Setting up a new 3X1.5X1.8

[Hairul Hakim]

Also how do I see how many lumens is needed for a metal halide set?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Solo77]

When comes to bulb, I think apart from the wattage, we also talk about the light spectrum.

[Hairul Hakim]

Ugh. I have no idea at all since I never used a halide. So would u say that bulb suffice or negative?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hairul Hakim]

Planning to use my current 2 feet t5 as well for the tank by the way, with a purple and blue t5 tube, decommed my 2 footer

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[xiggie]

Sorry to ask .. But why don't u just get a good led set?

[Hairul Hakim]

Price tag of $700-900, can't afford dump that just for the lightest at the moment

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[xiggie]

T5 and halides u will need to Change them when their life are up . I would go for cheap LEDs first instead if halides or t5 .. Those cheap China LEDs are actually not that bad .. Go for those 3watts ones ..

[Hairul Hakim]

Yeah shelf life is around 6-9 months from what I heard which is perfect. Cause by then I prolly could save up for a high end led system

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tofubox]

If thats the case bro, dont go for high end t5s man. Use cheaper sets like odyssea or aquazonic. Keep easy corals like mushrooms, palys etc.

Let your tank stabilize for a couple of months. Than wack a good set of leds....by than u have stable tank, stable parameters, good led = Any coral u want including sps. Alternatively, u can also wait for a good 2nd hand led set on the forum, seen alot only used a couple of months and still under warrenty for sale at pasa malam every now and than.

If u get like 400-500 T5s now, or a 200-300 MH, with the intention to upgrade to high end led, you basically wasting the cash bro. Unless you plan on staying t5s or MH, than yes, i suggest getting a good set.

Last alternative, which is the one i will recommand-----> Get 2 separate 2bulb t5s retrofit. Starting : Use 4 bulbs, good mix of blue n white bulbs. 4 bulb ATI or arcadia can grow corals very well still. When you have save enough for the led set, use your current t5s as a suppliment bulb. 2 on each side or just one set and sell the other set away. With t5s supplementing the leds, u can acheive a wider range of colour spectrum. I.e If u need more white, can get coral plus ,fiji purple, purple plus . Need more blue, can get blue plus. (hopefully i got them right, long time since i used t5s) . Lastly, if you notice your corals are doing so much better under t5s, than heck the idea of getting leds and get another 4 bulbs t5s! More room for flexibilty

Led + T5 combo really gets the corals to pop and grow from all the threads I've read so far. The t5s basically suppliment what the leds can't in terms of the colour range and kelvin.

That would be a good cost saving method, which makes full use of your purchases. And you dont have to burn a big hole right off the back

[tofubox]

Check out Youdontknowme tank thread, good example of supplimenting t5s

[Hairul Hakim]

Oh thanks. Will have a read on that thread.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hairul Hakim]

Wow. that's a pretty good read. t5s with led sounds like a pretty good idea

[tofubox]

Yeah, I will be supplementing mine with t5 some time soon. I thought it might be a good alternative for you.

[xeneryx]

Saw on the forum some of bros selling mazzara, radion, maxspect g1 etc

[Hairul Hakim]

Only saw the radion g1 @ $420.

I'm thinking of just gg with 4xt5s.

Think that would be good enough to start out.

In a couple months when I start keeping sps and parameters have stable, prolly then will buy a good led set.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hairul Hakim]

Any comments for a ro/di unit?

I saw a DIY thread where someone makes a di unit out of a bottle+water pump, and the tds reading is 0.
Is that water really considered pure water and feasible for reef?

[tofubox]

If TDS reads 0, than it really is pure and feasible for reef.

[Hairul Hakim]

awesome. Thanks.
Will prolly try this diy thing out. Gonna costs less than $5 to set it up anyway, except for the resin costs.

[Evolutionz]

A reefbreeders photon 36 will set u back about 500sgd. If u dont need full 36inch coverage. A photon 24 is acrually enoufh. Maybe around 400sgd only. This should be the cheapest good and reliable led out there.

[Evolutionz]

As for the di water. Doing that exhaust the resin very fast. Will be better and more cost efficient to get a 3 stage di filter. No need for rodi

[Hairul Hakim]

Noted about led lightings. Will take that into consideration. Who supplies that anyway?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hairul Hakim]

As for the di water, he mentioned 4 small cups for 180 liters. That's like 500 ml of resin the most?

3liters of resin is $32.

So that would make around 1000 liters of water. That's more ex than getting a ro/di unit?

With my WC changes planned,

I'm only doing 60 liters a month, so that's $32 worth of resin can prolly last me a year.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Evolutionz]

Im not entirely sure if 4 cups can get u 0tds for 180l of water. I use a 3 stage crystal pro di unit with 2 stage resin. And use about 25l of water a week. I have to change out resin every 4 months or so. Meaning about 400l of water for 2 stage of di. 2 stage di would probably be around 3l worth of resin already.

As for the lighting. Can go reefbreeders website

[Hairul Hakim]

Hmmmm. Wow that differs by quite a fair bit. Won't know till I give it a try.

Least I have spare resin on standby if this method doesn't works and I end up getting a ro/do unit.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tofubox]

Good idea, Share with us if the DIY does work and more cost efficient