Setting up Lights

[gbolton]

Ok I have some specific questions on how to go about setting up my new lights.

First the tank is 36WX22DX32H. I have two fixtures that use to hang above a tank at a store. They are 400 watt Metal Halide systems with 2X32 watt PC Actinics.

I can build just about anything but need to know how far from the water these fixtures should be? They do have glass lenses. I am not keen on hanging them from the ceiling in my living room and would like to build some sort of canopy to hold them.

So I guess the main questions are

How far from the water should they be?

Am I going to have to have a chiller?

Thanks for you help in advance.

[OrionGirl]

If they will be enclosed, you may want to install some fans to pull the air out of the canopy--this will help reduce the heat issue. I think that most MH run about 10 inches away from the surface? Let me see what I can find...

[gbolton]

The fixtures have built in lights. I had thought of placing my two other fans on the canopy also going across the top of the water under the light fixtures. This would increas evap but should keep pretty cool.

[OrionGirl]

Yep, it seems 8-12 inches is the usual recommendation.

[Dale W.]

I am guessing that these lights are pendants, correct? Does that mean you want to take them apart and relocate them? Which way are the bulbs facing in the existing fixtures? Some bulbs are meant to only face either vertical or horizontal so that is something to concider as well. What type of bulbs are these? If they are HQI, then you need to retain the glass for UV protection.

OG, I do agree that pulling the air out of the hood is a little better, however it shortens the life of the fan conciderably due to salt erosion.

Lets start out with what type of fixtures we are dealing with here and go from there.

[gbolton]

They are sort of pendants they are hangable hoods that hold the bulb horizontally and have two horizontal Power Compacts. These are the old Custom Sealife fixtures. Not really old just he company is gone now. Any ways the bulbs that I will be using in the fixtures are 400 watt 20K XM bulbs.

I will get pictures of the the fixtures this weekend when I borrow a co workers digital camera.

The fixtures do have fans in then that pull air from the hood fixture now. I also have two other fans from a previous setup 115 CFM that I can build into the setup.

I can take the sytem apart if needed but I was hoping to somehow just incorporate them into some canopy.

Does this make sense at all? pictures will probably help.

[OrionGirl]

Yeah, I guess it probably would. I've never had my fans go bad, but I only need them for a few weeks each summer--they're off the rest of the year. Guess I'll have to consider that as the new canopy is built--the fans are going to be needed more with the MH.

I think I know which ones you're talking about--they are about 7 inches tall, right? I looked at those, and if I'd bought them, I would have set them on top of the canopy with a hole cut out--I'd planned on lining the diameter of the hole with tile to deal with any heat issues. The canopy is about 8 inches tall (or will be;) ), so the lights would have been about 9-10 inches away from the surface.

[gbolton]

Yeah the fixtures are about 7 inches. That is kinda what I was thinking just builing the canopy then mounting them on top of the canopy. Then also let the two other fans I hae move air through the canopy.

Down here in Texas I will use the fans quite often :-)

[Dale W.]

What OG said was exactly my thoughts to about mounting the fixtures on top of the canopy. You could go as far as building a false top to cover them. In other words, build the sides of the canopy about 14" high with the actual top at about 7" or so. The sides would then cover the fixtures. How old or how long have the bulbs been in use?

At 22" front to back, do you have enough room to mount the lights front to back instead of end to end and would this give you more coverage? Thats kind of an odd shape tank that you are working with but I like it.

On a side note, I uh, like the measurements :D owwee

Now, I get 109 gallons out this which for fun sake translates to about 7-1/4 watts of MH and and 1.16 watts of PC per gallon. Thats just about right by my books.

[gbolton]

The Metal Halide bulbs are brand new. The Actinics probably 4-5 months and I can change those in a month if needed.

When you say from to back do you mean so the bulb is parralel with the sides of the tank?

I will have pictures this weekend. Finally got the camera from my coworker at work today.

[mogurnda]

On a side note, I uh, like the measurements :rolleyes:

[gbolton]

Ok first time to try this but here it goes

http://www.aquaticphotos.com/data/media/20/IMGP0242.JPG


http://www.aquaticphotos.com/data/media/20/IMGP0243.JPG

As you can see my Wife decided hanging them was what she wanted to do. As I do not have much say in decorating the living room I did as told :D

Are there any problems you can see with this set up.

[gbolton]

Can someone let me know if those pics can be seen by anyone else?

[BrianH]

Looks fine to me. Can you get a pic with the halides on or is the tank too bright :)

Brian

[gbolton]

Im sure I could when I tried with my freinds digital it whited the tank out. I will have to borrow from him again and see if he knows how to use it to get a pic of the tank with the ligths on.

