Diy Lighting

[steel3470]

ok i want to make a mh light for my 55 gal 4ft long. but i need some help. prety much were to start im ok with electrical just dont know what is needed for the lighting. i eventualy want to put the tank in the wall haveing some other tanks to tie off of it but for now just the 55gal. any help would be great

....is it even worth building one or should i just buy one.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

Well, unless you know how to build a ballast, then there are only a few parts that you need.

Grounded Plug of your choice in length
Ballast (Magnetic or Electronic, your choice)
Mogul base or HQI base (Your choice for Double or Single Ended Bulbs)
Electircal wiring specified by the ballast
The bulb itself.

 

[Qwiv]

I don't think he stated he wanted to use MH bulbs. Do you know what type of lighting you want over your tank yet? If not, what corals are you planning on keeping? What kind of look do you want to produce with the lights? Are you looking for a quality set-up or a budget set-up? What are looking to spend?

 

[TheVillageIdiot]

psst, Qwiv, from the first part of his post: "ok i want to make a mh light"

 

[steel3470]

i heard that mh is the best lighting to use so i was leaning toward that

and i was looking for quaility on a resonable budget. if that makes sence

 

[Qwiv]

Doh, read right past the MH on the first post. Must have gotten decaf this morning.
Steel3470, MH isn't always the best lighting. It depends on what you are trying to do with your tank. T5's can be a very good set-up among other things.

I would suggest you look through the reefkeeping magazine back-issues and try to find a tank of the month that has the look you would like to try for.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/past.php
Also look elsewhere for tank styles as the thank of the month tends to be a big SPS tank in that magazine. You should also come up with the type of corals you would like to keep. Designing the tank before you know what you are going to put in it is like putting the cart before the horse. I can't recomend anything and feel like i am giving you good information.

 

[steel3470]

i would like to be some were in between http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-07/totm/index.php and http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/totm/index.php

i would like alot of bright colurs i am building i t in the wall so im thinking of makeing two 55 gal as one at two differnt spots on the wall maybe 2 ft to 3 ft apart.

 

[Qwiv]

Well those are (2) totaly different types of tanks and I would not recomend mixing them or doing something in between.

To do the first one, I would use (2) 175 MH with a T5/VHO Actinic or (2) 250 MW 20k bulbs.
The second tank I would do a VHO or T5 set-up. I prefer T5's. Probably a (3) bulb set-up.

If you are planning (2) tanks in wall, I would do Tank #2 first as it is easier, then Tank #1. I would also not use a shared sump with these (2) tanks.

 

[BrainBandAid]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7920530#post7920530 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis L. Stevens
Well, unless you know how to build a ballast, then there are only a few parts that you need.

Grounded Plug of your choice in length
Ballast (Magnetic or Electronic, your choice)
Mogul base or HQI base (Your choice for Double or Single Ended Bulbs)
Electircal wiring specified by the ballast
The bulb itself.

Don't forget a decent reflector...

 

[steel3470]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7937642#post7937642 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Qwiv
Well those are (2) totaly different types of tanks and I would not recomend mixing them or doing something in between.

To do the first one, I would use (2) 175 MH with a T5/VHO Actinic or (2) 250 MW 20k bulbs.
The second tank I would do a VHO or T5 set-up. I prefer T5's. Probably a (3) bulb set-up.

If you are planning (2) tanks in wall, I would do Tank #2 first as it is easier, then Tank #1. I would also not use a shared sump with these (2) tanks.

not too sound any more stupid but were do you get the suplies for it.

 

[aaronpentz]

I have 400 watt MH on my tank as it is 30 in deep need the extra power to reach the bottom. My tank runs around 78 - 82 without a chiller. You would be fine with 250 watt bulbs

Ballasts:

http://www.1000bulbs.com/products.php?cat=250-Watt-Metal-Halide-Ballast

You can get by with either the first or third but the third makes for a cleaner install.

Reflectors:

http://www.innovativelights.com/pfo-62020.html

Self explanatory

And the bulbs I get are from ebay. I use 20K and they are a little blue i am going to try 14K next time.

http://cgi.ebay.com/250-Watt-Metal-...itemZ7750796386QQcategoryZ46314QQcmdZViewItem

 

[steel3470]

i am just a little weird about this you know want to make it right the first time.

oh and thank you guys been a real help

 

[Qwiv]

If you want to get it right the first time, you need to research until you know you are making the right decision. For you, I would recommend you buy a retro kit. These come with all the pieces and you put it together yourself. That way you know you have all the pieces you need. PremiumAquatics.com has the best deals/service when you are looking at buying a retro kit. They have MH/VHO/T5/PC/you name it.

You can also use there site to figure out what you want, then search for all the pieces for better deals. Used is the way to go on your first tank.

Have you considered/finalized water filtration/circulation? You also should make a list of what you want in the tank. That should be your second step. First should be reading a good reef book as it can teach you all the basics to building a tank in a week. Try doing that on RC!! You don't even know what threads to read after a week.