SR-80 Tank Build
We are continuing our Aquarium Build video series and in this episode we are going to install two of the most revolutionary aquarium products this industry has seen to date. It just so happens that both of these products are built right here in USA and have completely changed the way we look at water flow and aquarium lighting. I am sure many of you have already guessed but the products we are talking about are the Ecotech Marine Vortech Powerhead and the Radion LED Light System.
Your first step when setting up a Vortech pump is to thoroughly clean both the inside and outside of the aquarium glass where you plan to install the pump.
Next, you will need to measure the thickness of your aquarium.
You will want to adjust the pin spacer to match your aquarium glass thickness. Just line up the cord on the pump with the appropriate notch on the pin spacer as shown here.
The pump comes with some plastic brackets and a couple of zip ties which help support the pump. Place the first bracket 2 -- 3\" directly above the mounting location. Then place the rubber spacer below and attach the pump using a zip tie.
Align the wet side assembly with the dry side. Upon applying power you may notice some extra vibration which is normal. You can actually just reach in your tank and slightly move the wet-side until the vibration is reduced.
The Ecotech Marine Vortech Ecosmart Driver comes with 6 different operational modes. It also has a feed mode, night mode, and battery backup mode. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the different modes before operating the pump.
The Radion LED Lights are on the third Generation of LED lights. We needed two of the Radion Gen3 lights to cover our aquarium along with one short rail kit and one suspension kit. The rail kits are really versatile making it easy to mount multiple Radions over your tank. All of the necessary hardware is included with the rail kit and assembly is quite simple. Just be sure not to over-tighten the screws.
In order to suspend the lights directly over the center of the tank, we used a measuring tape and laser level. I used a chalk line to make some markings on the ceiling and then measured the appropriate distance from the center point to drill holes for the toggle bolt anchors. After attaching the cables to the ceiling, we attached the Radions. I adjusted the lights to be about 9\" from the water's surface.
Out of the box, the lights are set to Basic Mode. In order to utilize all of the cool programming features you need to connect the lights to EcoSmart Live. Ecosmart Live is really easy to use and free. In order to connect the Radion lights to your computer, you can utilize the included USB cable or purchase the Reeflink which will allow for wireless connection. Once connected, visit EcoSmart Live.com and run the set-up wizard. The interface is very intuitive and will sync with your lights in just a matter of minutes.
Our SR-80 aquarium has been up for three weeks now. We added about 10 lbs. of Real Reef live rock in order to increase the biodiversity in our aquarium. Within just a few days of adding the Real Reef live rock we noticed our first signs of life in the tank as we noticed a couple of Asterina Starfish crawling on the glass.
customercare@marinedepot.com
1-800-566-3474
Ecotech Marine Lighting
https://www.marinedepot.com/EcoTech_Marine-Lighting_Supplies_for_Saltwater_Reef_Aquariums-EM-FILT-ct.html
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