[mogurnda]

Nice setup! You might be able to avoid whiteout by zooming in on the tank. Or using the spot metering setting if it's easy to find.

[gbolton]

Just blew by me :) my knowledge of cameras is very limited but my wife has done photgraphy so I will have to get her out with her good cameras and equipment then I will just bring the film to Wolf Camera and have them put it on a CD.
That way I dont have to learn how to use another device for more than just my point and shoot uses.

[mogurnda]

That's what you say now :D I spent 15 years shooting with an SLR, and was not bad at it. Lots of lenses, manual exposure, blah blah blah. With the digital camera, I was taking better pictures than ever just by pointing and shooting on automatic.

[BrianH]

I was joking about the brightness of the tank but I guess it really is a problem for pics. What do you plan on putting in the tank? That really is an awful lot of light for that tank. I don't think you can ever have too much light but you have about as much as I've ever seen.

Brian

[gbolton]

Well I have been in contact with a marine researcher in Australia and I intend to build the tank around a single carpet anenome.

Before I get flamed, yes I know what I am getting myself into and have a sound reason for wanting to do this. If you want more details I can discuss in PM

[mogurnda]

No interest in flaming you here. I think the flames often come when people buy them who have no idea of their requirements.

When it all comes together, I'd appreciate a post on what you learn, both from your friend and from your experience.

[gbolton]

I just notice that sometimes people get on a bandwagon before they actually have a reason too.

I will be glad to keep you all updated. I plan on starting a thread soon updating progress as it goes. The intention here is to learn the proper way to keep one of these animals and to document it in such a way that other aquarist will be able to do the same. The one thing I have already learned though is this is going to be a cheap project by any means.

[mogurnda]

I just notice that sometimes people get on a bandwagon before they actually have a reason too. I feel torn about this.
On the one hand, when a noob with a freshly cycled tank gets a carpet for their clowns, I feel like I have to try to discourage it. I try not to be too haughty about it, given the dumb-a@@ things I have done in my life, and I also don't want to chase them away from the site. But I am willing to bet that those anemones will be dead within months.
On the other hand, there are increasing numbers of people who are succeeeding, and, for a few species, propagating them. So I am less willing to blindly accept Daphne Fautin's often-quoted, 10-year-old diatribe against keeping carpet anemones. Given how much effort has gone into planning, I am assuming you will be one of the successful ones.
At some point, I would love to set up a tank with a huge Stichodactyla as a centerpiece. Then I will certainly want to know all the specifics about lighting and nutrition.

[gbolton]

I completely understand what your saying. Its why I think more probing questions are in order when someone say they are getting an anenome. Sometimes the best way to convince someone that they shouldn't do somthing is to let the convince themselves, I know this doesn't always work. Most rationale people though are more open to suggestions if they are asked questions that make them do some research that proves they shouldn't try keeping an anenome in the condidtions they have. Its when someone posts they want an anenome and another seasoned person, not saying you, but someone just replies with a carte blac you don't need and anenome or your just going to kill it. Immediatly you have placed someone on the defensive and you will have to work twice as hard to prove a point to them if you even can.

[BrianH]

I think the problem is that some newbies state that they want to keep difficult creatures at the very beginnig and they either ignore or disregard the research necessary to keep said animal alive and thriving. You have to also rememebr that many of these newbies try to keep such critters on a limited budget, usually they try to spend less than you did on your lights alone. I'm not saying that you have to spend all kinds of money in this hobby but if you want to keep specialized creatures, chances are that their requirements are going to demand more specialized equipment. I'm an example of someone who has gone against the traditional advice of keeping mandarins. I have had a mandarin in my 50 gal reef for about 15 months now. I do not have a refugium but I do have around 70lbs of LR. and I made sure that I did not add any critters that would compete with the mandarin for pods. So you can see that I am one who has debunked one of the popular myths out there. I do not openly advertise this because I do believe that many newbies are not equipped to handle specialized animals in the beginning. For instance, I made sure that I had tons of pods in my tank and I waited until it was about 9 months old before adding the mandarin. I think that you should have some experience before trying to keep some of these animals.
JMHO
Brian

[mogurnda]

I'm just wondering whether there should be some new acronyms, like KDTTAH (kids, don't try this at home), DAISNAID (do as I say, not as I do).

[gbolton]

possibly. but like all other aspects of keeping any animal. As much research and groundwork as possible should be done prior to just going and getting an animal. I guess its just easier as people go into a LFS and just see these animals in tanks and think hey I have a tank I can put that in.

[mogurnda]

So much for my attempt at levity :D

[gbolton]

Sorry bad day :D