question for an odd shaped tank

[Snitch]

Hi everyone, I have a possible lighting issue that I was hoping you could clear up.

I'm planning a custom build - the tank will be 72" long, 18" wide and 13" high - Glasscages 75 gallon long. The tank will be soft corals and LPS corals, no SPS corals. I have (3) A160WE Tuna Blues and was wondering if I need to get a 4th? I see per your website, coverage is roughly 24" surface area so theoretically 3 should be adequate. In talking to the Glasscages guys, top bracing is glass, no plastic rim on this one - either Euro brace, or (2) standard glass braces, so i don't think shadowing from braces would be a concern. What about height of the lamps? Meaning, since the tank would only be 13" high, I would assume I would need to have the lamps raised up enough in order to not create hot spots, correct? I would also assume that since the lamps would be raised up, coverage would increase and would hopefully be adequate for softies and LPS?

Thoughts or comments?

Thanks!

 

[Kessil]

Hi everyone, I have a possible lighting issue that I was hoping you could clear up.

I'm planning a custom build - the tank will be 72" long, 18" wide and 13" high - Glasscages 75 gallon long. The tank will be soft corals and LPS corals, no SPS corals. I have (3) A160WE Tuna Blues and was wondering if I need to get a 4th? I see per your website, coverage is roughly 24" surface area so theoretically 3 should be adequate. In talking to the Glasscages guys, top bracing is glass, no plastic rim on this one - either Euro brace, or (2) standard glass braces, so i don't think shadowing from braces would be a concern. What about height of the lamps? Meaning, since the tank would only be 13" high, I would assume I would need to have the lamps raised up enough in order to not create hot spots, correct? I would also assume that since the lamps would be raised up, coverage would increase and would hopefully be adequate for softies and LPS?

Thoughts or comments?

Thanks!

I think your assessment of 3 units being enough is correct. Without seeing the bracing, it's tough to tell a recommended mounting height though. I would start at about 6" off the water and slowly raise them up to get the aesthetic you're looking for.

 

[Snitch]

That's great news - thanks for your insight.

 

[Kessil]

Share some photos as you get it up and running! We love seeing tanks get going.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Four orphek OR3 -90. superblue will do wonders

 

[Snitch]

Four orphek OR3 -90. superblue will do wonders

Agreed - however, this is 100% a visual asthetic. I'm wanting to try to incorporate the 160's into fixtures that would hang from either the ceiling (think rigid pendant lights over a kitchen island).

 

[vetteguy53081]

Agreed - however, this is 100% a visual asthetic. I'm wanting to try to incorporate the 160's into fixtures that would hang from either the ceiling (think rigid pendant lights over a kitchen island).

Orpheks will hang- I own many

 

[Snitch]

Orpheks will hang- I own many

I'm sure - however, I already own (3) A160's.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I'm sure - however, I already own (3) A160's.

The A160 although dimmable may not be enough with a 72” tank. The A350 or 360 would be a better gamble for coverage

 

[Snitch]

The A160 although dimmable may not be enough with a 72” tank. The A350 or 360 would be a better gamble for coverage

Oh I agree. This build is going to be extremely unique-ish... I've seen it done maybe twice in my whole time in this hobby (since 2003). I want the very low profile of the tank, but it needs to be at least 18" deep for decent scaping. I also wanted it to be at least 6' long, so this tank will fit the bill perfectly. The rock will be real live rock from KP Aquatics or similar, with only a small percentage of it being dry. The dry rock will be exposed and will house air plants, succulents. The exposed section will be off to one side, so the 3 lights should cover the "reef" area fine - maybe roughly 4' - 5' at the most. Ambient light will help the plants. I'm going to make custom shrouds for the lamps and want to hang them pendant style, but I don't know if I'll be able to pull that off correctly. Kessil's power cords and linking cables are probably not long enough to do exactly what I want. The stand will be custom built by me, and will be all open with shelving. I have the plans already figured out for that. No sump, no skimmer, no HOB anything. The tank itself will not be drilled, but will have a faux overflow where I can hide the heaters, a pump, media basket if I need it.

This is my inspiration - an old friend of mine from our old defunct reef club had this set-up. I never got to see it in person, and it no longer exists.

 

[Kessil]

Oh I agree. This build is going to be extremely unique-ish... I've seen it done maybe twice in my whole time in this hobby (since 2003). I want the very low profile of the tank, but it needs to be at least 18" deep for decent scaping. I also wanted it to be at least 6' long, so this tank will fit the bill perfectly. The rock will be real live rock from KP Aquatics or similar, with only a small percentage of it being dry. The dry rock will be exposed and will house air plants, succulents. The exposed section will be off to one side, so the 3 lights should cover the "reef" area fine - maybe roughly 4' - 5' at the most. Ambient light will help the plants. I'm going to make custom shrouds for the lamps and want to hang them pendant style, but I don't know if I'll be able to pull that off correctly. Kessil's power cords and linking cables are probably not long enough to do exactly what I want. The stand will be custom built by me, and will be all open with shelving. I have the plans already figured out for that. No sump, no skimmer, no HOB anything. The tank itself will not be drilled, but will have a faux overflow where I can hide the heaters, a pump, media basket if I need it.

This is my inspiration - an old friend of mine from our old defunct reef club had this set-up. I never got to see it in person, and it no longer exists.

Two pieces of information that may help - we have DC extension cables that are 6' long between the lamp and the power brick itself, so that might help with your cable management. The link cables can run up to 20' between lamps, so depending on how far down they're suspended, you should be able to bridge the gap pretty easily.

The DC extension cable is not a standalone part, but if you end up needing them, send us a message or an email and we'll get you taken care of.

 

[Snitch]

Two pieces of information that may help - we have DC extension cables that are 6' long between the lamp and the power brick itself, so that might help with your cable management. The link cables can run up to 20' between lamps, so depending on how far down they're suspended, you should be able to bridge the gap pretty easily.

The DC extension cable is not a standalone part, but if you end up needing them, send us a message or an email and we'll get you taken care of.

I will definitely remember this, I appreciate it.