Solar lighting

Yup, I have two of these in my house and trust me they emit a lot of light. I'm sure the kelvin rating is off the hook (No halide can compete with Natural Sunlight)

They come with difusers which I would recomend since without it the skytubes would just be big fat magnifying glasses under the sun. You can also install a normal light in them for nightime lighting. THere are also units with built in extractors to remove heat.

Here is the link to one of the SA suppliers, i'm sure there are others. I paid about R1600 (installed) a year ago.

I'm seriously considering installing on in my new tank. Don't forget though that winter could be a problem so you should supliment with T5's and a halide or two.

Sundowner Skylights - Leaders in Tubular System Skylights
 
amalick said:
I'm sure the kelvin rating is off the hook

They come with difusers which I would recomend since without it the skytubes would just be big fat magnifying glasses under the sun.
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You need to check out what Kelvin ratings do, as this makes no sense.

There is no magnifying glass effect. I am not sure whether the diffusors are such a great idea as they spread the light out so much that most seems to miss the tank.

A big mistake that is made is that people underestimate how many of these work well. You need to almost get as many as you can fit over your tank. Get the biggest radius ones you can fit too as the small radius ones just don't pack the punch required.

A strip of actinics down the length of the tank will reduce the slightly yellow effect of sunlight.

I think they can be wonderful and truly rewarding if done right.:)
 
Bob the (reef)builder said:
You need to check out what Kelvin ratings do, as this makes no sense.

There is no magnifying glass effect.
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Jeez - Lighten up Bob - My Kelvin rating comment was just sarcasm around how no man made light can compete with the sun:razz:. I used Kelvin as a measurement in this regard, but I could just as well have said brightness, lumens, lux levels, par rating etc.. in the context of my sarcastic point.

As for the magnifying glass effect - I noticed that these solar tubes emit a tremendous amount of focused heat at my place when the difusser is not in place so my comment was like drawing a parallel between a magnifying glass being placed under the sun. Its just a metaphor..

That said, I agree with your other comments which should definatley be considered when attempting something like this.
 
Hmmm......Is this the same as a sky light.You know the glass dome through the roof tiles and then silver tube down through ceiling...I already have one of these and boy does it introduce alot of heat into the house.How do you overcome this?...Im very interested in this idea,its definitely the way to go.As reef keepers we should all be using using this to show our support toward conservation.I mean if we use less power,less bulbs,etc,then we will reduce(ultimately)the global warming....Not so?Not to mention the bonus during loadshedding.And what happens when its a cloudy day,does your tank turn blue from the actinics?So at night you have a blue tank too!...Lots of questions I know,but i have to ask!!!
 
Amalik, I'm very chilled, I wasn't trying to be nasty, although I could have been a little more diplomatic.:p

Its just that many people don't really understand Kelvin.

Your statement, "I used Kelvin as a measurement in this regard, but I could just as well have said brightness, lumens, lux levels, par rating etc.. in the context of my sarcastic point.", bears me out.

Kelvin is a measure of colour whereas all the rest are related to the strength of the light, using its different measurements.

With this knowledge in mind, read what you originally said and you will see that it makes no sense. Had you said brightness, par, lux etc. you would have made perfect sense, and it was not sarcastic, it just misunderstands Kelvin's rating scale.

Please don't be offended by my comments they are only there to help.:)


Goodisor, check out this thread

Reef Central Online Community - gone solar
It will answer a lot of your questions.
 
Hey Bob,Amalik..you guys cool?...Lovely!!....now:
Hmmm......Is this the same as a sky light.You know the glass dome through the roof tiles and then silver tube down through ceiling...I already have one of these and boy does it introduce alot of heat into the house.How do you overcome this?...Im very interested in this idea,its definitely the way to go.As reef keepers we should all be using using this to show our support toward conservation.I mean if we use less power,less bulbs,etc,then we will reduce(ultimately)the global warming....Not so?Not to mention the bonus during loadshedding.And what happens when its a cloudy day,does your tank turn blue from the actinics?So at night you have a blue tank too!...Lots of questions I know,but i have to ask!!!
Click to expand...

