DIY Canopy

[db9181]

I'm picking up A coralife pro with 2 65 watt pc, MH 150 (phoenix 14k DE) and 2 moonlights tomorrow. I'm Going to build a custom canopy for my 29gal standard (30" L x 12" W x 18" H)
How high should I mount the lights to get the best coverage but not bleach the coral? (mixed)

 

[snakeblitz33]

For such a small tank, I would say that the minimum would be 18" from the top of the water. You will need to have computer fans blowing into and out of the tank. It will definitely increase evaporation. If it gets too hot, you may need a chiller.
I know I somewhat had problems with PC lamps getting too hot on the smaller tanks I've had. I had a 250w metal halide over a 20g a minimum of 24" high and the tank still went up to 85F+ on average. I don't think I'm personally going to put a metal halide on such a small tank anymore, especially when there's better alternatives. (T5HO, LED, ETC. lol) I'm hoping that you have success, because then I might try it again. I've been looking at a Viper clip on MH for awhile now for my 20g. Still unsure though.

 

[db9181]

Thanks for your input snake however there's two differences. 1) yours was a 20g vs my 29g (in such a small system, 9g more is a large percentage). 2) you were running a 250w MH....mine will be a 150w which will generate less heat than a 250w but I still should be able to keep just about anything. Additionally the unit has 2 fans built into it, which I will be installing into the canopy for heat distribution. I've talked with several other local reefers that have this same basic setup over a 29g and had great results...lol I'm hoping to have the same luck.

 

[smartorl]

My 150 is mounted about 10in about the water. I have never had any issues with anything bleaching but still had enough light to support the more demanding corals and even my ritteri anemone when it came in bad shape and brought it back from dying and bleached to a beautiful specimen in this tank. Any higher, in my opinion and with a 29 gallon, you won't have enough light penetrating to the bottom of the tank.
When I was researching, a 150 for a 29 is the minimum and you will walk a fine line between heating the water and light penetration. Once I found the zone though, it worked out well.
If I were you, I would experiment before securing the halide into the canopy. As I stated, a bit below 10 inches worked out best for me.
My fixture only came with one fan and it was sufficient. I do live in FL and keep my house temperature around 75. The only time I had an issue with my tank heating up was when my a/c went out and I just ran the T-5's and left the halide off. In that situation though, even my pony tanks running pc's were heating up.

 

[db9181]

Thx Smartorl, I appreciate the info. Before Building the canopy/installing the lights, I just too the whole 36" unit... placed it on some bricks and yet it over the tank w/ the lights approx. 6in off the water. I also moved all my coral down to the sandbed, with the SPSs in the middle to give them alittle more light under the MH. I was also thinking of starting off with a shorter MH photo-period, say 4-5 hrs instead of 8 to help acclimate. yes/no?
My biggest issue currently is heat - But after placing a small desk/personal fan blowing across the tank, the issue seems to be better.

 

[smartorl]

A powerhead directed at the surface, churning it a bit can also help to keep the temps steady.
What type of lighting are these corals under currently?
Good luck, can't wait to see the finished product!