lighting for a 72g bowfront

ash71089 · 07/27/2008, 07:54 AM

lighting is the thing that confuses me the most. I am about to set up a 72g bowfront. would mh or t5's be better? how much wattage? and could you show m some good ones that i could buy?

Sk8r · 07/27/2008, 08:13 AM

I have a 54g bow,, which may be the same footprint. I bought a canopy that is nothing but a fake fiberglass rim 9" high: it supports (just sitting catty-angled atop) a single light kit that has two ballasts, one for the 2 actinics, one for a single mh 250 w bulb: I use a Reeflux 12000, which gives nice blues while promoting growth. (you run actinics to 'blue-up" the otherwise garishly yellowed light of an mh, and actinics stay on 12 h a day, while the mh should be run about 6h)---
My tank is about 20" deep, easy reach for a hand with a razor blade to clean the glass (once I take off the 9" fake rim canopy---which also prevents fish jumping out)---

With a 250, if your tank is significantly deeper than mine, you would have a lowlight bottom and would keep high light corals only on your upper rockwork. As it stands, I have to shade lowlight corals like bubble. I do not know about lateral spread, if your tank should be somewhat wider than mine instead of deeper.

I do not know the brand of light i have: I bought it here in Spokane, and I know my store does some shipping. It's got a fan at either end to cool the fierce heat of the bulb, a glass protective bottom, and contains the 2 actinics and the single mh bulb. the single huge cloth-covered cord bundle exits one end and becomes two cords, one for the mh ballast, one for the actinic ballast. I vaguely remember that I spent about 800 on lightkit and ballast and about 300 on the canopy/rim. The latter I thought really excessive for a plain shell with no top in it (you don't want to cut off air flow on a marine tank) but it has proven one of the best decisions: it prevents jumps, makes handling my light kit during cleaning pretty easy---I just shove it back; and it looks spiff, providing a 9" black top facade to the tank that makes it, with its black stand, look like a piece of furniture...while, of course, serving to shield the eyes from that brilliant light.

The mh bulbs are the ones that produce the wave-sparkle on the sand and rocks. Crocea clams and some acropora corals demand that much light: it's too much light, say, for zoas and probably for some mushrooms. And you DO need a shield like my rim for that light, or it will be blinding for somebody sitting in the room, say, watching telly.
There is a thread somewhere (maybe in the equipment forum) about T5's. They can keep most anything. I don't know about relative price.

ash71089 · 07/27/2008, 08:19 AM

i am wanting to get a clam eventually and i want to have some acropora corals. so you would recommend the mh? also do the fans cool them off enough or did you have to get a chiller?

Sk8r · 07/27/2008, 08:43 AM

That depends on where you are. The fans render my light kit cool enough to handle, and the 9" open rim keeps heat from being bottled up. I'm in the NW and have no overheating issues that house AC can't handle, or that a house fan blowing on exposed water surfaces couldn't handle in an emergency. If you live in hotter climes, but have AC, you're probably ok without a chiller, but have an emergency plan like packing ice bags around your sump, etc in case...and of course if power goes out your lights go off, too, so that removes one heat threat even if you're not home.
A submerged pump is an equally potent heat source, and you'll have 2, one for the skimmer, one for the tank, unless you go exterior on the return pump, via a bulkheaded connector. If you still can't keep your tank temp stable, a chiller may be what you need: but of course it quits in a power-out, too.

With those ambitions (clam and acros) I would suggest mh lighting and also a very good skimmer from the start, something rated for 140 gallons (2x is a good ballpark for making sure your skimmer can handle the load). I'd recommend a sump of at least 30g, so you can squeeze a fuge in there: fuges remove phosphate, which acros detest, and supply copepods, which themselves eat algae and serve as coral food, to boot. Somewhere rattling around this forum I have another thread about setting up my 55, the way I would do it now. That might, with some size adjustments, be helpful to you.

Sk8r · 07/27/2008, 08:48 AM

Here's the thread; I found it.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...&highlight=55g

ash71089 · 07/27/2008, 08:54 AM

thanks.. what is the wattage rule? 3 per gallon?

