow down some as it goes through the CO2 reactor, a mile of PVC, a couple of valves, and an outlet spraybar, but it should still do ok. Hopefully this, combined with the two classic 2217's will keep dead zones to a minimum.

Anyone care to comment on the need/usefulness of a UV system? They get a little expensive at this scale - probably 40W would be about right, but plumbing-wise it would be easier to plan for it now. I've got a touch of GW in my 46g bow, but that's my fault for stirring up the substrate too much. I'm just having nightmares about a possible full-blown 180g GW problem. If I get one, I'd probably hook it up so that I could bypass around it when it wasn't needed. My wife has been pretty understanding (tolerant) so far, but a 6'x2'x2' swamp isn't her idea of a good investment.

My son has a cub scout badge that requires him to set up and maintain an aquarium for a couple of months. He has therefore been assimilated into the project, which is a good thing for both of us. It's taking quite a while to get all the goodies together, but picking all the components is half the fun. More pictures will be coming once the tile work and plumbing gets going - We're still waiting for parts.

turtlehead

Nice progress, it's taking me forever to get the stuff I need for my new 40g to come in, I had planned this since June and still the equipment is slowly trickling in..... How many weeks did it take to finally see the wood show up? I've called them 3 times already. What is the main purpose of a UV anyway? I always though it was just to protect against green water? It's nice that you get your family involve in your hobby. My family could careless, except maybe my dear mother haha.

gnatster

Depending on the flow rate through the UV, also known as dwell time, many pathogens as well a algae spores are killed. Besides keeping algae at bay it is a prophilatic effect in keeping the fish healthier. UV cannot distinguish between good and bad bacteria and will kill all. Some might think this may be an issue, rest assured it is not. The beneficial bacteria colonize the substrate and leaves as well as the bio-media of the filters and are not as free floating as predatory bacteria.

40 Watts is overkill 15W is sufficant for a FW tank of this size. Remember it is a closed loop and the same water will circulate through the unit again and again. Look at the Aqua Ultraviolet brand. I used the model with a wiper included and was very happy with it. http://www.aquaultraviolet.com

houseofcards

Guaiac Boy,

That is going to be one beautiful setup. I'm very envious. Your wife must be very understanding.

Since you've gone this far, I would definitely spend alittle more and get a UV.
I have one on my 72g bow and I've never looked back. It gives you more wiggle room if things do get stirred up. It's really a win, win for the fish and to keep GW away. There's very little downside IMO to having one. I once spoke to Seachem about the FE effects and they felt as long as you dose reguarly (which your suppose to anyway) there shouldn't be a problem. I know my Rotala is very red.

Fish wise, I used to have trouble acclimating cardinals, batch after batch I would lose 40% during the first week. They would always come down with some infection and succumb. Since the UV, I could honestly say I don't lose any. I think it gives the fish a better chance during acclimation when the fish is stressed because of the fish's lower resistance to pathogens which the UV eliminates (assuming flow rate is correct)

Anyway good luck with the setup!