Bow Front Cap w/MH Lighting

[Tie]

This might come in handy for anyone with a bow front tank wanting to make a cap to house some serious lighting. It's a little more difficult than a flat tank but it can be done.

When I first started this adventure I was told by my LFS that the Coralife 65W x4 50/50 would be sufficient to do clams and hard corals. I have since read and found that to be a stretch at best.

OLD LIGHTING


It would appear that MH and some good Actinics are the choice of most hobbyists. My problem is that I have vaulted ceilings and small children with wondering hands so open hanging ballasts would not be the greatest choice.

I called All Glass and they don't make a Cap for their bow fronts. Thus I was left to DIY. My best friend used to work at a cabinet shop so he offered to help. It took a solid couple of afternoons but it was worth the end result.

IN WORKS :: glued, screwed, routed and ready to sand




I didn't get any pics of the lid after the lip was attached and routed but here's one of the lid in early raw stage. The lid turned out to be more work than the frame.



FINISHED PRODUCT

As you can see it's a vast improvement not only in light quality but man, it makes a statement when you walk into the room!

UNDER THE HOOD


2x IceCap 250W MH Retrokit w/ Mog. Reflector (Ushio 10K Bulbs)
1x 48" T5 HO Pure Actinic
1x 48" T5 HO Blue Actinic
1x SeaLife Moon-lite
2x IceCap 4" Variable Speed Fan

I did a crummy job painting it. Spray cans are not the way to go even if you do use primer first. It's such a great piece that it's a crime to not have a nice finish on it. I have another friend who paint's for a living so we're getting together this coming weekend and do it right (cup gun and good paint). You might think I abuse my friend but trust me... they owe me. I take care of all their computer problems, and boy do they have problems!

What do you guys think? Will this lighting be sufficient to stock most anything? Or is it overkill? I was afraid it was overkill but I talked to a couple of reefers I know and they said the more, the better.

I was not sure and am still not sure if I should have put the MH in front of the T5's. Anyone have any experience or input as far as that goes? Also, would I be better off bringing the MH a few inches more towards the center of the tank instead of being on the ends as they are?

Reef's Rule!
Tie

[Reefland]

That my friend looks great!

I would have put the MH in between the T-5's though, I think it would have balanced a bit better. It sure looks good though!

[Tie]

Thanks Scott. I'm SO glad I did it. Every time I walk in the room I just marvel at how cool it looks with those MH and T5's shimmering all over the LR and floor. =)

I like your idea of one in front and one in back. And that was my original plan but I'm finding the reflectors on the MH are mega space hogs. As it is now I have the MH back as far as possible. At their furthest extension the back side of the reflector is poking out the open back about 1/2". The front side is slightly in front of the closest T5. I'm wondering if I could put them in the middle like you suggest and bend the reflectors back to rest behind the T5's? What do you think? Would that screw up the dispersal of light from MH's in the tank? Or am I being silly and should not worry about the MH reflectors over running the ends of the T5's a bit as they would if I do mount them in the center?

On a side note. When I got home today I notice a new issue. It's getting HOT in there! I was kind of afraid that would happen. My heat is 87 in the display tank right now. Even without any lights on for a full 24 hours I've notice my heat has been about 80. I attribute this to the fact that it's getting warmer due to the season and because I have 2 good power heads, a mag 12 in sump for skimmer and a beefy GenX for the return. All this adds up to heat I'm sure.

What can I do? I already have an open back on the cap and two 4" IceCap fans mounted on each side blowing in. I have often wondered about the glass top. I sure like it cuz it keeps the dust out and the evaporation in but is that a factor to the heat?

[acropora]

Tie, Your tank is looking good. Nice job on the hood. The glass top is going to have to go.You will be very please when it is gone. the water temperature will go down and you will have more air exchange that will also help raise the PH.

Keep us posted. Regards

[acropora]

That my friend looks great!