Playa-1 · 07/27/2008, 10:41 AM

If you have a canopy then you can retro either t-5 and/or MH under the canopy. If Your going to run with an open top then the Sunpod MH fixtures will fit it nicely.

http://www.aquacave.com/48-sunpod-2x...t-usa-810.html

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/IceCap/

Playa-1 · 07/27/2008, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ash71089
thanks.. what is the wattage rule? 3 per gallon?

I don't think you want to look at the wattage per gallon so much as how deep the tank is. You have several options.
Are you going with a canopy or without?

ash71089 · 07/27/2008, 12:25 PM

ive been talking with my boyfriend about building a canopy and i think thats what we have decided to do.. the dimensions of the tank are 48 3/8 x 18 x 23

Playa-1 · 07/27/2008, 01:40 PM

You could squeeze in 6 t-5 lights with individual reflectors which would get the job done for you. Here's a few different configurations to consider.

4x48" t-5's + 2x36" t-5's

2x48" t-5 + 2x150w Hqi MH + 2x36" t-5

6x36" t-5's stagger them to get the best coverage. This probably would give you more options as far as moving bulbs around to get different effects.

You may be able to swing this set up:
10x24" t-5's

These are just some rough ideas for you. You would need to verify dimensions of your canopy and the lighting that you choose to make sure it's going to fit. I would suggest Ice-Cap equipment for a retro fit.

ash71089 · 07/27/2008, 03:11 PM

alright thanks.. how far away should the lights be when mounted to the canopy?

Playa-1 · 07/27/2008, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ash71089
alright thanks.. how far away should the lights be when mounted to the canopy?

You will be limited by the reflectors, so that shouldn't be an issue.
I see no reasons that the reflectors can't be right up next to each other if necessary.

ash71089 · 07/27/2008, 07:34 PM

what about from tank to lights?

Playa-1 · 07/27/2008, 08:44 PM

I would say roughly 4 to 6" Maybe a little more if you go with MH.
Don't forget to plan for fans in your canopy to move the hot air out.

07/27/2008, 07:54 AM	#1
ash71089 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Decatur, AL Posts: 145	lighting for a 72g bowfront lighting is the thing that confuses me the most. I am about to set up a 72g bowfront. would mh or t5's be better? how much wattage? and could you show m some good ones that i could buy?

07/27/2008, 08:13 AM	#2
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	I have a 54g bow,, which may be the same footprint. I bought a canopy that is nothing but a fake fiberglass rim 9" high: it supports (just sitting catty-angled atop) a single light kit that has two ballasts, one for the 2 actinics, one for a single mh 250 w bulb: I use a Reeflux 12000, which gives nice blues while promoting growth. (you run actinics to 'blue-up" the otherwise garishly yellowed light of an mh, and actinics stay on 12 h a day, while the mh should be run about 6h)--- My tank is about 20" deep, easy reach for a hand with a razor blade to clean the glass (once I take off the 9" fake rim canopy---which also prevents fish jumping out)--- With a 250, if your tank is significantly deeper than mine, you would have a lowlight bottom and would keep high light corals only on your upper rockwork. As it stands, I have to shade lowlight corals like bubble. I do not know about lateral spread, if your tank should be somewhat wider than mine instead of deeper. I do not know the brand of light i have: I bought it here in Spokane, and I know my store does some shipping. It's got a fan at either end to cool the fierce heat of the bulb, a glass protective bottom, and contains the 2 actinics and the single mh bulb. the single huge cloth-covered cord bundle exits one end and becomes two cords, one for the mh ballast, one for the actinic ballast. I vaguely remember that I spent about 800 on lightkit and ballast and about 300 on the canopy/rim. The latter I thought really excessive for a plain shell with no top in it (you don't want to cut off air flow on a marine tank) but it has proven one of the best decisions: it prevents jumps, makes handling my light kit during cleaning pretty easy---I just shove it back; and it looks spiff, providing a 9" black top facade to the tank that makes it, with its black stand, look like a piece of furniture...while, of course, serving to shield the eyes from that brilliant light. The mh bulbs are the ones that produce the wave-sparkle on the sand and rocks. Crocea clams and some acropora corals demand that much light: it's too much light, say, for zoas and probably for some mushrooms. And you DO need a shield like my rim for that light, or it will be blinding for somebody sitting in the room, say, watching telly. There is a thread somewhere (maybe in the equipment forum) about T5's. They can keep most anything. I don't know about relative price. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%. Last edited by Sk8r; 07/27/2008 at 08:18 AM.

