Anybody running the 70w halide/ dual 70w halide mod in their 24g?

[Surfzup2k4]

I remember seeing some things on this a while back and I am now having trouble finding them. Has anybody done the mod with long term success? Feedback is appreciated, thanks!

 

kenneth

[Betelgeuze]

What he said, I'm looking for the same info (bump) and haven't been able to find much.

[Nickeleye]

We're working on bringing a dual 70w MH 24g DX to market w/ integrated chiller in the near future. However, we have yet to receive the new '05 24g DX's yet so we're waiting to see if they have the new & improved features that the '05 12g DX's have.

[artarmon42]

Should be no problem doing a similar mod to mine (see signature) on a 24G. Haven't tested it of course, but the theory should be the same.

[shao-lin nano]

I originally had 4x36W CF in mine, now I've switched out one of the CF and placed a 70W MH in it's place. So now it's 3X36W CF + 70W MH + maybe 2x9W or 2x13W CF in the remaining space.

 

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 

It's only a shot of the work in progress. I'll also be cutting out a large rectangular portion of the stock splash guard and replace it with glass to prevent melting (lesson learned from artarmon;)) If you look closely I've also chromed out the entire hood (except the back)...I just pimped my hood!

[artarmon42]

Chrome'd the front flap?! Very bling but very cool

 

Yeah, you have to watch the splashguard warp/melt. I found that removing the reflector to get that extra inch gap (between the MH glass and the splashguard) makes a huge difference. My "relevation" came when I realized the kit came with a reflector, so attaching the MH reflector to the JBJ stock reflector was just pointless.

 

Have you considered running 2x70W in lieu of the PCs?

Rip out the PCs, the stock reflector, and just go to with of those 70W kits?

[shao-lin nano]

There's reflector on the sidewall too...not covering the vents of course!

 

The MH is recessed into the reflector and attached directly onto the hood...and once again inspired by you (artarmon).

 

I was considering dual 70W MH kit or a 150/170W MH but I'm already worried about trying to remove the heat being generated now inside the hood. I'm just going to add two more small PCs either 9w or 13w in the remaining space.

[shao-lin nano]

Wouldn't it be cool to add lights to the front flap? I bet I could fit a 32W PC and a 9W PC to it...but I've had enough I think.

[Chronicles]

Why not remove the middle PC bulb, spin the MH 90 degrees and add another next to it? 2x70w MH + 2x32w PC

[Chronicles]

example:

[artarmon42]

Shao-Lin: The clearance from (the top of) my UV glass to the splashguard is currently ~1.5 inches, which is good enough to prevent warping. It used to be ~0.75 inch, and that caused warping. What's your clearance?

 

Nice photoshopping Chronicles

 

My concern with that config might be the MH heat on the PC bulbs. That reflector gets too hot to touch in less than 10 minutes, and I'm not sure what that would do to the bulbs. If it doesn't shatter or melt, I can't imagine it'll be good for longevity. Personally, just to be safe I'd shoot for ~1 inch clearance all the way around (for air flow if nothng else).

[Chronicles]

Maybe angle them like this / or /

[trumph]

Watching this thread with great anticipation....waiting for an adequate upgrade which I like...this is it. That double 70w MH with the 2x36w PC would be awesome and more than adequate. Looks like a total hood meltdown on its way but lets hope not. Really want this one to work.

 

Just my thoughts/ideas....anyone get rid of the stock splash guard and try a piece of glass cut to fit on the ledges under the hood? That would eliminate the melting problem of the splashguard and increase the air space to enable better flow for fans to remove the heat, hopefully saving the hood. Have to ditch the two little hood props but you could reglue them on top of the glass if you want. How about putting a fan into the front flap to draw the heat out from between the splashguard and the water for temp reduction in that area. They have them with LED's in their grills too so it could add to the moonlighting effect. Again, just my thoughts....

 

Also want to know how you did the chrome job to the inside of the hood. Looks fantastic and should increase the efficiency of the lighting.

[shao-lin nano]

you can just buy a reflector and cut it to the shape of the hood underneath. to get a really accurate outline i used masking tape and taped the whole underneath and took a razor and cut the tape to the perimeter of the hood.

 

i got a 2x2 reflector from marine depot originally to have a flat reflector to fit 4x36W PC and had left overs to play with. the reflector i got was easy to work with and bend.

[shao-lin nano]

here's a splash guard that sits on the inside rail, and it follows the contours of the main hood while leaving the "feeding area" unobstructed. still haven't figured out what components and cords will be leaving the hood so didn't cut notches for cords and tubes yet.

 

[shao-lin nano]

i haven't figured out how heat and closeness of the bulbs will affect the system. i guess i'll have to just cross my fingers and see what happens. wish me luck.

[shao-lin nano]

my clearance is just a little over an inch...so im going to cut a portion of the splash guard away and replace it with glass.

 

chronicles: great ideas, but i think i'll be content with what i've got...but you're really tempting me though. the only thing preventing me from putting in a second MH in the same "row" are the 2 80mm fans. if i switch positions of the MH and the PC under it i would be able to fit 2 in a row and keep all 3 PCs.

 

i'm not going to but if anyone in So Cali is interested i can help melt your hood!

[artarmon42]

I like the glass-cover.

But be aware that you won't be able to use the rear-vent/fan mod that I did to cool the water/tank. With the glass in place, the rear-vent/fan will not contact water and thus will not be able to do evaporative cooling.

[shao-lin nano]

3x36w PC + 32w PC + 9w PC + 2x70W MH = 289W! for 24g NC

 

[artarmon42]

Damn, does everyone but me know photoshop?! :*(

I think the fish are going to go blind

[Chronicles]

A rough gusstimate would say 10 of those 70w'ers could fit in there, plus whatever you could fit on the flapper. 700w on a 24g...now you're talking sun!

[shao-lin nano]

haha, nice....nano-customs should carry the 700w MH system. it'll be a HOT seller!

[mdt178]

Originally posted by artarmon42

I like the glass-cover.

But be aware that you won't be able to use the rear-vent/fan mod that I did to cool the water/tank. With the glass in place, the rear-vent/fan will not contact water and thus will not be able to do evaporative cooling.

 

I tried the exactly mod, except that I left some space (~2") opened in the back as well as the front. My current setup (70MH + 72PC) normally runs 79-82 degree. After replacing the stock cover with an acrylic sheet sitting on the lip of the 24gal NC, the temp shot to 85 within 3 hours. Artermon42 is correct , the water doesn't get cooled. I think that's why JBJ has not released the new splashguard that extends all the way.

[Nico]

Hey shao-lin,

 

Is that Reflective Mylar you have on the feeding section of the hood?

Thnx...

 

Nico

 

BTW...Great work

[trumph]

MDT...what splashguard set-up are you currently using? And are you still running all those fans?