I would have put the MH in between the T-5's though, I think it would have balanced a bit better. It sure looks good though!

Scott is right about the T-5 location,but I see that you have double end caps.That did not leave much choice. If you place your more demanding corals towards the rear it will work out fine. Your tank is just waiting for some corals.As far as SPS, a nice purple or orange Montipora digitara is a good starter.It is a fast grower and soon you will have frags to trade.

[Tie]

Your tank is just waiting for some corals.As far as SPS, a nice purple or orange Montipora digitara is a good starter.It is a fast grower and soon you will have frags to trade.

I'm going to wait another week. Just to be sure all is well and stable with these new lights. And I'm taking the top down this weekend to have it re-sprayed.

I also have 2 clowns about to reach the end of their 1 month stay in my hospital tank. Those guys look great and healthy. Just wanted to play it safe. I'm thinking about introducing them and an anemone at the same time. What do you think? I really like the blue carpet anemone. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...23&pCatId=1393 But I see they are rated as "Difficult" to keep according to Dr. fosters web site. But if that's mainly due to lighting then I'm thinking I should be fine. The other alternative would be a rose bulb tip. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...=23&pCatId=869 They are rated as "Moderate".
Anyone have any experience with these two anemones? Good, bad or indifferent?

Scott is right about the T-5 location,but I see that you have double end caps.That did not leave much choice. If you place your more demanding corals towards the rear it will work out fine.

I got a suggestion from another source to move the MH to the middle and mount the T5's on a couple of 3" or so blocks. That would move my T5's closer to the water and effectively put them in front of the MH reflectors. Sounded like a good idea to me.

As for the glass top. Man you where right Tony! I took that glass off and my temp mid day with all the lights cranked is 76! I can tell already my Evap rate is much higher! I'll take the money I saved from having to buy a chiller and invest in an RO. Any suggestions on a good RO?

[Reefland]

I use and am happy with the AquaFX units. They are also a sponsor of Reefland.

http://www.reefland.com/ads/adclick....terfilters.com

I would go for at least a 4 stage, 50GPD Ro/DI unit for the best results. The Inline TDS meters are very nice as well if you can afford to get one with it, otherwise a Hand-Held TDS meter will be needed to monitor the water results and give you an idea of when replacement cartridges are needed.

[acropora]

I also agree that a RO/DI unit with a pressure gauge and TDS meter is the way to go. Another option to consider is a liquid level controller which will make it real easy for top off water additions or to fill water change reservoirs.

I'm glad to hear that your water temp has gone down.

Regards

[Nimic]

Sorry to bump such an old post, but I am going through the same situation that you did with a 92g All Glass bow front. I did get a beautiful canopy with it, but its too short to support MH lighting safely. I believe my only choice at this time is DIY. Can you describe the process you went through to match the bow on the front of the glass? Did you layer wood and laminate it to itself? Did you route the sides and the board is bent by tension and glue?

[Tie]

If you look close at the 3rd pic down from the top you can see exactly how the bow works. It's simply a 1/8" thick piece of laminate from Home Depot. I notched a slot on each solid end piece for the laminate to press into and then stood it on end and pressed the lambent in place. The bow takes shape naturally and fit nearly perfect to the shape of the glass. I used no glue what so ever to hold the bow in place. It's held in nice and tight just by the pressure of the bow. The trick to getting the bow was simply to measure the exact length of the bow on my glass and cut that laminate piece about 1/2" longer to give you enough extra to press into the notch you make on each side piece. To support the structure I put a cross piece in the middle and mounted 1/2" pieces all along the sides and back to rest on the top of the tank.

The lid was much harder. I trace the bow on my tank and cut it out by hand. Then sanded it nice and even and glued two 1/4" strips of solid wood wood onto the front and sides to create a lip that hung down. Once that all dried I sanded it and routed the lip. I made the lid so I had about 3/8" over hang on the sides and front from the base.

Hope that helps.