2 quick Q's

[jubjubrsx]

2 quicky questions...

im going to be setting up my 55gallon and i have 2x 250w MH and 4x 65w fixture (760w) i got it for a insane deal how long do you leave your MH's on and do most people leave their anatics on longer as well? (im really kind of debating about running just 1 MH at a time help to keep down the heat)

also living in california its not always cool here might sound stupid but thinking im cheap dont wanna make/buy a chiller, anyone thought of like making a RO/DI icecubes and just throwing them in your sump? or like blocks of RO/DI cubes any comments?

[uscharalph]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11099148#post11099148 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jubjubrsx

also living in california its not always cool here might sound stupid but thinking im cheap dont wanna make/buy a chiller, anyone thought of like making a RO/DI icecubes and just throwing them in your sump? or like blocks of RO/DI cubes any comments?
I just use a small fan in my canopy. No chiller.

[cd77]

Seems like a lot of light for a 55 gallon to me, but I don't own halides so I'm afraid I can't help.

Ice cubes aren't uncommon for use to cool down your tank, you just don't want to make the temperature change drastic. In fact, I think this was mentioned in the very first ReefCast podcast.

I lived in California for over twenty years, so I know how the heat can be and the electricity prices. IME, the problem with cooling with ice cubes is the inconvenience issue. One thing I'd consider is a controller, like the Neptune Systems AquaController. A good chiller is a bit expensive, but they suck a lot of juice. A good controller may be just as expensive as a chiller, but sucks up very little power and has a lot of added benefits. You could set it up, for example,

If temperature > 80.0 Turn on Fan 1
If Temperature > 81.5 Turn on Fan 2
If temperature > 82.5 Turn off Light 1
If Temperature > 83.9 Turn off Light 2

etc..

Just a thought :)

BTW -- I run about half of 760 watts using a 7 bulb T-5 fixture, and my tank is bright as can be. I've seen gorgeous pictures of SPS dominated 50-60 gallon tanks running 5 bulb T-5 fixtures -- though watts per gallon doesn't mean all that much.

[jubjubrsx]

yeah i was really thinking about only running about half the light power to be honest maybe just 1MH and 2-3 of the anatics save electricity and power.....the controller sounds nifty but im kind of on a budget for the moment and im not sure i can manage that quite yet...probably why it sounded like a ghetto-setup

[jubjubrsx]

what about how many hours per day to leave them on?

[cd77]

Well, I guess if I were on a budget and had to run the 600W+ ghetto lights :) I'd make sure I could easily raise and lower the lights using a pulley system or something then bring the lights on in phases using a standard timer power strip or something that way they at least don't run all day.

Personally, I wouldn't use the 2nd MH bulb -- I think you've got a killer setup with the four PC's + 1 MH on a 55G.

[coast2coast7390]

fans in canopy...no ice...it messes with the salinity and it raises the water level either in the tank or sump depending on your setup