couldnt do it!!!

[feerjoe]

looking for a around a 120 acrylic, but i need a 60'x18"x 20 or 24

 

[NYreefNoob]

heavy top water flow with t5 = ripple :shhh:

 

[boozeman]

heavy top water flow from a lockline with a fan head= ripple2

 

[Killerdrgn]

If initial cost is no concern you could also use LED's instead of T5's or MH's.
And LED's do have a small ripple effect.

 

[meschaefer]

I would make sure I choose the highest PAR bulbs I could get, something along the lines of the Ushio or Iwasaki 10K. Not the prettiest color, but supplmented with actinics you wont notice.

 

[NYPDFrogman]

Listen to randy, you'll be fine with 175s. You could go with T5s for supp instead of VHOs.

As to T5 vs MH, I've done T5s a few times but without the ripple I don't feel like I'm under water.

this will be my 5th large reef tank that I've done since I started keeping mixed reef tanks. I've tried a few different light set ups and combos
had VHO lights over one of my smaller tanks and it was OK just OK..
right now over my 180 I have 3 250 MH with XM 10K's I thought I had ushios must have switched last change I guess 9 months ago.
the tank has a 1/2 glass canopy each side has a 8" brace and a 14" cenetr brace
so pretty much 1/2 the tank top is restricted light wise even though I wipe it clean daily it's still not 100% clear and I have amazing coral growth
I have a purple rim monti that is 18" wide 12" tall and growing out of the water.

my thinking is with the open top and the lumenarc's all of the light produced by the 175's will me directly in tank.
I kinda like the 10K supplemented with VHO actinics
my actinics are on 14 hours a day and MH 12

might drop the photo period down to 12 and 10 and see how that goes

looking for a around a 120 acrylic, but i need a 60'x18"x 20 or 24

Odd sizes like 60" tanks tend to be more expensive than tanks in 2 foot increments.
you simply have waste that you really cannot use. I'll have a couple of odd size pieces because I choose to make the width of the tank 36"
I could go 48" width but get into the lighting thing I'm trying to resolve.


a buddy of mine has a 36X36X30 cube and he has one single 175 MH over it with a lumenarc and his tank is doing real well, his corals are well placed and tank looks great

 

[feerjoe]

i need a 5' because that the biggest i can fit in the opening in the wall, i have a 90 glass, but want to switch to acrylic, and the 5' is as big as i can go. and i don't think you need to go to 1", 3/4 should be fine with 5 or 6' tank as long as we don't go higher than 24-30"

 

[bad coffee]

Frank, Glad to see you're not getting out.

I think you'll be fine with 2 full sized lumenarcs over a 6' tank.

Take some pictures of the build!

B

 

[NYPDFrogman]

i need a 5' because that the biggest i can fit in the opening in the wall, i have a 90 glass, but want to switch to acrylic, and the 5' is as big as i can go. and i don't think you need to go to 1", 3/4 should be fine with 5 or 6' tank as long as we don't go higher than 24-30"

the 120 I'm going to have will be 1" what I can put together from the waste from my tank build

I'm not planning on getting into the building business again if I have time I'll try and help

 

[feerjoe]

i understand, you ONLY will have 4' long left, thats fine. i was just replying in case you had 6' left. and i just thought i'd say you don't need 1" thick for the tank you described, but its obvious you are excperienced and want to go alittle over kill, thats fine. good luck with the tank anyway. i'm also nypd Lt. in brooklyn, live in staten island, if you do the tank, and want some help, let me know. then maybe i could pick up some pionters on how to do one for myself. i also do construction on the side and i'm very handy with much tools, but never worked with acrylic. had reef tanks since late 80's. been on and off this site since 04 but my profile says 08 don't really no why, don't post much...i guess