What is the proper halide bulb orientation in relation to tank

Hoosier Reefer · 07/15/2007, 06:27 PM

Should the bulb be parallel to the long side of the tank or the short side...... Or does it matter ???

shag26272 · 07/15/2007, 08:44 PM

IMO it should be from front to back and not parallel

Entropy · 07/15/2007, 09:06 PM

It depends heavily on the reflector. A lumenarc for instance shouldn't matter since it is equal on all four sides. Most setups I see have the bulbs running parallel to the longest viewing side (usually the front panel). It also depends on the number of bulbs, because in some instances two bulbs side by side with neight parallel to the front panel will compliment each other (their light fields will merge), while if you just have one bulb you don't get that effect. The nice thing is that most reflector/bulb setups are pretty easy to move around so try it different ways to see what looks best on your tank.

shag26272 · 07/15/2007, 09:27 PM

I read somewhere that the side with the mogul base would block alot of the light, and thats one of the reason not to mount it parallel

Entropy · 07/16/2007, 07:40 PM

I think you have a point there, but the vast majority of setups I see out there are four foot long tanks (120g, 90g, 75g, 55g, etc.) and the they have two bulbs running parallel to the front glass with the mogul sockets facing outward so that the light field for the two bulbs is strongest over the center portion of the tank while the sides are slight less lit. Again I think it is in your best interest to play around with the different setups assuming you have a retrofit where it is easy to do.

07/15/2007, 06:27 PM	#1
Hoosier Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Indiana, The Great Corn Sea Posts: 89	What is the proper halide bulb orientation in relation to tank Should the bulb be parallel to the long side of the tank or the short side...... Or does it matter ???

07/15/2007, 08:44 PM	#2
shag26272 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: New Orleans, LA Posts: 3,088	IMO it should be from front to back and not parallel __________________ .

07/15/2007, 09:06 PM	#3
Entropy Texas Reefer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Round Rock, TX Posts: 13,656	It depends heavily on the reflector. A lumenarc for instance shouldn't matter since it is equal on all four sides. Most setups I see have the bulbs running parallel to the longest viewing side (usually the front panel). It also depends on the number of bulbs, because in some instances two bulbs side by side with neight parallel to the front panel will compliment each other (their light fields will merge), while if you just have one bulb you don't get that effect. The nice thing is that most reflector/bulb setups are pretty easy to move around so try it different ways to see what looks best on your tank. __________________ Rich Overton 150G cube FOWLR, 30g sump, ReefKeeperII, 3x Koralia 1400's, QuiteOne 3000, Reef Octopus DNWB150, 4x 30w Par38 LED. Current Tank Info: 36x36x27 150g

07/15/2007, 09:27 PM	#4
shag26272 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: New Orleans, LA Posts: 3,088	I read somewhere that the side with the mogul base would block alot of the light, and thats one of the reason not to mount it parallel __________________ .

07/16/2007, 07:40 PM	#5
Entropy Texas Reefer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Round Rock, TX Posts: 13,656	I think you have a point there, but the vast majority of setups I see out there are four foot long tanks (120g, 90g, 75g, 55g, etc.) and the they have two bulbs running parallel to the front glass with the mogul sockets facing outward so that the light field for the two bulbs is strongest over the center portion of the tank while the sides are slight less lit. Again I think it is in your best interest to play around with the different setups assuming you have a retrofit where it is easy to do. __________________ Rich Overton 150G cube FOWLR, 30g sump, ReefKeeperII, 3x Koralia 1400's, QuiteOne 3000, Reef Octopus DNWB150, 4x 30w Par38 LED. Current Tank Info: 36x36x27 150g