400 MHs too much for a 120?

reefamundo · 07/29/2009, 08:16 PM

Are 400 MHs too much for my 120? I am having a hard time keeping it cool. I have a large fan sitting on top my fug that runs when the lights are on. My temp seems to fluctuate between 81.5 and 84. Of course, it stays a little cooler when the AC is on, but when the windows are open and the house temp gets up to 79 or 80, I am definitely fighting 84-85 degrees. How can I keep it consistently cool without a chiller? Thanks.

SC Trojan · 07/29/2009, 10:22 PM

I was battling the same temp problem on my 75 a few weeks back due to 100+deg summer days out here. Ive always ran my tank a little warm about 78-81 during fall winter and spring then bump it up during the summer months to 82-86 to endure the brutal summers out here. I found it easier to run my lights earlier in the day while the house is at its coolest. My lights now turn on at 6am and go out at 2 pm. I still have to use the fan but at the end of my light cycle my tank tops out at 85. Another than running the ac constantly, which is expensive, i found this to be my best alternative. The only draw back is if you have a 9-5 you miss out on a lit tank.

BurntOutReefer · 07/29/2009, 10:42 PM

best option is a cooler....or close room and run ac all day....
fans across the top are only going to increase your water evap and regardles, will only cool x amount anyway

mrsmithers · 07/30/2009, 12:36 AM

Check out the lumenbright 3 pendents. They allow you to mount them 16" above the water line and wont heat the water as much.
I run them with 175watts on my 150gallon and they work great.

reefamundo · 07/30/2009, 03:30 AM

Thanks. I neglected to mention that I have my 400's mounted in a hood, and I don't have a fan running in the hood ... yet.

My concern is making sure my corals and fish do OK with these swings. Thanks.

JasonD · 07/30/2009, 08:46 AM

Put two 4" fans blow into your hood will make a huge difference.

Jason

reefamundo · 07/30/2009, 09:35 AM

Thanks.

ds4x4 · 07/30/2009, 09:48 AM

fans blowing air between the lights and water surface will help a bunch too. my 400's the 220G heated the water till i used clip on fans. getting ready to slap a AC in the basment window for now.

cmm1970 · 07/30/2009, 10:28 AM

I am running twin 400's in a hood over a 120. Lumenbright reflectors 16" off water surface. 5 fans in the hood pushing cool air from living area into the hood and allowing hot air to dump out the back. My chiller runs quite frequently during my 5 hour photo period to keep the tank at 78 degrees.

With so much horsepower in your hood, I think you are going to find that fans in the hood, and fans over the sump to help with evaporative cooling are the only things you can do to stabilize your tank temp and even then, I think you are going to need to have a chiller or move back to 250W lamps if you don't want the chiller expense.

reefamundo · 07/30/2009, 11:27 AM

I have been thinking of moving down to 250's or to T5s just to reduce the heat output. What's folks opinion on running T-5s in a 120? I was looking at the 4x54watt variety with 2-10K and 2-Actinic. Thoughts?

k9gunner · 07/30/2009, 09:24 PM

I have a 180 with T-5 and it does ok.

solitude127 · 07/31/2009, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by reefamundo
I have been thinking of moving down to 250's or to T5s just to reduce the heat output. What's folks opinion on running T-5s in a 120? I was looking at the 4x54watt variety with 2-10K and 2-Actinic. Thoughts?

What kind of corals are you keeping? I have 6 t5's over my 90 and it's doing really good. Corals seem healthy and I even have a couple of clams on the sandbed.

reefamundo · 07/31/2009, 03:43 PM

For now, I have 2 hammers, several different zoas, 2 ricordia, a green slimer, a montipora cap. I'd like to get a clam as well, and I'm sure a few others as these continue to grow.

burton14e7 · 07/31/2009, 06:45 PM

No Chiller on either of these. Had 400's in lumenbrights and peaked around 81.7 with the lights on. I did eventually switch to a 250 on the 58 gallon to reduce overhead and I already had the 250w ballast so the switch was free and I had to replace the bulb after a year anyways.

reefamundo · 08/04/2009, 05:21 PM

Nice photos. Where did you get those fan setups?

porterdog · 08/04/2009, 11:08 PM

Fans do work. I have two 400 hqi in my canopy on 90 with four fans. I attached where I got my fans from. A little expspensive, but easy to control and very little noise.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/84...CS.html?tl=g46

[IMG]http://i726.photobucket.com/albums

porterdog · 08/04/2009, 11:09 PM

Forgot the other pic

reefamundo · 08/05/2009, 04:41 PM

This is a nice system. I take it that you have all four fans plugged into the same fan controller. I see these are variable speed fans. Is there some sort of thermister that is an input to the fan controller to adjust the fan speed? Is that part of the package or separate? Thanks -Jeff

teambutterfield · 08/06/2009, 12:29 AM

how high did you guys hang the light?

07/29/2009, 08:16 PM	#1
reefamundo Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Dayton, OH Posts: 52	400 MHs too much for a 120? Are 400 MHs too much for my 120? I am having a hard time keeping it cool. I have a large fan sitting on top my fug that runs when the lights are on. My temp seems to fluctuate between 81.5 and 84. Of course, it stays a little cooler when the AC is on, but when the windows are open and the house temp gets up to 79 or 80, I am definitely fighting 84-85 degrees. How can I keep it consistently cool without a chiller? Thanks.

07/30/2009, 09:48 AM	#8
ds4x4 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Pennsville NJ Posts: 279	fans blowing air between the lights and water surface will help a bunch too. my 400's the 220G heated the water till i used clip on fans. getting ready to slap a AC in the basment window for now. __________________ -Asking her for Forgiveness is much easier than asking for Permission.- Current Tank Info: 120gal Re-Build

07/31/2009, 06:45 PM	#14
burton14e7 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Keller, Tx Posts: 2,009	No Chiller on either of these. Had 400's in lumenbrights and peaked around 81.7 with the lights on. I did eventually switch to a 250 on the 58 gallon to reduce overhead and I already had the 250w ballast so the switch was free and I had to replace the bulb after a year anyways. __________________ Go Lakers! Current Tank Info: Currently awaiting relapse.

07/29/2009, 10:22 PM	#2
SC Trojan Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: perris, cali Posts: 137	I was battling the same temp problem on my 75 a few weeks back due to 100+deg summer days out here. Ive always ran my tank a little warm about 78-81 during fall winter and spring then bump it up during the summer months to 82-86 to endure the brutal summers out here. I found it easier to run my lights earlier in the day while the house is at its coolest. My lights now turn on at 6am and go out at 2 pm. I still have to use the fan but at the end of my light cycle my tank tops out at 85. Another than running the ac constantly, which is expensive, i found this to be my best alternative. The only draw back is if you have a 9-5 you miss out on a lit tank.

07/29/2009, 10:42 PM	#3
BurntOutReefer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Granada Hills Posts: 4,376	best option is a cooler....or close room and run ac all day.... fans across the top are only going to increase your water evap and regardles, will only cool x amount anyway

07/30/2009, 12:36 AM	#4
mrsmithers Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: san diego CA Posts: 201	Check out the lumenbright 3 pendents. They allow you to mount them 16" above the water line and wont heat the water as much. I run them with 175watts on my 150gallon and they work great.

07/30/2009, 03:30 AM	#5
reefamundo Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Dayton, OH Posts: 52	Thanks. I neglected to mention that I have my 400's mounted in a hood, and I don't have a fan running in the hood ... yet. My concern is making sure my corals and fish do OK with these swings. Thanks.

07/30/2009, 08:46 AM	#6
JasonD Registered Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: San Diego Posts: 1,079	Put two 4" fans blow into your hood will make a huge difference. Jason

07/30/2009, 09:35 AM	#7
reefamundo Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Dayton, OH Posts: 52	Thanks.

07/30/2009, 10:28 AM	#9
cmm1970 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 426	I am running twin 400's in a hood over a 120. Lumenbright reflectors 16" off water surface. 5 fans in the hood pushing cool air from living area into the hood and allowing hot air to dump out the back. My chiller runs quite frequently during my 5 hour photo period to keep the tank at 78 degrees. With so much horsepower in your hood, I think you are going to find that fans in the hood, and fans over the sump to help with evaporative cooling are the only things you can do to stabilize your tank temp and even then, I think you are going to need to have a chiller or move back to 250W lamps if you don't want the chiller expense.

07/30/2009, 11:27 AM	#10
reefamundo Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Dayton, OH Posts: 52	I have been thinking of moving down to 250's or to T5s just to reduce the heat output. What's folks opinion on running T-5s in a 120? I was looking at the 4x54watt variety with 2-10K and 2-Actinic. Thoughts?

07/30/2009, 09:24 PM	#11
k9gunner Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Dayton Ohio Posts: 325	I have a 180 with T-5 and it does ok.

07/31/2009, 03:43 PM	#13
reefamundo Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Dayton, OH Posts: 52	For now, I have 2 hammers, several different zoas, 2 ricordia, a green slimer, a montipora cap. I'd like to get a clam as well, and I'm sure a few others as these continue to grow.

08/04/2009, 05:21 PM	#15
reefamundo Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Dayton, OH Posts: 52	Nice photos. Where did you get those fan setups?

08/04/2009, 11:08 PM	#16
porterdog Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 140	Fans do work. I have two 400 hqi in my canopy on 90 with four fans. I attached where I got my fans from. A little expspensive, but easy to control and very little noise. http://www.frozencpu.com/products/84...CS.html?tl=g46 [IMG]http://i726.photobucket.com/albums

08/04/2009, 11:09 PM	#17
porterdog Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 140	Forgot the other pic

08/05/2009, 04:41 PM	#18
reefamundo Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Dayton, OH Posts: 52	This is a nice system. I take it that you have all four fans plugged into the same fan controller. I see these are variable speed fans. Is there some sort of thermister that is an input to the fan controller to adjust the fan speed? Is that part of the package or separate? Thanks -Jeff

08/06/2009, 12:29 AM	#19
teambutterfield Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: LA Posts: 592	how high did you guys hang the light?