MHs under canopy ?

[kgs 69]

I want to put two 250 W MH under my canopy which sits on my 120 gal. I have 8.5" of clearance from tank top to canopy top. Im guessing the water is down another 1"-1.5". So looking at around 9-10" total. I can raise the canopy another 1-1.5" (with some strips of wood)which will only expose the black surrounding the tank.

Wondering if I mount a couple of fans under the canopy will I still get to much heat? If I need to, I am willing to cut the canopys top to allow more air to escape. Just looking for some input.

Thanks

 

[jarrett]

thats what i got going on i used 8 of those compuer type fans and it tuned out really well. the hottes my tank has got is 80.5 i run 150s but dont think that makes too much differance. only thing im concerned about is the clearance from lights to the canopy for fire reasons. should work out good luck

 

[reefworm]

9"-10" of clearance should be ok. the fans should blow across the water and there should be plenty of room for the air to vent - I would guess out the back of your canopy. I think it should work, but of course, the only way to be sure is to try it and see what your temps are.

 

[kgs 69]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13020830#post13020830 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jarrett
thats what i got going on i used 8 of those compuer type fans and it tuned out really well. the hottes my tank has got is 80.5 i run 150s but dont think that makes too much differance. only thing im concerned about is the clearance from lights to the canopy for fire reasons. should work out good luck

with the reflectors do i really need to worry about fires?

 

[mattpenn]

i have 2 400w about 9" with no fans and i dont have a problem temp might go from 80 to 82 through out the day but i keep my ac on 72 all day to

 

[RyanMcLaughlin]

w/ reflectors fire shouldnt be a problem.

 

[illal]

if u have 8-9" from the bulb to the water yur fine ...thats about what i have and with an open back and one fan no problems on the temp

 

[jarrett]

i honestly dont know with the reflectors or not. id say you should be fine. just try it and check it and make any mods as you go. good luck

 

[kgs 69]

thanks again everyone. im going to mount the MH's lights tonight or tommorow..

 

[qfrisco]

Once you install your lights, if you find that your heat is still too much, you can try what I did with my setup. Pics below. I cut holes out of the top of my canopy lid and installed the lights on top of them. This gave me more clearance from the water (about 8"), and I didn't have to raise my canopy with pieces of wood like you were mentioning. But more importantly, a large part of the heat stays out of the canopy.

The tops of the fixtures are visible, but all in all, not too bad.

Temperature-wise, my water goes from 78 to 81, and I have 4 80mm PC fans in the sides of my canopy, all blowing in. The fans also run 24/7, although in the winter, I'm able to run the fans only when the lights are on.

 

[Aquarist007]

I went through this on my 110. I have a coral life fixture-150 watt halides and attinics underneath a wooden canopy. I drilled two holes in the top of it and mounted two fans which kept the heat down in the tank.
HOWEVER, I could not go any higher then 150 watts because of heat problems in the acutuall wooden canopy. The dealer that sold my setup to me also felt there was a real fire hazzard

something else to think about here

 

[sufunk]

I previously had the coralife 3x150w mh's under my canopy with no problems whatspever. 2 small computer fans took care of any heat.

I now have the Current USA 3x250w mh and 8x39w t-5 fixture under my canopy and still no problems whatsoever. The temp of the tank raised by about 1 degree but other than that, it's been great.

No chance or risk of a fire whatsoever unless something goes wrong with the fixture and if that happens, you're risking a fire regardless where the fixture is. Imo/ime, no way a properly funtioning fixture is going to start a fire under your canopy