Seeking Ideas for a Unique Lighting Setup
 

The tank I am working over is a Zeroedge, so setting things on it is nearly impossible. Additionally, the dimensions are 36x48x12, so the ideal viewing surface is the top. For the most ideal view, I want to keep my lighting to a minimal size and lift it up at least 15 inches, then spread it out to cover the 36x48 area.

Currently, I am using 2 400w Hamilton MH pendants. The bottom of each pendant hangs 17 inches from the water surface, and the spread and intensity are both plenty for the surface area. Unfortunately, they produce a LOT of heat. So I was thinking of going to LED lighting so I could save on electric and avoid buying a chiller. HOWEVER, I want to minimize the size of the fixture as much as possible, and lift it up to a similar height as I currently have. My initial thought was to rebuild the MH pendants to hold a CPU heatsink and fan, then mount a 50w LED in place of the MH bulb. Or maybe suck it up and buy some of those "light canons" or whatever. But I think that may be too little light. Also, I would like to have a 14K or bluer color temp, but I'm not sure this is possible with only 2 LEDs.

So, starting with this information, can anyone point me in the right direction to make a functional setup? Any info regarding pitfalls and warnings would appreciated as well.

Bumping for input. Anyone seen anything like this before?

I would use LED's 3 ft over the tank with 20 degree optics. This would allow room for viewing from above and strong light.

So you mean the standard starboard 3w w/heatsink kind of setup just lifted higher?

yes, but use optics. There are 1-2 threads on here about using led's with 20-35 degree (dont remember wat they used) optics mounted on the ceiling.

Hell yes! That's exactly what I needed to read. I think I can take it from here. Thanks a million! :)