aggiereefer Posted December 15, 2003 Share Posted December 15, 2003 I have caught the upgrade bug and I'm thinkin about slappin a 150 watt MH over my 10 gal. I've tried searching for info. Does anyone know of any non - hanging 20" hoods for MH set ups??? If I cant find one, I had an idea of buying a really really cheap used coralife hood and retrofitting it. I dont know if the MH bulb would be to big or not. If i HAD to use a hanging light, i could just weld up a small stand. I'm not too crazy about the pendant's you can buy from home depot, the one's that look like security lights. Would 150 watts be good enough for the higher demanding SPS and clams? Are actinic's in addition to MH really necessary?? Link to comment
evassj4 Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 I am also interested in putting a mh above a 10 gal. I have not been able to find a proper fitting hood so I'm building my own out of wood. I suggest you take that route. Actinics aren't necessary, but it would be good to have them. I'm planning to do a 175w mh and 2x28w pc combination as there is just enough room. If you do plan to just have a mh use aqualine 10k bulbs because they are bluer than other 10k bulbs. 150w will definitely be enough for SPS and clams. Link to comment
wetworx101 Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 hanging it is really a good idea...as a halide makes alot of heat...and the only easy way to vent that heat is with a suspended light...ie pendant...over such a small tank. I am making a 70wattDE hood with dual 36wattPC bulbs...much less heat cuz smaller bulbs...and I will still use fans. For a 150...I would use a pendant. Why dont you want to hang it? Oh, and on actinics: I have been using halides without actinic for a while now. Just go for a bulb that is at least 10,000K, if not a 14,000 or 20,000K. Those AB 10,000K actually burn around 13,000K...very nice coloring IMO. Link to comment
aggiereefer Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 I live in a dorm so they arent too crazy about us drilling holes in the ceiling to hang stuff. I might have a loft next semester so I could hang it from the under side of that. Does anyone know stuff about firecode regarding halides?? We aren't supposed to have halogen lamps because they get so hot. I dont know if halides fit in the same category as halogens due to heat. Link to comment
Dingo Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 It probably would look like halogen to an inspector. The dimensions of an hqi socket acording to Hellolights is ~1.5" high. My 20" coralife 96W hood is deeper than that, so you should be able to get the HQI inside it. The hood also has fans built in. The only potential problem I see is that the glass in mine is actually plastic, and I have no idea if it would melt. It would probably be wise to cut some glass to fit in the fixture. Link to comment
MrKrispy Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 I have posted this question here also, haven't gotten any good ideas yet. I can't hang anything from the ceiling because my heating coils are in the ceiling. I was trying to find some modular black piping that I could use to hold the pendant/fixture over the tank. Then the cords could be run down the piping also, and the bottom stand (which would have to flare to keep it from tipping over) could hide under the aquarium stand. Piping might be able to be bracketed to the back of the stand also. Anyone? Link to comment
Vincerama Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 wetworx, when you are done, can I see some pics? I have a wooden DIY hood with 2x36 in it now, but I have a 70w eBallast and 70w DE Ushio in the mail. I'd like to make a new hood with one of the 36s (and use the other over my fuge) and a regent pendant. I am planning to make a hybrid pendant/hood, with the pendant affixed to the back of the hood. I'd like to keep the pc in the hood too, so that I can give the corals some ramp up/down time (ie; sunrise/set) before the halide turns on. V Link to comment
aggiereefer Posted December 17, 2003 Author Share Posted December 17, 2003 would the glass in the coralife fixture be there to filter the UV out or what? Mongul bulbs are alrealdy shielded or something like that right? i think the purpose of the plastic is for ppl running the hood right over the water without those plastic legs that elevate it off the tank a few inches. krispy i had the same idea, just using different materials. Link to comment
kennerd Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 Champion;lighting carries a brand of MH canopies made by a company called MACRO, and they are available with legs. http://www.championlighting.com/e/env/0001...ting/macro.html Also, see my thread here: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...ight=new+halide The fixture is a no-name I bought used, but is very similar to the fixture made by Won Brothers. Only difference, mine has legs, theirs is a hanger. Link to comment
MrKrispy Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 someone posted an old thread a while back and mentioned that the legs are garbage. I can't seem to find photos of them to see if they could be rigged up better.... Link to comment
wetworx101 Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 the origional idea can be found on this page... http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&threadid=15647 But I have been sidetracked. I dont know if I will continue to do this hood cuz...I went with a larger halide enclosure than I had intended in the first place (the regent that works better was bigger than original)...making the biggest actinic I could fit in there a single 36wattPC. On the other hand, I also have a pair of the mounting brackets for a 70/150 watt DE halide from hello-lights...so I could just mount two 36watt actinics with the halide if I could find a good reflector for all three to be crammed under. To further complicate things, petsolutions had a clearance on those Jalli 2x36wattPC hoods, so I snagged one of those with a couple actinic bulbs...but both that and tha 70watt enclosure (regent pendant) wont fit over a 10gallon together. Looks like I'll be ordering the 2x36PC kit from ahsupply after all, and have to find one large piece of UV glass to fit over all three bulbs...and fans too...oh well, nice to know I have my options open. I'm prolly going to use the Jalli over the 18" cube I have in the works anyways as supplimental actinic for the 250wattDE halide I'll be putting over it. I plan to hang the halide by simply using 1" copper pipe. I will secure the pipe to the side of the stand with pipe banding brackets (also copper), and then put a 90degree elbow on the corner (drill holes and use bolts instead of sweating it together) to hold another short pipe over the tank. I know, I know, copper is bad for reefs, but it shouldnt come into contact considering how far above the tank it will be...and when the copper tarnishes and turns green it will compliment the colors of the new custom nano-stand I just built. Link to comment
