Mounting T5's questions

[mrkerr]

I am setting up a reef; the tank is an oceanic (36"x18"25" high) which is a fairly tall tank but you have to work with what you have. I want to do T5 lighting..right now based on what I've read (man, setting up a tank would be an expensive exercise in trial and error if not for forums and the rest of the 'net) I've decided on going with this tek lights which are over driven:

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/Sunlight_Supply/Tek_2_Retrofit_Kits/36_inch__4x39W_Tek_2_T5_Very_High-Output_Retrofit_Kit_w%21_Bulbs_by_Sunlight_Supply">http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/Sunlight_Supply/Tek_2_Retrofit_Kits/36_inch__4x39W_Tek_2_T5_Very_High-Output_Retrofit_Kit_w!_Bulbs_by_Sunlight_Supply</a>

My setup has the standard hinged glass top and a nice wood hood. Off the shelf light fixtures are slightly too long to fit in the hood (retrofits are about an inch and a half shorter) and then i have the problem of having them sitting on the glass, in the way for feeding and such. So I pretty much have to go retro-fit.

First question is, how to mount the lights? The hood is basically a squat rectangular box with the back and bottom open. The top is hinged with a piano hinge. Do i mount the lights to the inside left and right sides of the box such that the lights are undisturbed when i open the lid (which would take a bit of engineering...plus they would be in the way when i need to get into the tank)? Or do i mount them to the inside of the lid such that they move with the lid and out of the way when i open it? That would get them out of the way when i feed and such but is it bad for the bulbs to be moved when they are hot? Or is there another option?

Second question is how do I locate the fixtures front to back? The overall group of lights will be about 12" deep which would cover 2/3 of the tank front to back. Do i mount them over the back two thirds of the tank, leaving the front third open? Or do i center it over the tank with such that the lighting is more evenly distributed?

I'll need fans...how many would be appropriate to start out with? And how do i position them? The hood is open in the back...do i put a group in the front of the hood blowing back over the bulbs towards the rear opening in the hood? Or do I mount them on the sides of the tank blowing across the bulbs left to right?

Next question is, what is the opinion on what I CAN'T keep with this light set up? Certain light loving corals, clams maybe? and if i was to upgrade to another double fixture in the future, would that allow me to keep almost anything as far as lighting requirements go?

And finally, can you give me some recommendations on what 4 bulbs to select? I realize that asking reef guys what bulbs they like is akin to asking "which one of those cheerleaders do you think is the hottest?" but i figure it would steer me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[mrkerr]

thanks for the info...don't no why the link isn't working. It's the tek retro's with the overdriven ballasts...so for 4 bulbs its approx 240 W of light

i'll go with the fans as suggested, thanks.

But what about how to mount them...is it ok to mount them to the hinged lid and have the fixtures move everytime i open the canopy or is moving hot bulbs bad for them?

Also, what 4 bulbs should i pick? What mixture of acitinics, daylights, etc.? Favorite brand?

 

[weaglereefer]

For the cooling, different bulbs perform better with different parts of the bulb being cooled, so I wouldn't even worry about that as it'd be quite a hassle.

If I read right, you're wanting to run a fixture inside a canopy? If so, most fixtures have fans at the end, and this will mean poor air flow reducing bulb life. Also, when I had a T5 fixture and ran open top, the ends of the fixture were even with the edge of the rim of the tank. I now have a hood and there's no way that fixture would have fit inside since the hood sits on the tank's rim. Retros might be the way to go if you have to have a canopy.

 

[mrkerr]

I guess with the dead link, i was misleading...i'm not planning on a fixture in a hood but mounting the tek retro kits with the overdriven ballasts...a fixture won't fit under my hood (too wide) but the retro's are narrow enough to fit.

sorry about the confusion

 

[weaglereefer]

How tall is your canopy? I would hesitate to put the bulbs directly on the glass and would instead mount them on the top of the canopy, or build some contraption to allow them to hang lower but level. Then remove the glass completely as it will steal some of your light (and if you're only running 4 bulbs, you'll want all the light you can get).

