New Metal Halide Light

[Joshsmit56001]

I just bought a 250 watt metal halide retro-fit from a fellow member and I was wondering how I should mount it. Right now I have a 2x96 watt pc fixture which i will keep in there if possible. The bulb that I am getting with it is a 20k coralife. The pc bulbs I have are 1 10k and 1 actinic. I am going to build another hood so that my bulbs will be higher off of the water so I do not have so much heat.

Next, I need to build a new hood. I am trying to find the best canopy setup for a halide. I want to place the halide in the middle of the tank so I get the most coverage. The best looking canopy I found was at this site.

http://home.att.net/~s-pawlowskis/canopy.htm

I like the sliding front doors the best and have never seen anything like that before. How high do I need the bulb off of the water? Should I paint the inside of the canopy white and what kind of paint should I use? Should I just put the halide in and skip the pc's? PLease let me know what everyone thinks about this. I am totally open to suggestions.

Thanks,
Josh

 

[fishfreek]

This is for your 30 gal tank?

The MH should be between 8-12" above the water surface. If you dont have a reflector I would suggest a spyder reflector. I have one that I need to install myself and I have heard good things about them. You can still use the PC's if you want but honestly you wont need them except for maybe dusk/dawn type setup where the PC's come on and then the MH and then the PC's go off last.

I wonder how the sliding doors are kept from swelling and warping due to mosture. Obvously the swelling or warping would affect its ability to slide.

I have heard if you paint the inside that you get best results from a flat white vs a gloss finish.

 

[Clown Monarch]

Wow, that's a great hood. I'm gonna steal that idea when I build my new hood for the 125. I don't know if I would want my PCs that far off the water though. For MHs, that would be a perfect hood.

 

[Joshsmit56001]

I thought it looked awesome as well. I think if you put enough protectant on the wood, the doors would not warp and stuff. The setup does come with a spider reflector as well. I was thinking I might just store the pc's for when I upgrade and then use them on my frag tank/sump under a 75 or 125.

 

[swissfish]

I wonder how the sliding doors are kept from swelling and warping due to mosture. Obvously the swelling or warping would affect its ability to slide.

I have heard if you paint the inside that you get best results from a flat white vs a gloss finish.

I made my front and back to slide out to the top and have a open top on my Canopy. No problems with warping.

I just stained the inside the same way I did the outside and it seems to be ok. (2 Month running).