really stressed with lighting! help!!

Doma25 · 12/11/2010, 10:36 PM

i have a 90 gallon bowfront and am currently running 4x65w coralife power compact light, however i am really interested in the 4x54w nova extreme w/ lunar lights. I have hammer corals, an elegance, xenia in my tank but would like to start growing corals like acans. What would i have the best results with! I have limited options because the bow front is rather narrow, and want to be able to open my glass canopies without adjusting the lights that much.

Will i be happier with the coralife or the nova extreme! please help, because i just got the light and can return the coralife, i've had it for 2 days. recent tank upgrade. i want the best par numbers, and maybe even grow a monti high up?!

edsreef · 12/11/2010, 11:06 PM

If I had a bowfront today I wouldn't consider anything other than LEDs. You can custom-tailor an array of heat sinks to fit your design perfectly. Plus with the right number of leds you can easily have the equivelent of MH's for your newer light demanding corals. Is it a corner bow front? Give me the dimensions and if you're interested I can throw some ideas your way.

Doma25 · 12/11/2010, 11:24 PM

thanks i would really appreciate that! L 48.5 x W 18 x H 29
here are some pictures!

http://s1142.photobucket.com/albums/n620/douglam3/

edsreef · 12/12/2010, 12:55 AM

Well I searched for a top-view drawing of that tank but couldn't find one to show you an example of a layout. Overall, your tank dimensions aren't vastly different from my 90gal but I can see why you have problems with T5's and PC's. The heat sinks in a DIY LED light are basically the body of the fixture. If you use multiple smaller ones to span a center brace you can connect them together with a couple pieces of aluminum angle or you may prefer to hang them individually. Here's my thread showing how I'll probably lay out the lighting for mine:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1945105
A lot of people prefer more even coverage than my example but I have the two islands so I can get away with it. You might consider a couple of 14-16" long heat sinks (assuming you have a center brace). The width depends on how evenly distributed you want the lighting. You could even bolt or weld together different sizes of heat sinks or have them cut at angles to match your front contour. IMO, you'd need a minimum of 48 3W Cree leds; and up to 60 for more punch. Your tank is pretty deep at 29".
Browse RapidLED and HeatSinksUSA to get some more ideas and take a look in the RC DIY section for tons of LED build info. HTH

12/11/2010, 10:36 PM	#1
Doma25 Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 153	really stressed with lighting! help!! i have a 90 gallon bowfront and am currently running 4x65w coralife power compact light, however i am really interested in the 4x54w nova extreme w/ lunar lights. I have hammer corals, an elegance, xenia in my tank but would like to start growing corals like acans. What would i have the best results with! I have limited options because the bow front is rather narrow, and want to be able to open my glass canopies without adjusting the lights that much. Will i be happier with the coralife or the nova extreme! please help, because i just got the light and can return the coralife, i've had it for 2 days. recent tank upgrade. i want the best par numbers, and maybe even grow a monti high up?!

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12/11/2010, 11:06 PM	#2
edsreef Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Ohio Posts: 912	If I had a bowfront today I wouldn't consider anything other than LEDs. You can custom-tailor an array of heat sinks to fit your design perfectly. Plus with the right number of leds you can easily have the equivelent of MH's for your newer light demanding corals. Is it a corner bow front? Give me the dimensions and if you're interested I can throw some ideas your way.

12/11/2010, 11:24 PM	#3
Doma25 Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 153	thanks i would really appreciate that! L 48.5 x W 18 x H 29 here are some pictures! http://s1142.photobucket.com/albums/n620/douglam3/

12/12/2010, 12:55 AM	#4
edsreef Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Ohio Posts: 912	Well I searched for a top-view drawing of that tank but couldn't find one to show you an example of a layout. Overall, your tank dimensions aren't vastly different from my 90gal but I can see why you have problems with T5's and PC's. The heat sinks in a DIY LED light are basically the body of the fixture. If you use multiple smaller ones to span a center brace you can connect them together with a couple pieces of aluminum angle or you may prefer to hang them individually. Here's my thread showing how I'll probably lay out the lighting for mine: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1945105 A lot of people prefer more even coverage than my example but I have the two islands so I can get away with it. You might consider a couple of 14-16" long heat sinks (assuming you have a center brace). The width depends on how evenly distributed you want the lighting. You could even bolt or weld together different sizes of heat sinks or have them cut at angles to match your front contour. IMO, you'd need a minimum of 48 3W Cree leds; and up to 60 for more punch. Your tank is pretty deep at 29". Browse RapidLED and HeatSinksUSA to get some more ideas and take a look in the RC DIY section for tons of LED build info. HTH