Rotating Metal Halide Lights in Action and the Automatic Canopy Lift.

[dotcommer]

I finally finished it.
I filled the tank with hose water to test out the closed loop and thank God, there were no leaks on the first try.

Here is the video of the
Rotating Metal Halide Lights in Action and the Automatic Canopy Lift.



I designed the stand and canopy on my 300 Gallon aquarium to incorporate Metal Halide lights that rotate. I wasn't ready to commit to LED lights yet, however I wanted to create a cloud affect at different times during the day. I used a Linear Actuator to rotate the Metal Halide bar up and down 45 degrees via my APEX controller. The effect is amazing on the water.

My goal is to have the lights rotated up in the morning and every 15 minutes one MH light will turn on across the tank, creating a sunrise. Once all the lights are on, the Linear Actuator will rotate the lights down over a 15 minute period. A few times during the day, the lights will rotate back up and down creating a cloud effect. And finally at night it will repeat the process the opposite way to simulate the sun setting.

This video shows the entire effect within a 4 minute period.

 

[zrogst]

probably the coolest lighting rig I've seen. major kudos.

 

[AtomsAz]

Wow very impressive that's insane looks great good job!

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

That is going to mnake working on the tank a joy! Great Job!

 

[m-six hundred]

Good Job!

 

[coralreefjunkie]

Spectacular!

 

[dotcommer]

Thanks for all the compliments. It was fun designing it and trying to find out the best way to make it happen.
It definitely will make it much easier to work on the tank and see everything. The ceiling is 10' in that room and the canopy raises to the ceiling, so there is plenty of room.
The other nice thing will be when I change out bulbs, I can raise the canopy up and slowly bring it back down over a few weeks as to not burn any corals.

 

[jporter]

That is very cool. JP

 

[Kobashi]

Dang Sal! I need to come see your tank! Amazing. Super job!

 

[dotcommer]

Dang Sal! I need to come see your tank! Amazing. Super job!

You are more than welcome to stop on over. I am excited that finally this tank is almost done. We are working on the plumbing today.

 

[silverA3]

Very very cool!

 

[Kaosinnyc1]

That is really awesome.

 

[Allan B]

Impressive!!! I want one!

 

[ksigaekdb]

Awesome, makes me want to grab a beach towel and a fruity drink!

 

[Robb/Scottsdale/AZ]

Really neat !

couple questions:

When the lights are facing away from the tank, what kind of material will the lights be facing into ?

What is the distance from the bulbs to the nearest planned surface ?

 

[zrogst]

How did the plumbing go?

 

[dotcommer]

Really neat !

couple questions:

When the lights are facing away from the tank, what kind of material will the lights be facing into ?

What is the distance from the bulbs to the nearest planned surface ?

The stand is 30" deep (in case I want to upgrade to a larger tank at some point) and there is an additional 10" behind the stand to the wall.
I will be installing fans into the canopy and I am leaving the back and the top of the canopy open and will skin the front and sides with cabinetry.

When the lights rotate, the bulbs will be over two feet from the wall. They will be facing the wall no more than 15 minutes at a time of which they will rotate back down. In the morning, one light will be facing the wall for about 40 minutes, the next 30 minutes as each light turns on across the tank every 10 minutes.

 

[dotcommer]

How did the plumbing go?

The plumbing is going great. I filled it with water and tested out the closed loop and its has some amazing flow.

We also finished the plumbing to the outside sump and ran water through it and thank God, we had no leaks.

The one thing I was concerned about was the Coast To Coast that drains into the corner overflow boxes. You can see what I mean on my build thread.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2240002
After running water through it I am amazed how well it is working out. Ceasar did an excellent job making it perfectly level. The skimming in this tank is going to be incredible.

 

[dotcommer]

Here are some pics of the Coast to Coast with corner overflows.

 

[zrogst]

That overflow is crazy. Very nice design