Retrofitting an Eclipse 3 for more light! Hmmm. pointless???...

Newreeflady · #1 03/20/2002, 12:16 AM

I was looking, and the retro kits sold for the eclipse 3 are only 1x55w. What would be the point of replacing 2x20w with 1x55w, only 15 more watts!? Is that supposed to be in addition to the lighting that is already there? And, if so, how is it protected from the water like the others are with the plastic shield? Seeming kinda pointless, what are your thoughts??

Thanks!
Angela.

trial0r · #2 03/20/2002, 01:16 AM

first off your replacing 2x20 of NO lighting with 1X55 of pc lighting with a smartlamp i imagine. the tank will look sooooo much nicer with the addition of bright light + actinic.

or you can do what i did...and add 2 retro fits. i replaced the original, then added one to the middle area of the hood that you open to feed the fish. i have both running on a timer and everything looks awsome.

Newreeflady · #3 03/20/2002, 01:23 AM

Well, I just can't see spending the money to upgrade by 15w. I CAN see spending the money to put it in the center in ADDITION to the other bulbs. How did you do that, what did you use to cover/protect the light from the water? Does it come with something?/

Thanks !!
Angela.

DEUCE BIGALO · #4 03/20/2002, 02:52 AM

I bought the smartlight PC which was 55w. But they say that PC's are 3 times as powerful as normal flouesents. I also put another 20 watt light in for under $50. This gave me what would be normaly about 90 watts of normal lighting. I keep shrooms and softies and have a lot of koralline algae. Let me know if you want me to show you how to get that extra light in. Hagen sells a kit that is made for in-tank lighting. It comes with two waterproof endcaps. Then you go down and buy a clear flouresent light cover and slip it over the light. It makes it look like it came with the top. By the way the lights look really nice, clean and safe.

Trial: what kind of protection do you have on the PC on your hood. It's not just hanging there is it?

ltbt8 · #5 03/20/2002, 07:09 AM

I added a 55w PC to the center also. I kept the NO lights for a total of 95w. It's not covered but, the splash guard/reflector it comes with keeps it pretty dry. It does get some sprinkles. I just wipe with fresh water when I do my water changes. I do enjoy the color in the tank.

fortyounces · #6 03/20/2002, 08:28 AM

Angela,

I did a similar retrofit on an Eclipse2 hood on my 20 before I had a canopy custom made. It's not very difficult to take out the old NO bulbs and re-wire the PC's to fit in there. The most annoying part is that if you want to mount another light in the middle section, you are going to have to put a couple holes through the lid as you screw the new reflector into the lid.

If you think about it, the PC's are going to be brighter than the NO's. You would be getting more than 15 "true" watts by replacing with a PC bulb. Believe me, you can see the difference. I thought the same thing before I did it to mine (with just one 32w PC) and it made a huge difference.

Newreeflady · #7 03/20/2002, 06:44 PM

ltbt, that really sounds to me like the most logical plan. So, the smartlite kit is the one you bought? And it came with a shield/reflector? I just want to make sure I get the right kit, with cover, etc.

Jamie, yeah, I see what you're saying, but still cannot justify the cost with only 15watts add'l, 55w add'l definitely justifies the cost.

Thanks all!
Angela.

Newreeflady · #8 03/20/2002, 08:01 PM

^

logical · #9 03/20/2002, 08:16 PM

somebody correct me please if i'm way off from facts here

i read somewhere that a 55watt PC puts off about 10% more light than a 110watt VHO. Not sure, but that would be a VERY significant increase over the 40 watts NO you are running now.

TimBeR · #10 03/20/2002, 08:16 PM

I Ripped my eclipse 3 off my 29 gallon tank and built a canopy for 30 dollars then added 3 of the retrofit kits you are talking about picked them up from ffexpress for 53 dollars each

for a total of 165 watts

I did not see any spike in levels in the tank for removing the bio-wheel and I now have a CPR Bak-Pak 2R Protien Skimmer on the tank and all is doing great

Here is a pic of the tank tonight

ltbt8 · #11 03/20/2002, 08:44 PM

Hi newreeflady, the one I got is the smartlite. I also added two 1" fans and the temp stays at 76-78 degrees.
Good luck!!!

flyhigh123 · #12 03/21/2002, 12:07 AM

Has anyone here tried to put a 175w MH in an Eclipse 2? If i put alum around the light, it wont melt the top. hehe.... what u guys think? the heat will be another story... maybe i should just build a canopy....

ckrdkjr · #13 03/29/2002, 10:10 AM

if you want to increase the lighting get a 4 bulb f32t8 electronic ballast ($21.00 at electric supply house 29 at home depot) and wire the two 24" lights you have in a series. see diy icecap page two talks about wiring smaller tubes in a series.

http://www.reefcentral.net/vbulletin...threadid=48133

wire diagram i got from ReefDragon

Technobuyer · #14 03/29/2002, 11:03 AM

I once used an Eclipse 3 on a 45g tall. This particular tank had a plastic center brace. I got a hold of a Hamilton dual 75Watt VHO setup (24" long), took out the old lights and secured the whole contraption to the plastic. The bulbs did rest on the center brace, which I was never real fond of. They were also *real* close to the water. Not the safest operation, but it did work. In hindsight, it probably wasn't very smart, but I did get 150W of VHO out of it this way.

Just so I don't get sued...I don't advise anyone do this.

BTW, I think the Eclipse set ups deserve alot more respect than they get. I ran this 45g for well over a year like that, and it did great. And yes, NO3 was zero. I did have a brief algae outbreak, but that was cause I got totally lazy and was using tapwater for topoff. Went back to RO and the problem went away. JMO...

JD8 · #15 04/02/2002, 04:32 AM

Deuce, ltbt8, Trial........Do you just screw the retrofit into the plastic and thats it? Trial.....which retrokit did you use?

ltbt8 · #16 04/02/2002, 08:36 AM

Hi JD8, I just screwed it to the top with the shortest SS screws that would fit. I flipped the hood over as if you were looking at it from the bottom, put the reflector in place and marked the holes. I also made a few cuts to be able to hide the wires between the reflector and the lid.

Good luck!!!!