07/27/2008, 08:43 AM	#4
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	That depends on where you are. The fans render my light kit cool enough to handle, and the 9" open rim keeps heat from being bottled up. I'm in the NW and have no overheating issues that house AC can't handle, or that a house fan blowing on exposed water surfaces couldn't handle in an emergency. If you live in hotter climes, but have AC, you're probably ok without a chiller, but have an emergency plan like packing ice bags around your sump, etc in case...and of course if power goes out your lights go off, too, so that removes one heat threat even if you're not home. A submerged pump is an equally potent heat source, and you'll have 2, one for the skimmer, one for the tank, unless you go exterior on the return pump, via a bulkheaded connector. If you still can't keep your tank temp stable, a chiller may be what you need: but of course it quits in a power-out, too. With those ambitions (clam and acros) I would suggest mh lighting and also a very good skimmer from the start, something rated for 140 gallons (2x is a good ballpark for making sure your skimmer can handle the load). I'd recommend a sump of at least 30g, so you can squeeze a fuge in there: fuges remove phosphate, which acros detest, and supply copepods, which themselves eat algae and serve as coral food, to boot. Somewhere rattling around this forum I have another thread about setting up my 55, the way I would do it now. That might, with some size adjustments, be helpful to you. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

07/27/2008, 08:48 AM	#5
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Here's the thread; I found it. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...&highlight=55g __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

07/27/2008, 10:41 AM	#7
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	If you have a canopy then you can retro either t-5 and/or MH under the canopy. If Your going to run with an open top then the Sunpod MH fixtures will fit it nicely. http://www.aquacave.com/48-sunpod-2x...t-usa-810.html http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/IceCap/ Last edited by Playa-1; 07/27/2008 at 10:49 AM.

07/27/2008, 08:19 AM	#3
ash71089 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Decatur, AL Posts: 145	i am wanting to get a clam eventually and i want to have some acropora corals. so you would recommend the mh? also do the fans cool them off enough or did you have to get a chiller?

07/27/2008, 08:54 AM	#6
ash71089 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Decatur, AL Posts: 145	thanks.. what is the wattage rule? 3 per gallon?

07/27/2008, 12:25 PM	#9
ash71089 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Decatur, AL Posts: 145	ive been talking with my boyfriend about building a canopy and i think thats what we have decided to do.. the dimensions of the tank are 48 3/8 x 18 x 23

07/27/2008, 01:40 PM	#10
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	You could squeeze in 6 t-5 lights with individual reflectors which would get the job done for you. Here's a few different configurations to consider. 4x48" t-5's + 2x36" t-5's 2x48" t-5 + 2x150w Hqi MH + 2x36" t-5 6x36" t-5's stagger them to get the best coverage. This probably would give you more options as far as moving bulbs around to get different effects. You may be able to swing this set up: 10x24" t-5's These are just some rough ideas for you. You would need to verify dimensions of your canopy and the lighting that you choose to make sure it's going to fit. I would suggest Ice-Cap equipment for a retro fit.

07/27/2008, 03:11 PM	#11
ash71089 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Decatur, AL Posts: 145	alright thanks.. how far away should the lights be when mounted to the canopy?

07/27/2008, 07:34 PM	#13
ash71089 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Decatur, AL Posts: 145	what about from tank to lights?

07/27/2008, 08:44 PM	#14
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	I would say roughly 4 to 6" Maybe a little more if you go with MH. Don't forget to plan for fans in your canopy to move the hot air out.