Help achieving this: Link inside.

Originally Posted by maybeshewill

Thanks Chris. I am really tempted by the LED as apparently people spend $150 or so a year on bulbs on their T5s. It may be cheaper in the long run to just go with the LEDs, and apparently their lighting is just as good as the T5s.

What I don't understand is how a 400mm LED fixture lights a 900mm tank?

It wont. 400mm is about 15 inches so it will only light about half of the tank.

That's what I thought, hence why I was a bit confused when i saw these 3ft tanks with only one of them.

My lfs has a 400mm on a 40g breeder (3ft). The fixture is centered on the tank and it lights the whole tank up. The fixture has alot of space on all sides of it, but amazingly it lights up the entire tank. I was shocked when I lifted the door on the hood and saw the little light. That was a 3w cree unit.

I actually contacted the owner of the site and he said if I raised the lights 25cm off the tank it would light the whole tank. I sent him a message then asking if he knows the strength of the light and whether i could still house all the LPS/Softies/Anemones I like. I might add some nice softies down the track but I do prefer the LPS and softies I think.

When I found out that Montipora does well under the same conditions as softies and lps, my plans for one day doing an sps tank, became plans for breeding and a large predator tank.

An update, I just scored an awesome tank and cabinet for $200. 36" X 18" X 18". Beautiful cabinet. I won't be using the hood as my LEDs wouldn't go underneath it.

Here she is (picture taken by previous owner, I will be building a floor for it):

nice!! thats a beautiful tank and stand

it begins!!!!!!!

Thanks Estanoche That it does, excited!!

200$ for a 50 gallon w/ stand!! Nice start you have going there!

Yeah scored a pretty good deal I think! Just have to get it drilled and overflow installed. Where do you think the best place is to have it in the tank? Up the back in the middle?

I didnt do an overflow box. I am placing 2- 90 degree elbows w/ a screen over it. It will look like what you see at the fish store. Easier to hide I figure. My drains are 1" placed at 4" down and 14" from the sides of the tank on the back wall.

Originally Posted by maybeshewill

Yeah scored a pretty good deal I think! Just have to get it drilled and overflow installed. Where do you think the best place is to have it in the tank? Up the back in the middle?

If it were me i would put the overflow in one of the back corners or do a coast to coast style overflow.

i love my coast to coast.... or skip the drilling and do an over the back style like the "donkey" overflow DIY OverFlow Pipe

Thanks for the advice guys May I ask what the advantage is of a coast to coast overflow is versus a smaller one in a corner? I would have thought people prefer the smaller ones as it leave more room in the tank?

it keeps more of the film off the water so you get better oxygen exchange and it also gathers up more of the crud in your tank from all the areas instead of things having to flow to that corner to get sucked out.

A coast to coast also doesnt take up floor space in the tank. Either route you go will get the job done.