subsea Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 http://www.championlighting.com/product.php?productid=18562&cat=1274&page=1 I received the 1000W MH fixture with 6500K lamp and set up over my 75G seaweed growout tank 12" above the water surface. It covers the complete tank with intense white light. I may well put some seedling vegetable plants on the outside of tank to use some of the spilled over light. It also is helping with heating the water. At present it is 39 degrees outside with three 100G in ground tanks and one 75G glass tank on my exterior poarch. My poarch temperature is 65 degrees and the tank water temperatue is 77 degrees. I now have ten 300W heaters available, tonight I am using five 300W heaters. I also have thornless mature blackberry plants under a 90W LED Growlamp and I planted tomatoe seeds after midnight. The moon is in Scorpio for 24 hours. The best sign, along with Cancer, for planting and propagating. PAR READINGS 1. 1000W MH with a 6500K lamp a) In air 12" from glass shield: 1650 b) Underwater 6" 900 c)Underwater 12" 600 d)Underwater 18" 200 2, 90W LED (26X2W Red, 19X2W White) a) Maximum 1500 b) 6" 500 c) 12" 220 d) 18" 100 3. 400W MH with a 14K lamp a) Maximum at 1" with meter default to zero 2000 b) 6" 500 c) 12" 200 d) 18" 110 The 90W LED compares favorable against a 400W MH with a 14K bulb. I could not compare against a 6500K 400W lamp as I received a mogul lamp instead of a double ended lamp. I would be willing to bet that the 6500K lamp will double PAR values. I have heard many people voice the belief that actinic lamps will give higher PAR values. Not even close. When I first used Ice Cap 660 e-ballast, I compared PAR values between a 40W Daylight Delux bulb (6500K) against a 110W VHO Super Actinic bulb. The PAR values on the 40W lamp were doubed the PAR values of the 110W lamp. Ice Cap along with Champion Lighting did controlled test and proved that the Ice Cap would overdrive the NO 40W lamps to produce 81W of light. In that case, 81W produced twice the PAR of a 110W Actinic lamp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michae52 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Patrick, Were the Par readings for the led/UFO and the 400 W MH also taken underwater as well? What you are stating follows an article that I was reading last night. Around 6000-6500K white light provides the most growth in corals. What is your opinion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Wow, 1000 watts, 6500k, that is a bright light! You aren't worried about burning the seaweed with the light intesity? I can't imagine without accimating it to the light that it could handle it even if it had been in full sun leading up to this. When we switch plants over to 1k watt lights from 600 watts we have to raise the fixtures up above the plants about 5' and we still have problems burning the plants. Water can make that even worse by magnifying the light in cusps that float around the surface of the plants if the water is moving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 Patrick, Were the Par readings for the led/UFO and the 400 W MH also taken underwater as well? What you are stating follows an article that I was reading last night. Around 6000-6500K white light provides the most growth in corals. What is your opinion? Michael, Within the accuracy of me holding probe freehanded, this meter is very sensitive to angle of light. I could not see a big difference between readings in air or water within the same vertical distances. I expect higher PAR values to be achieved with 6500K compared to 14K. I am looking for a double ended 400W at 6500K. I mistakenly ordered a mogul screw lamp and will return. However, Champion Lighting did not have anything lower than a 10K bulb. I did not want to compromise, so I am looking for a 6500K bulb. I know for a fact that coral will growout faster under 6500K bulbs. When I was entertaining coral farming, I negotiated a quto contract where the distributor polished up the corals with 14K MH bulbs to get the color required for sale. Today was a good day outside. I planted a late winter garden of greens and then on my poarch/greenhouse I planted Hybrid "Better Boy" Tomatoe (1 1/2 lb fruit) and then also planted "Pride of Barbatus" seeds recovered from my shrub before it frooze. Hydro, I stayed up till the 1000W lamp turned off at 3 AM and observed the dance of the vertical loop. It is good meditation for me. I feed heavily and enjoy watching the fish dart in and out of the swirling seaweed. I have been pushing the cultivation of this seaweed with nutriants and light. In the case of the Red Gracilaria, with high intensity light the new growth is orange/yellow. On some red macros, I have