10 gallon nano lighting

[SandSifter]

Hey all, I have been roaming the forums for a while and I figured it was about time to start a thread. So here is my 10 gallon and the diy hood I built for it.

I was initially using 2x 20w coralife 50/50's but decided that I needed to up my wattage per gallon a bit. Instead of wasting the two bulbs I already had by purchasing t-5's or L.E.D.'s, I built a cheapie hood that can accommodate the bulbs I had plus two extra. I think the total cost was about 20 bucks (without bulbs). And now I have 40w of 10,000k and 40w of atinics . Any ways, please dont mock me for building this thing on my counter/deck as I do not have a garage to work in :(

As you can see I am battling a little bit of an aiptasia, advice on dealing with it is more than welcome. enjoy

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/tigeroscar/IMAG0076.jpg
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[SandSifter]

I am adding them in sections of six
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/tigeroscar/IMAG0082.jpg
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[SandSifter]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/tigeroscar/IMAG0106.jpg
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[mike31154]

Nice job, I like stuff made out of wood. Once those bulbs are done, you can always switch to the screw in, corn cob or similar LED bulbs. The selection is getting better & prices are dropping. Not sure colours we need are available in that form factor yet though. Painting the inside top of the hood white will help reflect more light down, or even tack some tinfoil or other reflective material up there.

[makana]

I started out with the same type of light setup. I put two inside an old light hood with tinfoil to reflect it. Was very crude and no where near as nice as your setup. I had no problem keeping my bubble coral in the 10 gallon with just the two so you should do fine with the four.

As for the aptasia I would suggest a peppermint shrimp. I fought it for years with different aptasia killers and all it did was spread until I was so overrun I thought it was a lost cause. Bought two peppermints in Vancouver, only one made the trip home, and within a few weeks I had no aptasia.

[SandSifter]

I am thinking I will glue some stainless steel to the inside to reflect the light better.... One of the joys of working in a metal shop is free steel :)

I have had a peppermint shrimp in the tank for the last month or so with no success, I think I may be over feeding. I will try cutting back and see what happens I guess.

Thanks for the input guys!

[The Guy]

Where did you get the 50/50 screw in bulbs? Very cool fixture you built there.

[SandSifter]

Thanks Clown Lover, I bought the lights from Red Coral here in Lethbridge, I am sure you can find them on-line too. Your LFS should be able to get a hold of them though.

[SandSifter]

Just picked up a new zoa frag, thanks Craig. Here's a pic of them, and one of my clowns hanging out in the frogspawn. Sorry for the crappy quality, these were taken with my Android.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/tigeroscar/IMAG0192.jpg
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[subman]

the pics are great and that's a fine looking tank! I have a handful of peppermint shrimp and they cleaned out the aiptasia only after I cut the feeding way back. make them hungry!!!

[gregzz4]

I'm really surprised how much light you're getting out of those little bulbs
Good job on a cheapo fixture

[SandSifter]

Thanks guys, I just purchased a larger set-up so this little 10 gallon wont be around for more than another 6 months or so. This is the reason why I didnt go all out on the nano, kinda saw this one coming :)

[tim the toolman]

Wicked smart little setup though. I love those bulbs too. I run the coral sun version of them to on my fuge