HQI Pendant & Skimmer Suggestions

staynice · 01/16/2010, 11:17 PM

newbie ?:
i just picked up my 135 gal today. my first saltwater setup!

im looking into 250w hqi pendants. any suggestions? i need some low profile ones, because i have about a 5" clearance in my canopy. ones that run cooler would be nice. i want to have some lps & sps corals, and whatever else looks nice.

also...skimmer. any suggestions? i've been looking into the EuroReef RS alpha series, or the VS series. my budget it about 400.00ish.

thanx.

staynice · 01/16/2010, 11:23 PM

the pendants i was looking into are the Hamilton Reefstar and the IceCaps. has anyone have experience with these?

sedor · 01/16/2010, 11:42 PM

Its going to be tough to get 250W pendants in a 5" canopy without causing some drastic heat issues. Make sure you cut holes in the canopy and add fans to bring in fresh air and vent the hot air. Without these, you will surely need a chiller. With such a low profile canopy, have you considered going with T5's? They can be just as effective as MH's and require a lot less space and cooling. Of course I would still add the fans to the canopy, its important to have good air circulation.

As far as skimmers go, if your looking into Euroreef you won't be disappointed, they make a quality skimmer!

staynice · 01/16/2010, 11:49 PM

sedor, thanx for the reply. i thought about T5s. what kind of T5 setup would i need equivalent to 3x250w MH HQI's? I really like the way the MH lights look. i might just have to build a new canopy if i got with the MH.

fisherman2 · 01/16/2010, 11:51 PM

You should do what i did and just cut a hole in the top of the canopy a little smaller than the pendants are and then build a 1x2" frame around the pendant to keep it from moving by screwing the frame to the top of the canopy. Make sense?

staynice · 01/17/2010, 12:40 AM

fisherman2, thanx for the advice. it does make sense. good idea.

fisherman2 · 01/17/2010, 01:17 AM

glad i could help!!!

sedor · 01/17/2010, 01:44 AM

8 bulbs would be a good option over a 135. I'm personally a MH man myself, so if you've got the skill I would say either rebuild or modify the canopy to support the halides. I just think if you try and fit them in your current one you will regret all the problems your going to face. Another option is to float the canopy. Basically you would buy a hanging kit and suspend the entire canopy from the ceiling so it looks like its floating 6" or so off the tank. Its actually pretty sweet looking.

grigsy · 01/17/2010, 08:25 PM

5" space will make it difficult to run any halide. They get hot.

I would consider Fisherman2's suggestion. That would be a good choice.

I am running right now Hamilton Cayman Sun HQI 250 watt pendants. They are very bright and I like them.

http://www.hamiltontechnology.com/sh...w&cat=Specials

staynice · 01/17/2010, 10:45 PM

thanx grigsy. so, if i were to cut the holes on top of the hood, would the height be ok for the pendants from the tank? not sure how high they are supposed to be to get good light to the bottom of the tank. i would like to get into a variety of corals like lps, sps, clams, and whatever else looks nice to me. also, would i need to supplement w/ any actinics? i was thinking about going with the 14k 250w MH bulbs. im still debating on the Hamiltons or Icecaps.

01/16/2010, 11:17 PM	#1
staynice Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: chicago, il Posts: 40	HQI Pendant & Skimmer Suggestions newbie ?: i just picked up my 135 gal today. my first saltwater setup! im looking into 250w hqi pendants. any suggestions? i need some low profile ones, because i have about a 5" clearance in my canopy. ones that run cooler would be nice. i want to have some lps & sps corals, and whatever else looks nice. also...skimmer. any suggestions? i've been looking into the EuroReef RS alpha series, or the VS series. my budget it about 400.00ish. thanx.

01/16/2010, 11:42 PM	#3
sedor Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 4,689	Its going to be tough to get 250W pendants in a 5" canopy without causing some drastic heat issues. Make sure you cut holes in the canopy and add fans to bring in fresh air and vent the hot air. Without these, you will surely need a chiller. With such a low profile canopy, have you considered going with T5's? They can be just as effective as MH's and require a lot less space and cooling. Of course I would still add the fans to the canopy, its important to have good air circulation. As far as skimmers go, if your looking into Euroreef you won't be disappointed, they make a quality skimmer! __________________ Ryan

01/17/2010, 01:44 AM	#8
sedor Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 4,689	8 bulbs would be a good option over a 135. I'm personally a MH man myself, so if you've got the skill I would say either rebuild or modify the canopy to support the halides. I just think if you try and fit them in your current one you will regret all the problems your going to face. Another option is to float the canopy. Basically you would buy a hanging kit and suspend the entire canopy from the ceiling so it looks like its floating 6" or so off the tank. Its actually pretty sweet looking. __________________ Ryan

01/16/2010, 11:23 PM	#2
staynice Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: chicago, il Posts: 40	the pendants i was looking into are the Hamilton Reefstar and the IceCaps. has anyone have experience with these?

01/16/2010, 11:49 PM	#4
staynice Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: chicago, il Posts: 40	sedor, thanx for the reply. i thought about T5s. what kind of T5 setup would i need equivalent to 3x250w MH HQI's? I really like the way the MH lights look. i might just have to build a new canopy if i got with the MH.

01/16/2010, 11:51 PM	#5
fisherman2 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Columbia, SC Posts: 171	You should do what i did and just cut a hole in the top of the canopy a little smaller than the pendants are and then build a 1x2" frame around the pendant to keep it from moving by screwing the frame to the top of the canopy. Make sense?

01/17/2010, 12:40 AM	#6
staynice Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: chicago, il Posts: 40	fisherman2, thanx for the advice. it does make sense. good idea.

01/17/2010, 01:17 AM	#7
fisherman2 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Columbia, SC Posts: 171	glad i could help!!!

01/17/2010, 08:25 PM	#9
grigsy Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Santa Cruz, CA Posts: 2,307	5" space will make it difficult to run any halide. They get hot. I would consider Fisherman2's suggestion. That would be a good choice. I am running right now Hamilton Cayman Sun HQI 250 watt pendants. They are very bright and I like them. http://www.hamiltontechnology.com/sh...w&cat=Specials

01/17/2010, 10:45 PM	#10
staynice Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: chicago, il Posts: 40	thanx grigsy. so, if i were to cut the holes on top of the hood, would the height be ok for the pendants from the tank? not sure how high they are supposed to be to get good light to the bottom of the tank. i would like to get into a variety of corals like lps, sps, clams, and whatever else looks nice to me. also, would i need to supplement w/ any actinics? i was thinking about going with the 14k 250w MH bulbs. im still debating on the Hamiltons or Icecaps.