Lighting and hoods....

[faraday]

I'm a newbie, I'm not an Electrician either, or woodcraftsman. I don't have a tank yet, but it is going to be a 90 gallan rectangler, 48L X 18W X 24 T. Still trying to figure out my lighting requirements. This is going to be a reef tank, eventually after about 6 months or more.
I was thinking I needed 2 250W 10K MH, 4 VHO URI Actinic 03, and 4 2W blue LEDS. I wanted actually day and night time. Too much light, or too little???Plus lots of ventelation in the back, possibly 4 fans, that can pivot downwards on to the water. Oh and it looks like possibly 3 timers I think, just got to find the right ones to do the job.
This was my schedule:
dawn 1 hr1 hr2 Atinic on
early morning 1 hr1 hr4 Atinic on
morning 11 hr4 Atinic on 1 MH on
afternoon 8 hrs8 hrs4 Atinic on 2 MH on
evening 1 hr1 hr4 Atinic on 1 MH on
dusk 2hrs2 hrs2 Atinic on
high moon 4 hrs2 hrs2 moonlights on 1 Atinic
night 2hrs2 hrs4 moonlights
darkness4 hrs2 moonlights
low moon 4hrs 2 hrs2 moonlights on 1 atinic
I have a friend who is a laser technician and his company manufactures lasers. Such as YAG's, so equipment would be in abundance.
JUST SO I DON'T GET FUNKY REPLIES, NO LASERS WILL BE LIGHTING MY TANK, IN ANY SUCH FASHION. I KNOW FULL WELL THE EFFECTS OF LASERS.
The only thing I see that is the problem is the hood. I've seen only one hood that would work. The hood was hinged and seemed that once the lights were mounted, there would be at least 6 inches from the bottom of the light fixture to the top of the water. Is that adequate? And a dumb question..... is a hinged top with the lights mounted to it, a bad idea????? I only ask, cause if I have to get into it, lift the hood, and viola, there be light in your face, and it changes how the light hits the water too. Not a woodcraftsman, nor do I have the tools nor space for such a project.
Also, something I haven't seen in here was about light from other sources. My tank is going to be in the dining room. Fairly close to the table, and of course there is a halogen light fixture above the table. There is also a halogen light about 12 feet away. How much will this screw around with my tank?
Well any help would be cool and greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[scott9311]

First... your schedule: The only thing that stands out that I see as a problem is using one of your actinics along with your LED's to simulate moonlight. The LED's you have will be plenty to simulate the moon, but make sure you don't leave them on all night. And if possible, install a dimmer switch on them to simulate the different cycles.
Second... your lights: With the size tank you have... IMO you could do without two of your actinics. Two MH's and two actinics should be fine. That's more of a personal preference (and cost-cutting measure) than anything.
Third... your hood: This could be a major problem for you! Your MH's are way too close to the water (recommended 8" - 12"). With them being that close, you greatly increase the chances of water splashing on them. Also, even though you have four fans, you may have a problem cooling... and if you do happen to succeed in keeping the temps down, you may be fighting an everyday battle with evaporation. I would do a search here under "canopy", and you will be sure to find plans that will detail how to build your own canopy. Trust me... you don't have to be much of a woodcraftsman to make a nice hood. I haven't woked with wood since I was 13 (in shop class 26 years ago), and I am in the process of building my own stand/canopy for my 120g. It's a little slow going... but it's going to be well worth it!
Hope this helped!

 

[faraday]

Thanks for the input. I was unsure if I had too much of too little. I did find a canopy at a LFS that would work, it was their display tank, and I did find a light fixture, a Hamilton with 2 atinics and 2 MH, 2 fans, and a acrylic piece under the bulbs to prevent the bulbs from getting splashed, already wired, all set up and ready to go, it was the price $800. This included the bulbs. I took that in to account when i looked at the canopies. All depending on price and how much I can spend, I will look into doing a DIY canopy and DIY lighting. Unless $800 is a bargain.
Oh, I forgot about dimmer switches, extra gold star for pointing that out.
I didn't think anyone was going to repsond. thanks for responding.