It hasn't been THAT long

miwoodar

miwoodar

Tang
M.A.S.C Club Member
#81
#81
Thanks for the move Don.

Thanks to Freddie40 of DARC for letting me borrow their PAR meter.

The plan...


The result...




Then into the canopy...I'm stoked that this thing will pop right out. My last system was fully screwed in. I still need to tie up the cords; however, it will remain easily removable...which is good because I still need to mount the acrylic cover.











 
miwoodar

miwoodar

Tang
M.A.S.C Club Member
#82
#82
Finally..the PAR numbers...

This is what I removed...numbers are quoted 4" below surface, 12", 20"
Radium / SPS 20K / VHOs
925 / 500 / 175
500 / 330 / 150
225 / na / 150

no lenses and, again, w/o the shield.


Thoughts on converting these? The meter was calibrated for use in the sun (no 'electric' option). I asked around and got the general response that I should round up 10% for the 'sun' setting and tack another 30% onto the blues since they are LEDs. This seems like an aweful lot. Thoughts? I did burn a tip off of my Oregon Tort with the power levels set pretty low.

If I adjust for the above, I would end up with roughly this...
 
dv3

dv3

Beluga
M.A.S.C Club Member
#83
#83
very nice light build mike! ...you must manage your free time very well

the smoke detector is a nice touch as well :)
 
miwoodar

miwoodar

Tang
M.A.S.C Club Member
#84
#84
Thanks. I wish I could manage my time well. I'm much better at mis-managing my sleep!

The smoke detector is a must around my house. I just learned how to solder...don't quite trust myself yet.
 
T

that0neguy1126

Registered Users
M.A.S.C Club Member
#87
#87
Those numbers seem about right Mike. The light looks very sweet. I am not sure about adding the 30%. PAR meter's make it very hard to compare LED's vs other light sources. But if you leave the numbers where they read on the meter, you can compare the fixture to those of us who have other LED fixtures and have measured. Even if the number is off, its off by the same amount for all of us, so our comparisons would still be valid.
 
miwoodar

miwoodar

Tang
M.A.S.C Club Member
#88
#88
Thanks Derrick, Andy, and Derick. Yeah, 30% seems like a huge jump if it's based on faith. I would assume that Sanjay has posted an opinion or set up a benchmark of some kind but I haven't found it. I like the LEDs though.

Next up is a new skimmer. I was hoping to take my time with it but the schedule has been pushed forward because I recently discovered that my current skimmer pump has been putting a charge into the water (I'm hoping that's the extent of it). It's ~5 years old IIRC. The new pump is coming today. This skimmer will not be a 'looker' given the compressed schedule/limited budget. I'm reusing an old ATO container for the body, have only vague ideas about how to make the transition, and my options are limited as my dremel is blown up.
 
miwoodar

miwoodar

Tang
M.A.S.C Club Member
#91
#91
dv3;128307 said:
who needs a skimmer anyhow?

i dont ...lol
Click to expand...
How come LOL doesn't bring up a laughing icon around here? I wouldn't have a skimmer if I were running your tank either. GAC though, please tell me you lika-de-GAC.

kalgra;128308 said:
Very nice Mike! Would love to come see it sometime. Which par meter did you end up using?
Click to expand...
I don't have it in front of me but I think it's the same as this (http://www.glassreef.com/equip_apogee.htm). It's definitely an older model. Dave said that it was recently checked against Grim's new meter with good results.
 
dv3

dv3

Beluga
M.A.S.C Club Member
#92
#92
miwoodar;128312 said:
How come LOL doesn't bring up a laughing icon around here? I wouldn't have a skimmer if I were running your tank either. GAC though, please tell me you lika-de-GAC. .
Click to expand...
meh ...i use it occasionally mostly for clarity ...i have never had detectable nitrates (or anything else) in this tank
 
T

that0neguy1126

Registered Users
M.A.S.C Club Member
#93
#93
miwoodar;128303 said:
I would assume that Sanjay has posted an opinion or set up a benchmark of some kind but I haven't found it. I
Click to expand...
Sanjay did a big article in the last coral online edition about LEDs. He more focused on how the technology works and how it differs from others. Didn't really allude to it being better or worse, or anything really, just stated the facts.
 
Cake_Boss

Cake_Boss

Blue Whale
M.A.S.C Club Member
#94
#94
that0neguy1126;128444 said:
Sanjay did a big article in the last coral online edition about LEDs. He more focused on how the technology works and how it differs from others. Didn't really allude to it being better or worse, or anything really, just stated the facts.
Click to expand...
Link or it didn't happen

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
 
miwoodar

miwoodar

Tang
M.A.S.C Club Member
#97
#97
I have a subscription. It's a good issue. Jake Adams wrote one of the other articles btw.

The tech talk was definitely cool but I wish sanjay were able to include a lot more on par meters in our situations.
 
miwoodar

miwoodar

Tang
M.A.S.C Club Member
#98
#98
I mentioned a few posts up that a new skimmer was in the works. My Sedra 5000 finally kicked the bucket.

So long, Sue. You were good to me. (If anyone wants this skimmer, it's yours free...a few uniseals, a few pieces of PVC, and a new pump and you'll be rocking. It's a leaker (by design) so you'll need to run it in-sump. It was my first acrylic project - fit an finish are marginal. Dimensions are based on a EuroReef RC135.)



The new skimmer would be built around the Avast version of the Sicce's new pump, the PSK1000 (air at 800 lph / 28 scfh). I ran some test runs for the transition from the body to the cup using some scrap wood and some scrap acrylic.



Then I went by Plasticare and got a pile of the 'real' stuff. I walked out of there pretty excited...in hand was a full color-matched set of pieces that would be turned into the transition, the cup, the bubble plate, and the silencer. Then I went by Keys for a quick browse and happened upon a stock G3 body in their used section. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the price of the body was cheaper than the pile of parts in my Jeep so I ended up buying it. As a result, my skimmer build is now on hold while I evaluate the G3. So far it's been a great pairing for the PSK1000 and, in spite of it not being worthy of high-end fanfare, I'm happy with this Honda Accord of a skimmer, especially given the suped up pump running it. I might mod recirc it in the future (thoughts on this?). If I end up keeping it, I'll probably use the newly aquired acrylic to build GFO/carbon reactors instead. Or maybe a Lanthanum Chloride reactor. I'm not sure yet.
 
miwoodar

miwoodar

Tang
M.A.S.C Club Member
#99
#99
I think I'm going to leave the G3/PSK1000 as-is for the time being. :) Mmmm, fish poo. The consistency/texture/smell is about the same as my old skimmer but there is a lot more of it.




I went snooping around the tank with the multimeter the other night and found two more pumps that were putting a voltage into the water. Gone are a maxi-jet 1000 (7 volts) and a microjet (9 volts). Who knows what the blown Sedra was putting into the water but it was certainly more than either of these - I could actually feel the water tingle my arm when it was plugged in. The tank is now down to 3 volts total.
 
kmcmurtry

kmcmurtry

Turbo Snail
#100
#100
Wow, that's something I never would have considered, the possibility of volts kind of quietly leaking into the tank. I always think of disaster type situations where you come home and fish-ageddon has been unleashed. Thanks for the reminder. Must get a multimeter.
 
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