I've completed assembly and testing of my first metal halide fixture
You've probably already seen the ballast box in my other post about wiring.
The "pendant" is a 16" x 10" x 10" plywood box, lined with aluminum flashing, containing a 6500k Iwasaki 250 watt bulb. The ballast is contained remotely in a separate box at the end of about 8 feet of cord.
There is a 3/4" air gap between the flashing and the wood.
A high velocity 80 mm fan draws air out the top of the pendant, which in turn draws cool air in the bottom, over the flashing
Although it currently 'appears' dimmer, I think that is because of the 'spill over' - the fish can tell it's brighter ... they are all hiding in the heavy plants ... my mollies have just now gotten used to their new sun, and have resumed surface skimming.
I think I will run it about 8 hrs a day for a week or so, and work my way back up to 12, about an hour a week, to prevent a algae bloom
I'll have to see how brightly it lights the room at night ... the spill-over might be too much for a living room ... in which case I'll either store this light for a newer / larger tank in my 'fish cove' or redesign the fixture to reduce spillover
You've probably already seen the ballast box in my other post about wiring.
The "pendant" is a 16" x 10" x 10" plywood box, lined with aluminum flashing, containing a 6500k Iwasaki 250 watt bulb. The ballast is contained remotely in a separate box at the end of about 8 feet of cord.
There is a 3/4" air gap between the flashing and the wood.
A high velocity 80 mm fan draws air out the top of the pendant, which in turn draws cool air in the bottom, over the flashing
Although it currently 'appears' dimmer, I think that is because of the 'spill over' - the fish can tell it's brighter ... they are all hiding in the heavy plants ... my mollies have just now gotten used to their new sun, and have resumed surface skimming.
I think I will run it about 8 hrs a day for a week or so, and work my way back up to 12, about an hour a week, to prevent a algae bloom
I'll have to see how brightly it lights the room at night ... the spill-over might be too much for a living room ... in which case I'll either store this light for a newer / larger tank in my 'fish cove' or redesign the fixture to reduce spillover
