List of Questions. (1 Viewer)

[Guest]

1. Who here uses T5's for actinics instead of VHO's? Are you happy with them? How many do you use? I am thinking of switching from 2 VHO actinics to T5's, how many bulbs would you suggest?

2. Who can I call to find out if chloramine is added to my tap water?
If it's added to my water and I don't have a filter to specifically remove it, what would happen? I'm guessing the filters that came in my RO system don't remove it and I've been using that water in my tank for a year.

3. I'm am going to be doing an overhaul on my tank and removing all rock and sand to get the tank drilled. If I do a 100% water change, what will happen?

4. One of my favorite things is anenomes, I really want to keep 1 or 2 carpets, who all here keeps them and what kind of lights do you use.
I currently have 2x250 MH's but am debating wether or not to go back to all VHO's since I don't keep any SPS.

5. Has anyone here ever taken a tank apart? I'm having some trouble getting the plastic trim off the bottom, was able to get it off the top (not in one piece, but I didn't care about that).
Any tips would be appreciated.

I think that is everything.

 

[ShaneV]

Ill helpp with what I can.

1. I use T5's and I really like the T5 Blue Plus instead of the actinics. It is brighter and really makes the coral flouresce.

2. IMO, if youve been using it succesfully you should be fine to continue to use it.

3. Youll probally go through a mini cycle. AS an alternative you can keep as much water as you can in a rubbermaid container with a powerhead for cuirculation. I would be more concerned about moving a sand bed than I would about the water. (What kind of sand how deep?)

4. No carpets here, but I think they really need MH's. I have a large purple LTA that is thriving under T5's.

5. Probaly glues on, it will be a pain.

 

[DRH]

2. I don't think it is added to The Woodlands water supply. You can bring
some tap to a pool store and they will they test it for you for free.

3. If you age the new water for a day more or less, and you add back the wet sand and rock you'll be fine. I've done this 3 times with no losses. If the rock and sand drys out, you'll have problems!

4. My carpet anemone started out under 440W of VHO in a 70g. Was fine for at least 7 or 8 years. It is now under 3 175W 10K MHs in a 180g. Has been going strong for the last 9 years under MH lighting.

5. Those are a pain to get off. They use a ton of silicon on them. I did a 55g one time by running a single edge razor blade on both sides and then pushing down in the gap with a flathead screwdriver.

 

[cparka23]

i agree with what's already been said about 1 & 4. No experience w/ 5.

That said, you can call your water authority (whoever sends you the bill should have a phone number printed on it for questions) and get info about the treatment of your tap water. If your tank hasn't been adversely affected by water top offs yet, I wouldn't stress over it. It still wouldn't be a bad idea to find out what goes into your water.

As for removing a sandbed, you probably will go through a mini cycle if you do a 100% water change or even keep your rock and sand in large bins w/ circulation. As you scoop out the sand, you're unsettling the oxygen balance of your sandbed. It will take time for the denitrifying bacteria to come back and populate in numbers large enough to keep up with the bio load. meanwhile, there will be a spike and toxic (to you and your tank) hydrogen sulfide released as well.

 

[Guest]

My fear in switching from VHO to T5's is the watt difference.
VHO's are 110 Watt and T5's are like 54 watts, then I look at the Helios 47 inch and it says 38 watts.
This seems like a pretty big drop, how much of a difference does it make in light intensity?

 

[ShaneV]

If you go with the HO T5's with a single reflector they are more intense than the VHO.

 

[Guest]

Ok. Don't suppose you know somewhere that has the bulbs for close to the same price as VHO's?
Everywhere I look, they are significantly more than VHO bulbs.

 

[Guest]

surely your not saying that a single 54 watt is brighter/better than a single 110 Watt VHO?

 

[Guest]

Are special ballasts required for T5 bulbs?
Or can I use any ballast I'd use for VHO's and PC's?

 

[cparka23]

highestbid, he said they're brighter if you have a single reflector on them. Icecap and Sunlight supply make some nice ones that take advantage of the smaller diameter bulb, which doesn't block out as much light as a VHO.

FMB, those Helios units are T5 but not T5 HO. If you're looking for good T5 HO bulbs, there's reefgeek. I thought their prices were decent the last time I checked. oh yeah, they do cost a tiny bit more than VHO bulbs. The catch is that they last up to 2 years..

 

[Guest]

3. I'm am going to be doing an overhaul on my tank and removing all rock and sand to get the tank drilled. If I do a 100% water change, what will happen?

I think you would jeopardize what bio-life you have in the water column. Personally, I would do no more than an 80% change. If needed, then I would follow up with smaller water changes.

4. One of my favorite things is anenomes, I really want to keep 1 or 2 carpets, who all here keeps them and what kind of lights do you use.
I currently have 2x250 MH's but am debating wether or not to go back to all VHO's since I don't keep any SPS.

I think VHOs are perfectly fine for carpets, but I also am a strong supporter of supplemental feedings.

5. Has anyone here ever taken a tank apart? I'm having some trouble getting the plastic trim off the bottom, was able to get it off the top (not in one piece, but I didn't care about that).

Why do you need this removed?

 

[ShaneV]

Got mine at reefgeek also. If anyones up in the Conroe area and would like to see T5's just let me know. I went from 4 110 Watt VHO to 4 54 watt T5's with the individual reflectors and it is noticablly brighter.

The other thing to keep in mind is the T5's shouls last a little longer than VHO's.


Check with your ballast manufacturer, but most that handle VHO will handle T5's. I kow Icecap,ARO, and sunlight supply ballasts do.

 

[Guest]

I'm taking a tank apart because the silicone was in really bad shape.
I'm going to see if I can rebuild/reseal the tank and make it RR while i'm at it.

 

[Guest]

surely your not saying that a single 54 watt is brighter/better than a single 110 Watt VHO?

Not this again.

 

[Guest]

What if the watts from the ballast don't add up to the same amount as the bulbs?

I've got a WH5 that puts out 128 Watts. Would hooking up 2 T5's to that hurt the bulbs?

 

[ShaneV]

On electronic ballasts you need to worry about having enough to supply to the bulbs, not too much.

The bulbs will not pull more than they need. Thats why and Icecap can run 1 2 3 or 4 bulbs from 1 ballast.

 

[Guest]

The bigger problem is with how the WH ballast starts the bulbs - it will definitely wear out the bulbs quicker.

 

[Guest]

CRAP!!!! nothing is going easy for the past week.

Can you explain to me how a WH starts the bulb different from say an ARO ballast?

 

[Guest]

surely your not saying that a single 54 watt is brighter/better than a single 110 Watt VHO?

Here are some specs on 3 different pumps with nearly identical flow rates:

Iwaki MD-70RLT: 1600 gph @ 0', 345 watts
PanWorld 200PS: 1750 gph @ 0', 290 watts
GRI 520: 1620 gph @ 0', 200 watts

All of these pumps have very similar flow curves, yet the least efficient (the Iwaki) uses almost twice as much electricity as the most efficient (GRI) one does.

Even better - you can get a Sequence Dart pump which is a different design from those others, and it flows 3500 gph and uses 180 watts. So that's twice the flow and half the wattage compared to the Iwaki.

Bottom line - efficiency matters. It matters for pumps, and it matters for lighting too.

 

[cparka23]

The workhorses are instant start ballasts, I believe. For longer bulb life, you should look into a rapid start ballast. Not sure how much longer you'll get out of the bulb tho. Also, I've heard that WH and Icecap ballasts overdrive T5s - another way bulb life is shortened. People on RC are saying that they still get ~2 years out of their setups anyway. Go figure.