Out with the old

florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Well it’s hard to get us old timers to change what we have been using for a long long time. Case in point is my canopy and lighting. This tank has been up and running for just under 10 years. The only change I have made to the lighting was to go from fluorescent s to a 48 inch retro fit kit with 520 watt, 10000 K and actinic straight pin PC bulbs with external ballasts.
When one of the ballasts died I decided to try a newer set up. I would do away with the canopy and see if I could come up with a all in one unit. What I decided on was the 60” Mainland Pro lighting system
Specs • Dimensions: 59.5" X 16" X 4" (the legs raise the fixture off the tank 2.5")
• Single 12 ft. cord for easiest installation and maintenance
• Two High intensity 14,000K HQI metal halide lamp
• Four 54W HO T5 actinic lamps to intensify the blue wavelengths
• Four 1 Watt LED accent lights to replicate moonlight and help coral reproduction and nighttime viewing and feeding
• Internal electronic ballasts
• One fan
• Integrated 3-mode digital timer, for a completely customizable light profile. The metal halide, T5 HO and LED lights can be individually controlled with the integrated timer
So far I love this system I am running a 24hr lighting scenario. The LED moon lights are unbelievable for anyone not having them and thinking of going that way PLEASE do you will see colors in your tank that will have you smiling for hours
So my tip for you old timers sometimes change can be very rewarding
Old

New
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
What's with the 1/2 shot on the new? Come on Joe give us what we want, FTS with new lights!!!!!
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Yeah JOE....Give us what we want

I saw the thread and thought his wife was tossing him out BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHA
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3268753
Yeah JOE....Give us what we want

I saw the thread and thought his wife was tossing him out BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHA
She continues to try but he keeps turning up at the back door.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3268755
She continues to try but he keeps turning up at the back door.
If you must know why i keep turning up at the back door i will tell you.
I ring the front door bell and run around to the back to see who is climbing out the back windows
Yeah JOE....Give us what we want
Lois I know what YOU want. I am working on speeding up the recovery time
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Hey, all you people that tryin' to sleep
I'm out to make it with my midnight dream, yeah
'Cause I'm a back door man
The men don't know
But the little girls understand
All right, yeah
You men eat your dinner
Eat your pork and beans
I eat more chicken
Than any man ever seen, yeah, yeah
I'm a back door man, wha
The men don't know
But the little girls understand
 
Y

yoshii

Guest
The lights look a nice blue :)
Put it only has one fan? Do you think that is enough?
 
S

shrimpy brains

Guest
The new lights look great, Joe!
Well, at least on the top half! lol
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by yoshii
http:///forum/post/3268780
The lights look a nice blue :)
Put it only has one fan? Do you think that is enough?
Actually my tank runs cooler with the new set up. With out the hood I have greater hot air rising and room ambient temp air circulating over the top of the tank
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Bang Guy
http:///forum/post/3269039
I don't see any fans??
Bang it is actually a very nice setup there are three of these openings in the top the center one in the pic is the exhaust fan it transferees the hot air within the enclosure out of the fixture and the two adjacent ones suck in the cool ambient air so the intearea of the fixture is cooled as well as the surface of the tank
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
Joe,
Your tank is truely beautiful, my jealousy is abundant. As is the fact that you can actually jump the fence and manage to avoid the dog all while staying fully undetected on your way to the rear of the house.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Jstdv8
http:///forum/post/3269047
Joe,
Your tank is truely beautiful, my jealousy is abundant. As is the fact that you can actually jump the fence and manage to avoid the dog all while staying fully undetected on your way to the rear of the house.
actually no fence and the dog knows better then bite the hand that feeds him
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3269044
Bang it is actually a very nice setup there are three of these openings in the top the center one in the pic is the exhaust fan it transferees the hot air within the enclosure out of the fixture and the two adjacent ones suck in the cool ambient air so the intearea of the fixture is cooled as well as the surface of the tank
I'm pondering this. I'm not sure it's a good idea to cool off MH bulbs because it makes them less efficient. There is a need to cool the ballasts and the flourescent bulbs but it looks like the focus is making the MH bulbs less efficient. It's a gorgeous fixture, I'm still not 100% behind the fans (yet).
I think your first thought has the most effect - that the open design pulls in ambient air as the heat rises and allows more evaporation to cool the water.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Bang Guy
http:///forum/post/3269061
I'm pondering this. I'm not sure it's a good idea to cool off MH bulbs because it makes them less efficient. There is a need to cool the ballasts and the flourescent bulbs but it looks like the focus is making the MH bulbs less efficient. It's a gorgeous fixture, I'm still not 100% behind the fans (yet).
I think your first thought has the most effect - that the open design pulls in ambient air as the heat rises and allows more evaporation to cool the water.
Actually Bang before I purchased the unit I talked to perfecto apparently they are the ones that are fielding questions brought to marinelands attention. They referred me to their California branch for a question I had on the fan. My question was, if I wanted to turn on the fan and bypass the thermal link could I do it. I was told no the fan is set to come on at 160 degrees and its main purpose as you surmised is to keep the ballasts from overheating. Do you have a temperature guide line for HQI bulbs. I could take a temp reading while the HQIs are fully heated up and fan running. Bang I am sure you already know this but for other hobbyists thinking about this type of system I will add this info from the web
HQI Lighting Systems
Relatively new to the aquarium hobby, Halogen Quartz Iodide (HQI) lighting systems are used mostly on saltwater reef aquariums. HQI bulbs are commonly offered in 150- and 250-watt systems with spectrums of 10,000K and 20,000K. These high-intensity bulbs help corals thrive, but give off less heat than regular metal halide bulbs.
HQI systems share many of the same features as metal halide systems, but differ in design. HQI bulbs are much smaller than metal halide bulbs and are double-ended. HQI and screw socket require a system-specific socket. The range of spectrums and wattages of HQI bulbs are now comparable to those of screw socket metal halide bulbs.
Similar to metal halide systems, HQI systems offer drawbacks worth mentioning. First, the bulbs get extremely hot, and may explode if splashed with water. Therefore, a glass tank top is an important addition to any aquarium with an HQI system. Second, since HQI systems produce UV rays, a tank top with a UV filter is required to keep corals from getting "burned." Finally, HQI systems emit a significant amount of heat, requiring the use of a fan and chiller to keep water temperature safe and steady.
FYI house temp 75 constant tank temp with unite 78.5 with out chiller
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
The cooler the ballasts are the longer they will operate. I'm relieved that the fans are designed to cool the ballasts.
I've heard the higher the temp the more efficient for MH bulbs but I would guess it depends on the phosphors. Luckily the melting point of the copper electrical leads is almost 2000F but most DE bulbs like yours have a plastic housing and I would guess that plastic is the limiting factor on how hot you can burn a MH bulb.
The comment about HQI emitting less heat is true but misleading. The ambient heat from a bulb only adds a tiny amount of heat to an aquarium. It's the light energy itself that add the heat. HQI typically produce more light so as a result they are going to add more heat to the water. The bulbs could be 200 below zero but if it's pumping 2000 PPFD of photon energy to the tank it's going to heat up the water.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3269076
Have you had any experence with the HQI bulbs stated above
I had a bank of 250 watt HQIs. I found the 10000K to be a lot more yellow than I expected. I settled with 15000K XM bulbs as the right color for me.
You also have the actinics so 10000K might be perfect.
 
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