Hello All!

[Mike]

Hello everybody! Just wanted to introduce myself and say thanks for all the information I've picked up on here so far. I'm in the process of setting up a 90 gallon reef - got the tank, drilled with an overflow in the corner, stand, used Berlin skimmer, a bunch of PVC pipe and fittings, and 120 pounds of a mixture of coarse and fine aragonite substrate so far. It's starting to come together as funds allow, but is going way too slowly for my liking! I guess patience is key in this hobby, though. I'm planning about a 25 gallon sump w/live rock, and 4 110W VHO flourescents. What does everybody think about VHO vs Power Compacts? I'm strongly leaning towards the VHO because it seems for almost the same price I can have 440 watts of VHO, or 220 of PC. But it seems to me the wattage of the bulb would refer to the amount of power it draws, rather than the output (lumens per watt, or whatever). Also the VHO's would allow me to build a cool looking hood that would match my stand, and not have to look at light fixtures. I may decide to upgrade to MH's in the future, but with the initial cost, and the cost of replacing the bulbs, not to mention the heat issues and the cost of the power to run them, it's not something I want to get into right away.
One more thing I'd like to mention - based on the information I read on this board, I took a run down to Oakville Reef Gallery this week and talked to Flavio for quite a while - I'll definitely be going back there, and I would encourage anyone who is getting into this hobby to do the same - very informative trip, I cannot recommend the place highly enough. I've had freshwater aquariums for quite a few years, with a brief foray into the saltwater side of things about 5 years ago, that ended in disaster, but I have a fair bit of confidence that with resources such as this board and the expertise of people like Flavio, I'll be successful this time around. Thanks again!

Regards,
Mike

P.S. I apologize for the long, rambling post... it's WAY past my bedtime (1:45am!)

[Daniel Schubert]

Mike

I personally use 4 VHO bulbs, I actually changed from PC to VHO, mainly due to the cost of the bulbs. I've been very happy with the VHO set-up. The guy's at Oakville Reef Gallery are a good source of information, and a bunch of real nice guy's. You may also want to read the “Basic Ingredients to a Good Saltwater Aquarium” found on the MASK website
http://www.maskcanada.org/ under library for additional information. This hobby can be very enjoyable if done properly

[ian cooper]

Welcome to the club Mike. Don't hesitate to call on me if you ever need any help with anything, as I live close to you.
Ian

[Mike]

Thanks guys! I checked out the MASK site and read the article - lots of great information. Thanks Daniel. By the way, that's a very nice tank you've got there. Thanks for the offer, Ian. I'm sure I'll be taking you up on it once I get my tank going! I'd like to meet other people in the area who are into the hobby, and maybe check out their tanks. I'm learning quite a bit about the equipment side of things, but once I get to the stage of selecting corals and invertebrates, I think I'll be fairly lost. I think I've got a lot to learn about the individual animal's needs and care before I get to that stage. I went to Home Depot this morning and picked up the materials for constructing my hood. I think it may have actually been cheaper in the long run just to buy one already built - plus, I'm not entirely confident in my woodworking abilities! But it doesn't seem like it needs to be too complicated. I'm going to be attempting to build it this afternoon. Wish me luck! Thanks again everybody!

[Mike]

Got the hood done - it even fits! And I didn't even use any duct tape!!

[Sohal Tang]

I also recommend VHO....PC are great if space limited or
nano tank etc...but...for a 90 gallon I also feel you cannot
go wrong with VHO....

Having said that...I again, would go straight to METAL HALIDE
now!! HEHEHEHEH Yes, thats right...VHO are not cheap either!
SO....the ideal would be METAL HALIDE with VHO BACK UP.....
OR vho supplement rather....

I recently went to METAL HALIDE and there is NO TURNING BACK!
Love them!!!! The tank really COMES ALIVE some how...
They are definitely, in my opinion, better....plus they add a
glimmer to the water that looks something like natural sunlight.
Not even vho do that....definitely not! I have seen both...ONLY
the METAL HALIDE do that to the water....Now..some might say hey it is alot of money to pay for GLIMMER..but..hey hey hey...
IN FOR A PENNY IN FOR A POUND.....The tanks simply LOOKS BETTER with halides USUALLY...in my case DEFINITELY!

I am in Collingwood about 45 minutes from Barrie if you
want to take a look sometime send me an email...love to meet
fellow reefers....

VHO= YOU CANNOT GO WRONG MH= more money but BETTER
NO= I have seen them work excellent in proper application.

[Sohal Tang]

Almost forgot Mike...Oakville boys Flavio and Tom you
simply CANNOT GO WRONG...They are super suppliers
and really do an excellent job of explaining answer to
any question I had at least.... Tom was extremely helpful
in his explanation of high tech reefing..... These guys
are NOT your average supplier by far...they are
definitely worth the drive for anyone that has not been
there... :)

[Sohal Tang]

Mike, come to think about it....Oakville might have a
used Hamilton light fixture in stock of MH with VHO supplement?
I know they HAD such a fixture back a while ago....

VHO = you cannot go wrong
MH with VHO supplement is awesome combination!

Good luck
Tim
;)

[Mike]

Thanks! I know what you mean about the shimmering/glimmer effect of the metal halides. I'm tempted, but I think I'll stick with the VHO for now. Maybe in the future I could use the VHO as a supplement, and add a metal halide bulb. Maybe use 3 actinic VHO, 1 10000K, and 1 175 watt 10000K metal halide..... or maybe 2 MH's..... Have to sheild the wood from the heat somehow, though.... maybe a stainless steel plate and a couple of fans in the ends.... Hmm... perhaps I should concentrate on getting the tank up and running before I start planning upgrades!!

[jastonataquapro]

Gotta pipe up on Oakville Reef Gallery, those guys are so great, they once talked me out of buying a $200 pH tester... I walked away that day spending $0, but eventually returned to buy much more. Any other store would have hooked me in and I'd have spend $$ on something I don't need. Listen to what they have to say, don't fool yourself or sell yourself into something that's not right for your setup. MH's do add a shimmer you'll love. Lights are probably the largest expense (at least for me so far) of your entire project. I've kept detailed records, and while I'm still going along and plan to buy much more, lighting (ok, including a canopy) has cost me about %25 of the total.

I bow.

ORG's website is
http://www.oakvillereefgallery.com/main.html

[Mike]

Yeah - I've got to agree with you about Oakville Reef Gallery - I must've been there for an hour and a half - left with something I actually DO need - an RO/DI unit, and an awful lot more information. Going to go back next week probably and get my sump and a pump, and probably (hopefully) get my lighting system a couple of weeks after that. By the way - I was browsing Ebay, and I came across this metal halide / VHO retro unit...

http://cgi.********/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2342234119&category=3212

Seems like a good deal, but it's from a company I haven't heard of, and I'm a bit leery about buying things from ebay - plus, with shipping and duty, etc, it would probably end up costing just as much as it would to go and buy something similar here... and I noticed it doesn't come with the metal halide bulbs... does anyone have an opinion? would installing that in a pine hood with only a couple of fans be a fire hazard? Not to mention heating up the aquarium... don't want to boil the fish! Hmm... I think I should just stick with the VHO's for now...