Gablami's Reefer 525 Build
- Thread starter Gablami
- Start date
scuzy
Guest
I started with 5 Bartlett's 1 make 4 females in the end they kept killing themselves. Got 0 I guess you really do need to gets them 4x a day I was doing 1x a day. Was lazy to get the auto feeder up. Note I have it up and feed 3x a day plus the frozen I feed when I get home.
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yellojello
Guest
My naoko was the more timid too and didn't survive either. Sorry for your losses 
It's been awhile since I've posted an update, but better late than never. A few weeks ago I decided to bite the bullet and remove the black vinyl backing on my reefer. It wasn't hard, and took about 45 minutes.
And this week I've been working on adding T5 to my lighting setup. Chose LET 48inch retrofit because they are the most low profile of the options, but they do require you to do the wiring yourself.
I started with birch hardwood 3.5" strips from Home Depot, 3/4" thick. I could have used any hardwood I guess, or even plywood. I used plywood for the top of the hood.
I used a kreg mini jig to assemble the cut side and front panels. Amazing tool, super easy.
I wanted a minimal modern aesthetic for the mount and bought two steel brackets made to support countertops. I went with two just to make the base more stable, but I'm sure one would have been strong enough. They were heavy duty! Cut a opening in the back panel to slip the bracket in and secure it.
I then used a jig saw to cut opening for the AP700 vents.
I then spray painted the hood white with several applications, and then with clear coat.
I then needed to drill holes in the 0.25 thick bracket (there were only predrilled holes on one side for countertop application). Used machine oil and a titanium bit to get through. Then used a countersink bit. First time drilling steel but it was pretty easy.
I tried to have a thin and narrow a form factor as possible as our home is pretty modern in terms of styling, so everything was a tight fit. It was a mistake to make it so tight and I wish I had given it a half an inch extra in each side. It was tough to fit in the bulbs afterwards and while possible, changing bulbs will be a pain.
Tested to make sure all the wiring was correct.
Then I mounted the bracket by placing 2x4s across the tank (after covering the tank), and using shims to adjust the height and level it.
And then mounted the fixture. That backwall is all one sheer wall so there is a sheet of plywood across the whole wall under the drywall. Made it a lot easier to mount because I didn't need to look for studs.
And then used a cable strip to hide the wires.
Daytime photo:
Overall I'm very happy with the finished product. Really happy with the lighting and the shimmer is definitely unabated, even at lower kessil intensities. I've really dialed back the LED intensity until I can get my hands on the PAR meter.
I think it looks better than the AP700 mounts, which looked pretty sleek, but were still attached to the tank. Only regret is that everything is really tightly packed in there and bulb changing is not as easy as it could be.
I ended up going with two coral+ and two blue+ bulbs. I've got 2 lights turning on at from 11-6p, and 2 lights turning on from 1-8p with 5 hours of peak lighting.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
And this week I've been working on adding T5 to my lighting setup. Chose LET 48inch retrofit because they are the most low profile of the options, but they do require you to do the wiring yourself.
I started with birch hardwood 3.5" strips from Home Depot, 3/4" thick. I could have used any hardwood I guess, or even plywood. I used plywood for the top of the hood.
I used a kreg mini jig to assemble the cut side and front panels. Amazing tool, super easy.
I wanted a minimal modern aesthetic for the mount and bought two steel brackets made to support countertops. I went with two just to make the base more stable, but I'm sure one would have been strong enough. They were heavy duty! Cut a opening in the back panel to slip the bracket in and secure it.
I then used a jig saw to cut opening for the AP700 vents.
I then spray painted the hood white with several applications, and then with clear coat.
I then needed to drill holes in the 0.25 thick bracket (there were only predrilled holes on one side for countertop application). Used machine oil and a titanium bit to get through. Then used a countersink bit. First time drilling steel but it was pretty easy.
I tried to have a thin and narrow a form factor as possible as our home is pretty modern in terms of styling, so everything was a tight fit. It was a mistake to make it so tight and I wish I had given it a half an inch extra in each side. It was tough to fit in the bulbs afterwards and while possible, changing bulbs will be a pain.
Tested to make sure all the wiring was correct.
Then I mounted the bracket by placing 2x4s across the tank (after covering the tank), and using shims to adjust the height and level it.
And then mounted the fixture. That backwall is all one sheer wall so there is a sheet of plywood across the whole wall under the drywall. Made it a lot easier to mount because I didn't need to look for studs.
And then used a cable strip to hide the wires.
Daytime photo:
Overall I'm very happy with the finished product. Really happy with the lighting and the shimmer is definitely unabated, even at lower kessil intensities. I've really dialed back the LED intensity until I can get my hands on the PAR meter.
I think it looks better than the AP700 mounts, which looked pretty sleek, but were still attached to the tank. Only regret is that everything is really tightly packed in there and bulb changing is not as easy as it could be.
I ended up going with two coral+ and two blue+ bulbs. I've got 2 lights turning on at from 11-6p, and 2 lights turning on from 1-8p with 5 hours of peak lighting.
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Last edited:
sfsuphysics
Supporting Member
Gotta say you did a really good job on this, coat of paint and it all looks like it belongs. I think you'll absolutely love the improvements of the T5 lights in addition to the Kessils too.
Vhuang168
Guest
Looks great and I really like your choice of bulbs. You can run that combo even without the Kessils.
My thought as well. With 4 bulbs, you might as well pull the Kessils.
Why did you want to supplement the AP700s? Were they not strong enough or you wanted a flatter look?
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Like you, Vincent, I have a longer photo period, 16h, and the t5 are only on for a portion of that. T5 definitely improves the shadowing, and have a softer (flatter) look. I'm hoping it will help with coral growth. But with the kessils the shimmer and sense of movement is retained. I can also adjust lighting spectrum, intensity, moonlight etc with the kessils. So far I feel like it's a great combo.
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Coral reefer
Past President
Why not?
Vhuang168
Guest
sfsuphysics
Supporting Member
I can see that, heck when I have looked at tanks at Neptune they seem a bit "off" to me, due to the Kessil lights. Not sure how to explain it it just is a bit, eh... I dunno wrong looking.
Coral reefer
Past President
You mean like super even with No shimmer? I see that. Bulb selection/color doesn't make a difference? I like them ok, they work well, but yeah, I like shimmer
Vhuang168
Guest
The shimmer adds a level of dimension and movement. T5s make it look fake to my eye.
Hey Gabe, I just read through your build thread. Congrats on such a fantastic tank! And I'm impressed how quickly you have seemed to master complex issues that take most people years. That's a lot of reading!
I wanted to find out what made you want to add T5s to your AP700s. I'm planning an upgrade to the Red Sea Reefer 750 which is a little larger than your tank but I was only planning on 2 AP700s like you had, based on manufacturer info. If you felt it wasn't putting out enough light or not good enough light, I'd be interested to learn more about your experience. I've been using Kessils since their first light and I'm pretty much mentally committed to the sleek LED fixtures (not combos) but would be open to a different type or more of them if needed.
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I wanted to find out what made you want to add T5s to your AP700s. I'm planning an upgrade to the Red Sea Reefer 750 which is a little larger than your tank but I was only planning on 2 AP700s like you had, based on manufacturer info. If you felt it wasn't putting out enough light or not good enough light, I'd be interested to learn more about your experience. I've been using Kessils since their first light and I'm pretty much mentally committed to the sleek LED fixtures (not combos) but would be open to a different type or more of them if needed.
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