Maristar HQI/T5 & Canopy?

[Mark6509]

Hi Jeremy,

I posted the message below in the Sunlight forum on Sunday with no response yet. Also, I was very satisfied with the order I placed with you 2wks ago (Great service & price). I will be ordering lighting in about a month. I am really interested in MH & T5 combos. The Maristar seems to be most suited for the setup I list below. What are your recommendations based on the systems you sell? I am planning a mixed reef (softies, LPS, Clams, and possibly some SPS).


I am setting up an AGA 120 Megaflow and am trying to decide on the lighting. I am planning on a 12" tall canopy that I would set a lighting system on top of over an opening. This would keep stray light out of my living room. A few questions:

1. How heavy is the 48" Maristar 2x250W MH, 2x54W T5?
2. Is the weight suitable for placement on a canopy?
3. Would there be any heating issues considering the Maristar has built in fans & remote ballasts?
4. Is 12" above water the proper height?

TIA,

Mark

 

[Jeremy B.]

Hi Mark,

I would definitely recommend the Maristar over all the other complete fixtures on the market. The Giesemann is a really nice hood as well, but the lack of having a mounting leg option puts it a notch below the Maristar in my opinion.

1. How heavy is the 48" Maristar 2x250W MH, 2x54W T5?

The actual hood is only about 15lbs. The T5 ballasts are internal, but the MH ballasts are external, keeping most of the weight and heat out of the unit.

2. Is the weight suitable for placement on a canopy?

Absolutely. This would be no problem at all to do. You could very easily mount this to the top of your canopy with no problems.

3. Would there be any heating issues considering the Maristar has built in fans & remote ballasts?

I would still recommend running a fan or two in your canopy just to help keep the heat out of your water. The hood itself would be just fine though.

4. Is 12" above water the proper height?

12" should be fine, however I would probably try to get the bottom of the actual hood at about 9"-10" off the surface of the water. This would get the actual halide bulb about 11" - 12" off the surface of the water.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[Mark6509]

Thanks for the info Jeremy. I will get in touch when I'm ready to purchase my lighting system.

Mark