noticed a transluciant color that turns white on the tips. During the photorest period, the new growth goes back to dark maroon. The loop at the top is at 900 PAR and bottom loop is 200 PAR. These may be high numbers for our reef tanks but not so in a Caribbean lagoon, where this stuff grows like weeds. I am on a learning curve and appreciate suggestions and questions. Come visit me sometime. I am interested in what plants that you are growing with 1000W bulbs. To run this baby requires $0.10 per kilowatt-hour times 12 hours per day times 30 days each month is $36. I think that I can make $36 a month selling seaweed I am taking my cue from the Geico, "For true happiness, make your vocation your vacation". I really don't know if I can make money on this venture. I am having fun with it. I am meeting a lot of people who are fun. For me, it is win/win if I break even. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FragIt Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Hey can you direct me to finding a vertical loop grow system? I am so curious about how you are doing this......( No worries I cannot and have no desire to copy and compete) just very curious about what it is you are doing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 I was introduced to the thought by James Farrathe (sp) at the Next Wave Conference in Dallas last Feb. In a 55G 4' long tank, position a powerhead at one end of the 4' leangth at the surface and point it directly to the far end. After steady state is reached, there will be a vertical loop current in the tank. The top flow directed by the pump stream velocity and the bottom flow returning after deadheading into the oppossite wall. For reef tanks, it is an economical approach to establishing random turbulant flow in a reef tank. I amplified the top stream with three eductors driven by a Mag 7 pump from the sump. The reason for vertical loop is to produce a tumblng of the seaweed. Since seaweed is not a true plant, it does not rely on a root system and takes in nutriants through-out its surface cells. By tumbling the seaweed, photosynthesis happens in all three dimensions not just from 2 dimensions. The seaweed can grow much faster with the same amount of light. If you want to get deeper than that, then google tumble aquaculture of seaweed. I will get you some links later. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FragIt Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Ah I see so not a physical loop at all.....Just a cycling of water throught the tank to make a loop....Cool I would be very intersted in any info you could shoot my way!!! Thanks man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 http://ag.arizona.edu/azaqua/ogo.htm This paper descrtibes maraculture of seaweed in Hawaii with special emphasis on Gracilaria Parvispora, Red Ogo. I spoke with the scientist that wrote this paper. He was very familiar with the success of IndoPacifc SeaFarms at growing this species in closed containers. Glyn attributed IPSF success with being a shade tolarant cultivar. To much rocket science for me. However, I can testify that it grows under captive reef conditions without tumbling. Tumbling increases the harvest dramatically. Gerald Heslinga, the owner of IPSF, reports harvest of 400% each month during his growing season. That is a five fold increase in mass each month. Pretty amazing productivity levels. Them Aggies at Texas A & M Corporate Extension Service are going to have a field day with advising me on agriculture pratice for growing seaweed in the Texas Hill Country during the worst drought in this states history. Not picture taking literate. I plan on going to Feb meeting to get "learned up". I should be able to start posting pictures by the middle of Feb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 I apologize for my coining the term "vertical loop". In my vocation as a subsea engineer on dynamically positioned ships and rigs, we had to deal with a componant of the Gulf Steam, that broke off from the South Florida stream and created a huge horizontal loop current which covered a large portion of the Gulf of Mexico. For us in deepwater drillng this was a force of nature that created havic on mans attempt to tame the elements. Vertical loop was a term which I though applied, as it is what I did to maxamize growth. Initially, I was pushing this tank with a 400W MH horizontal pendant. At best it covered 24" of the tank. No problem, bring the things that need light to the light. A continuous vertical loop current brings the seaweed to the light and it tumbles allowing photosynthesis from all sides. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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