MH Lighting, and Canopy - DIY Hood Questions

[axel9615]

What is the advantage of a canopy vs. an open tank. Does a canopy reduce evaporation? Does a canopy direct the light better?

Next, I am planning to get a 250W MH for my 46 gallon bow front which is approx. 20" deep. Will this be sufficient at a height of 6-8" over the water surface to support most corals and inverts? I plan on mostly soft corals and polyps, but may decide to get some LPS, SPS, or a clam later.

If 1 MH is sufficient, will it cover the tank adequately in the center or will the plastic divider / support thing block needed light from the middle of my reef.

On to the DIY questions... I looked at the DIY bow front canopy by Tie linked here:

Bow Front Cap w/MH Lighting

I am fairly good with woodwork and think I can tackle that no problem, but I was just wondering what everyone does for feeding. Do you just lift the lid that holds the lighting to feed?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated... thanks all.

[charlie]

What is the advantage of a canopy vs. an open tank. Does a canopy reduce evaporation? Does a canopy direct the light better?

Next, I am planning to get a 250W MH for my 46 gallon bow front which is approx. 20" deep. Will this be sufficient at a height of 6-8" over the water surface to support most corals and inverts? I plan on mostly soft corals and polyps, but may decide to get some LPS, SPS, or a clam later.

If 1 MH is sufficient, will it cover the tank adequately in the center or will the plastic divider / support thing block needed light from the middle of my reef.

On to the DIY questions... I looked at the DIY bow front canopy by Tie linked here:

Bow Front Cap w/MH Lighting

I am fairly good with woodwork and think I can tackle that no problem, but I was just wondering what everyone does for feeding. Do you just lift the lid that holds the lighting to feed?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated... thanks all.

Hey there, if no one has done this before,


Personally speaking, I am not a real big fan of canopies, I just like the look of an open top better. That being said, I don't really know for sure if a canopy will reduce evaporation or not. Due to the heat that will be created with a halide lite inside there, the use of fans is almost a necessity, and those will increase evaporation.

A halide lite will cover a 2'x2' area. I don't think it is a good idea to place a halide lite directly over ANY brace in a tank. Over time it can and will create problems.

I don't know, have you looked into T5 lighting. I have no experience with these myself, but I know there are folks out there that have had good success with these lites.

As far as feeding with a canopy, just build a door in the canopy. HTH

[axel9615]

Well... I'm thinking I may just skip the canopy if it doesn't serve a purpose other than looks and safety / covering the tank

I have a slight cooling problem in the summer... like right now

I'm gonna experiment by just pulling taking my glass top off and suspending my coralife fixture

As for future lighting, what does everyone suggest? Will T5s or something else be enough or should I get 2 MHs, 175W or something?

[charlie]

I think you are making a good decision by lifting the top glass, this helps with air exchange for your guys!!!! I am still leary of halides over braces, that is why I suggested the T5 lites.
Do you have a sump? The reason I ask is because you could throw a fan in that, and just run it when your lites are on.
If you get the individual reflectors for the T5's, it will enhance their performance quite a bit. This is what I have heard.

[axel9615]

I just finished changing a few things, lifted the top glass so the PCs are about 6" off the water

I do have a fan blowing across the top of my temp sump, its only a 12 gallon tank while my I'm repairing my 55 gallon long sump

I dunno if I would call it a brace but I guess it is... Its the really thin plastic attached to the top ring and of course says do not remove... or did say that at one time

I am gonna research this T5 thing, I have heard a little about them, but I was under the impression they were like a PC or VHO

[charlie]

Do you have a pic of the top of your tank? What is the length of the tank? I am assuming it is 36", but I want to make sure.

You will find alot about T5 lites. You will also find people telling you that you can't do sps or clams underneath these. Up until I saw these lites on someones tank, I was under that impression, but I was wrong I think. Alot of the success runs down to coral placement, and of course water quality.

[axel9615]

no pics... yes its 36" L x 16.25" W x 20" H

I have been reading up on the T5, anywhere specific to get some good info?

[charlie]

I don't think Sanjay has done any test on these, but you can check here:

List of all my articles

Other than that, try a search, either on this site or another for T5.

With the tank that size, you are between a rock and a hard spot I think. the only choice for a MH, is right over the center, but there is the concern with the brace.....................

[axel9615]

Well after looking some things up, it seems that I need about 120-130W of T5 lighting to cover a 250W MH.

At 39W for a 36" T5 bulb, 3 lights should do the trick, but I may run 4. Definately planning on retrofit kits, because I like the way they look and It seems that the majority believe they produce more and better lighting.

[charlie]

Well, I am an old halide guy, so I am not gonna tell you that they are better than the halide. But, I think you can make a definite go of what you want to do now with the T5. who knows, if you are like alot of others, myself included, there is always the chance that you will upgrade!!!

Hey, good luck and thanx for asking the questions, we appreciate it!! At least you are doing the research first.