500G (84X48X30)- NOW REAL !

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Joe, thanks for your input!

I am using 2 Lumenarcs and one dish type reflector with no way to attach ducting to it. I can understand the idea of blowing air through the fixture, but I wonder if that keeps the water as cool as blowing the air under the fixture? Has there been any documentation of this that you kow of?

I am not sold on using this heat for the house without directing it through some sort of de-humidifier. As it stands right now, my house is at 45% humidity without the tank running. I have completely separated the tank room from the house, so it should have no affect on the house humidity, but the air in the room itself will definitely be much higher in moisture content and I don't want to add that to the house. Something to think about for the future though!

I have plenty of space to store the ballasts but coming up with a creative way to use the tank fans to cool the ballasts is another story. Maybe I just need to get a smaller fan dedicated to the ballasts.

About the light movers: If I was to not use the movers, then the light would be stationary and I would hope not burn the corals, so how does adding some movement change that? If the motor malfunctions, the lamp would just become stationary so I don't think that should harm the corals any more than without the rail. I do NOT plan on lowering the lamps and using the light mover to give the corals higher intensity light, because these are 1000W lamps. They will be intense enough. Fail-safe wiring is an option of course. My controller could probably handle that.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6557945#post6557945 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sanjay
I like the idea of PVC angle especially since it easy to glue, but what about heat if the reflector is sitting on the frame.

sanjay.
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Sanjay,

I don't think the heat would affect the PVC as long as it isn't directly under the lights. I'm assuming that the PVC frame would be simply holding the edges of the fixture. You can even add spaces (small PVC blocks) to reduce direct contact and increase air flow between the fixture and the frame.

Alternatively, fiberglass angle would probably stand up better to heat. I've not used fiberglass angle so I'm only guessing here.

Greg
 
I'll tell you that the heat on the PVC is definitely an issue IMO. It took me 2 days to remove the heat damage to my tank's euro-bracing. I had to start at 60 grit on an angle grinder! That is another reason why I may not use a track that can swing. The damage done was with 400W and 250W lamps. It was so damaged that not much light at all could pass through it.

Acrylic and PVC have different properties, but I cannot imagine the PVC holding up well.

I have seen some very clever CHEAP light hanging methods and one that sticks out in my mind is using what amounts to a piece of wood th length of the tank front and back that has half-circles cut out much like a wooden wine rack.

Across the tank is a dowel for each lamp, with the lamp hung with cable, chain, etc that is adjustable. the dowel is positioned with each end on the "wine rack" wood giving the ability to angle the lamp and get it exactly where you want it.

For a tank as large as Sanjay's or mine, this could be modified by using a metal track with a pully to ficilitate moving the lamp out of the way.

What I am leaning toward is a stationary track monted on the ceiling, giving me the most verticle play I can get and hanging the lamps with "yo-yos". That way when the lamp is shifted out of the way, there are no other obstructions like dowels etc. I will have clean access to the tank, which I will need to get in with my wetsuit on.:D

For those unfamiliar with "yo-yos" I can only describe them as a simple spring loaded string coil mount. They are very popular in the hydroponics business. You can adjust height just be releasing a thumb screw and moving it up and down.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6559319#post6559319 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe

What I am leaning toward is a stationary track monted on the ceiling, giving me the most verticle play I can get and hanging the lamps with "yo-yos". That way when the lamp is shifted out of the way, there are no other obstructions like dowels etc. I will have clean access to the tank, which I will need to get in with my wetsuit on.:D

For those unfamiliar with "yo-yos" I can only describe them as a simple spring loaded string coil mount. They are very popular in the hydroponics business. You can adjust height just be releasing a thumb screw and moving it up and down.
Click to expand...

I did some searching at hydroponic sites... and these yoyo type hangers are kind of neat, and will allow for the vertical adjustmet of the lamp height.

I am now looking at light rails as my track to slide the lights along the lenght of the tank. i do not need the motor part... hopefully they make a non motorized version of the trolley so I can manually slide the lamps out of the way. I still need to figure out a way to make the light move along the breadth of the tank. This will give me full X, Y, Z motion to swing the lights out of the way.

I looked for some good swivel mounts that you suggested joe but did not find any good ones.

sanjay.
 
Something else to consider as I am, is using a sailboat track. It's of course a bit overkill, but I get them at wholesale. They are designed to allow adjustment of the reach of a sail and have a variety of attachments. The reason why I am considering them is that they DO NOT corode. They are built to use space very efficiently so that there is very little protrusion, giving a better range of verticle motion.
 
what about tracks for a garage door & rollers. You would of course degrease them. Two tracks front and back of tank. Each light has two tracks and four rollers. The two tracks for the lights, each have a roller on the end.
 
Also a good idea and I have heard many reefers do that. There is a little more engineering to contend with though to get your lamps level and get it to roll without snagging at an angle. I think those tracks work very well on rigid hood systems though.
 
Depending on the weight, even the tracks/rollers used for sliding doors should work.

My friend finished his basement and the back wall is a book case...or four bookcases. Upon further inspection they slide open to reveal a hidden storage room. The walls (shelves) are heavy and yet they slide like butter.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6564919#post6564919 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by merlock116
i've got the yo-yo's aka sunlifts.

they're a must have item if you're not using a canopy.
Click to expand...

I have the Sunlight Supply "yo-yo" lifts and, IMO, they're worthless. I can never get them to function properly. It's much easier and less expensive to simply use plastic hooks and chains.

Greg
 
I forgot whos thread it was but it was a custom Cube and stand he had 4 lumenarcs on piston like devices. Kind of like the old car trunks. Does anyone know whos thread that was?

Actually Moonpod has the same setup:) But you knew that:)
 
The tank will be open top. My biggest headache is the limted head room. I am not particularly interested in the up and down motion, but in being able to move the lights out of the way when working in the tank.

Here is a picture showing some of my constraints. I would like to keep the 20" I currently have above the tank top edge to allow room for the Lumenarcs. So that means that the new tank which is 30" tall will reduce the space available for the stand to 34". I need to give my self about 30" of room under the stand. So this will also be a tough one with the current stand design.


The lumenarcs are about 9 inches tall.. so I will only have about 10 inches between the top of the tank and the fixture. This will most likely limit the spread. Have to play around and see what I get.


backroom.gif


sanjay.
 
Are you looking for something like this to move your lights?
1225ac1l.gif

You can Find them at master-carr.com
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6634052#post6634052 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by asnatlas
mcmaster.com
Click to expand...

Yep that's the one.
Stanley also makes a similar sliding track thats a little bit heavier (and cheaper) that looks pretty nice. I don't have a link to that product, but I'm sure asnatlas will post one:lol:
 
Actually there are several ones that could be used from that site: Manual Trolleys

For less than $60 though I think that one is a good deal. I am going to use that for my center fixture which is a dish shape and only needs to be moved when I need access to the tank. I am using 2 Light rail 3.5 movers for the 2 lumenarc reflectors on each end of the tank. They will only move about 1-1/2 to 2' to get front to back coverage and then completely out of the way for tank access. I am installing them now and just ordered that trolley from Master-Carr. Thanks guys!
 
Why not just use the light rails and a trolley that would ride on the light rails ? Are the light rails cheaper than these.

Jnaroe, your link does not work. Can you post that one again.

Here is another alternative for a stand design I am considering. I am limited to having a 30"-32" tall stand, I want to maximize the room under it. If I go with the 6"tall I beam idea then the maximum opening I have will have a height of 24-26", whereas if I go with a welded steel stand of 2" square pipe I can get 28-30". Those extra 4" may make a difference. Just mulling the different options.

stand_assly.gif


sanjay.
 
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