Got Light?

[J. Montgomery]

Well, I'd been thinking about it for a while and this afternoon I finally installed my spare 250W MH light into my canopy. http://smiliesftw.com/x/e9ydfk.gif (http://smiliesftw.com)

So now I'm up to two 175W (Ushio 14k) on the left and right sides of the tank, and one 250W (XM 20k, I think) in the center, for a total of 600W of light over a 55! http://smiliesftw.com/x/yahoo_19.gif (http://smiliesftw.com)

Needless to say, heat is going to be a factor in seeing if this works out. I picked up two more 4" Radio Shack fans, bringing it up to four to help keep things cool.

[surfnvb7]

haha you had a *spare* 250w laying around? what type of ballast?

that is pretty crazy....make sure to program your ACJr to cut stuff off if it gets too hot.

btw...you still got my 175w XM20k?

[J. Montgomery]

Yeah, earlier this summer I traded a bunch of frags for a 250W setup (Sunlight Supply ballast). I was thinking of replacing the two 175s with 250s, but . . . I came up with this idea instead.

I have the AC Jr. programed to turn off the lights if the temp goes too high, though I need to redo all the programming to accommodate the new light :(

And yeah, I got 'yo XM 20k bulb. I used it for those side by side comparisons of the XM 20k and Ushio 14k that I posted in one of Charlie's threads.

[surfnvb7]

lets see a new FTS w/ the 250 and 2x175's!!! (even better would be a comparison of what the tank looks like with just the 2x175's, AND when the 250 is turned on)

[J. Montgomery]

I'll try to get those pictures tomorrow. Until then, enjoy this picture of pink zoas and anthelia:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t133/baronpsjosh/PinkZoas.jpg

[westcoastreef]

is there any shadow from your centerbrace?

[J. Montgomery]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11297240#post11297240 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by westcoastreef
is there any shadow from your centerbrace?
Yes. So far its not noticeable enough to stop me.

When all three bulbs are on, the shadow isn't as noticeable since light from the left and right bulbs spill into the center of the tank. The large pile of rocks in the center of the tank cast a large shadow already, so that diffuses the shadow from the centerbrace.

I'm still contemplating how I'm going to stagger the photoperiod between the refugium light, 2x175s, and 1x250. I had previously run the refugium light for 14hr, and the MH for 12hr. I'm thinking about starting out with the refugium for 14hr, the 250 for 12hr, and the 2x175 for 10hr.

[J. Montgomery]

2x175W (Ushio 14k) only:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t133/baronpsjosh/2x175.jpg

1x250W (XM 20k) only:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t133/baronpsjosh/1x250.jpg

2x175W & 1x250W combined:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t133/baronpsjosh/600W.jpg

* The pictures were taken using the AutoFocus mode, so the camera settings vary between photos. The colors in the pictures are not directly comparable, but should be enough to get the general idea of how the lights look with the different combinations.

[Hopeful Reefer]

Wouldn't it be nice if tank manufacturers would make the top and center bracing out of clear acrylic instead of black polystyrene...that would eliminate shadows from the stupid center brace...

Looks good by the way...guess your pics just give us all more reasons to upgrade to rimless tanks... :D

[surfnvb7]

wow, thats definitely blue in the 2nd pic

make sure your center brace doesn't melt if its directly below the light. ;)

also, are you running a DC4 or DC8? i'm surprised it can handle that many amps by all the MH lighting. any idea how many amps you are at compared to how many the fuse will handle?

[phurst]

Josh, that looks great. I can't even see the shadow with all 3 on. Now, will the 250 melt the center brace ;)

[J. Montgomery]

I've been periodically checking the center brace ever few hours. The bulb is 9-10" above the plastic.

I'm using the DC8. I'm not really worried about its ability to handle the power, but my circuit in the apartment. The living room, dining room, and hall are all one one circuit. The vacuum cleaner has been known to trip the fuse when too much stuff (lights, tv, etc...) is on.

That 20k bulb looks he!!a' cool in person. It really highlights the coral fluorescence.

[mr294]

Looks great Josh

[samdaman316]

Has anyone had the testicular foritude to remove the center brace?
Pictures look good. I like the blue of the 20k.

[surfnvb7]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11298945#post11298945 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by samdaman316
Has anyone had the testicular foritude to remove the center brace?
Pictures look good. I like the blue of the 20k.

i've seen people remove the center brace on AGA tanks, and replace it with a clear acrylic strip. still really scary to look at IMO.

[J. Montgomery]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11298945#post11298945 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by samdaman316
Has anyone had the testicular foritude to remove the center brace?
It's sense that prevents me from thinking about removing the center brace. ;) 4' feet of thin glass holding back all that weight.

[J. Montgomery]

I got the fans put together. Each one of these 4" fans is rated for 85 CFM. That would work out to 340 CFM total if they were all running full power. Using the variable power transformer, I'm running 'em at 9V instead of 12V to cut back on noise.
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t133/baronpsjosh/IMG_0996.jpg

I hope they do the trick b/c I've just about run out of space (and I have run out of outlets).
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t133/baronpsjosh/IMG_1000.jpg

[surfnvb7]

where did you buy that transformer again? i still need to swap out my 12V one as they are too noisy.

kinda odd though, b/c that 12V one was running some 3" fans and they were dead silent.

[J. Montgomery]

I got the power transformer at Wal-Mart. They carry it in the electronics section near the TV, DVD, video game accessories area. You just cut off the end and splice the wires to the fans. Mine is rated for 1300mA, and each fan is 320mA so it can just barely handle four.

[J. Montgomery]

Now that the new lights have been up and running for a few days I've been able to monitor the tank temperature. With these four fans, heat hasn't been a problem at all. As a matter of fact, the fans run less now than they used to when I only had two fans to cool the two 175W bulbs. :thumbsup:

I've been running the lights:
Refugium (36W PC) - 14hr
250W (20k) - 12hr
2 x 175W (14k) - 8hr

[mr294]

Center brace still looking good?

[J. Montgomery]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11326791#post11326791 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mr294
Center brace still looking good?
Yep, it looks like a center brace. I check it every once in a while to make sure its not heating up.

I think that a bigger concern than melting is continued exposure to the light will make the plastic brittle. But thats a long term issue.

So far so good!

[Hopeful Reefer]

Any way you can cover the center brace with something so that the cover gets brittle from exposure and not the center brace?

What does your tank temp sit at with the fans on/off?

[mr294]

Sounds good! Keep a close eye where the brace meets the trim at the front and back of the tank, as there is where the hairline cracks tend to pop up IME.

[J. Montgomery]

My "set" temperature is 79.0 F. If the temp goes above 79.2 then the fans come on. I don't think its made it above 81 since I changed the lighting scheme. If the temperature goes above 83 then the lights get turned off.

[J. Montgomery]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11327018#post11327018 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mr294
Keep a close eye where the brace meets the trim at the front and back of the tank, as there is where the hairline cracks tend to pop up IME.
Will do, thanks for the heads up.