what lighting to put in a hood

[Humuhumunuku]

Alright, i just got a new 135 gallon "reef ready" oceanic aquarium, with the new "mission series" all glass stand and hood. As i was looking for a lighting system (i plan on keeping at least some acros) i noticed that most of the lighting systems say they are not to be used with a hood. I'm really not sure what type of lighting to put in that will put out enough power, but not compleatly block access to the tank. Does anyone have any suggestions for type of lights (t5 vs mh) or specific models for under a hood.

hood is 72 inches wide, 18in deep (although 6.5in lifts up with the front) and just over 8 inches of hight

[LQT]

I would put three 250 watt metal halide retrofits right under the hinged lid on the wood canopy, mounting the ballasts remotely. That will still give you full access to the tank when you lift the lid.

I would also cut two holes on either end of the canopy and install two 4inch fans on either end of the canopy both blowing the same direction to vent out the heat excess heat generated by the lights.

Sounds like a fun little DIY project to me!

[Humuhumunuku]

as my father put it, lighting is sure to be an adventure. Thanks for the input, should i go 10000k or 14000k, and is there a need for any actinics, sorry about all the questions, had alot of help with my last tank

[hahnmeister]

Or, you could go all T5...something like two 3' tek fixtures each running 6x39watt bulbs would look great and grow corals very well with less heat and less 'bulk'...something you might be interested in with that canopy of yours. With T5, you can get away with less wattage, and still have great growth...

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=700454

^ just an example of how things in Europe are going since T5s have had a huge impact there. They have some other advantages over halides as well...like 18-24 month bulb life, and better penetration to the bottom than halide!

The only potential drawback (besides losing the shimmer lines) is that halides are a point source lighting that some super-high-light corals might prefer....but as of yet, I have not seen anything that T5 couldnt grow well (except shrooms and LPS in a tank that is too shallow for T5s...lol).

[Humuhumunuku]

Got to love those shimmer lines, but t5s seem like they might be a better idea due to the decreased heat. I still think that the fans in the sides are a good idea. Perhaps a combination of the two would have some interesting effects.

[LQT]

If you went with 14K, you could get away with MH only without actinics in my opinion. The 14K's have a real nice crisp, but not overbearing blue tint to them.

[hahnmeister]

I run 14,000Ks alone on oe tank, and the T5s on another. The funny thing is that the 6-bulb setup I run w/ Geisemann bulbs (2-blueplus, 2-actinic, 2-11,000K) is a near identical match to the 14,000K pheonix bulbs...just wanted to add that. I too dig the 14,000Ks, and when I run halide, I prefer to run it alone, but the T5s have plenty of versatility in spectrum as well.

[Humuhumunuku]

if i was to use the mh, whould the two side fans as suggested be sufficient to remove excess heat?

[Humuhumunuku]

as an added thought, do the t5 put out enough heat that i would need to put in the side fans as well?

[Humuhumunuku]

i also would am considering 2 24inch t5 fictures with a mh in the middle, what do you guys think of that
also:


bring
up
my
post

[hahnmeister]

If the canopy is enclosed, then yes, a fan or two would be a good idea. If the canopy has an open back, a fan might be needed if air conditioning isnt on in summer...or with a halide. Sure, you can mix & match halide with T5, but if you do, dont do 24" ones on the ends.

Its complicated, but if you look at the pricing, you will see that the length has little bearing on the cost, where as the number of bulbs does. What I am saying is that a 24" 24watt bulb costs just a dollar or two less at most places than a 48" one...and a 4 bulb 4' fixture costs little more than a 4 bulb 2 foot unit. In fact, my 6 bulb 3' tek light costs a little more than a 4' 4 bulb unit, even though the units have almost the same wattage. The bottom line is, 4' units are the most cost effective, and then 3' units...but 2' units are where I scratch my head and think to myself about changing the tank to accomidate something else.

You could stagger some 4' bulbs...like 6 of them, inside the canopy so that the center has all 6 bulbs overlapping, and only 3 bulbs at each end, and then place 150wattDE bulbs at each end...or just forget the halide all together (sorry to say it, but with T5, there really isnt a need for halides at all). You could do something like 8 or even 10 4' T5 bulbs staggered so that they all overlap in the center for a bright zone, and only 4 or 5 of them stretch to either end. The dual 3' fixtures would perhaps be better...but its possible to use other configurations...and might be worth looking into rather than 2' units.

[Humuhumunuku]

that is quite an idea right there, i just assumed a multilight ficture would be better than several individuals. One of the reasons i like the mh is because i do love those shimmer lines