oldwhitewood
Fishaholic
I'm with you on the anti-pink brigade!
Your tank certainly looks very professional in terms of finish. I really like the lighting and frame. I'm also very impressed by the filter set up on the tank's side. I assume this fits in with your no-background concept? Is the filter output a pipe end or will you run a spray bar? What size tank is it?
I sincerely hope you intend running a journal on this baby!
May also pick you brains on your luminaire?
1. Does it come with just the one plug?
2. Are the lights independently switchable, if so how do you automatically stagger if there's just one plug?
3. Are the reflectors integral, are they any good? Any chance of a photo from the bottom up?
4. Would you say that Watt for Watt the T5 tubes are much more intense than their T8 counterparts i.e. would 100W of T5 be brighter than 100W of T8?
Apologies for all the questions and deviating from the original thread - but I'm sure you don't mind helping out another Nature freak!
I'm just about to order the ADA catalog BTW, the more I see designs like yours the more I want that bespoke look for myself! Not sure my missus will be too happy though (£££).
Happy New Year my friend!
Happy new year to you too. I will try and answer some of these questions....
The filter outlets on the side of the tank, again its what ADA do but they use the glass lily pipes for this. I plan to get these in the future but I cant afford them at the moment as they're about £80 each. The outlet you see is Eheim's add on spray outlet, I think some call it the shepherds crook. It has a flattened nossle so you get an even spray across the surface of the tank, rather than a single jet. I have this running just below the surface so as not to agitate it too much but to also provide a bit of flow to keep the surface scum in check. I believe the ADA lily pipes have a more rounded outlet which causes a kind of swirling vortex in the water which helps to break up the surface scum, this fine film is a problem and you notice it more in open topped tanks. My other tank does not have it but as this tank is new there is decaying plant matter. I try and remove dead leaves as much as I can but it gets tricky. I like the whole concept of the pipes on the side of the tank though, as it leaves the background pretty open. Again I can't take credit for this it's Mr Amano
Tank size is 100cm x 40cm x 40cm.
The arcadia lights come with two plugs, so you can independently control each bank of two. I'm running 2 tubes on at dawn and dusk and all four for the majority of the photoperiod as a midday type thing.
The reflector is all integrated into the unit and is pretty good as far as I can see, you can't stare at the T5s under the canopy for more than a few seconds it becomes unbearable. As far as intenstity is concerned yes as that is the nature of T5s, they are more intense and more energy efficient. It's hard to work out the watt per gallon ratio but bear in mind aracadia would have the saltwater versions of these lights running a reef tank of the same size, you know how much light you need for corals. I originally wanted two 150w MH pendants but they proved too expensive at £200 each plus they use a lot of power and also the heat/evaporation would be insane. ADA have these awesome lights for their 90cm tank, which is 1 150w MH and two 39w power compact twin T5s, like the ones interpet do. I've based my lighting on what ADA would use but compromising on cost and whats available in the UK. I'll try and sort some photos for you.
I've gotten great growth on my hygrophila already its poking out of the surface after about a week. I have had some algae problems which I'm dealing with, as the ADA substrate is very rich you have a lot more 'under the hood' so I am being quite careful with the tank at the moment, as well as adding loads of shrimp to try and keep things under control until it matures.
The ADA catalogue is awesome, I've got the japanese version and the european version and both have some amazing pictures in. I've also got a good collection of aquajournals now which are ace.
I have been doing a kind of journal but not taken any photos in a while as I had some problems setting up with the substrate which I took out and changed and the tank looks crap at the moment too. I'll get some stuff together but it's not good right now by any stretch of the imagination.
Right I'm off to get ready to go out, see you guys later. Happy new year.
