Idlefingers' Salty Journal

[barker_23]

Hi,

I will be keeping a close eye on this journal, I have a rio 180, with the standard lighting fixing that comes with it, would i be able to just put the marine and blue juwel tubes? I would also put some reflectors on too.

Where abouts did you order the tubes from?

Dont mean to highjack your thread im just starting myself and on the lights and really confused!!!

Thanks

 

[idlefingers]

You'll enjoy sophos's journal, then as his is a 180! You should be okay just putting the marine tubes in there. Is it the highlite bar you have or just normal T8? I've ordered the tubes through my lfs as they seem to be a bit hard to find right now. I found them at charterhouse aquatics for the same price as my lfs, but I had a bad experience with them and refuse to use them again.

 

[barker_23]

Now you say that im not sure what bar i have, i will have to check when i get home.

I take it there is a difference in the 2 bars then, will it say on it?

 

[sophos9]

I take it there is a difference in the 2 bars then, will it say on it?

T8's will be about 25mm diameter, T5's will be 16mm. T5's will also be branded as "High-lite"

Check out the link in my sig for a RIO180 setup....

 

[barker_23]

Thats great guys, cheers. I will have a look tonight to find out what i have got.

Thanks

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Glad to see your tank was covered by insurance and that you are getting going again. Cant wait to see how it develops.

 

[idlefingers]

I went to the lfs after work and picked up the cabinet and light tubes and then spent the past 3 hrs getting back to the point I was at last thursday

I must say I like this tank far more than the eheim one which cracked. The cabinet's more solid, the tank's glass is thicker, it has the centre support rather than glass shelves at the front and back, the jewel filter box has hidden the pump for the skimmer and heater nicely and finally.. it's bigger! So at least some good has come from last week's disaster.

Here's how it looks so far (I'm sure the reflection of the rocks on the glass wont be there long!):

I've cut the hood to fit the skimmer in.. nowhere near as neat as sophos9's job on his but I'm pleased with it:

Now to start putting some salt in..

 

[sophos9]

Way to go... Fingers crossed fella

 

[shibby]

looks good, i like the internal filter box idea tooo .... *steals* is that a v2 skimmer? im not too good with skimmer iding but if it is can u tell me how noisey it gets ?!

 

[idlefingers]

Thanks guys.

Yeah, it's a V2 Skim 600. It's quite noisy right now but the bubbles are big and it looks (and sounds) nothing like the one I saw running at the lfs. I guess it needs to wear in.. I don't know. We'll see..

 

[SkiFletch]

Lookin real good man, keep it up

 

[idlefingers]

What kind of lighting schedule should I be setting up? I currently have the timer setup the way I did for the freshwater tank it was last on where it comes on early in the morning so that I can see them before I go to work, then goes off for a fairly long siesta in the middle of the day, comes back on in the late afternoon and stays on 'till about 10pm.. Is that good for marines, too?

I guess the main questions are how many hours of light should I be aiming for and is it okay to do a long siesta in the middle of the day?

 

[sophos9]

Hi mate,

If its a FOWLR then lighting is not that important - I would say go for it!!

 

[idlefingers]

It's going to be a reef tank in time.. Just got back from the lfs with a load of live rock, so it's just live rock and water right now. When corals are in, what sort of schedule should I be aiming for?

 

[SkiFletch]

On, off, and on again in the same day is not good for corals. I run mine from 3pm to 1am in the winter and 4-midnight in the summer (to stay ahead of heat problems) since I'm a night owl.