Need help with hood for new 5.5 Gallon Pico

[montevallofalcon11]

Hi everyone,

 

After a long hiatus I am coming back to the wonderful world of nano-reefing! I have recently been blessed with a new area at work and have a personal office which to me equals a reef at work. I have decided to go with a standard 5.5 gallon. (17X9X11) I have always liked that size and have experience with this level having kept a Mini-Bow 7 up and going for several years. I want to keep this system as streamlined as absolutely possible so I am going to construct a custom hood to enclose the lighting system.

 

I am really thinking the reefbreeders nano-lite is the best bet on lighting when it comes to coverage and affordability. So here are my questions as I am mildly educated on LEDs but want to make sure before I start making the hood.

 

1) How far above the water level is appropriate for this size LED set up?

 

2) How much distance between the light fixture and the top of the hood? The back of the hood will be open to allow air flow. The front and sides will be enclosed.

 

Thanks everyone and I look forward to making a return to reef keeping!

[bdevillier19]

I would say play with the height of the light first before making the decision on what dimensions your hood should be. The height will affect the spread and the dimming will take care of the intensity. The lower the light the darker the ends of the tank will be to an extent. I would leave at least an inch between the hood and light to allow some ventilation.