What can I do?

[surfn]

Right now I have an open top cube with a MH pendant hanging above. I am wanting to do some actinics, but I am wondering what route I should go.

Any suggestions for doing this and what lights you suggest?

Tank is 2ft long.

you dont have any real easy options there if you want to plan on keeping the tank open top. i've seen someone do it, but it required making out a simple frame out of 1"x2" slats of wood, and then screwing the light fixture to that simple frame of wood, then you would mount the ends of the T5's to those slats, and THEN you would hang the entire frame with chains from the ceiling. IMO it looked kind of ugly w/ wires going everywhere.

they do make pendants w/ DE reflectors on the inside, and built in with T5 slots. but they are quite $$$

i dont see any real easy solution, other than switching to SE... :hammer:

Nice, but how well does that spread the light across a 24" tank. Looks like the bulb is on one side of the reflector. Seems like one side of the tank will be brighter than the other. I am probably wrong since I am sure they figured this out.

i think it spreads the light just as good as the lumenarc IMO and IME. yes you have a little bit of shadows directly under/behind where the mogul socket sits......but what SE reflector doesn't? i know the lumenarc does even with an enclosed back, if you take the back off behind where the socket sits, you'd be surprised that it doesn't make that much of a difference to the eye.

and for a 24" tank, you really dont notice it that much since the reflector is 24". if you used a 24" reflector on a 30" tank then you would notice the shadow behind the socket alot more.

but of course, the further you raise up the reflector, the less shadow you will get.

 

[143gadgets]

Cool! Al i this what your using on your tank?

 

[143gadgets]

Isn't the prettiest, but here is my setup. I will be cleaning it up a bit when i move into the new crib.

 

[surfn]

yup, we had a big discussion about it in another thread. lumenarcs only work when you can raise them up high enough so they dont give a spotlight effect, which wasn't an option for me in canopy.

http://www.club-zoa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4847&highlight=reflector+intensity

actually, in the intensity diagrams it shows the PFO parallel actually spreads out light further than the lumenarc going length wise with the reflector. so it actually does put light out behind the mogule socket which makes sense.

its been several years since i used the 36" reflector with 2 bulbs. but i dont remember any shadows. the shadow i see in the back of my current tank is probably due to the rock being stacked so high in the back.

anyways, sorry for the thread hijack rev! :horse:

 

[fishes2889]

Great info guys! :thumbleft:

I am definitly swayed toward the parrallel though....

 

[surfn]

Isn't the prettiest, but here is my setup. I will be cleaning it up a bit when i move into the new crib.

so are the ends fixed to the tank in any way? cuz if i did that, i would so end up bumping one of them and........SPLASH!!! lol that would definitely not be good if an end slipped into the water.

but hey, if it works and its a cheap solution...been there done that.

btw, i like the rimless top. is that tank glass or acrylic? how thick is it?

 

[143gadgets]

Thanks Al. It's 1/2" acrylic. the ends are not fixed. I like to keep the actinics as close to the water as possible for maximum penetration. I may change it around when I setup the new tank.

 

[surfn]

Thanks Al. It's 1/2" acrylic. the ends are not fixed. I like to keep the actinics as close to the water as possible for maximum penetration. I may change it around when I setup the new tank.

what kind of actinics are you running? dont must of the VHO's have built in reflectors in the bulb?

 

[143gadgets]

I am running URI super actinics. They have a 180 degree reflector built in. By far the best actinic bulb IMO.

 

[revhtree]

No problem on posting whatever in my thread. I am getting some good info.

I agree about the URI. That's what I ran on the 125 and I loved them!

 

[JGoslee]

Rev why not just build a canopy for the mh's and actinics and then hang the canopy from the ceiling over the tank.

 

[143gadgets]

Rev why not just build a canopy for the mh's and actinics and then hang the canopy from the ceiling over the tank.

Great idea! I have contemplated this for my new tank, but I am still undecided. it will look a lot cleaner though.