Best deal on a 72" T5 or MH

[Yinzer]

I've decided to pull the trigger on my lighting upgrade. I have a canopy and need to know what lighting will fit in it or if I need to cut a hole in it.

I need some ideas if u have any.

 

[Yinzer]

The length of tank is 72" acrylic with braces across the top. The wooden canopy lays overtop and has hinges and lifts up.

 

[AHDOnline]

Knowing the size of your canopy inside dims will help. There are a lot of option out there.

Do you want just a lighting fixture to sit inside or do you want to use a retro kit? I have two 36" icecap 4 bulb setups in my 210. Shorter bulbs are easier to get and cheaper to ship than those 72" hosses

 

[Yinzer]

What is a dim? Basically the pcs are clipped inside the canopy

 

[AHDOnline]

dimensions. LxWxH

 

[LeviChar1]

Yinzer, I have two 250w MH's with reflectors and old bulbs for $150. You just screw them (reflectors/bulb housings) into your canopy. There will be enough room to add VHOs as well if yo decide later on. cheap quality option, let me know.

 

[AHDOnline]

Just screw the reflector into the canopy? Doesn't that really depend on quite a few factors? Type of canopy how its made and its ability to move heat, how high it is off the water..

Just a thought..

 

[bmiller1234]

That was my thought also Dave. Can't really screw in mogul base halides into a 10 inch high canopy..

Also how deep is tank and what corals do you plan on bottom. depending on what you plan will change how much push you need to hit bottom.

 

[AHDOnline]

Yeah. I mean some are fine. But if i screwed a MH fixture into my canopy it would melt the top and be only inches from the water.

72" tank im guessing its 30" deep. Which in halide land is 400watts.. = HOT

 

[bmiller1234]

I have magnetic retrofit ballasts. 2 400 and 2 or 3 250 watt. I have mogul bases for all of them. If you decide to go halide ballast nd base for 25 each. There's a place in cramberry that sells awesome reflectors for 30 each and are 95 percent reflective. Very similar to lumenarc. They also sell some low k bulbs but not sure what. I have an eBay 400 20 k bulb you can have with ballast for 10 bucks.

 

[LeviChar1]

LOL.....true true. dims are important. So let's not all get antsy, and wait for the results.

In the mean time, it was my point to let him know that its a retro kit, that can be fitted into a canopy, meaning no factory housing......love the reaction though, AHD. me-ow!

 

[AHDOnline]

levi.. levi...

i swear some people kids.



I GUESS I SEE how you could have taken it that way.. You get short sweet replies on my iphone cause im lazy.

 

[Yinzer]

72"long x 24"wide and bulbs currently 4-6" above water. Gimme a sec for pics.

 

[Yinzer]

Oh and 25" deep I have mostly zoas but a couple softies and a clam

 

[Yinzer]

pics

pics

 

[AHDOnline]

So not a lot of work room there.

I would go this route with the icecap prewire 4 36" but for two it would be about 630$ without bulbs. But you would get a lot of light if cooled and the right bulb combo. It just screws directly into the canopy from that mount

 

[Yinzer]

I hope those pics help. I don't think the old owner of this tank updated it in 10 years.
I just have no idea how about to go about updating.

Levchar, u were at my house and saw but I don't think I lifted the canopy.

 

[AHDOnline]

Other great fixtures would be a ati sunpower or the powermodule.

I also hear that there is a new sunlight elite fixture due out anyday

 

[Yinzer]

How crappy would the tank look without the canopy?

Or I was thinking cut a large hole in top and somehow attach a fixture to the top kind of sitting on top but attached. I have 3 fans in there now

 

[AHDOnline]

Yeah its all on what you want it to look like. I have seen many tanks that look great without the canopy.

You defiantly have more options without the canopy