HQI Halogen DIY Fixture Working! (many pictures and details)
- Thread starter jgwinner
- Start date
NEW TO THEW HOBBY AND ON A BUDGET UNFORTUNATEKY
I HAVE A 37 TALL TANK AND ONLY 3 FLOURESCENT TUBES (COST FACTOR), UNFORANTUNATELY MY TANK LENGTH IS ONLY 30 INCHES
WHICH ONLY ALLOWS FOR 24 INCH TUBES AT 20 WATTS EACH THIS ISNT MUCH LIGHT AT ALL, I DID SWAP OUT ONE
FIXTURE FOR A 25" BRIGH STICK @33 WATTS TOTAL WATTAGE NOW 73 WATTS, AND AND TRYING TO EITHER RAISE MY LIGHT CHEAPLY OR FIND SOME INEXPENSIVE CORALS THAT CAN THRIVE ON THIS AMOUNT OF LIGHT, ANY IDEAS
I HAVE A 37 TALL TANK AND ONLY 3 FLOURESCENT TUBES (COST FACTOR), UNFORANTUNATELY MY TANK LENGTH IS ONLY 30 INCHES
WHICH ONLY ALLOWS FOR 24 INCH TUBES AT 20 WATTS EACH THIS ISNT MUCH LIGHT AT ALL, I DID SWAP OUT ONE
FIXTURE FOR A 25" BRIGH STICK @33 WATTS TOTAL WATTAGE NOW 73 WATTS, AND AND TRYING TO EITHER RAISE MY LIGHT CHEAPLY OR FIND SOME INEXPENSIVE CORALS THAT CAN THRIVE ON THIS AMOUNT OF LIGHT, ANY IDEAS
tdksound2005
New member
hi guys iam planning to light my 2x2x2 cube with lowbay 250 watts metal halides. what bulb do you think i should go for.
and has anyone tryed these units plz let me know if they get to hot etc.
and has anyone tryed these units plz let me know if they get to hot etc.
ficklefins
New member
I have this setup right now in my room, and it gets really hot! I have bumped it a few times without burning myself, but it gets pretty hot and I wouldn't touch it on purpose.
I don't know what you mean by bulb. Each bulb has its own specific color spectrum and your choice may differ according to what you want to get out of it. I went with the 14k Phoenix 250w DE bulb because it gave great light to my zoanthids without any extra bulbs. Great bulb, but it leans more towards the blue end then what you would consider natural light.
I don't know what you mean by bulb. Each bulb has its own specific color spectrum and your choice may differ according to what you want to get out of it. I went with the 14k Phoenix 250w DE bulb because it gave great light to my zoanthids without any extra bulbs. Great bulb, but it leans more towards the blue end then what you would consider natural light.
sharemaster
New member
Guys to solve the heat problem buy a decent pc processor cooler, coolermaster or similar.
Attach it to the rear of the fitting, if possible use a dremel or sandpaper to remove the paint and make metal contact on the casing. High temperature epoxy should hold it but fasten it also I used screws and metal brackets so I can unclip it if neede. The amount of cooling is quite substantial and will make it almost touchable.
Now in repayment for this magical method
I need to build one of these but am from the UK so hard to source parts any web addresses for the holders etc?
cheers
Scott
Attach it to the rear of the fitting, if possible use a dremel or sandpaper to remove the paint and make metal contact on the casing. High temperature epoxy should hold it but fasten it also I used screws and metal brackets so I can unclip it if neede. The amount of cooling is quite substantial and will make it almost touchable.
Now in repayment for this magical method
I need to build one of these but am from the UK so hard to source parts any web addresses for the holders etc?
cheers
Scott
Sharemaster:
Have you actually tried that?
A Metal Halide bulb is hot enough to melt glass, which is one of the reasons it's behind a quartz envelope. They put out a lot of heat. Attaching a coller to the rear of the fitting won't help the heat going out as IR out of the front of the unit. Putting your hands on the top of a tank 8" from my light fixture is uncomfortably hot, and touching the front of the unit would burn your fingers.
No offense but I doubt it would help that much.
I use a 120v fan to cool down the inside of the hood. Still a temporary hood though.
On the bulbs, I like both the 10K's (white) as well as the 14 and 20K's which are more bluish. I have a 10K and a 20K over my 120G now, and they look pretty good.
== John ==
Have you actually tried that?
A Metal Halide bulb is hot enough to melt glass, which is one of the reasons it's behind a quartz envelope. They put out a lot of heat. Attaching a coller to the rear of the fitting won't help the heat going out as IR out of the front of the unit. Putting your hands on the top of a tank 8" from my light fixture is uncomfortably hot, and touching the front of the unit would burn your fingers.
No offense but I doubt it would help that much.
I use a 120v fan to cool down the inside of the hood. Still a temporary hood though.
On the bulbs, I like both the 10K's (white) as well as the 14 and 20K's which are more bluish. I have a 10K and a 20K over my 120G now, and they look pretty good.
== John ==
ficklefins
New member
Scott,
I got my parts from
www.reefgeek.com &
www.oceanencounter.com
Also, that is a good suggestion for cooling the pendant, I just don't think I would try it (or have the spare parts). But working in IT I'm sure you got a few parts sitting around and could show us some pics later
I got my parts from
www.reefgeek.com &
www.oceanencounter.com
Also, that is a good suggestion for cooling the pendant, I just don't think I would try it (or have the spare parts). But working in IT I'm sure you got a few parts sitting around and could show us some pics later
http://www.hellolights.com/
(lampsnow.com still goes there but Hellolights.com is the newer link).
As this link is quite old, I'm now using 3 ballasts:
Hellolights original 250w ballast
their new ARO ballast
an Icecap MH ballast
All 3 seem to work fairly well. I'm using of course the double ended bulbs.
They also sell a premade canopy and the DE bulb holder with the metal bar in the middle, which is MUCH easier to use.
== John ==
(lampsnow.com still goes there but Hellolights.com is the newer link).
As this link is quite old, I'm now using 3 ballasts:
Hellolights original 250w ballast
their new ARO ballast
an Icecap MH ballast
All 3 seem to work fairly well. I'm using of course the double ended bulbs.
They also sell a premade canopy and the DE bulb holder with the metal bar in the middle, which is MUCH easier to use.
== John ==
Can anyone tell me if they have heard of using the flourex bulbs. Supposedly, These lights actually put out 500w but use 65w. They are flourescent type but not exactly. 6500K in color and from what i've seen folks are using color filter gels to up that to 10k and 12k. Any info would help. I have 2 flourescent hoods(well waiting for 2nd now and plan on doing the metal halide DIY that you have done but in the mean time these seem like a real good inexpensive option to supplement the power compact.
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
lended I think you would have a lot better luck starting a new thread with an apropriate title, instead of tacking an unrelated question on to a 4 year old thread.
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