Noob Lighting
- Thread starter freddy4130
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Now we are on the right track. The JBJ Viper is a very good fixture. The only problem with the two that you linked to may not power a 150/175/250 watt light. Now it may be possible that you could get the ballast, sockets, reflectors etc and mount that in the canopies that you linked to. I am not an electrician so you may want to discuss that with one.
here are a couple of ideas for you.
http://http//www.jtdiscountstore.com/servlet/the-396/CUR-SOLANA-34-GAL/Detail">http://http://www.jtdiscountstore.com/servlet/the-396/CUR-SOLANA-34-GAL/Detail</a>
[IMG]http://http//www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem%7Evendor%7EElos_USA%7ESearchStr%7Eeo7111%7Eaction%7Eview%7EidProduct%7EEO7111%7EidCategory%7EFIAQCKPO%7Etab%7E2.html">http://http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~vendor~Elos_USA~SearchStr~eo7111~action~view~idProduct~EO7111~idCategory~FIAQCKPO~tab~2.html</a>
http://http//www.jtdiscountstore.com/servlet/the-396/CUR-SOLANA-34-GAL/Detail">http://http://www.jtdiscountstore.com/servlet/the-396/CUR-SOLANA-34-GAL/Detail</a>
[IMG]http://http//www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem%7Evendor%7EElos_USA%7ESearchStr%7Eeo7111%7Eaction%7Eview%7EidProduct%7EEO7111%7EidCategory%7EFIAQCKPO%7Etab%7E2.html">http://http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~vendor~Elos_USA~SearchStr~eo7111~action~view~idProduct~EO7111~idCategory~FIAQCKPO~tab~2.html</a>
here are a couple of ideas for you. Very clean looking.
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem%7Evendor%7EElos_USA%7ESearchStr%7Eeo7111%7Eaction%7Eview%7EidProduct%7EEO7111%7EidCategory%7EFIAQCKPO%7Etab%7E2.html">http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~vendor~Elos_USA~SearchStr~eo7111~action~view~idProduct~EO7111~idCategory~FIAQCKPO~tab~2.html</a><u>
</u>[IMG]http://www.jtdiscountstore.com/servlet/the-396/CUR-SOLANA-34-GAL/Detail">http://www.jtdiscountstore.com/servlet/the-396/CUR-SOLANA-34-GAL/Detail</a>
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem%7Evendor%7EElos_USA%7ESearchStr%7Eeo7111%7Eaction%7Eview%7EidProduct%7EEO7111%7EidCategory%7EFIAQCKPO%7Etab%7E2.html">http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~vendor~Elos_USA~SearchStr~eo7111~action~view~idProduct~EO7111~idCategory~FIAQCKPO~tab~2.html</a><u>
</u>[IMG]http://www.jtdiscountstore.com/servlet/the-396/CUR-SOLANA-34-GAL/Detail">http://www.jtdiscountstore.com/servlet/the-396/CUR-SOLANA-34-GAL/Detail</a>
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Freddy... I might have missed it (I will admit, I did not read the whole thread) but what size tank are you looking at?
The two above links provided by Chefrepo are the ones that I would like to know what you think.
Here is another idea for you:
http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9345&d=1205342155" alt="" />
First off, with any of these styles, you are going to have to go open top. That is not a bad thing. It is a pretty popular style right now. There are a few minor down sides but some upsides too.
I am also not sure if anyone explained WHY your lights will not work. LED is such a new technology in the aquarium world. The output from them in that little bulb is just not going to be enough. Your are right, they have 5900 Kelvin but that is not going to be good for you. That is a very yellow color temp and as such, everything is just going to look yellow and pale. Imagine the color of pee and that is about what it will look like! ;) Now, you will have a good amount of growth of coral at that color temp (minus the fact that you could not put enough of those lights over a tank to GROW coral). You will also have a lot of algae growth at that color temp too. (Bad stuff there!) There is a reason that aquarium bulbs for saltwater as not sold at a Kelvin under 10,000K.
So tell me what you think of the above tank looks and we can go from there.
The two above links provided by Chefrepo are the ones that I would like to know what you think.
Here is another idea for you:
http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9345&d=1205342155" alt="" />
First off, with any of these styles, you are going to have to go open top. That is not a bad thing. It is a pretty popular style right now. There are a few minor down sides but some upsides too.
I am also not sure if anyone explained WHY your lights will not work. LED is such a new technology in the aquarium world. The output from them in that little bulb is just not going to be enough. Your are right, they have 5900 Kelvin but that is not going to be good for you. That is a very yellow color temp and as such, everything is just going to look yellow and pale. Imagine the color of pee and that is about what it will look like! ;) Now, you will have a good amount of growth of coral at that color temp (minus the fact that you could not put enough of those lights over a tank to GROW coral). You will also have a lot of algae growth at that color temp too. (Bad stuff there!) There is a reason that aquarium bulbs for saltwater as not sold at a Kelvin under 10,000K.
So tell me what you think of the above tank looks and we can go from there.
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The first one will work after all.
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=41">http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=41</a>
It would have to be rewired,need ballasts, and possibly some sort of reflector. Not sure if you can find actinic bulbs that would fit, but you never know.
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=41">http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=41</a>
It would have to be rewired,need ballasts, and possibly some sort of reflector. Not sure if you can find actinic bulbs that would fit, but you never know.
