MH, T5, PC question

[Chrisnif]

Okay I picked up a 55 gallon and 2 175W MH ballasts that I have checked are working and work great.

My question is do I need lighting besides the MHs. I have a 2 x 96 PC ballast that I have go get the plugs and bulbs to test it, but I was wondering do I even need to bother. My LFS has a 220 gallon with 2 x 175W bulbs and no actinic. The guy there says the 14K bulbs have enough blue to keep everything happy. He has SPS in the top 12 inches, and LPS and softs all the way to the bottom.

I think I want to put some kind of cooler running bulb so I dont have to run the MH for 8-10 hours per day, especially in the summer...but is it a "NEED" or a "want" to have supplemental lighting for the MH?

Thanks

[jackri]

IMO you're fine. I run 1 - 250w 14k phoenix over my frag tank which is 3 foot by 4 foot. It's been running almost a year and lights run 8 hours a day.

[Chrisnif]

Originally Posted by jackri

IMO you're fine. I run 1 - 250w 14k phoenix over my frag tank which is 3 foot by 4 foot. It's been running almost a year and lights run 8 hours a day.

So having other lights is a want, not a need :) awesome. I'm going to build a wood canopy I think because I dont want too much of the light spilling into the rest of the room as it's my TV room. I found a cool DIY reflector for MH where someone used 12" PVC pipe, and I am going to do something like that, but I'm going to use a concrete form tube as those are way cheaper than 12" PVC :)

[Stanlalee]

I havent had supplementals since I started using MH. First 175w now 150. Definately more a desire than requirement. I desire them but it just aint going to happen. I'd have to change too much.

[Chrisnif]

I'm building my own light fixture, so what im going to do is put 2 four ft NO lights in the fixture so when I dont want the heat I can still look at my fish ;)

[GeoJ]

Originally Posted by Chrisnif

So having other lights is a want, not a need :) awesome. I'm going to build a wood canopy I think because I dont want too much of the light spilling into the rest of the room as it's my TV room. I found a cool DIY reflector for MH where someone used 12" PVC pipe, and I am going to do something like that, but I'm going to use a concrete form tube as those are way cheaper than 12" PVC :)

If you are taking ideas, I would line the hood with Reflective Mylar Film, 2 mil

[Chrisnif]

Originally Posted by GeoJ

If you are taking ideas, I would line the hood with Reflective Mylar Film, 2 mil

I thought mylar film was no good due to heat issues especially with 350 total watts of MH. If you know better please tell me so, also where does one get mylar other than buying balloons and cutting them up :) A space blanket came to mind for me but im not sure about the heat there either. I was going to use aluminum ducting and polish the crap out of it, but your idea may be better.

[GeoJ]

Originally Posted by Chrisnif

I thought mylar film was no good due to heat issues especially with 350 total watts of MH. If you know better please tell me so, also where does one get mylar other than buying balloons and cutting them up :) A space blanket came to mind for me but im not sure about the heat there either. I was going to use aluminum ducting and polish the crap out of it, but your idea may be better.

Buy the type that you can get from a hydroponics store. They use it specifically for the reflective property with MHs. You still need to use a heat shield or off-set the bulb so as not to burn the house down whether you are using mylar or just the wood hood!

[Chrisnif]

Originally Posted by GeoJ

Buy the type that you can get from a hydroponics store. They use it specifically for the reflective property with MHs. You still need to use a heat shield or off-set the bulb so as not to burn the house down whether you are using mylar or just the wood hood!

I'm going to be following this build in principle http://www.reefrancher.com/diy/halfpipe/ but, I'm going to use a concrete form tube instead of pipe as it's easier to work with. I've read that a glossy white painted surface is a better reflector than a mirrored finish because a mirror absorbs more light than the white paint, luckily being a DIY i can try a few things (ie paint first then metal etc).

[GeoJ]

Ok, that is going to be cool looking. Just one thing the reflectors are a two in one system to reflect light and heat from the hood. My 250w MH was first set at a 2 inch offset from the hood using a PFO fixture with no reflector. This was to close for the amount of heat put off and would have been cause of a fire. My fix was to offset the light 4 inches and add a fan. If you use a reflector/heat shield it should have heat resistant spacers or pad to connected it to the hood.

[Chrisnif]

Originally Posted by GeoJ

Ok, that is going to be cool looking. Just one thing the reflectors are a two in one system to reflect light and heat from the hood. My 250w MH was first set at a 2 inch offset from the hood using a PFO fixture with no reflector. This was to close for the amount of heat put off and would have been cause of a fire. My fix was to offset the light 4 inches and add a fan. If you use a reflector/heat shield it should have heat resistant spacers or pad to connected it to the hood.

I didnt think about the heat that way, I can probably line the cardboard tube with spray foam insulation and then put the aluminum pipe in there that way the tube doesnt get too hot. I'm going to have fans on each end blowing air across the bulbs, and the back of the canopy will be open to let the air out. I'm going to have a temp probe in there as well, and if i see it getting excessively hot I'll probably put a couple of muffin fans on the sides of the canopy itself. I'm actually going to do a build thread here showing how i did the project start to finish... Maybe someone else will enjoy it.