dankim's rimless starphire

[danskim]

I just placed the order for a 300g rimless starphire tank. Geez... that was expensive.

Dimensions: 96x31.5x24.5 in 3/4 glass. Front and right panes are starphire.

I am upgrading from my current 150g (48x24x30), so it's quite a big change I guess. The tank is currently being built, and it probably won't arrive for at least a month.. so now it's a waiting game! I figured I'd make this thread now, so that I actually make a build log. At least it gives me time to start building the stand. Unfortunately, it's not the coolest rimless like those AGE tanks with PVC bottom, but I'm hoping it'll still look very sharp.

This is what I have planned out so far... mostly mentally...

Circulation :
- 2 x Tunze 6100s on 7095 Multicontroller (What I currently have)
- CLS with OM 4-way and Reeflo Barracuda (Or perhaps 2 OM 4-ways and 2 Darts).

Skimming:
- My current Bubble Master BM250 (I'm hoping it can handle the load).

Misc.:
- Remote DSB - I am totally sold on this idea. It'll probably be in the 10-20g range.
- My current calcium reactor.
- Two Phosban reactors if ever needed
- My current AquaController Jr. It gets the job done on my 150g, and hopefully it will do the same for this upgrade.

Sump/Refugium
- 100 or 150g Rubbermaid Poly Stock tank for sump
- 30g refugium

Lighting:
The aspect I am least sure about is lighting. I am not sure which fixture I'd like to get. The tank dimensions make choosing a lighting system hard. Since it's 96", there are no fixtures that are that length. They all stop at 72".

- I may go with all spotlights - probababy 8-10 150w spotlights. The problem I see with this is whether the 150w is intense enough for growing SPS in a 24" deep tank.
- Or I may go with a Lumenarc 3 SE system, but the problem with this type of setup is making a sleek fixture of some sort... I am averse to making a canopy for this tank.
- I spoke to Coralvue, and they say that they are releasing a new black pendant that is the same size as a full-sized L3 reflector. But they have created 24 facets of reflection as opposed to the L3's 12. Supposedly it adds 15% efficiency. I may also go with a pendant system... 3 or 4 x 250w SEs in these new pendants.
- Obviously there are the very expensive designer fixtures from Giesemann, Sfigiloi to name two. I am considering these as well since they are so darn sleek, but I'd obviously like to
- Last choice is going all T5. I really like my lighting right now which is all T5. I'd need to find a nice fixture. I've seen the Fauna Marins, Sfigiloi, IceCap, and Aquactinics fixtures. I'd probably need four 4 foot fixtures.

So as you can see, I'm in quite a mess with choices... Any and all advice/input is appreciated! I am here to learn!

[invincible569]

Dan, where did you order your rimless from? Also, 150w spotlights will not be enough for your SPS. My corals grow so much better and color up nicer where the Giesemann 13K 250w marine's shine on. You can see the encrustation of the SPS towards the 250's more than the other side. The reason why I chose 150w spotlights was because I only used that as supplementation to enrich the color of the corals from the front.

[danskim]

Ok thanks for the information. I'm curious though... does that mean the Japanese reefers use higher wattage spotlights?

I ordered the rimless from glasscages.com. Several people from my local reef club have had favorable dealings with them.

[invincible569]

Originally posted by danskim
Ok thanks for the information. I'm curious though... does that mean the Japanese reefers use higher watter spotlights?

Yes, they do sell 250w Spotlights in Japan. But most of them also use the hanging theater type lights that are also 250w from the top-down angle.

[danskim]

Ah, I see. And I meant to say "wattage!"

[Graf-X]

Dan,

How did the rimless tank turn out from Glasscages?

[khoivo1]

i would like to know too,,,,alway worry about rimless,,specially glasscage,,,

is your tank been shipped yet,,??

Originally posted by Graf-X
Dan,

How did the rimless tank turn out from Glasscages?

[cowbell]

Anything? would love to see it.

[FishTruck]

Originally posted by danskim
I just placed the order for a 300g rimless starphire tank. Geez... that was expensive.
- Last choice is going all T5. I really like my lighting right now which is all T5. I'd need to find a nice fixture. I've seen the Fauna Marins, Sfigiloi, IceCap, and Aquactinics fixtures. I'd probably need four 4 foot fixtures.

So as you can see, I'm in quite a mess with choices... Any and all advice/input is appreciated! I am here to learn!

Talk to Will from Aquarium Obsessed. Supposedly, each of the twin 400w pendants (each pendant has two 400 watt bulbs right next to each other = Infinity XR6- Twin 2 x 400 Pendant ) can cover 48 by 48 inches. Thus, you would only need two of these pendants. If you want maximum coverage from minimal sized pendants, these might be a good choice.

Anecdote....
I was going to get three of them for my seven foot tank, and, Will would not take my money. Said that two would be more than enough. Thank goodness, because they are outrageously expensive!

I have the pendants, but have not fired them up yet. I am most interested in trying them for the halide bulb "blending" opportunities.

Just an idea.

Ryan.