TO much PC lighting??

[oceana]

hey ya'll
I want to put some more pc lights on my 75 reef.
I have been looking at all the different lights and i feel i can build highest wattage system in my price range by using pc lights.
I would like to use 8 96watt bulbs with remote ballast.
This would give me 768watts total of 10000k lighting.
My tank is about 19 inches deep to the top of the sand bed.
the lights would be about 4 inches off the surface of the water and there would be 4 fans. two pushing, two pulling
would this be enough for just about any coral i want??
I would really like to be able to keep a few different clams.
I know there is "better" other lighting out there but i would like to use PC.
would this work out ok??

 

[midwest reefer]

If its the 75g tank your talking about that would give you 10.2wpg. From what Ive been told that is about ideal for clams and such. However, Im not sure if you would get other benifets using higher output lights like MH or VHO.

 

[22caddy]

Spend the money on metal halide. PC lights will not penetrate deep enough and clams really do better under metal halide.

 

[golfish]

that would be a huge watse...MH's will save you tons all around

 

[oceana]

well i'm going with MH in the frag tank but the main display due to room and a few other factors really does not allow for MH.
as far as cost goes i can build this for about 320 bucks due to a friend at an electrical supply.

 

[22caddy]

well i'm going with MH in the frag tank but the main display due to room and a few other factors really does not allow for MH.
So there is room for 8 pcs but not for say 2 metal halides.
as far as cost goes i can build this for about 320 bucks due to a friend at an electrical supply.
Can he get bulbs, cause changing 8 pc bulbs at a time, ouch. They are about 30 dollars a piece around where I am. That would be 240 in bulbs every time you change. IMO you need the metal halide for clams and sps if you want them. If you shop around metal halide is not anymore expensive then pc.

 

[oceana]

i dont worry about the cost so much but more about what would fit our application.
If i go with MH I thought that about 3-4 inchs from the water would be much to close. our hood does not allow for any more height then that.
I see other tanks with them sitting right on top of the tank but is that safe??
i dont want to mess with things like chillers.
also if i go with metal halide i need to have atleast 2 of them so that the light looks even.
I also have no idea where i would put on of the huge ballast boxes. the under tank is nearly full and everything says dont put it there anyhow. any ideas??
I want MH but the above things made me look other places.:help:

 

[oceana]

void

 

[oceana]

delete

 

[nm reef]

If its possible your best bet is a MH system maybe with PC or VHO as suppliments....post a recent pic of your aquarium with a look at your canopy. Maybe folks here can help you modify your existing canopy to accomodate a MH lighting system. I'd sure consider going that route before investing in the 8x96 PC's or the fixtures you listed above. Many vendors offer some retro fit MH systems that probably could work in your application with a little planning and minor modification to your canopy.:thinking:

 

[oceana]

double 400 Watt Aquarium Retro Kit
Aluminum Extruded Cooling Ballast Box
two 400 W 20,000 K BLUE USHIO REEF AQUARIUM mETAL hALIDE.
i would then have 2 65 watt PC both 50/50
four fans two pushing two pulling???
this would be now that i have measured 6 inches off the surface of the water with a glass top under it.
above i would line the canopy lid with dipple sheet metal
this would cost me about
400 dollars any thoughts??
sorry for all the post but there is SOOO many options it gets rather confusing. i have been reading about lighting for about 3 months now and dont feel any closer to a solution then i did when i started

 

[legion]

how about a pendant and scrap the canopy, the pc's will just cost too much to replace every six months.

 

[22caddy]

this would be now that i have measured 6 inches off the surface of the water with a glass top under it.
No glass top. It traps gasses and will cause major heating issues. Why the sheet metal? Is this for some sort of reflector or just heat dissipation? I would go with polished aluminum and I wouldn't line the whole top with it. By bending it around the lights it will help direct the light pattern and use more of the light. 2 400 watt lights will be plenty. You will be able to keep anything. The six inches, is that the distance between water and light or water and canopy? Anyway to get it just a little higher.