[skipb]

I'm not the DYI hood type :-( So I'm trying to decide on who's hood to buy. I want to use the 250 watt 10k Ushio bulbs. Any experiences with Custom Sealifes hoods or Hamilton ??? Any other recommendations?? The Tank is 86" long but with an end overflow, so a 6' fixture will work well. After my 6" DSB, I'll have 24" of water depth. I've used VHO and PC's for years in smaller tanks. It's now time to upgrade.

Thanks for any and all replys,

Skip

[Sker]

Well Skip, I have a hamilton hood for 58 gallon tank it has a 250W MH10,000K bulb supplemented with two 55W power compacts. They are very well constructed and I have been very happy with it. The only drawbacks I could see with the size of tank you are talking about is that the hood sits right on the tank and the light may not disperse like you want it to if the tank is very wide. (The hamilton hood is only about 12" wide, and will cost you well over $1,000) This is where having a custom canopy made for your tank might be the better way to go so you do not have any spots on your tank that are not getting the light like it sould. Most people with tanks this size suspend their light about 8"-12" above the top of the tank to get better light coverage.

For my future tank (300 gallons) I will have a canopy made and I will buy my ballasts, lights, and mogul sockets and install it all myself. I think for a $1,000 you could have a custom hood made and you could buy all of your lighting supplies online and you would have a lot better set up for your tank. Have you tried www.hellolights.com ??? I hope this helps a little...