USA Current Satellite Lights

[ssmariner9]

Hello all.
As I prepare to setup my FOWLR tank again, I am purchasing a pine canopy from PERFECTO to match my pine stand on my 55 gal. I want to purchase some light upgrades also. I really like the USA Current Satellite 48" 2 x 65 Watt Power Compact-Single Strip W/2 Lunar Lights setup. I don't plan on having a bunch of corals right away, this is just to make the tank look better and maybe for some beginner corals.
My question is, how does this light unit fit under my canopy? I can't manage to find any pictures of people with setups like this one. I currently have glass tops on my tank and those will stay under the new pine canopy to help with evaporation. Any help is appreciated!

 

[usinkit]

Is the light unit a reto-fit unit or is it in a housing?

 

[ssmariner9]

I believe it is a full housing unit. It has two switches and moonlights built in to it.

 

[usinkit]

If its in its own housing you would have to rig some kind of brackets to hold it in the hood. I would not reccomend that because it may overheat the unit. If you have not purchased one yet I would get the retofit unit. The retrofit unit will screw right into your canopy.

 

[acekjd83]

i have this light and it is NOT for canopy mounting. the fans are in each end, and they would be blocked by the walls of the canopy, overheating the light (which happens to run fairly warm already). :nope: it's a good light tho, and my softies do really well under it.

 

[ssmariner9]

bummer, i really liked the price on this light as well as the moon lights that were built in to it.
Also, I think the perfecto canopy has doors to open on the top, can I mount lights with these?

 

[acekjd83]

have you considered going without a canopy? the lights look stylish on their own:yes:

 

[ssmariner9]

After a year without a canopy I decided that I really like the complete look of a system with a canopy, hiding all the junk at the back of the tank.
I'm looking not at the Current USA retrofit systems, but they don't have any moonlights, and i'm still pretty unsure about how to mount them.,

 

[drew2005]

A little off topic but i have the same light in 36" and i noticed that when the actinic is on it looks as if only one bulb is lit. Could be just me or is my bulb not working right?

 

[ohiorn67]

I just purchased similar lights from this company and what I did was take my canopy to a woodwork shop and had them cutout square openings on each side of the canopy for the fans. Loos fine....hope that helps.

 

[usinkit]

Its real easy to mount them. All I have holding my PC reto unit in is two screws that go through the reflector straight into the canopy. I put a board inside the canopy to make sure I didnt run the screw through the canopy top. I built my canopy, so if your buying one it probly already has a mounting board inside the canopy.

 

[acekjd83]

yeah, the actinic is half 420 and half 460 nm... the 420 nm part is pretty much out of the visible light spectrum and into the near UV range, and therefore invisible, so the light looks like its off, but its just emitting a light that you cant see.