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actinic aga bulbs buy corals corner external free halide hamilton lighting lights little giant lps mag problem pump pumps reef search setup sps tank tunze upgrading
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wingsreefer

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
i am getting ready to do an up grade, and was wondering if some people could give me ideas that might be running lights on a 72" tank?

i currently have a 20 gallon with an ice cap 430 ballast and t-5's over it.. (48" cause it stretches over another setup)
i also have a 100 gallon with ice cap ballasts and t-5's over that as well (48")

My question is, i am upgrading to a 125 long (72" in length) so what do you think i should do for lights?

i have the option of keeping the ballasts, buying new bulbs and reflectors for 72" so i can keep t-5's or keep the 430 for actinics and add 2-175 watt halieds?


One other thing, the tank is drilled with 4 1" holes on the bottom. if i ran 2 - 1" overflows and turned the other 2- 1" holes into a return system for a mag 24, would that be enough to circulate?

i would obviously be adding a closed loop system to make up the rest of the flow, my biggest worry is getting gurgling noises from the overflow.

Any ideas anyone? sorry if it's a bit confusing
 
#2 ·
wingsreefer said:
i am getting ready to do an up grade, and was wondering if some people could give me ideas that might be running lights on a 72" tank?

i currently have a 20 gallon with an ice cap 430 ballast and t-5's over it.. (48" cause it stretches over another setup)
i also have a 100 gallon with ice cap ballasts and t-5's over that as well (48")

My question is, i am upgrading to a 125 long (72" in length) so what do you think i should do for lights?

i have the option of keeping the ballasts, buying new bulbs and reflectors for 72" so i can keep t-5's or keep the 430 for actinics and add 2-175 watt halieds?

One other thing, the tank is drilled with 4 1" holes on the bottom. if i ran 2 - 1" overflows and turned the other 2- 1" holes into a return system for a mag 24, would that be enough to circulate?

i would obviously be adding a closed loop system to make up the rest of the flow, my biggest worry is getting gurgling noises from the overflow.

Any ideas anyone? sorry if it's a bit confusing
Click to expand...
With 72" of length, you would need 3 halides. I would use the bottom 4 holes for a CL loop and drain, then new holes for return, you want the returns close to the water line.
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
so you are saying have new holes drilled at the top for returns? r there any pictures i can locate to show what you are talking about by any chance? or could i just run lines up the back and use some loc-line?
 
#4 ·
wingsreefer said:
so you are saying have new holes drilled at the top for returns? r there any pictures i can locate to show what you are talking about by any chance? or could i just run lines up the back and use some loc-line?
Click to expand...
Yeah you can run lines up the back and use bulkhead fittings and loc-line. I would really post all of your tank specs and what you plan to keep and such. There is some real awesome tanks in the members tank forum to get some great ideas from.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
well it will be ran with a mag 24 return ... little giant for my closed loop (i forgot the model but it's the lower end one maybe 2-mdqc) it pushes about 460gal @ 3-4 feet.. i keep everything from sps to zoos.. like i said my 100 reef is up and going right now, that basically is going to be broken down and switched over, it's current lighting is 2 ice cap 660's with 7 48" bulbs.
as for lights that's mainly what i need the help on. i really don't want to switch over to halieds, because of cost, heat and the fact that i have to change the bulbs more often than my t-5's... but i'm afraid if i go with t-5's that i won't be able to get enough power since my ice cap ballasts can only push 2- 72" bulbs.
 
#8 ·
You should be able to run your return lines over the back of the tank. You could always build an overflow box around one of the holes and add a durso standpipe to quiet the noise. I would suggest 39 watt bulbs for the T5 setup. If you have 2 660's then each would power half of the tank, or one for actinic and one for daylight. You can run a couple of 3 foot T5's off one 660
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
i was thinking that i just didn't know if it would cover enought ground that way. i have a total of .. well if i put EVERYTHING together i would be able to total 9 bulbs. would i have to stagger colors too? or should i like bleed it out, whiter inside and actinics on the outside?
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
joebo17 said:
You should be able to run your return lines over the back of the tank. You could always build an overflow box around one of the holes and add a durso standpipe to quiet the noise. I would suggest 39 watt bulbs for the T5 setup. If you have 2 660's then each would power half of the tank, or one for actinic and one for daylight. You can run a couple of 3 foot T5's off one 660
Click to expand...
i am actually loking at the megaflow overflow kits, if i go that way i probably would just have someone drill new 3/4 holes near the 1" overflows so that i can add the returns either for the closed loop or for the returns. it's already drilled 4 times.. i got the 125 long tank BRAND NEW and drilled for 150$ :D
 
#12 ·
I have the same size 72" wide 125g tank. It's 24" tall and 18" front to back.

You mention that there are four holes at the bottom. I am assuming, of course, that the holes in your tank are drilled in pairs of 2, and are placed in the corner. That would make the most sense.

My tank has four holes: The 2 corner overflows are 1" downpipes and the returns are 3/4" size. That's a pretty common setup.

Standpipes will make your tank quiet and gurgle-free. I would not spend the funds on the AGA MegaFlow stand pipes. Do a search on Durso Standpipes. You can find the designs and build your own, or buy them assembled. I found it cheaper to buy them from Durso for like $20 each.

