Lighting a deep but thin tank

[399 Reef]

I’ve been out of the hobby for about 20 years. I still have a tank I purchased well over that which measures 48x12x36. Tank is acrylic with oak stand and canopy. Canopy sits 5” off tank top.

Back in the day I ran 2 T5s and 1 MH (either 400W or 600W can’t remember but bulb was huge). Lighting was fine but the heat from the bulb started to melt the top of the acrylic tank when one of the fans failed. The fans were retrofit and not salt water proof.

Given the specs and the depth of the tank should I run 2 T5s and LEDs and if so which ones? Or 2 T5s and MH, and if so is there something that will fit under the canopy and not melt the tank? If not are there coooling fans you would recommend?

Or do I ditch the canopy and have another built that is taller? I don’t want to hang the lighting from the ceiling, nor router the tank to accommodate a hang on.

Thanks in advance.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Well it’s a pretty good time to be a reefer with all the choices available.
Problem is there are a lot of choices.

T5 and mh, heat is othe only downfall.

Led it’s about price.

As far as led , look at the kessil 160 and 360 line. Small and compact. You’ll want two to 4 , four for the best coverage.
Ai prime is worth a look.
Current orbit marine is Long strip style light.
A Radion may fit as well. They have two models , the 15’s and the 30’s.
I’d look at four 15s for r better coverage.

Led fixtures do produce some heat , so you will want to vent the canopy , but depending on the fixture you may need to choose a passive vent or active vent with computer fans.

With some of the lights you can also just drill or cut holes in the top of the canopy too , and just point the lights through the holes. It’ll cut down on heat inside and keep the leds cool. They last longer that way.

Myself , I prefer a canopy as I don’t like the light in my eyes.

 

[mcarroll]

And option with the current USA lights is to ditch the canopy all together. The lights (optionally) can lay right on the top edge of the tank and are so thin you really can't see them. This will be the ideal placement for such a deep tank anyway.

 

[399 Reef]

Thank you for all the information! I will check out all of those options. The canopy is open in the back. I haven’t thought of computer fans but that’s a great idea. I can run 1-2 blowing in and 1-2 blowing out from the canopy to create a flow.

Thanks again!

 

[mcarroll]

Blowing out from the top is a winning position for a canopy fan if you can do it.

Additional fans blowing in from the sides would be nice, but you may also be able to get by with just passive vents on the sides.