 

[rbredding]

au01st;446816 wrote: If I read right, you're wanting to run a fixture inside a canopy? If so, most fixtures have fans at the end, and this will mean poor air flow reducing bulb life. Also, when I had a T5 fixture and ran open top, the ends of the fixture were even with the edge of the rim of the tank. I now have a hood and there's no way that fixture would have fit inside since the hood sits on the tank's rim. Retros might be the way to go if you have to have a canopy.

I'm in the process of building a canopy for my 30L and the lighting i'm using is a NOVA EXTREME 36" fixture. The fixture is about 1/4" longer than the "out to out" of the top tank frame, so what I'm going to do is to cut the ends of the canopy in the sectional shape of the fixture and basically allow the canopy sides to support the fixture (thus exposing the switches and fan on the left side and the open louvers on the right side..) I think it will work fine, if you've got the same issue, this could work for you too..

 

[mrkerr]

au01st, i'd estimate that the canopy is about 8" high...and yeah, i agree...i wouldn't want them touching the glass (not good to put weight on the bulbs). i could mount them directly to the lid of the canopy (which would be easiest) and then when i open the top to access the tank, they would be out of the way. i just didn't know if this was bad to move hot bulbs like that. otherwise, i would have to put some blocks on the inside left and right edges of the canopy and mount to that, they would be suspended above the glass that way as well.

bratliff, thanks for the bulb recommendations.

so you guys think even with over driven bulbs (be about 240 W) that i'm still light-anemic?

tek's are still the reflectors of choice, right?

 

[weaglereefer]

About moving hot bulbs, I used to slide my fixture back and forth all the time for maintenance when I had T5's, and I know a few people with much larger setups with bulbs mounted to the lid that had no problem just lifting the lid with the lights on, so I wouldn't worry about that. If there were a way to lower the bulbs an inch or two, I think it would be better, and while you may be able to keep light loving stuff on the top of the tank, 6 bulbs is better than 4 for a few reasons. You have more options for bulb combos, and whereas you would only run one daylight bulb in a 4 bulb setup, you could run a daylight bulb and a 12k bulb with actinics in a 6 bulb setup.

I liked my ATI bulbs when I had T5's, and they put out good par.

I would recommend 3 Blue+'s, 1 Aquasun, 1 Aquablue Special, and one KZ Fiji Purple. However, good lighting is in the eye of the beholder (and corals) and this may be too blue, too purple, too white, etc for you and it will require some experimentation to get something you like.

 

[mufret]

First thing to do is lose the glass tops. They will reduce PAR and you will have heat and O2 exchange issues. No problem moving hot T5's so mounting on the hinged part of your canopy is fine. 4 overdriven bulbs will allow you to keep anything you like in the area well lit by those bulbs (will depend on how they are mounted). I would suggest centering these four overdriven bulbs in the middle of the canopy. This way your not lighting the front of the tank, which in many instances is left open, or the the back of the tank so your not lighting your overflow. This will also allow you the flexibility of adding a couple of additional bulbs in the future without having to redo everything.

 

[mrkerr]

cool (no pun intended)..sounds like mounting them to the lid is a good solution...and now i've got some good recommendations on bulbs to chew on.

as far as ditching the glass top...what do i use for a lid to keep the critters in that case, eggcrate? or does that diffuse the light also?

btw, is there a good local source for the tek retros? i live in huntsville (where the options on hardware and livestock is nill) but could drive over if need be. i don't mind ordering online but i like supporting the hobby by buying local (or equivalent) when possible.

 

[weaglereefer]

Your canopy should keep the critters in, do not use eggcrate. If you have to have something, a member here, Acroholic, sells 1/4" clear mesh that you can put over the top using a screen door frame. It's been under 400w halides and reports are that it holds up just fine and gives no shadows.

 

[mrkerr]

what about keeping water from splashing on the lights?

 

[weaglereefer]

It happens. Your water shouldn't be that turbulent that it's splashing constantly. Get waterproof endcaps and wipe down the reflectors every other month or so.

 

[mrkerr]

sounds do-able, thanks

 

[mufret]

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[weaglereefer]

ares;446891 wrote: I would put a screen on the tank, for the fish, not for the lights. acro's mesh is a great option. with an open back, the fish can escape, and even if not, hoping out into the lip or overflow isnt optimal either.

Yup, a black plastic clipboard cut to fit can cover the overflow :thumbs: