Lighting Question For Aquarium with Canopy

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sharkbait97437

New Member
Hello,

First, let me say that I am new to both this forum and to saltwater aquariums, although I've been browsing this site for some time now.

I purchased a used 75 gallon saltwater aquarium. The aquarium contained about 75-100lbs of live rock. In it, I currently have 3 small clown fish, a yellow tang, a chocolate chip sea star, a gobie, a blue linckia sea star, and a few hermit crabs. My goal is to add corals to this tank, and also to re-etablish the purple coraline growth on the LR.

The tank currently has two metal halide lights that, I believe, are at the end of their life. I haven't been happy with these lights, mainly due to the termperature fluctuations they cause in my tank. Ideally, I would like to switch to T-5s. The following is a picture of my current setup:

3499867136_7b37db8582_b.jpg


My question is, what is the best way to get rid of the metal halides and add T-5s? I'm not very skilled with handy work, so ideally I would like to purchase a fixture to just rest inside of the canopy. I've been eying the following:

Nova Extreme Pro | Current What's Next

Is it a problem to put something like this inside of my canopy, or should I be looking at the retro-fit kits? I realize it would probably help to see the inside of the canopy, so I'll upload a picture of that this evening.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Shane
 
reefracer

reefracer

Member
I've got a Nova Extreme Pro, nice lights but I agree it's not recommended to put in a canopy. It probably wouldn't fit unless you take the ends out where the fans are anyway. But then it might work.
 
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sharkbait97437

New Member
Thank you all for the suggestions. I hadn't realized they made a pre-wired retro kit that I could just mount to the top of my canopy. I mentioned earlier I would post a picture of the inside of my canopy. Here it is. I think that kit will still work:

3630805519_463c18a542_b.jpg
 
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sharkbait97437

New Member
Lighting Recommendation Needed

Hello,

I started a thread on changing out lighting on my new used tank. I currently have Metal Halide and am looking to switch to T5, but I need to install them in a canopy. The original thread is here:

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/general-reef-aquarium-discussion/47864-lighting-question-aquarium-canopy.html

Someone recommended the following ready fit retro-kit for me:

48" Two Lamp T5 Retro Kit by CoralVue - AquaCave

I've also been looking at the following kit that is already pre-wired:

IceCap 48 Inch T5HO Retrofit-Kit w/ IceCap 660-009 Ballast (T5 Bulbs Not Included)

My question is, is one better than the other? My goal is to be able to grow corals eventually, as well as to promote the growth of coraline algae.

Thanks,

Shane
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
Both "Similar" threads are merged together and moved to the appropriate forum so it gets the attention is needs and deserves :)
 
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bnumair

New Member
Hey guys i am new at this hobby.
i been reading alot on lighting. i have a 120 gal reef tank.
48longx24tallx24deep.
i have about 80lbs of LR and 3 inch black and white fine grain live sand mixed togather to give it like an ASH look.
i have 2 true clowns 2 clarkii 2 powder blue tangs 1 yellow 1 naso tang 1 blue hippo.
on corals i have green star polyps lots of mushrooms, soft leathers devil fingers, frog sprawn and some others that i dont know about.
my question is i have 8x55w T5 HO 50/50 lights on a 12 hours timer 10am to 10pm and moonlight 24 hrs.
it s got 2 fixtures.
1. is coralife 4x55w PC 50/50
2. is Odyssea 4x55w T5 HO lamps also 50/50
is this too much light?
Is 12 hrs daylight 50/50 enough?
moonlight runs 24hrs it that ok?
thanks to everyone for helping.
 
UTCreefer

UTCreefer

Member
Go with the Icecap retro for sure. I have two icecap ballasts driving 6 bulbs and people always think i have halides. My corals are growing pretty good too. Not to mention that i can easily change the look/color of my tank just through experimenting with different bulb combo's. I suggest 3x ATI Aqua Blue's and 3x ATI Blue+ or 2 each if you only have 4 bulbs. Also if you put a fan on them they can last way over a year.
 
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Travelin Reef

Member
Metal halides are probably preferable if you get into some of the more light requiring corals, clams, etc. For a-lot less $$$ you could replace the old Metal Halide bulbs, add some fans or even a chiller, and a smaller (1 or 2 strip) source for your actinics. I.E. do not be so quick to scrap what you have, consider improving on it. Just my suggestion. P.S. if you do make the change you would get a nice payment if you put the old lights on e-bay. They would sell for sure because so many people want them.
 
BarbMazz

BarbMazz

Well-Known Member
I retrofitted T5 HO light kits into my canopy. I had NO previous electrical experience, and this was quite easy, AND rewarding.

I'd recommend fitting as many bulbs as you can. Make sure you add cooling fans to the canopy, as T5 HO bulbs lose a lot if they're not cooled adequately.

In that tank with T5 lighting you can keep any corals you want, and clams and anemones if they're high up in the tank. I derasa clam would do fine on the substrate of a tank lit like that, too.

http://www.reefgeek.com has great retrofit kits at reasonable prices and their customer support is superb. They also have a wonderful bulb selection and will guide you as to bulb combination, too.
 
MotoReef

MotoReef

Member
I dunno... I have used both T5 and Metal halides as follows

Old system:
8X 39W T5 for total of 312 watts half actinic and half 10,000K.

New system:
2X 150w dual end Metal Halide 14,000K and 20,000K with digital ballast, total of 300 watts.

Result:

I have found the Metal Halide is slightly more efficient with power usage (as checked via line tester),

Also found that aquarium water temperature did not change at all due to swapping... (yes Eight HO T5 lamps run quite hot too, though not as concentrated in a single point, total heat produced may be close to or more than two small MH bulbs?!)

Notes:

-- Metal Halide can look prettier with point-source light, creating motion rays of light... Not so with long tubes.

-- Corals do fine either way though as they care more about what color (spectrum) and how much (intensity) , more than what method...

-- Running cost was almost the same with T5 in my case as replacing 8x 39W lamps = $ 155, 2x Metal Halide 150w bulbs $160

-- Both systems benefit from use of modern digital ballasts for efficiency (though some like the old coil ballast for Metal Halide even at less efficiency)
 
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BLAKEJOHN

Active Member
Regardless of your canopy type I would suggest to get a retro kit from reef geek. They seem to be the cheapest and come with ice cap ballasts. Also get as many bulbs as you can fit under the canopy (measure this by the reflector size). Additionally get some fans to circulate fresh air under the lights and above the water. Here is a pic of my setup.

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_MG_0004-1.jpg
 
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