Thats a shame that such damage has been done to such a beautiful coral. Thanks for making it known that they could damage a coral.
Look what I just bought!!
- Thread starter Ace25
- Start date
Update.. got my quote for my new tank.. so the debate continues.
New 57G tank. 30"x22"x20". $225 for tank with center overflow/dual returns or $295 with front pane glass made with Starphire glass.
So what should I do? LOL. I have this 60G tank I just bought as well.
I am now thinking new 57G glass tank will be my DT replacing the 29G tank and I will use the 60G as my frag tank. My thinking behind this is I already have the setup/lighting for my DT. I only have 2 54w T5HOs for my 60G. If I made the 60G my DT I would put MHs on it, but I don't want to go MHs due to power bill (it is already $400/mo). The 60G tank is also just a few inches deeper than my 29G, same height, 18", and 4' long. The idea of a deep, more cube like tank sounds more appealing than a long skinny one. I wasn't planning on putting a tang in any tank, or any other fish requiring a lot of swimming room because I know neither tank is suitable for that.
My current plan is putting 6 80w T5HO lights on my 60G (by using Icecap ballasts) and that should be enough for a nice frag tank. I will place 3 levels of crating so I can put SPS frags at the very top, and also have room to have LPS frags as well as plenty of zoas/mushroom/leather areas. I should be able to have LPS on one side of the tank and SPS on the other.. the softies can be down on the lower shelves.
Does this sound like a good plan? What would you do if this was your decision? Do you think the extra $70 for a Starphire front pane is worth the extra cost? Looking for any ideas since I am still in the planning phase of my next huge leap in reef keeping.
New 57G tank. 30"x22"x20". $225 for tank with center overflow/dual returns or $295 with front pane glass made with Starphire glass.
So what should I do? LOL. I have this 60G tank I just bought as well.
I am now thinking new 57G glass tank will be my DT replacing the 29G tank and I will use the 60G as my frag tank. My thinking behind this is I already have the setup/lighting for my DT. I only have 2 54w T5HOs for my 60G. If I made the 60G my DT I would put MHs on it, but I don't want to go MHs due to power bill (it is already $400/mo). The 60G tank is also just a few inches deeper than my 29G, same height, 18", and 4' long. The idea of a deep, more cube like tank sounds more appealing than a long skinny one. I wasn't planning on putting a tang in any tank, or any other fish requiring a lot of swimming room because I know neither tank is suitable for that.
My current plan is putting 6 80w T5HO lights on my 60G (by using Icecap ballasts) and that should be enough for a nice frag tank. I will place 3 levels of crating so I can put SPS frags at the very top, and also have room to have LPS frags as well as plenty of zoas/mushroom/leather areas. I should be able to have LPS on one side of the tank and SPS on the other.. the softies can be down on the lower shelves.
Does this sound like a good plan? What would you do if this was your decision? Do you think the extra $70 for a Starphire front pane is worth the extra cost? Looking for any ideas since I am still in the planning phase of my next huge leap in reef keeping.
So I have been told. But if you google it you will see from first hand experience that there is ZERO difference between normal glass and Starphire until you reach around 1" of thickness. When we are talking 3/8" glass I really don't know how much of a difference it would really make. That is my only concern.. why pay an additional $70 for something not even I will notice? Every example I find shows 1" glass samples like this one below, and everyone says they will only use Starphire on their "large" tanks and keep the smaller ones normal because there is no difference. Just an FYI, a 240G tank uses 3/4" glass.. how big of a tank do you need for you to require 1" thick glass?
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Oh, I hadn't considered that. Can you buff out Starphire though? Because there are times where I wish I could buff out the scratches my dogs have put on the glass.
Why would you put 80w lamps on it? That is 12" of wasted light and filled space. If you go the 6-54 watt route, you will have far more than enough light to keep anything. I have that on my 75 now, but I'll probably add 2 more overdriven tubes, making 8 overdriven (time to break out the sunglasses).
As far as Starphire goes, there are several things to consider. It is very clear, without that greenish tinge. It also is much softer than glass with iron in it, making it scratch easier. Honestly, I'm not sure about the buffing part, but I'm sure there is some way to even out scratches.
Huh? What are you talking about? What is the difference between 6-80w T5HOs and 6-54w T5HO's? They are the same 4' bulb.. just the ballast differ. That was the reason I stated (by using Icecap ballasts).
Actually, they overdrive to 85 watts. They actually make a 5' 80w T5 tube. That is what I thought you were talking about, which is why I was questioning it. Just say overdriven... it confuses me otherwise
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