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The reason you mount the switches at two different levels is that way if one fails you'll see a slight rise in the water level in the sump. That way you know you have a problem. The wiring you do is the same, with the switches mounted in series. The switches only need about 3/4 to 1 inch...

I just couldn't deal with something like that. I don't care what kind of fish were in it. To me it's more the product of a warped mind. :)

I'm a lazy person, and don't like a bunch of timers, I'd put everything except the LED moonlights on one timer, and the LED moonlights on another. Then I'd set the first timer for 8 - 12 hours of light per day, and the second timer for when the fist one was not on. Others might prefer more...

With MH you usually need one ballast per lamp, no matter what ballast you use. (Note - there are a couple of exceptions, where it's a single box, but has two ballasts inside, but these are kind of rare.)

Sorry to hear about that. That's something that can happen, and why two, mounted at slightly different levels are better.

From your description, you only need 20 lbs. Why not just visit your LFS and get 20 lbs of the sand you like? Then there are no problems or issues. This would be completely different advice, if you were talking about needing 450 lbs to do a large tank. Then it might be worth the risk.

I'd say closing in the front and back is a matter of personal preference. As long as the light isn't in your eyes when you are trying to view the tank, I'd say you were ok. I might want to may sure the light only went into the tank, if I have young children around. I wouldn't want them staring...

One other thought, make sure all the wiring you do inside the fixture is done with hight temperature rated wire. You can often find this for cheep at an auto parts store.

I don't think you'll have any problems with the distance from the glass to the lighting. 150w bulbs tend to be double ended bulbs. These run extremely hot. I don't think I'd trust then in a wood fixture, since they could burn that. Use a metal fixture for double ended bulbs. They also require...

An excellent point about PAR/PUR. Could you be more specific about the "plant grow bulbs"? Some that are more or less full spectrum bulbs would be ok, but other's like the original "grow lux" bulbs are just about worthless for growing anything.

I'm very much old school. It's an interesting tank concept. It's obviously something that you are not going to see everyday. Yet, at the same time, I feel when you build an exotic looking tank, you take away from the star attractions, which are the fish, corals, and livestock. Personally...

I don't see why you can't do this. I have a couple of Aqua Medic fixtures, and I've upgraded all the original ballasts to electronic ballasts. The HQI ballasts did need to be mounted externally. I highly recommend you also upgrade the existing ballasts to electronic ballasts. The Aqua Medic...

Re: To MH or not to MH? This is possible, but see the thread on this topic. Many interesting points made on LED lighting. No matter how you slice it, Solaris lighting is extremely expensive.

A lot of this depends on exactly what your MH configuration is and what you are comparing it to. Most manufactured MH fixtures use coil and core ballasts to keep price down. These are a only about 65% efficient. In other words to light up that 250w MH bulb the ballast is going to draw about...

Lighting comes down to the question, "What do you want to keep in the tank?" Since you want "demanding corals" (I assume this is SPS corals) and clams, you might as well go with MHs from the start. My preference would be for two 150w double ended bulbs or two 175w mogul base bulbs, in what...

Way off topic... Those early versions of Linux were not much either. It took quite some time to make it into what it is today. When you get into systems, and this is all systems, not just computer systems, the first product released just barely works, the second one is much more feature rich...

My tank on LED lighting is that while it can be excellent lighting, we are still seeing the first generation of aquarium lighting. As such, it's very expensive, and we can expect massive improvements in a few years. As matters stand today, the break even point in cost between MH and LED...

If you have a joint like an aquarium edge, silicone will cure in only 24 hours. However, when you are using it to form a gasket you have a much greater depth of silicone to cure. That's why it's best to wait a week. Although you might get away with waiting only a day or two, a week is a lot...

If it's not an emergency, you can also run a bead of aquarium grade silicone rubber around the bulkhead, and then seat it and use the threaded nut to hold it in place. It will take a week plus to harden all the way through but the seal will then be solid.

Xenia is a funny coral. Sometimes it fails for no apparent reason. Here are a few things to check and do. Are you using any additives, or water treatments, or medications? I'd especially be looking for the use of stuff like iodine, since it's very easy to over dose the tank on it. Did you buy...