Rimless or Hooded tank

[mr_X]

they generally are hit or miss. reports of sloppy silicone and other things are not uncommon. i had pretty good luck with them. they made my 195.
the thing you have to ask yourself is- are the blemishes worth the better price?

when i went to pick up my tank many others were too. it was at a centralized location about an hour from my home.
my tank had a small nick on the corner back of the tank and it was supposed to be euro braced. instead this is what i arrived to find-

they also put that black plastic border on the tank to hide sloppy craftsmanship. i complained to the people in charge and they handed me a few dollars cash right there. i accepted it because i was on a schedule. if i didn't have a tank that weekend, i would have had to pay for another month at my old apartment...bla bla bla...
anyway, this tank was about half the price of the other quotes i got.

it was worth it to me, and i would use them again if they were able to duplicate another "half price" deal like that.

 

[Badfishofbabylon]

Was the black boarder removable and just used for shipping? Did you just buy the tank or did you get the sump and stand too? I feel like I could make a sump for less than they charge

 

[mr_X]

that's not removable. it's siliconed on. it wasn't horrible. maybe if i was displaying this tank differently, i would have been angry, but it was meant for an in-wall application and wouldn't have been seen by anyone but me-

 

[Badfishofbabylon]

Did you order it rimless?

 

[Badfishofbabylon]

This is the look of the tank I hope to get

 

[mr_X]

a rimless peninsula. very cool.
no, i ordered it euro braced. it's not supposed to have any braces across the top. i was hoping to light it with 2 x 400 watt halides in lumenarc reflectors, but when it came light that, i went with 3 x 250 watt instead...no biggy.

 

[Badfishofbabylon]

How are the Halides on your electricity bill? I'm think about getting hanging one for the tank instead of going with T5s, but I know nothing about them

 

[mr_X]

well, it's all relative. a 250 watt halide uses 250 watts of electric. it will only light a roughly 24" x 24" area. if you are considering a tank like the one pictured above, then a single 250 or 400 watt halide might be your best choice.
if you end up with a rectangular shape, you might need 2 of them for complete coverage and then you would weigh out your options-
besides aesthetics, you might be better off with a t-5 unit, because you can light a 4' area with less watts used.
you are going to have to evaluate your situation and go with what works best.
personally, if i had that tank you posted, i would use a single 400 watt halide in a lumenbright pendant.
Lumen Bright 3 SE Mogul Base PENDANT by CoralVue* - AquaCave
the reflector inside that pendant is supposed to be the best on the market.

 

[Badfishofbabylon]

Nice link! Is this a complete light fixture or just the housing

 

[mr_X]

that's just the pendant itself. you would need a bulb and ballast.

 

[Badfishofbabylon]

What about one or 2 of these http://www.fishneedit.com/250w-metal-halide-pendant-lig.html

 

[mr_X]

well, what tank are we talking about? the peninsula in the photo you posted? it's going to take 2 of those smaller pendants for the right coverage, and i'm sure those pendants don't have the intensity that the lumen brights do.

if it was me, i'd go with the best i could get. i believe that lumenbright to be the best metal halide pendant available.

 

[Badfishofbabylon]

Got yah. What about those MH and T5 combo lights

 

[mr_X]

well, again, it depends on what tank you end up with. first pick the tank, and then pick the light.