Halide Upgrade for Biocube 14!

C

Clownfishfan

Member
Last edited:
Funlad3

Funlad3

Has been struck by the ban stick
I'd go with the second one, because it has T-5 supplements and because it isn't discontinued! :)

Watch out for heat and evaporation though!
 
GlassMunky

GlassMunky

Active Member
a Halide over a 14G biocube is gonna cause lots of evap..... make sure you have an ATO or keep up on the top offs.
 
BLADEYAMAHA

BLADEYAMAHA

Well-Known Member
Might need a dosing pump or something for evap. and salinity monitoring constantly, especially if you aren't home all day.
 
C

Clownfishfan

Member
I know . Are they good lighting systems though? How would I mount the odyssea ? @ funlad I think it's just discontinued at that site .
With the t5s how often would I need to change the bulbs ? Same as the halides.
 
Blue Space

Blue Space

Well-Known Member
Clownfishfan,

A metal halide lamp on a biocube 14 is going to significantly raise your water temperature and cause a lot of evaporation. I think it would be a better idea to check out some LED options availlable to you. This dimmable DIY LED kit would fit your tank perfectly. :shades:
 
C

Clownfishfan

Member
What can I keep with those LEDs ? Sps and possibly a clam? I like those better but I know very little on LEDs can someone tell me about them?
 
Blue Space

Blue Space

Well-Known Member
According to one Reef Sanctuary sponsor, ReefLEDLights.com a 12" heat sink with 18-24 (3 watt) LEDs is the equivilant of a 175 watt metal halide.

Please visit their website to give yourself a little more perspective.
 
Blue Space

Blue Space

Well-Known Member
From what Iv'e read on their site, tests show that the best color combination for corals is a mixture of cool white and royal blue (50/50).
 
BLADEYAMAHA

BLADEYAMAHA

Well-Known Member
Uh, ahhhh.... I have an Odyssea T5 fixture and I knew the possibilities before hand, the size was right, the money was right, but I what I also knew about it was that I would probably have to replace the ballasts eventually due to failure, it hasn't happened yet but I've only had it a week and I've been told to really grow corals with the Odyssea Fixtures in about a month I will have to replace all 4 T5 bulbs due to bulb spectrum failure, I've heard its the same with the Metal Halide Bulbs they use, Odyssea is at the bottom of the food chain, they are the crap, the old magnetic MH ballasts used to catch on fire, I've read the reports and burned down homes, and it almost put Odyssea out of business, but they survived and changed to electronic ballasts and most say there have not been any fires reported now, the casings are plastic I hear, on the MH ballasts which in my opinion is very cheap.
 
BLADEYAMAHA

BLADEYAMAHA

Well-Known Member
Yeah read a lot of that on another forum I am not a member of researching the Odyssea Fixtures and other web pages, No Problem, I scared the hell out of me, I guess it proves Wikipedia is right in say the CE certification stands for nothing.
 
Blue Space

Blue Space

Well-Known Member
Clownfishfan,

I ordered a 36 LED DIY kit for my bio cube hqi (29) because I don't like the heat/energy consumption issues related to metal halide. I plan to use it for SPS. I think that the 14 LED DIY kit should be adequate for SPS in a tank as small as yours, but it comes with a 4.7" (W) X 15.8" (L) heat sink so I'm not sure that particular heat sink would be best.

You should measure your tank's dimensions and contact them to see which heat sink would allow for the best placement of LEDs to provide the best coverage for your tank. They responded to my questions promptly and accurrately so I'm sure they can help you out.
 
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