You can use a Mag 24, but it draws a lot of energy, and if you use it submersed, it creates a lot of heat. I'd consider a SMALL external pump, which is quiet and efficient. Something like an Iwaki 30.....

P.S. I think most people are getting away from closed loops due to the complexity and power usage. Consider adding Tunze, Seio, mod'd Maxi-jets, or some of the other great new high flow and low energy alternatives.

Lights: is you go halide, you're going to need a 250W system. At the 24" depth, the 175W bulbs just won't be strong enough.

What sort of creatures do you want to keep? That will drive a lighting answer and how many bulbs you need.

To keep corals, you'll need at least 4 bulbs of 48" to 72" of length. If you use bulbs less than 72" length, then the ends of the tank will have to be for very low light animals. I'd use at least 60" bulbs.

The 4-wide setup will be fine for softies and probably LPS. If you want to keep SPS, you'll need bulbs at least 6-wide; 8-wide would be better.

I use 2 Hamilton 14K MH bulbs of 250W each; Each side of the tank has a single 35" actinic bulb. The halides are pinched just a bit toward the center, which does not have a halide over it. I place lower light critters in this area.

I do plan to play with my lighting a bit.... I may add a 3rd halide in the center simply to reduce lighting a bit during those hot summer days (I'd shut off the other two halides during those periods).
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
thanks that helped a lot as well.. let me explain the hole situation... like i said i recieved the tank cheap.. well a store near me was going out of business and had this tank it was already drilled but drilled on the back.... not the corners. never used still wrapped up, so i didn't care cause the price was great and initially i was going to run straight pipes and cover them with LR .... since it had 4 holes i was thinking of doing 2 down for over flow and 2 down for a closed loop then run my returns up the back... but i really want to possibly add more holes for return to increase the flow a bit more since there would be less 90's and all that other stuff....
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
one last thing.. also i have some seios (not that power friendly) but i hate to deal with the shafts and stuff when cleaning and all the other stuff that goes with it. i think a closed loop is much less work i can put it on unions with valves, take it off clean it and slip it back on.

what do you think about little giant pumps? i can get one that pushes almost 2x the amount of the one you mentioned for the same price (they are on sale on dr fosters) i run a lower end one for a closed loop now but it get's hot sometimes.
 
#16 ·
I used a little giant on my first reef for a day. It was LOUD! They also get hot as you know. It quickly went back to the store.

F&S also sell a lot of Quiet One pumps. They are, naturally, quiet, but I used to hear about frequent failures where the housing would crack, spewing water everywhere and resulting in a total crash. The problem is they use a lot of plastic in that model.

Iwaki pumps are bulletproof and last for decades. Caveman say Ugh -- Reliability good, break bad.

Since you plan on a closed loop, I'd implement it with these predrilled holes. I'd drill the bottom corners for the overflows. Probably less risk of a gurgling problem this way, you'll get better surface skimming, and also may be less stress on the back glass as well.
 
Discussion starter · #17 ·
pjr said:
I used a little giant on my first reef for a day. It was LOUD! They also get hot as you know. It quickly went back to the store.

F&S also sell a lot of Quiet One pumps. They are, naturally, quiet, but I used to hear about frequent failures where the housing would crack, spewing water everywhere and resulting in a total crash. The problem is they use a lot of plastic in that model.

Iwaki pumps are bulletproof and last for decades. Caveman say Ugh -- Reliability good, break bad.

Since you plan on a closed loop, I'd implement it with these predrilled holes. I'd drill the bottom corners for the overflows. Probably less risk of a gurgling problem this way, you'll get better surface skimming, and also may be less stress on the back glass as well.
Click to expand...
yeah mine isn't that loud, much quieter than the mag :) but its heat is horrible, it feels like the body is on fire! :) so you think instead of using the holes that are already drilled in the bottom for overflows, have the corners drilled for that and use the other pre-drilled ones for A CLOSED LOOP system?
 
Discussion starter · #18 ·
pjr said:
I used a little giant on my first reef for a day. It was LOUD! They also get hot as you know. It quickly went back to the store.

F&S also sell a lot of Quiet One pumps. They are, naturally, quiet, but I used to hear about frequent failures where the housing would crack, spewing water everywhere and resulting in a total crash. The problem is they use a lot of plastic in that model.

Iwaki pumps are bulletproof and last for decades. Caveman say Ugh -- Reliability good, break bad.

Since you plan on a closed loop, I'd implement it with these predrilled holes. I'd drill the bottom corners for the overflows. Probably less risk of a gurgling problem this way, you'll get better surface skimming, and also may be less stress on the back glass as well.
Click to expand...
yeah mine isn't that loud, much quieter than the mag :) but its heat is horrible, it feels like the body is on fire! :) so you think instead of using the holes that are already drilled in the bottom for overflows, have the corners drilled for that and use the other pre-drilled ones for A CLOSED LOOP system? making 2 returns and 2 down... how far down do you put the pipe in the tanks for the closed loop suction? or does it not matter?
 
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wingsreefer
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