i hate my lights

abethedog

abethedog

Member
I have a oceanic 125 gallon tank. It is 72" long, 18" wide and 24" deep. Right now I have a fixture that holds 6 96 watt pc 4pin. This fixture is about 12" wide and sits on a glass top.
I am going to build a canopy to match the stand. The purpose is to get rid of the glass tops and to not have pc.
The question I have is: what would you put in the canopy. I have plenty of room and proficient with wood working and electricity.
I feel like I should want metal halides. Thoughts?
Should I combine some other types of lights or just go MH.
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
3x 175w halides with some sort of actinic supplementation would be a good choice. As would 12-14x 39w T5. With any setup you should be able to keep whatever you wanted.
-Justin
 
jmick

jmick

Active Member
I'd go with 3 250w halides, which is what I run on my 125 and with the right bulbs you do not need to suppliment.
 
abethedog

abethedog

Member
Thanks for the reply Tango.
One question. I have a glass center piece on the top of my tank. Does that matter or should I go for a 4 mh combo to stay off of that 5/8" piece of glass?
Would the acentic supplement be a pc or T-5. I was thinking that I could take four or two of my 96 watt 4 pins and retro those in to take only acentic bulbs.
 
B

blackaero1

Guest
I just recently finished my canopy for a 75 and I have 2 250w (10K) halides in luminbright reflectors. I used my old NO Fluorescent light for actinics to suplement the halides and all is well. Just an option to save money in your build would be to maybe use your PC lights for supplemental lighting with the halides if you choose to go that route.
 
jmick

jmick

Active Member
Originally Posted by abethedog
http:///forum/post/2509107
what is the name of the right kind of bulb?
It can be a matter of taste. I run Phoenix 14k 250DE bulbs on my tank and they have a nice bluish tint to them.
 
abethedog

abethedog

Member
Thanks a ton guys. I do plan on canniblizing my existing fixture. Would I ever consider just going with two, higher power MH fixture to avoid the center glass support bar in my tank? It is about 16" wide. Or would I want to go with 4 smaller ones?
I am feeling alot more confident about this with your information.
Also, I was planning on mounting a couple of cooling fans on the top of the fixture so it would be out of sight. Thoughts?
 
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blackaero1

Guest
I built my canopy with the fans in the sides. One pulls air into the canopy while the other pushes air out of the canopy. The fans are wired to the same timer as the actinics and come on 2 hours before the halides, turn off 2 hours after the halides. The halides are on for 6 hours. With a completely closed canopy I only have a 2 degree temp swing throughout the day so I figure I'm doing alright. Here's a couple pics to help you understand my setup.


 
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blackaero1

Guest
Oh, heres a better shot of the side with the fan from the outside.
 
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