Finally finished this week long project. An all aluminum HQI + T5 + Moonlight canopy. I'm using 4 X T5's 48" under Ice Cap SLR reflectors. 2 X 250 watt HQI halides and 16 LED moonlights, 8 blue and 8 white. I had a few specific goals in mind. One was to optimize the T5 and Halide lighting as best as possible while using a single canopy for both. I wanted both the HQI and T5 to be within the specified distances from the water, something that most pre-built combo canopies don't seem to do very well. They generally place the T5 bulbs and Halide reflectors at the same distance from the water. With the relatively tiny halide reflectors that most of the combos use, this places the Halide bulbs only in the neighborhood of 2 inches or so higher than the T5's. So if the T5's are placed at the best distance, the Halides are often too low to the water. Raise the fixture to optmize the halide distance and the T5's are too high. So, I built the canopy so that the Bottom of the halide bulbs are about 4.5" above the T5's. When the T5's are positioned at 4" or 5", my halides are also within their optimum distance, around 9" above the water.
Another goal was to have one self contained unit with everything inside the canopy. I have the ballasts for the flourescents as well as the halides built in the canopy.
Weight was an issue and aluminum is lighter than wood. I wanted the canopy to be managable for maintenance.
The aluminum should also be very durable.
Cooling was also an issue and I built the "tunnel" area that houses the ballasts and wiring larger than I needed too. I have one fan installed but I wanted plenty of area for air flow inside the tunnel. I can add a clip on fan and get plenty of air flow through the canopy if need be.
I'm using two 250 watt ARO E-ballasts for the halides and two Advance e-ballasts for the T5's. Right now I'm using Reefliuz 10000K DE bulbs. The T5's are 2X ATI Blue Plus and 2X UVL Super actinics. I'm using Ice Cap SLR reflectors for the T5's. The Halide reflectors are the DE retros that several online vendors sell. These aren't Lumenarcs or anything like that. They are still on the small side comparitively but they throw a good deal of light. A signifigant upgrade from the reflectors in the Outer Orbit and some of the other budget combo fixtures. An excellent compromise for what I was aiming to do with this canopy.
The frame of the canopy. Ballasts are installed and wiring is in progress.
One of the two LED panels. Cut out for the bottom of the halide reflector. These just slide in on aluminum U channel attached to the frame. The glass shields for the halide reflectors protrude through the cutouts and I can change bulbs without taking the canopy down or apart.
Bottom of the canopy. Shows the endcaps installed and wired up. I used the clips for the SLR reflectors rather than mounting them.
Wiring is complete except for the LED's. I used the Current USA LED modules. They just plug together. They are mounted on the back side of the panels by using a piece of threaded alumium flat bar. Made a template and drilled out holes for the LED's through the aluminum sheet with a uni-bit.
I forgot to take a picture of the completed canopy prior to hanging it. But, the covers are just two sheets of thin aluminum sheet screwed to the frame. The frame is threaded and attached with mahine screws. So the alumium cover panels are easily removed to access the ballasts and wiring. Fan is mounted up top on the back side. I just drilled holes in a circular pattern with the uni-bit to vent the fan.
Heres a shot down one side of the "tunnel". You can see one of the ARO Halide ballasts and one of the Advance T5 ballasts. Alot of open area. It will vent very well just using a clip on fan if the single fan up top isnt enough cooling (which it seems to be).
Shot of the canopy hanging over the tank. The canopy is large. The tank is a build in so the canopy is not seen. I hung it by modifying an Outer Orbit hanging kit a little bit. It's easily adjustable for height with that wire hanging system so tank maintanence is a breeze. I just adjust the canopy up and have more than ample clearance to work in the tank.
Another goal was to have one self contained unit with everything inside the canopy. I have the ballasts for the flourescents as well as the halides built in the canopy.
Weight was an issue and aluminum is lighter than wood. I wanted the canopy to be managable for maintenance.
The aluminum should also be very durable.
Cooling was also an issue and I built the "tunnel" area that houses the ballasts and wiring larger than I needed too. I have one fan installed but I wanted plenty of area for air flow inside the tunnel. I can add a clip on fan and get plenty of air flow through the canopy if need be.
I'm using two 250 watt ARO E-ballasts for the halides and two Advance e-ballasts for the T5's. Right now I'm using Reefliuz 10000K DE bulbs. The T5's are 2X ATI Blue Plus and 2X UVL Super actinics. I'm using Ice Cap SLR reflectors for the T5's. The Halide reflectors are the DE retros that several online vendors sell. These aren't Lumenarcs or anything like that. They are still on the small side comparitively but they throw a good deal of light. A signifigant upgrade from the reflectors in the Outer Orbit and some of the other budget combo fixtures. An excellent compromise for what I was aiming to do with this canopy.
The frame of the canopy. Ballasts are installed and wiring is in progress.
One of the two LED panels. Cut out for the bottom of the halide reflector. These just slide in on aluminum U channel attached to the frame. The glass shields for the halide reflectors protrude through the cutouts and I can change bulbs without taking the canopy down or apart.
Bottom of the canopy. Shows the endcaps installed and wired up. I used the clips for the SLR reflectors rather than mounting them.
Wiring is complete except for the LED's. I used the Current USA LED modules. They just plug together. They are mounted on the back side of the panels by using a piece of threaded alumium flat bar. Made a template and drilled out holes for the LED's through the aluminum sheet with a uni-bit.
I forgot to take a picture of the completed canopy prior to hanging it. But, the covers are just two sheets of thin aluminum sheet screwed to the frame. The frame is threaded and attached with mahine screws. So the alumium cover panels are easily removed to access the ballasts and wiring. Fan is mounted up top on the back side. I just drilled holes in a circular pattern with the uni-bit to vent the fan.
Heres a shot down one side of the "tunnel". You can see one of the ARO Halide ballasts and one of the Advance T5 ballasts. Alot of open area. It will vent very well just using a clip on fan if the single fan up top isnt enough cooling (which it seems to be).
Shot of the canopy hanging over the tank. The canopy is large. The tank is a build in so the canopy is not seen. I hung it by modifying an Outer Orbit hanging kit a little bit. It's easily adjustable for height with that wire hanging system so tank maintanence is a breeze. I just adjust the canopy up and have more than ample clearance to work in the tank.