From what I have come to understand...
the closer you are to 6700K, the more growth you get from your coral/plants...but 6700K is also a pretty ugly yellow. That is why people go up in the 10, 12, 14, 20K range... things don't grow as quickly, but it looks much better
I would suggest going with a Metal Halide and just put it inside a fixture that is appealing to you.. you could also do a Solar Tube lighting...
http://www.solatube.com/homeowner/">http://www.solatube.com/homeowner/</a>
Solartube's are a great solution because you won't spend any money on the electricity bill and it looks pretty good too
the closer you are to 6700K, the more growth you get from your coral/plants...but 6700K is also a pretty ugly yellow. That is why people go up in the 10, 12, 14, 20K range... things don't grow as quickly, but it looks much better
I would suggest going with a Metal Halide and just put it inside a fixture that is appealing to you.. you could also do a Solar Tube lighting...
http://www.solatube.com/homeowner/">http://www.solatube.com/homeowner/</a>
Solartube's are a great solution because you won't spend any money on the electricity bill and it looks pretty good too
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I believe in the first post I said it would need to be rewired and there's a disclaimer all over that page about the uv shielding requirements. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It may look odd to you or I, but to him it may be beautiful. Remember he wanted to make the tank aesthetically pleasing to he and his wife and then work out what he could keep afterward. I'm just trying to give the man options instead of the barrage of "no, no, no" that he's been getting.
either of the fixtures could be reworked to use MH. the second being the easier of the 2. the first would require remote ballasts. the second could house the ballasts in the hood. Neither would be cost effective. the first made to work would be in the neighborhood of $1800 and the second around $2500. some of us don't have that much in our entire setup.. I know I don't.
Jason
Jason
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option 2 can be gutted and retrofitted inside with MH or T5's. But by the time you do that, why not just buy the nice prefab lighting?
http://www.sfiligoi.it/index.php?action=main&locale=en_US&l=&sid=5f20e7c10f1c7abf01be0d6e3aa6afd5&st=">Sfiligoi </a>makes increadible stuff.
[IMG]http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=28_111_112">Aquatinics </a>are really nice.
[IMG]http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=28_419_421">Aquaphoton </a>are really sleek looking.
[IMG]http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=28_504">ATI </a>has some sweet fixtures that'll look very cool too.
The list goes on and on. One thing is for certain though; the crappy bulbs are not going to cut it and you'll waste a lot of time and money trying to get it to work.
http://www.sfiligoi.it/index.php?action=main&locale=en_US&l=&sid=5f20e7c10f1c7abf01be0d6e3aa6afd5&st=">Sfiligoi </a>makes increadible stuff.
[IMG]http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=28_111_112">Aquatinics </a>are really nice.
[IMG]http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=28_419_421">Aquaphoton </a>are really sleek looking.
[IMG]http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=28_504">ATI </a>has some sweet fixtures that'll look very cool too.
The list goes on and on. One thing is for certain though; the crappy bulbs are not going to cut it and you'll waste a lot of time and money trying to get it to work.
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Word. Thanks again guys. I will just have to figure out how to get those lights into something less modern looking I guess. I mean, those are all cool as heck and I like them a lot. The problem is that our house is not designed like that. It is all crown molding and foofoo conservative junk. You know, vaulted ceilings and wood floors and huge spaces. Nothing is brushed aluminum or sleek black. It is all Earth tones and boring to me, but the wife is from CA and just LOVES the pseudo country look we get here in the South.
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Well then I think a country style stand and canopy are the way to go..
You could do a pendant/hood like this:
alt="" />
or this:
alt="" />
Gut it to work and make a wood "skin" to go over it. The skin could be bead board and chair molding to give it that county look.
You could do a pendant/hood like this:
or this:
Gut it to work and make a wood "skin" to go over it. The skin could be bead board and chair molding to give it that county look.
Agree with Brandon. IMO you could make any type of skin to go with the surroundings of the tank. I have seen alot of different types from wood to acrylic to metal and so on. Remember though whatever type of "skin" you go with the lighting is the important part and it will all depend on how far you want to go into this hobby. Good luck and keep us informed as to what your plans are. DIY projects are always fun to follow. And if you havent noticed we all love to throw in our 2 cents 
.
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Cool guys. I will look into re-skinning a prefab fixture. Just for the sake of asking. Are there any other commercial or residential applications for MH lighting?
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I was at home Depot yesterday. They sell some kind of GE lights that have "saltwater aguarium" crap written all over them. The guy told me that "aquarium people" come in all the time and buy the heck out of them saying that the aquarium shops charge an arm and a leg for it. Any idea what that light is all about? It was a flourescent for sure, but it did not have much info other than the wattage. I think it was like 20 something watts on an 18" bulb.
They also have a 100 watt metal halide light that is in the light area with the rest of the flood lamps and ballasts and stuff. It looks all industrial and stuff. But it is only $84.99. What is up with that thing?
They also have a 100 watt metal halide light that is in the light area with the rest of the flood lamps and ballasts and stuff. It looks all industrial and stuff. But it is only $84.99. What is up with that thing?
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Ya, they are "normal Output" bulbs... Even though they show a yellow tang on the sign at HD, they are really not good for saltwater. FW people buy them though.
The 100W halide is most likey for industrial use, like flood lamps of work lights. The thing here is they are about 4400K - 5900K. Really not the K rating that you want for an Aquarium. (Unless all you want to grow is algae!)
Believe me, we all are VERY cheap (me more so then most) If there was an aquarium use for any of that stuff, we would be using it!
The 100W halide is most likey for industrial use, like flood lamps of work lights. The thing here is they are about 4400K - 5900K. Really not the K rating that you want for an Aquarium. (Unless all you want to grow is algae!)
Believe me, we all are VERY cheap (me more so then most) If there was an aquarium use for any of that stuff, we would be using it!
