Live in Riner and want to know how to make your own hood

[HiddenClown]

I just want to make my own hood that will have 2-4 96 watt pc lights in it. What do i need to be able to do this and how do i do it?

[manderx]

you can get the lighting components from a place like www.hellolights.com in their DIY section. then you just need to figure out what kind of hood you want. the easiest is probably just a wooden box that you can tack together from plywood and lay across the tank. or you could suspend it so you can raise and lower it, or build in an access door to make it easier to feed/re-arrange things. depending on how many watts you have in there, you might need a computer fan. you can pick up a computer fan for 10 bucks at any computer store, and use an old wall charger from something (cell phone,...) that is around 9-14 volts to drive it.

do a search here in the DIY forum and also the photo gallery http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=582&thumb=1
to get some ideas.

any specific reason you picked PC? if i was building a non-MH light it would probably be t-5 with vho as a close second. i can't stand the prices on PC bulbs, and the bulb shape wastes alot of light from reflected light hitting the bulb.

[HiddenClown]

i picked pc because i don't know where to get t-5 or vho lighting. I'm guessing somewhere like Lowie's(tell me if i'm wrong) and what are t-5's?

[manderx]

lowes probably won't have anything you'd be interested in, you'll have to mail order it to get anything worth using. LFSs can't afford to stock anything nice without putting such a high price on them they aren't affordable.

here's my short list for ordering lighting:
www.premiumaquatics.com
www.reefgeek.com
www.hellolights.com


t-5 is just another kind of flourescent tube. it's straight like a VHO (not bent like a PC) but is *much* thinner and draws less power. they are kinda-sorta-maybe as bright as VHO when you use a good reflector. but the real benefit is the tube life. they *say* that they use a new method of starting the tubes that is easier on the bulbs than older methods (programmed start vs rapid or instant start), which is where most of the wear and tear occurs that burns out bulbs. if you believe what they say, you can get 18-24 months out of a $25 t-5 tube rather than 6 months for a $20 VHO and 8 months for $30-$40 PC. because they are so thin, you can also squeeze more of them in a hood. the only problem is they cost a bit more upfront. when i got mine, it was $180 or so shipped for 2 36" bulbs, reflectors, sockets and ballast from reefgeek.

i would hold off for a little and check out some tanks to see what everyone else is lighting with. if you're ever in bburg, you can swing by my place in the evenings. i have several 250w DE MH bulbs and T-5's on my tanks.

i guess i should have asked this first- what's your budget?

[HiddenClown]

Well i'm a Junior out here at Auburn High and i'm only working 1 day a week because of school but i just looked on Hellolights.com for a VHO light and i found on ethat i think i might get, if you say its good enough for my 30 galleon. Its a retrofitted lighting system thats 36" 4 lamp VHO Retrofit Kit (w/ Aro model 4L ballast) Its 165$ without the bulbs i think and i'd like for you to look at it if you have time. I'll put a link to it here in a min.

I want to keep my RBTA and some corals if that helps you decide on if its a good light for me or not.

[HiddenClown]

here's the link for ya!

http://www.hellolights.com/4lamvhoretki1.html

[mbort]

You are a junior at Auburn? You might have been in one of my wife's classes.

Anyhow, a DIY hood is easy, and I would strongly recommend halides, as you will want them at some point. Come out to the next reef club meeting and you will understand why we so strongly recommend halides, and you can get some ideas on basic DIY hood design (most of us have some sort of DIY hood, or have made them at some point). If you are already into the reef aspect of a tank, you may as well save money in the long run and get metal halides, because you will eventually probably want some more light demanding corals in your tank.

[manderx]

for a 30, i think 4 VHO tubes would be as good or better than MH. i'd much rather have 4 VHO tubes than 1 MH over it. 2 MH would be good, but then you're opening yourself to heat issues and too much light for some things. one of the best tanks i've ever seen was a ~30 with 4 VHOs on it. as long as you stay on top of replacing bulbs every 6-8 months ($$$) then you should be able to keep just about anything in there. VHOs will fill in the shadows on coral branches, illuminating more surface area for photosynthesis, offsetting the (slightly) lower intensity (IMO). the only thing that might not get enough light (but probably will) is certain clams. it is 380 watts after all.

if i had spare money/space, i would most certainly setup another tank (probably 40BR) running VHOs.

[mbort]

I disagree with manderx. One 400 watt SE MH, placed properly with the right reflector and ballast, will provide signficantly more intensity than the VHOs (380 watts). Remember, watts does not necessarily equal intensity. The advantage to the VHOs is the ability to balance the light spectrum with different bulb spectra.

I've had 4 VHOs over a 55 before, and I was not able to keep acros or clams well, even placed at the very top of the tank. It was not even enough light for a derasa placed midway up the tank. With a 250 watt MH with good reflector, I was able to keep anything under it. However, this was enough light for all my LPS, some montis, and any polyps/softies/etc.

[manderx]

from what i've seen, you should be able to keep a derasa or squamosa under 2 vho tubes. are you *sure* it died from not enough light? :)

watt for watt, flourescent puts out more light than MH, it's just you can pack more watts in a smaller area that gives MH the intensity advantage. plus MH puts out more of a beam of light than a light field, so it penetrates better on tall tanks.

a 30 is a bit shorter than a 55 so it will be significantly brighter in his tank than it was on yours. though back in the day before MH was popular, the most common reef tank was a 75 w/4 VHOs and people were keeping everything under it. you just *have* to stay on top of replacing bulbs every 6-8 months, whereas with MH you can strech it to 2+ years before you absolutely *have* to replace the bulbs.

the only way i'd consider MH on his tank was if he knew he was going to upgrade to a bigger tank within 2-3 years.


wait a sec- i get it. you're just trying to find someone to buy your chiller! :rollface:

/all this talk makes me want to setup a vho tank...

[mbort]

All right smart guy. What, are you working for URI now (?) :rollface:

As far as the tank depth .. as I had said, I had the derasa less than 10" from the water surface. A 30 is either 16 or 18" deep (can't remember which). And as soon as I added a halide, I bought another clam which I still have (the crocea) that I kept on the tank bottom.

I actually disagree about the watt for watt light output. With a fluorescent, even with internal reflectors, a great deal of light intensity is lost. Not the case with a good reflector on a halide. You get both output and intensity. And VHOs absolutely need replaced on a regular basis.

I do agree that halides may not be the best choice if he has no plans of upgrading in the future. But if there is even a slight inkling of this, I would go with halides.

Oh yeah, I have a chiller for sale. Anyone need one?:rolleyes:

[mbort]

if you do set up a VHO tank, I have about 6 or 8 bulbs with different spectra, most of which were only used for 2-3 months, but some of which I don't know the age on.