i have a 55 gal tank with no canopy. i want to do mh but i can't hang light from the ceiling (they will have to sit on tank) but i am concerned about temp issues. i don't want to run a chiller either. does anyone run mh on their tank (not hanging from ceiling or in a canopy) and not have any temp issues. the light i am looking at is dual 175 watt mh with dual 110 watt vho actinics. i would have a fan blowing across the top of the tank to help get rid of some of the heat.
mh and heat....
- Thread starter dmjordan
- Start date
to do this, you would need a frame to mount the lights, as your going to need the MH lamps about 7 -8 inches above the water level...any closer and your going to be asking for a rediculous ammount of evap...
Niko
Niko
I agree...you're going to want to raise them off the tank. I have my bulbs 13" from the water surface.
Expanding on the question above:
I recently decided to give halides a shot, and got such a good deal on a ballast that I'm going to build a hood.
But...I have some questions.
I'm planing on making the thing out of wood. I have some pine left over from my entertainment stand project that I think will work quite nicely...so I'm going to use that.
I'm going to use a 175 single ended setup with a 14k bulb, and probably some form of parabolic reflector. I like the idea of a small pendant hanging from the ceiling, but i'm worried about it spilling light into the room...my wife would be upset, and there's no need for that.
So, say I make the traditional tilt on the back side, walls and a lid.
I'm thinking of putting the bulb 6ish inches from the water.., but not sure if that'd be optimal. I want to keep the heat away from the water, but it does need to penetrate to the bottom.
I plan on mounting the reflector to the inside of the lid, probably about in the middle, with the socket in the back (reflector spread out sideways, rather than socket sideways).
I plan on hinging the lid, but have to figure out the best way with stuff hanging on the back of the tank.
For a vapor shield (which I assume I need over an open tank), probably a sheet of acrylic/plexi from home depot...not sure if this is the best, or how far away from the bulb to put it.
Somehow rig a few fans (or would cooling slots be enough?)
Any advice about heat control, distances between materials, etc would be greatly appreciated.
Definitely in the drafting stage.
Thanks!
damon
I recently decided to give halides a shot, and got such a good deal on a ballast that I'm going to build a hood.
But...I have some questions.
I'm planing on making the thing out of wood. I have some pine left over from my entertainment stand project that I think will work quite nicely...so I'm going to use that.
I'm going to use a 175 single ended setup with a 14k bulb, and probably some form of parabolic reflector. I like the idea of a small pendant hanging from the ceiling, but i'm worried about it spilling light into the room...my wife would be upset, and there's no need for that.
So, say I make the traditional tilt on the back side, walls and a lid.
I'm thinking of putting the bulb 6ish inches from the water.., but not sure if that'd be optimal. I want to keep the heat away from the water, but it does need to penetrate to the bottom.
I plan on mounting the reflector to the inside of the lid, probably about in the middle, with the socket in the back (reflector spread out sideways, rather than socket sideways).
I plan on hinging the lid, but have to figure out the best way with stuff hanging on the back of the tank.
For a vapor shield (which I assume I need over an open tank), probably a sheet of acrylic/plexi from home depot...not sure if this is the best, or how far away from the bulb to put it.
Somehow rig a few fans (or would cooling slots be enough?)
Any advice about heat control, distances between materials, etc would be greatly appreciated.
Definitely in the drafting stage.
Thanks!
damon
temp control with fans is sufficient but that does cause quicker water evaporation
and fixture setups are usually designed to sit about 6-10 inches above the water depending on leg styles
pine is a pretty good heat absorber as long as you have a barrier between the bulb and the wood (reflector/ heat shield)
6 inches is the closes you want to get to the water... most Mh users put it back as far as they can while still penetrating the bottom. that way the light will have a bigger shine diameter
installing the socket and reflector is easy because they arent that heavy, but security from falling is obvious
plexi/acrylic will warp over time under the heat and possibly even burn
i recommend glass as your splash guard but as thin as possible to minimize and filtering of the light (the regular glass tops will filter a lot of the uvs out )
vent slots will give you next to none in heat removal because there is no draft to carry it away. fans are always the best and cheapest (computer fans) and you can hook them up as a blow in and draw out on each side to provide a constant draft
glass can be close to the MH bulb and the bulb should be at least 6 inches away from the water
wood mounting is ok as long as you have a barrier between the bulb itself and the wood
and fixture setups are usually designed to sit about 6-10 inches above the water depending on leg styles
pine is a pretty good heat absorber as long as you have a barrier between the bulb and the wood (reflector/ heat shield)
6 inches is the closes you want to get to the water... most Mh users put it back as far as they can while still penetrating the bottom. that way the light will have a bigger shine diameter
installing the socket and reflector is easy because they arent that heavy, but security from falling is obvious
plexi/acrylic will warp over time under the heat and possibly even burn
i recommend glass as your splash guard but as thin as possible to minimize and filtering of the light (the regular glass tops will filter a lot of the uvs out )
vent slots will give you next to none in heat removal because there is no draft to carry it away. fans are always the best and cheapest (computer fans) and you can hook them up as a blow in and draw out on each side to provide a constant draft
glass can be close to the MH bulb and the bulb should be at least 6 inches away from the water
wood mounting is ok as long as you have a barrier between the bulb itself and the wood
