lighting question for canopy and metal halide

[charles6299]

i am curious as to what i should do for lights for a 125....i was looking at the new 72" outer orbit metal halide, PC, and lunar model.....its about 15"deep and 4.75" high..........the question i have is, my canopy is only 10" high................is this enough room for these lights and if i install fans, will it cool it down enogh ?
If you don't think these are good lights, then what would you suggest for this size tank ?

[coralfarmer84]

In my personal opinion I think the lights would run too hott with only a 10inch canopy
I have a small canopy like your but i have open tops on it so air can circulate properly. my lights suspend from the ceiling and they are about 8 inches off the water. I currently run 3 250 aquamedic HQI's on my 240 and in the summer its pushing 81 degrees with no chiller. Hope this helps you

[hookedonfish]

I think the 72 orbit runs 3-150 DE + PC's. Coralfarmer84 is correct the DE's put out quite a bit of heat and 10" is cutting it close unless you run a chiller. I run a Cooltouch enclosed fixture w/2-SE 250MH & 4 72" VHO's inside my 13" tall canopy with 3 fans. My temp will get up to 81 on a summer day.
Take a look at Cooltouch lighting (less expensive) or what about a retro kit.....I just built a canopy for a 120 with a retrofit kit (twin SE 250's and 2 VHO's) with 2-92mm fans and it's working well.

Your welcome to come take a look.
Paul

[STACKER]

Charles, is your canopy DIY? is so can you make a few simple mods and add a few inches to the heigth? This may give you a workable temp. option and test platform. After a week you'll know if it sucks. If it works well you can either rebuild from scratch or simply skin and trim the canopy with vaneer or 1/4 high grade plywood and be done.

I guess I'd tank 3-150 DE's and opt for 2 or 3 - 250 single end's, and atleast 2 - 72" VHO's. 4 VHO's would be better so you could mix .03's, 10K, and 12K (50/50 white) when MH are off.

I've seen 2 MH setups that are temp/link controlled too so they fire extra fans or simply shut down at an 80 deg. sump temp setting throughout the timing cycle. The 4 VHO's are controlled in pairs, and lunars are on after 1 hr. of lights out.

Also take into consideration what replacement lamps will cost as you'll need to change the MH every 6-8 months for good performance. That gets expensive.

[charles6299]

my canopy is not diy....let me try to understand this...DE metal halide run more hot than single ended MH ?
would a retro fit be thin enough ?

[charles6299]

o.k.....how about the coral life aqua pro....its along the same thing as the orbit, but it's only 2.75" tall....they also have the same unit in a retro fit.....does this sound worth the $$$$$...and what would i use as a reflector in the canopy ?

[STACKER]

They all run hot but the DEI's have a more concentrated arc (shorter and smaller dia.) which generates more heat especially proximal to the lamp. Most folks who install halides do so from 8 to 12" above the water surface or big PAR numbers bake corals. No matter how you cool the canopy heat and evap. will be a factor too. coralife makes quality PC fixtures but I don't know antone with coralife MH's so I can't advise you on them. Another option is to remove the canopy and suspend or pendant the fixtures.

[coralfarmer84]

Charles I too have a short canopy on mine with DE HQI's. If you are interested in taking a look your more than welcome to stop by. I only live 5 minutes from you. Just let me know.