Help- Lighting for 52 Gallon Flatback Hexagon Perfecto Tank

[MGold]

Hi all!

I'd appreciate any suggestions or advice:

I currently have a 52 Gallon Perfecto Flatback Hexagon saltwater aquarium set-up. I have been happy with the tank, however, I am in the process of attempting to upgrade it from a largely "fish only with live rock" (i have a couple polyps) to a reef tank and I was wondering what the best way for me to increase the wattage of light for this tank as it is a somewhat odd shape. The single strip that comes with the tank worked well for the FOWLR set-up but, as you all know, won't be satisfactory for a reef tank.

Does anyone know of any high capacity light fixtures or hoods that are compatable with my 52 gallon Flatback Hexagon Tank that will allow me to utilize the tank for reef purposes?

I rather not suspend any housings from the ceiling and would really like to find a hood or fixture to fit on the top of the tank. The more aesthetically pleasing the better.

I would greatly appreciate any advice pointing me in the right direction for this dilemma I am currently facing. Thanks very much in advance.

Marc

[Ninong]

How much open space do you have over that tank? In other words, can you fit a 48" fixture or will it have to be a 36" fixture?

[MGold]

Thanks for the reply.

It is 48" long. The width is somewhat odd because of the hexagon shape of the front.

[MGold]

This is a picture of the type of tank: http://elmersaquarium.com/h109masterkit52flatback.htm

[Ninong]

Yes, I know what they look like, I was just wondering if a 48" fixture would somehow fit. I don't think it would. What are the measurements of the OPEN space at the top rear of the tank that would accomodate a fixture without having parts of it sticking out over the edge of the tank?

I have a feeling that you may have to go with a 36" fixture unless you choose to DIY and fabricate a custom hood with individual reflectors, etc. Which is a nice thought but a lot of work.

Everyone likes metal halide lighting but for the particular size of your tank, you may want to consider T5 fluorescents. Again, without knowing the exact measurements, it's hard to say which size would fit. The nice thing about T5 fluorescents is that you might be able to squeeze two 48" long tubes at the rear of the tank with two 36" long tubes in front of those -- assuming you had a custom hood to install them in. That might be your best bet since you say you want to avoid suspended fixtures.

[ryddo]

I just purchased a custom light fixture from this guy, http://stores.ebay.com/Aquarium-Lights . I was very pleased with his products, he will customize any size mh and length of fixture. Shoot him an email and see what he says.

I paid $329 plus shipping for a 30" 150 watt halide/ballast with 2 65w pc's and lunar lighting.

Hope this helps.
Ryan

[MGold]

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to look into this and measure when I get home. Thanks again.

[MGold]

Thanks again. My tank is about 48 1/4 inches long from the back and 35" long from the front (due to the hexagon shape)

Been emailing with this guy regarding the dimensions of my tank. He says it may be too narrow for a halide- all of his halide fixtures are 11.5 inches wide and if i get a 48" it will hang over the corners. Waiting for a response from him regarding T5's . . .

[Ninong]

That's pretty much what I figured. If you buy a ready-made fixture, you will have to go with a 36" one.

[MGold]

yeah, if i go with a halide it looks that way.

as for t5's, I think this may work because it seems just narrow enough, however the front will be uncovered:

http://cgi.ebay.com/T5-T-5-HO-Aquari...QQcmdZViewItem

thoughts?

[MGold]

He just said a 36" halide wont work either because "the mounting legs would not fit that particular hood. T5's would not be strong enough to penetrate the debth of your tank."

I'm out of ideas.

[charlie]

Is there a chance you could use Ninong's idea and DIY a custom hood with a good reflector?

[MGold]

It's certainly an idea, however, I'm not very handy and we just moved into a new condo so I'd be hesitant to try any millwork or worksmanship on my own- assuming I'd even know where to start. Maybe I can contract a job out to someone I know if all else fails.

