MH in nano???

nano reefer

nano reefer

Active Member
Is there anyway i could get like a 70 watt MH and put it in the hood of my 14g Biocube??? It would probably get a little hot but i have upgraded fans and i am going to get a chiller when summer comes around next year. Is there anyway it is possible?
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
There are companies out there that sell hoods with these types of mods already done. The heat is a serious issue to be reckoned with when doing this though. A chiller on the tank will definitely be necessary, regardless of the time of year.
So the answer is sure it's possible.
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
It depends on what you are comfortable taking on.
There is a lot of heat and a lot of plastic and a little space. It's going to require some real engineering to make it work, but it CAN work.
I've not tried it myself personally (when I went halide on my nano I went pendant), so I don't know for exact sure what's involved.
 
mach03infront

mach03infront

Member
i have a sunpod 70watts mh on my 12 gallon nano and i love it....my tanks stays pretty cool and i live in florida i keep the ac around 78 when i'm not home.
 
nano reefer

nano reefer

Active Member
I saw that viper HQI clip on thing... is there anyway i could disconnect it from the arm, stick it inder my canopy and make the tank still look stock, it wouldn't have to look pretty but do you think it is possible? or is the fixture too big ti fit inbetween the two bulbs already in the hood. What i want is too keep my 24 watt actinic and make the 24watt 10k into another 24watt actinic and run metal halide while making the tank look stock. Can anyone that has the 70 watt viper HQI tell me the dimensions of the top bulb housing thing. any help is greatly appreciated.
 
meleerock

meleerock

Member
honestly, any mh light in the plastic hood imo would just create way too much heat. I have the currentusa sundop 70 watt on my 14 gallon and could not be happier. It comes with 6 white moon lights and 6 blue moon lights, as well as stands for the unit. You just remove the stock top of the tank and replace it with the new unit. This leaves an open top and heat imo is not an issue with this set up. Its around $200 but well worth it. Cheaper than a chiller with an upgraded light.
 
mach03infront

mach03infront

Member
i took off my hood on my nano there is only like 4 screws holding my hood on then when my sunpod came all i did was install the legs on the fixture and floped the light on to the tank. easy @!
 
nanoized

nanoized

New Member
if you are installing MH in a stock hood.
Links to retail sites are not permitted on swf.com message boards.
and its expensive :-/
 
bmkj02

bmkj02

Member
This is the same project I am working on on my 24g Aquapod. I just ordered some parts yesterday from nanotuners. What I ordered was 2 UV tempered protected glass. I will cut an opening in the lens and place this in its place. That will give me the UV protection I need plus it wont melt the lens or discolor it. On top of that I ordered a fan kit that comes with 2 upgraded fans and all the wiring to help with heat. You will also need to get the bulb holder. Find a place in the hood that you can mount it and plug it in the ballast.
What ballast did you get? I picked up a 70w MH light fixture from Lowes for $35 and took the ballast out to use. With that ballast though it seems like I am only limited to the XM bulbs cause its a M98 ballast.
 
saltywhit67

saltywhit67

Member
Nanoized will you PM me that link
BMK great idea with cutting the plastic. I am not familiar at all with Metal halide. Can you just get any ballast (correct wattage of course) and get the correct aquarium bulb and call it a day?
 
bmkj02

bmkj02

Member
That link was for nanotuners. Check that site for ideas. As long as you get the correct ANSI code ballast for the bulb you are getting you should be fine. Try to look for an M85 ballast. Almost all 70w bulbs operate from that ballast. I ended up with a M98 ballast and called each company and all said no on M98except XM bulbs
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top