And...Do you keep MHs as a backup for those cloudy days?

Another thing that bugs me is,when I had fresh water tanks I always avoided direct sunlight,does not apply here maybe I should number my questions:
1.Is this the same as a sky light.You know the glass dome through the roof tiles and then silver tube down through ceiling
2.I already have one of these and boy does it introduce alot of heat into the house.How do you overcome this?
3.And what happens when its a cloudy day,does your tank turn blue from the actinics?
4.And...Do you keep MHs as a backup for those cloudy days?
5.I would need 2 about 400mm diameter each,any idea on cost?

There will be more questions Im afraid,but thats it for now;)
 
Oh sorry I didnt check the link below your thread there Bob....Wow that looks really neat.I will definitely be putting these in eventually.

Yup, I have two of these in my house
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Hey Amalik,I take it these are not for your tank,but rather just for light in the house?
 
goodisor said:
Hey Bob,Amalik..you guys cool?...Lovely!!....now:


And...Do you keep MHs as a backup for those cloudy days?

Another thing that bugs me is,when I had fresh water tanks I always avoided direct sunlight,does not apply here maybe I should number my questions:
1.Is this the same as a sky light.You know the glass dome through the roof tiles and then silver tube down through ceiling
2.I already have one of these and boy does it introduce alot of heat into the house.How do you overcome this?
3.And what happens when its a cloudy day,does your tank turn blue from the actinics?
4.And...Do you keep MHs as a backup for those cloudy days? - Yup
5.I would need 2 about 400mm diameter each,any idea on cost?

There will be more questions Im afraid,but thats it for now;)
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1) Yes
2) By fitting one with a built in extractor
3) Yes but thats what the MH backups are for
4) Yes
5) R1600 each (installed)
 
goodisor said:
Oh sorry I didnt check the link below your thread there Bob....Wow that looks really neat.I will definitely be putting these in eventually.



Hey Amalik,I take it these are not for your tank,but rather just for light in the house?
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Yup - They are for light in the house, but i'm considering installing one (just one) on my new display tank.
 
Bob the (reef)builder said:
Amalik, I'm very chilled, I wasn't trying to be nasty, although I could have been a little more diplomatic.:p

Its just that many people don't really understand Kelvin.

Your statement, "I used Kelvin as a measurement in this regard, but I could just as well have said brightness, lumens, lux levels, par rating etc.. in the context of my sarcastic point.", bears me out.

Kelvin is a measure of colour whereas all the rest are related to the strength of the light, using its different measurements.

With this knowledge in mind, read what you originally said and you will see that it makes no sense. Had you said brightness, par, lux etc. you would have made perfect sense, and it was not sarcastic, it just misunderstands Kelvin's rating scale.

Please don't be offended by my comments they are only there to help.:)


Goodisor, check out this thread

Reef Central Online Community - gone solar
It will answer a lot of your questions.
Click to expand...

Hey Bob we are are Kewl - No Probs!
 
Yip,me too.I have one in the kitchen which my wife wants taken out :whistling::whistling:......:thumbup:

Its about 450mm wide...just right for my tank!!!:slayer:
 
hey Nemos:) i see you arent a regular poster yet:) why dont you go to the new memebers section and tell us a little about your tank (s) or have or wnat to keep:) we'd love to welcome you properly:)
 
Nemos Janitor said:
Kelvin is a measure of temprature, not colour.
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Kelvins (from the Kelvin temperature scale) that we use to talk about light regards the colour of the light.

It is derived by using Kelvins (a measure of temperature, so you are not wrong). Heating a black body to 20 000 kelvins causes it to radiate a blue light. When we say a bulb is rated at 20 000k we talk of it approximating this same blue colour.
 
agggg yes next reef club talk...."understanding lighting and how to use it in a reef by bob the reef builder" :) got a nice ring to it too
 
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