How to fit an aqualight elite housing to a canopy?

[hagadiii]

Want to say hi to everyone in this site!
Im new to this hobby. Im a war veteran,just came home from deployment not too long ago and this new hobby is my therapy.
Just bought my all glass tank 150 G with stand and canopy,55 G sump,quiet one 4000 return pump and just yesterday a coralife elite lighting system with 250Wx3MH and 96X2 Actinics from DrFoster and Smith webstore.
Anyway my immediate problem as of the moment is how to fit my coralife lighting system to my canopy?
If I force it inside the canopy, the glass undersurface of the light housing will be 3.5 to 4.5 inches from the surface of the water and also the inlet and outlet fans on the side of the housing will only have 0.5 inch clearance on the side of the wood canopy.
My question is, if i do decide to squeeze this aqualight elite to my canopy with these clearances, will it significantly cause problems in the long haul?
Does anyone have an experience on this problem? I badly need an advice from the gurus on this site, please help.
Alex

 

[faust]

on our 80 bow front i have a coralife m/h fixture. i routered out the top to make a skeleton, a jig saw would work. i carefully removed the corner bracing allowing the canopy to sit all the way back. then use the router to make slots on the sides to aid in air flow. i also added 4 computer fans to push /pull air across the fixture and water
now i don't recommend you hack up your canopy with out your spouses approval. but our tank is very tall and you can't even see the top of the canopy.
as
also note you shouldn't buy fish that are jumpers if you choose to do this

 

[BigAl07]

Hello hagadiii and welcome to the Reef!

First off THANK YOU for your service. It's GREATLY appreciated :hallo:

faust gave some good advice there. If you're able and willing you may be able to make it work.... BUT... an alternative may be to try and swap/return that unit for a RETRO kit. They are designed for IN-CANOPY applications and you won't be compromising the "engineered" cooling system of the unit. Heat is an enemy of your lights and believe it or not most "quality" units are designed to operate at a specific temperature in order to be the most efficient. Too HOT and bulb life can be greatly reduced too cool and the lamp isn't able to operate at it's optimal temp. This may or may not be the case in you unit but it's something to consider.

again WELCOME to the REEF

 

[hagadiii]

Thanks for the quick reply.
I guess i have no choice but put holes on my canopy.
Wish me luck. Im not the best on tools but i will seek advice of the nearest home depot or lowes personnel as to which best tool to bore a hole. My concern is the wood of the canopy.It seems finished with a glossy-laminate looking material which i hope wont crack once i jigsaw it. Worse comes to worst I might punch holes with my 9 mm beretta. LOL
Thanks again faust.
alex

 

[hagadiii]

Thanks Big Al, you are more than welcome!
I wish i can return it but its a clearance item so caveat emptor to me.
Well in fairness to DrsFoster&Smith webstore, they did give me a great price of $699 + about $17 shipping but no returns accepted. The 250 W MH bulb was also crushed upon delivery by the ever reliable FedEx and one of the actinic bulbs is broken but they immediately answered my phone call and gladly sent replacement bulbs for free which i expect to arrive next week.
Anyhow, I contemplated on the retro fit kit Big Al but since Im not the best person with tools as I previously posted, I opted to use the plug and play unit instead.
I will be posting picture of the canopy so you guys can see the material I was talking about earlier.
I will definitely be seeking more advice from all you guys. Thanks again for the support for newbies like me.
Wife still thinks the therapist in the VA would be cheaper than this new hobby.
Cant wait to show her once my reef matures.

 

[new reefer 03]

Reef Aquarium Lighting: Aqualight Elite Metal Halide/Compact Fluorescent Aquarium Light

if that is your fixture, you should only need 2 holes on the sides of the canopy. is your canopy open top ?

 

[hagadiii]

Unfortunately my canopy is closed top sir so do i need more holes then?
What do u suggest will be the best way to bore holes on this type of material with the least amount of destruction to the surrounding wood?
Also how big should the holes be? Should I trace the diameter of the inlet and exhaust fan?
Without the holes the clearance of the fan and the wood is 0.5 inches on both sides. So basically no ventilation and the housing will surely overheat.
requesting for further guidance,
alex

 

[sw_addicted]

If it were me I would go buy a hole saw(this chucks in a drill, and is far less destructive and the hole will be perfect if you go slow from both sides to avoid splintering)then get a computer fan shroud(guard) and put it on the outside so it looks like it belongs. repeat for each fan.

 

[hagadiii]

thank you for the advice.
I guess off to Home Depot tomorrow and search for a hole saw.
I like the fan guard/shroud idea too since it may hide some blemishes of wood splintering, hopefully NOT.
Will post pics after i complete this task.
If anyone got any input please feel free to post a comment.
many thanks again to everyone.
alex