12g JBJ Nano Lighting Question

ck_503

ck_503

Member
I'm wanting to know how those that have metal halides for their 12g nano's have it setup b/c it's something I really would like to do. Pictures would be helpful but if you could even private message me letting me know either where you found a good halides setup that maybe clips on to it or something that would work nicely for the 12 JBJ deluxe. I just can't seem to find a starting point so maybe you guys here can help me out. Thanks in advance!
 
ck_503

ck_503

Member
how do I do that exactly? I'm new to this so I need easy to understand instructions and/or pictures for guidance
 
pclown

pclown

Member
I have the Aquapod 24g but it has the same concept: I bought the 20" Sunpod 150w HQI MH but they sell the 70W HQI MH and it should easily on the Nano Cube 12g.
Here are some pictures:



 
jakebtc

jakebtc

Member
pcclown i was going to recomend a 70 watt retro but it wouldnt work because of heat and being to close to water and plastic then i was going to say a 20" auqualight 96 watt but if your tank is that big it makes his like 14 or so wide.
maybe a 96 quad retro ??
or would he have to go ahead and build a hood for it on the tank???
 
jakebtc

jakebtc

Member
at only 85 $ and 8 watts a gallon it would be perfect for his tank 96 watt quad retro is like 16" x 7" x 1 1/2"
was thinkin just mount it from front to back rather then sideways
 
pclown

pclown

Member
At $85, you are right! That is something I would look into and at 8 watts per gallon he would be good on just about everything.
 
ck_503

ck_503

Member
so you're saying that a 96 watt quad retro is my best option? And then to mount it using some plywood? How high should I mount it from the top of my tank?
 
jakebtc

jakebtc

Member
I would make a 5-6 inch tall hood "3 sided" leave the back totally open for wires and air movement and your light from front to back on the underside of the hood "about 4" from the tank water" and I would make the top hinged so u dont have to remove it to get in your tank at all, then paint it black should work real well for ya and really inexspensive. if you wanted you could put light diffuser in between the tank water and light like pclown has on his if to the eye you don't like or you have fish that splash a lot.
 
tatoush

tatoush

Member
I have a 12gal nano cube dx as well, and have found myself to be in the same dilemma. The only solution that I have found without having my entire hood custom modded is the coralife aqualight hang on tank mount light 150w 20,000k double ended hqi and it retails in the mid $200 range. The only drawback is that you would have to remove your stock hood and leave it open. If you are worried about fish jumping out you can by some egg crate and cut a piece to fit into the recessed portion above your water line. I do not have this unit myself but am considering it as an alternative for the future. The reason nothing else fits for this tank is the width. I am not sure what the width of the Aquapod is but the jbj nanocube is about 13.5" and most of the MH fixtures out there are minimum 20" usually 24". Good Luck
Lev
 
jakebtc

jakebtc

Member
at 12 1/2 watts a gallon on a nano I'd say thats overkill in my opinion
and probably nearing water temp fluctuations from the light going on and off
 
firedog

firedog

Member
JBJ now has 2 MH lights meant for mounting on nano cubes. Check the company's website. Not sure which sites have them in stock yet.
 
tatoush

tatoush

Member
I know that 150 seems pretty extreme for a tank that small but depending on what he wants to keep in there sps or clams??? I prefer the 70 watt myself but I dont think this fixture is available in a 70MH format. As far as the clamp on lights available on JBJ's website they are called the K2 Viper (i believe) and they are nice as well but it covers the area over the tank even less, more like a spot pendant, but is available in both 70 and 150 Mh formats.
Lev
 
jakebtc

jakebtc

Member
im not sayin he couldn't but really nothing needs 14-15 watts a gallon especially on a tank thats like 12 inches deep. thats when the whole watts a gallon thing is more then suitable for measuring the amount of light your tank is getting. it's when u get into the deeper tanks that u really want or need halides and more intense light because after getting so deep the light isn't truely effective anymore and then u can throw the watts a gallon thing out the window
 
ck_503

ck_503

Member
Nevermind....I found a site that has the JBJ K-2 Viper Clamp which provides 70 watt of metal halides power and it's also designed specifically for the JBJ nano tanks. I just ordered mine and it's on its way since they're now in stock.
 
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