[dave00gt]

why wouldnt a 48" inch fisture not work on this tank , i know there would be a little uncovered , and besides it will shine all the way thru on this 52 g tank.. he has to have 260 watts or more, i do like the one he showed with 8x54 watt t5 , but it might be too much width tho.. i am not sure..

but i would think any 48" inch fixture with 260 watts or more should be good for this tank.

[MGold]

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, I dont know why he said the T5's won't work, but it is his sale so I'm hesitant to dismiss him too readily. However, I have a feeling you are right and that T5's would work.

As for the width, it may be a half inch to an inch too wide (the portion of the tank that is 48" is about 7.5" wide before it narrows to the front which is 35") as it will show that much on the corner of the tank- which i'd be fine with as long it fit ok. Here is a narrow MH i was pondering as well:

http://www.aquactinics.com/Store/Lighting_Systems.htm

[Ninong]

...the tank that is 48" is about 7.5" wide before it narrows to the front which is 35"

That's the measurement I was trying to get: 48" x 7.5"

That eliminates most 48" fixtures because most of the better ones are wider than 7.5", usually much wider. The old style Aqua-Medic Aquastarlight fixture (2 HQI DE halides + a 25w moonlight) was 47.25" x 4.8" but the newer version, Aquastarlight Future is 47.25" x 8" and it's pretty heavy (35 lbs) because of the onboard magnetic ballasts.

The good T5 fixtures that hold four 54w T5's are all around 11" wide. That's because they use separate reflectors for each T5 tube, which is the only way to do it properly.

If you had a custom hood, you could use two retro-kit 54w T5's in the rear and then put a 39w T5 in front of those or maybe even a single 150w HQI DE metal halide. You would have a lot of possibilities if you wanted to build a hood to fit but that won't be easy because of the shape of the top of your tank.

The other option would be to try to find a 48" fixture that you like that is not more than 8" wide and also one that would be appropriate for your design considerations -- you don't want anything suspended.

[MGold]

Thanks!

What do you think about the 48" aquactinic or the t5 fixture mentioned above? Would 8.5 be stretching it?

A customer service representative responded to my email at this online retailer said:

"Any of the 4X65W 48” Fixtures would work fine. Here are a couple of the
choices:

48" Coralife Lunar Aqualight(260W Total)
http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro/power_LUNaqualight.html

48", 4X65W Orbit (260W Total)
http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro/power_Orbit.html"

What are your thoughts on these? Thanks again for your thoughtful responses.

Marc

[MGold]

customer rep just emailed me again and said:

"The light that will fit the best is the Dual
Satellite 48 inch at
http://www.aquarium-supply.biz/ordering/lighting_CU_Sat.html. The light and
the legs are exactly 7.5 inches.

As for the T5s, you could use the 48" Nova Extreme 4x54Watt at
http://www.aquarium-supply.biz/ordering/lighting_novaXtreme.htm. However,
we're out of stock on this item."

[Ninong]

I don't know anything about those last fixtures but they are certainly interesting possibilities considering your stated requirements. In other words, they can be mounted on legs instead of suspended by cables from the ceiling and they are only 7.5" wide, the exact measurement of the back area of your tank. Certainly something to consider.

Those fixtures would not be as good as some of the other options but just about all of the other options either won't fit over your space or can't be mounted without being suspended.

If you are interested in mostly LPS and soft corals, those fixtures will work fine. SPS and clams would do better with a little more intensity. I sort of like that T5 fixture with the four 54w tubes but I'm sure they don't have individual reflectors since the fixture is only 7.5" wide. Sunlight Supply's 48" fixture with four T5's with individual reflectors is 11" wide. The individual reflectors make a big difference in the total intensity when using T5's.

Your decision is probably going to have to be made based on what works for your particular situation and that will mean compromises. Otherwise you would have to build a custom hood to fit your tank exactly and then install T5's or a combination of T5's with perhaps one metal halide, which would be better but a whole lot of trouble to build.

[MGold]

Thanks. I really appreciate the help. I called hellolight.com and just got more discouraged. The customer rep (who was very nice) told me the only way to go is to get a canopy built, otherwise the front of the tank won't get sufficient light. Back to square one. I'm so close to giving up.