Hi reefers,
I have a Clarity Plus 65 acrylic tank with a large acrylic stand which allows for a 40 gallon sump. The tank has undergone some changes with the addition of metal halide lights, pumps, chiller, etc, etc... The tank has been running since '94 though and this past Christmas I noticed the back wall of the tank was bowing
. So here is what I?ve come up with as a replacement.
Here is what I am getting from Miracles:
Custom Aquarium 60"l X 24"w X 28.5" h, 3/4" Glass All Around, Starphire Front and Ends, Tempered Back With 2 Notches and 2 Return Holes 1-3/4" Black Back External Overflow With 3 Drains For 1-1/2", & Eurobraced.
I am having a canopy and stand built by Anthony a carpenter who has done many aquariums for fellow MR?s. I must have a canopy due to location with all of my home theatre gear.
So having all this done there are many questions that still remain. Not to mention the cost and the logistics on how I am going to take down my current tank and more importantly how I put a HEAVY tank in its place :Yikes: . I will talk some more about sumps, protein skimmers, etc. in a few days.
Lighting is very important and I want to go LED?s. I don?t want to go over 12?-14? on the canopy and might have to allow the fixtures to be integrated in the canopy top. I?ve narrowed it down to three contenders; GHL Mitras LX 6200-HV, Orphek Atlantik V3, and Reef Breeders Photon 60-W.
Cost is always an issue but if I am not happy a year down the road and go with another brand it is kind of a waste. The Mitras and V3?s are virtually the same cost with the Proton being cheapest.
The Mitras look to be more programmable but I don't know how much of it I would use. I believe they have a web based cloud service too. I like the idea of rainy days, calendar lunar cycle etc. But in reality I probably wont use it often to be a game changer. I have heard nothing but good things about them. I would require 2 fixtures and possibly a third Mitra but hopefully not. They measure 13.38? x 7.08? x 1.57? and have 72 LED?s each.
The V3 do not have as many bells and whistles but have an Android app to control them. This allows you to hook up on your WI-FI. There is no way to hook up to the lights other than this Android app. There is no way to control the lighting scheme being away from your home. They are pretty sexy looking and all that I have read is great. The V3?s would fill out the length of the tank more than the Mitras. They measure 24.21? x 9.37? x 2.11? and have 78 LED?s each. I would require 2 fixtures.
The Photon?s are at the other end of the scale being $549. I heard from one fellow reefer who has had good luck with them. They measure 55? x 8.5? x 1.75? and have 102 LED?s.
What is your recommendation? Is the Photon worth consideration?
I value your opinions. Thanks
I have a Clarity Plus 65 acrylic tank with a large acrylic stand which allows for a 40 gallon sump. The tank has undergone some changes with the addition of metal halide lights, pumps, chiller, etc, etc... The tank has been running since '94 though and this past Christmas I noticed the back wall of the tank was bowing
. So here is what I?ve come up with as a replacement.Here is what I am getting from Miracles:
Custom Aquarium 60"l X 24"w X 28.5" h, 3/4" Glass All Around, Starphire Front and Ends, Tempered Back With 2 Notches and 2 Return Holes 1-3/4" Black Back External Overflow With 3 Drains For 1-1/2", & Eurobraced.
I am having a canopy and stand built by Anthony a carpenter who has done many aquariums for fellow MR?s. I must have a canopy due to location with all of my home theatre gear.
So having all this done there are many questions that still remain. Not to mention the cost and the logistics on how I am going to take down my current tank and more importantly how I put a HEAVY tank in its place :Yikes: . I will talk some more about sumps, protein skimmers, etc. in a few days.
Lighting is very important and I want to go LED?s. I don?t want to go over 12?-14? on the canopy and might have to allow the fixtures to be integrated in the canopy top. I?ve narrowed it down to three contenders; GHL Mitras LX 6200-HV, Orphek Atlantik V3, and Reef Breeders Photon 60-W.
Cost is always an issue but if I am not happy a year down the road and go with another brand it is kind of a waste. The Mitras and V3?s are virtually the same cost with the Proton being cheapest.
The Mitras look to be more programmable but I don't know how much of it I would use. I believe they have a web based cloud service too. I like the idea of rainy days, calendar lunar cycle etc. But in reality I probably wont use it often to be a game changer. I have heard nothing but good things about them. I would require 2 fixtures and possibly a third Mitra but hopefully not. They measure 13.38? x 7.08? x 1.57? and have 72 LED?s each.
The V3 do not have as many bells and whistles but have an Android app to control them. This allows you to hook up on your WI-FI. There is no way to hook up to the lights other than this Android app. There is no way to control the lighting scheme being away from your home. They are pretty sexy looking and all that I have read is great. The V3?s would fill out the length of the tank more than the Mitras. They measure 24.21? x 9.37? x 2.11? and have 78 LED?s each. I would require 2 fixtures.
The Photon?s are at the other end of the scale being $549. I heard from one fellow reefer who has had good luck with them. They measure 55? x 8.5? x 1.75? and have 102 LED?s.
What is your recommendation? Is the Photon worth consideration?
I value your opinions. Thanks