MrKrispy Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 out of curiousity, why copper as opposed to the other tubing at home depot? Easier to drill? I was wondering if I could get the steel or black stuff and just spray paint it. The fixture I am looking at isn't very heavy. I am still not sure if 1 150-175W DE bulb over a 20L is going to be enough. I could leave the ends of the tank as sand... Link to comment
wetworx101 Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 I think I will use copper for looks primarily, but lets compare. The options I could think of are galvanized (thick pipe used in older homes for water lines), black pipe (same as galvanized, but black and used for gas usually), PVC (too flimsy, bright white color that wouldnt go), electrical conduit (cool thing is I can use a bender to bend a piece without use of an elbow, but it is a nasty silvery color like galvanized), and copper. It seems copper is lightweight, can toperate some weight (I plan on using 3/4" or 1" pipe), and has that copper color. Any writing on the pipe can easily be removed with a wire wheel...in fact, the whole thing can be wire wheeled for that cool 'brushed copper' look that seems to be a new trend with bathroom and kitchen faucets. Aftrer time it will corrode (esp that close to water) and turn green. The only disadvantage I can think of is that copper can be deadly to inverts...so I must be sure to not let any water condense or drip into the tank if it touches the copper. This shouldnt be a problem since the swing-arm on this tank will be at least 2 feet above the tank. For other open top / smaller applications, where the arm wont be as far above the tank, I would go with electrical conduit...and then spray paint it black or something. I just figured copper would look kinda cool considering... Link to comment
wetworx101 Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 ^^^just finished SPARing it a couple days ago. Not really my style, but I made it to match the wood in the house. I just think the copper would match the red tones in the wood, but if it werent for that, I would go galvanized and paint it black...who knows...still might. FWIW copper is rather soft and easy to drill. I wouldnt go with galvanized or black pipe...just too heavy and thick. Not to mention the need for those nasty looking elbows. I would do electrical conduit...cuz you can just bend it with one of those benders...but it is still strong enough to hold up plenty...no nasty looking elbows then...and alot lighter. I doubt with a 90 on galvanized that it would be easy to keep it 90degrees...as gravity would make it lean down a bit...but conduit can be bent and tweaked to maintain a rigid 90degree bend....know what I mean? Link to comment
nalbar Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 personally i would not use copper pipe. i would stick with the metal gas line. copper pipe is pure and has no tensile strength. in other words it kinks easy. the gas pipe will never kink. kinking is something you absolutely do not want with a hot item. just my opinion. nalbar Link to comment
wetworx101 Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 it shouldnt get hot....just the fixture..but that will be hung well below the pipe. And, yes, I know copper can kink...it's got a pretty thin wall...but that is why I will use 1" pipe. Otherwise....why so drastic? Black Pipe is heavy...it could tip your tank over!!! (just kidding!) For a heavier duty hanger, electrical conduit is fine...looks better too. remember glazer's bowfront7? he used conduit. in the DIY section look for : "The package (minibow be done!)" You'll see. Maybe if I was mounting a 3' fixture this way I would go as heavy as black-pipe, but not a simple 12-18" pendant. Link to comment
bgoode Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 If you are that worried about the tensile strength, you could put one leg on each side of the tank, instead of down one side only. Link to comment
kennerd Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 If you are concerned about visual aesthetics, I wouldn't go the bare copper route, unless you coat it with a clear coat of some sort. Even if you catch and wipe up a drip, the remaining salt water, and even the presence of the moisture from the tank & evap will turn your piping into a verdigris green/blue. After all the work you've put in (looks nice), it would look pretty crappy. Link to comment
wetworx101 Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 I WANT it to turn green. Link to comment
MrKrispy Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 good plans wetworx. I have a stand being custom built for my 20L, I am just going to bolt the tubing to it. I might drill a large hole in the back shelves and put it right in. That way I can swing it out of the way to play around in the tank. I haven't devised a easy way to raise/lower the light yet, since I will be switching all my corals from PC to MH. Link to comment
wetworx101 Posted December 22, 2003 Share Posted December 22, 2003 If the pipe is made to suspend the light from, you can just take in or let out the chain to adjust the height. Link to comment
smaug Posted December 25, 2003 Share Posted December 25, 2003 I think emt conduit would work well then paint it. You could also run your wiring inside to hide it from view. Link to comment
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