Questions about MH lights

[JohnS]

Well, we finally bit the bullet and bought MH lights. We got two 250W retro kits and installed them under our relatively shallow canopy. The bulbs are about 5 inches above the glass cover of the tank. Should I be concerned about the heat from the lights shattering the glass? I saw a pretty nice taller canopy at glasscages.com. If necessary, that may have to be the next investment. I just don't want to have to worry about draining the tank to pull out little chunks of tempered glass!

Also, is it typical for two of the same bulbs to have entirely different colors? They are both 250W 10k's. One of them has a white-to-light blue tint. The other has a yellow-to-orange tint (almost like some of those lights you see in a parking lot). I obvioulsy like the blue one, but the orange one . . . . not so much . . .

TIA.

[nickthapainter]

Do you have any fans inside the canopy to help dissipate the heat? One or two small computer fans should do the job. I wouldn't think the tempered glass would shatter withoiut them, but it doesn't hurt to be safe.

The differences in color may be due to the bulbs needing a break in period (just a guess). See if anything changes after a few days opration.

[liquidreamer]

Hey John... if you dont mind me asking how much and where from/what brand? Did you get electronic or magnetic ballasts?

[JohnS]

I got two Coralvue electronic ballast units from our sponsor Captive Reefs (Thanks Darin!). We paid $190 each for them. I will defintely deal with Captive Reefs again as they're very responsive and price competitive.

[nickthapainter]

I have another question for you John...

Why did you choose 10K bulbs (I need to replace mine and am still trying to decide what kelvin rating to go for).

[liquidreamer]

Don't have to preach to me about ol' Darin at Captive... I'm practically a sales rep... hehehe. What a steal - 190. Got bulbs seperately?

[Phyl]

Came with bulbs. The 10Ks are what come standard. Darin is going to arrange to exchange the bad bulb for us. You'd get 10Ks if you were going to run actinics with them but with 14s you could go without.

[JohnS]

Don't have to preach to me about ol' Darin at Captive

Preach, Moi?!? Never! Just making sure a good company gets the props they deserve. In today's e-commerce, you never know what you're getting into.

As Phyl said, the price included bulbs (10K standard). We are planning to switch them over to 14K, though.

[klam]

The glass will not shatter. My bulb is about 2" away from my glass shield. Removing your glass cover will help cool the tank down and increase gas exchange.

I think that you should look into getting a higher hood because it's recommended to have MH 8"-12" above the water line. The MH can burn corals if it's too close.

Do you guys enjoy the water shimmering effect from the MH? I sure do. makes the tank look more natural IMO