New Canopy Plans & Lighting - Pictures - Page 2 - Finish

[noteworthy]

Hello.

I wanted to show you a picture of my canopy plans and explain my lighting ideas. I can't do [acronym:b531f3b628="Metal halide light"]MH[/acronym:b531f3b628] because of budget but I think my plan should be successful.



http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=11/33016112422.jpg&s=x12


I plan to get a 220w [acronym:b531f3b628="Very high output fluorescent"]VHO[/acronym:b531f3b628] ballast and run two 110 lamps with reflector, moisture resistant caps, and [acronym:b531f3b628="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:b531f3b628] moonlights from the forums.

I will not be able to set the actinic and 10,000 bulbs on seperately.. they will all come on at the same time. Is this a problem? Moonlights will be on a timer to come on just before the lights cut off.

My tank is a 55 gallon [acronym:b531f3b628="Fish only with live rock"]FOWLR[/acronym:b531f3b628] atm but I plan to get some corals as soon as I deal with my livestock situation.

Cost of the [acronym:b531f3b628="Very high output fluorescent"]VHO[/acronym:b531f3b628] setup is 145 for everything. [acronym:b531f3b628="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:b531f3b628] Moonlights are 14 and canopy will not cost me anything because my dad has tons of wood laying around.

Comments or questions are welcome.

[mp3z24]

if i understand your drawing correctly, you are notching the back to fit a filter?

i think you have decent design, however, i would probably get rid of the front to back center bracing. i dont think you will need it.

also, i would make the sides full size and NOT notch them for the filter(?). i would frame the filter opening in the back of the canopy and have full coverage on the front and sides. i dont know how you plan on covering this framing for the final design, but i doubt you want an opening in the side where you can see the filter. (unless that is part of your deisgn)

one more thing, turning on the actinic and the 10k will be fine. some people like to run the actinic only to simulate dusk and dawn, but there is nothing wrong with turning both on at the same time.

as for corals, you might be limited to mushrooms and soft corals.

oh and nice drawing!!! :P (just messing with ya)

~mike

[noteworthy]

I have the 3" on the side open because my [acronym:81ca430f0e="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:81ca430f0e] skimmer needs an input. Check my gallery. Its a massive skimmer. Also I thought about the center bracing for leaving a gap for my 1" [acronym:81ca430f0e="Plastic pipe"]pvc[/acronym:81ca430f0e] and canister in/out lines.


Do you think its okay to raise the lights to feed the fish? Or should I mount the lights in the canopy.. rest on some supports and have them not attached to the top?


Well that would be 4wpg.. If I did get 330w that would put it at 6wpg.. I'd be able to keep almost anything correct?

[seaham358]

More [acronym:c644088537="Watts Per Gallon"]WPG[/acronym:c644088537] would be helpful if your thinking anemonies.. I have the icecap ballasts and I love them and I use the URI bulbs which give the tank a great look.
If you get the icecap 660 you can run up too 4x 110 on one ballast. Firing the 2 bulbs as you want at the same time is fine.

[mp3z24]

Originally Posted by noteworthy

Do you think its okay to raise the lights to feed the fish? Or should I mount the lights in the canopy.. rest on some supports and have them not attached to the top?

having the lights mounted to the lid would be okay, you will probably want to turn them off if you are going to open the lid, just so you dont have to stare at them while you are feeding...

~mike

[greenmaji]

I was thinking at least 3 110 watt [acronym:b80a9e075f="Very high output fluorescent"]VHO[/acronym:b80a9e075f] bulbs when you were talking about this in chat.. you might want to get more oppinons on how much light you might need.. [acronym:b80a9e075f="Hope this helps (or) Happy to help"]HTH[/acronym:b80a9e075f]

[noteworthy]

220w is 4wpg and good water penetration with my tank depth. Its enough for now.

A) A few questions. Has anyone mounted 48" [acronym:e5bc901c1b="Very high output fluorescent"]VHO[/acronym:e5bc901c1b] inside a 55 gallon canopy? If my calculations are correct, the tubes are too long to slip inside the walls of the canopy. Am I wrong in my measurements? Any ideas on how to correct the situation. I want a 12" tall canopy but I need my lights to be lower in the canopy.

B) As for the reflector I was thinking about aluminum flashing. Could I get away with just painting the inside white? Do I have to paint the inside of the canopy to prevent water damage?

[JProx]

i have 48" bulbs above my 55gallon tank, so your calcs are slightly off. the canopy i have (made by all - glass aquarium, purchased as a b-day present yrs back) sits an inch over the tank, and the fixture (another all-glass unit, ho though) sits on top the of the tank, and runs the entire length.

i have always liked polished aluminium than a painted white reflector. you can use alumium flashing alot of people use it for this application. you could paint it white if you wanted (remember to use paint that is meant to stick to metal) or just polish it up to a high mirror shine using polishing compound and a dremel to speed things up. it would be a great idea to paint or seal the inside of the canopy. the canopy will be exposed to alot of condensation (from evaporation) and it will warp/twist eventually. sealing/painting it would prevent that, use polyurthane for sealing though not thompson's.

[noteworthy]

Ahhh. So I should be able to paint the inside white and put some flashing behind the lights. I think I'll have the lights sit on a board and rest inside the canopy.



Does it matter what type of paint for the wood? Any white paint?

[JProx]

i am not 100% sure, but you can't go wrong with a latex paint (completely non toxic) but i would stay away from any oil based at all costs though, hopefully someone else will clarify