hobogato

it was aisle 47 in our lowe's - by the windows. it is called solar tube or sun tube (cant remember for sure). i used tin snips to cut it, it is very thin.

the DE is VERY easy, just take the old one out and flatten it. trace it onto the solar light reflector material and cut it out. there is no bradding involved, it just has four tabs that fit into slots. you could do it easily for about $30.

i didnt take pics during assembly, but the seams are just pop rivetted together.

here's an old pic of when i had them a long time ago - this is a pretty close macro, but they were definitely visible to the naked eye. i had them once more after this infestation, but they werent quite as big and they were not as bright yellow either. the second time they hung out in the polyps of the coral instead of on the smooth parts like these.

ok, so i finally finished this lighting rework project. here's a recap - i made luminark type reflectors for my 3 single end 250 watt mh lights, i made replacement reflectors (didnt change style) for my DE 250 watt pendants, and i made brackets so my PC actinics hang just above the water level but can easily be hoisted for access to the tank. here are a few pics. tank with all lights on before i started - 8 @ 65 watt PC true actinic, 2 @ 65 watt PC 50/50, 3 @ 250 watt SE CV 14k with spider reflectors and 2 @ 250 watt DE CV Reeflux 10k standard pendants tank with all lights on now - 8 @ 65 watt PC true actinic, no PC 50/50, 3 @ 250 watt SE CV with new reflectors and 2 @ 250 watt DE CV Reeflux 12k (new bulbs) with new reflectors in pendants - it doesnt really look this blue in person. pendant with old reflector pendant with new reflector anyone want these? you can have em just pm me, they are the old DE reflectors - nothing wrong with them (well, one of them has been straightened out and rebent, so it isnt perfect)

go to fin addict. they have at least three different kinds of acans right now, and two of them are lords.

the difference (now that i have all three in) is REALLY noticable. brighter, more shimmer, more color in the corals and the color of the light is better. im running 14k coralvue bulbs in those reflectors and the color doesnt seem quite as blue. also, i turned on the 10k DEs for a minute to see if the tank looked better with them on as well, and the corals didnt seem to wash out in color as much as they used to, so the 2 DE fixtures dont completely overpower the SE fixtures any more.

here is a pic with all lights off except two 250 watt mh. both are the same ballast and bulb, the one on the left is the old spider reflector, and the one on the right is the new reflector. i think the difference is even more noticable in person

happy2.gif happy2.gif happy2.gif

i just took some measurements on a luminarc mini, then made posterboard templates to trace onto the metal. i am making 5 in all, and it will probably work out to about 12 hours of work and $160.

no, it isnt a typo, its my cheezy name for a reflector i made for my tank. i have wanted to put luminarc or luminarc minis on my tank, but there wasnt enough space. after studying a luminarc mini, i came up with this modified reflector that is 2 inches narrower, but the normal 14.5 inches long - it just so happens that will fit perfectly over my tank. one down and two more to assemble, then i will replace one spider reflector with one of these and take a quick pic to compare its output to the other spider reflectors in the tank. i am making them out of the solar tube material that they had for sale at lowe's. it comes out to about $60 to make two. ill keep ya posted

even better than fixin it yourself!

definitely! find out what caused the first one to go before you put another one in there. look for salt creep, or loose wires. a "slow blow" fuse can handle a haigher steady amperage before it goes, so if you dont fix what is shorting, you could potentially fry the whole ballast or worse, start a fire.

also, make sure you are using the right kind of fuse, not just the right amperage. i know metal halide ballasts that have a fuse require "slow blow" fuses and will instantly burn "fast blow" fuses of the same amperage.

never heard back from the guy dontknow.gif

sorry andrew, i just wanted to give him a suggestion. i picked mine up in dallas on a specified pickup date for $80 instead of the normal $350 for shipping to SA.

showoff what i have heard and read is that the females die after they have cared for their eggs in captivity (and usually in the wild). i dont think the males die after doing their part the cephalopods that die after breedeng are squid and cuttlefish.

my 240 came from glasscages.com check out their website, alot of people in SA have tanks from them in the 180 to 300 range.

havent heard back from the guy yet, but i am hoping i will also.

thanks! i called and left a message.

can you opost a link to it?

good luck, dont get arrested!

im a guitar and bass man myself, so i dont really know how to judge the sound. it does resonate a nice tone when you bow whole notes. it is much louder than any other acoustic instrument i have including the banjo. im gonna play around with it a little before i return it to my uncle.

this violin belonged to my great grandfather, probably his mother, and possibly his grandmother. it was made in either czech or germany around 1852 and is a factory produced replica of a stradivarius. it was in horrible disrepair from poor storage and from being reassembled by someone who made a total mess of it. i had to completely disassemble it and strip off all the finish. i also had to fabricate some new bracing and buy a few new pieces of the ebony parts. i finally finished it today, and it is actually holding a tune and sounds pretty good. i also had to refinish and rehair the bow. here are some progress pics before during beginning assembly stained and finished

if you have to ask, then you are aleady there confused2.gif