So much for saving money

[cward]

Well, my plan for saving money on replacing metal halide bulbs back fired on me today. The 1000w bulb got a little bit hotter than I expected and heated the screws that holds the reflector to my light rack. The (5) stainless steel screws pulled thru the composite piece of material on my light rack and my bulb took a dive in the tank, breaking the bulb as it hit the cooler water. The socket didn't get wet, so at least my corals and fish didn't get electrocuted. I liked the Radium bulb a lot, but I'm going to try the 1000w Hamilton 14K bulb to see if I like it better. Not to mention that it's about $70 cheaper than the Radium.
I'll eliminate the problem by adding a bolt with a nut going thru the composite material so it won't pull out.

Lessoned learned, and maybe it will help other reefers out who plan on putting stadium lighting over a reef tank:lol:

 

[jdircksen]

can you put a washer on each side as well?

 

[Treg]

Damn man. That sucks!!

What if you use welded steel? I know a guy that welds.

 

[CaveManNOhio]

Sucks to hear about your light crashing, glad to hear no one got electrocuted. I think a screw with a bolt will be the answer.
Thanks for passing it on. Now when I get my stadium lights I'll know what to do.

 

[szwab]

that really blows! Are you goning to put an extra fan on the light as well?
hope you were able to get all the glass out of the tank as well!

 

[Shark Keeper]

Sorry to hear that Chris! If you need any help let me know.

 

[Bcollins111900]

I was waiting to read.. It crashed down on one of the corals and broke a coral in half. Thankgod that did not happen!

 

[sammie]

Corals can be replaced, people can't. Glad nobody got hurt.
Sounds like a fan would be a good idea, did you notice any differance in the tank temperature or was your chiller running more because of the light?
Since you now have stadium lighting when are the bleachers going to be installed?

 

[CaveManNOhio]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9040612#post9040612 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sammie
Since you now have stadium lighting when are the bleachers going to be installed?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I want to see the cheerleaders

 

[Treg]

CaveMan brings up a good point.

I hear Chris knows the OSU Girls too! :smokin:

(I call dibs on front row)

 

[Reefdiver72]

Sorry to hear about your light but least no one got hurt !

Id be up to seeing the cheerleaders too

 

[Norm R]

Chris, I'm sorry to hear that man. Give me a shout if you need help along the way.

 

[cward]

Thanks everyone!!! I'm pretty sure adding cheerleaders isn't in my budget:lol:

Believe it or not the slimer took the hit and didn't break a branch.

 

[RokleM]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9042225#post9042225 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cward
Thanks everyone!!! I'm pretty sure adding cheerleaders isn't in my budget:lol:

Believe it or not the slimer took the hit and didn't break a branch.

Knowing your tank, it probably prompted growth of another 3 inches :lol:

Seriously though, that could have turned out really badly. You alright on lights and such temporarily until the bulb comes in?

 

[cward]

Yes, since I saved $70 on this bulb I went ahead and next dayed it.

 

[Mantis]

Wow, the screws melted the composite material.
Should you put some wood up there to hang the light from?

 

[cward]

I can put wood on the backside of the composite material to help out. I plan on building my reflector next weekend, so I'll make sure I have no more problems.

What if you use welded steel? I know a guy that welds.

The rack is actually box aluminum with the composite skin.

Are you goning to put an extra fan on the light as well?

I do have a fan that turns on when the light does, but I haven't used it because the water temp has dropped since switching to the 1-1000w bulb.

 

[lakee911]

Guess that bulb was hot as all get out! No heavy metals or anything in the bulb that could have contaminated the tank is there?

Jason

 

[cward]

I'm not sure, but there is a piece of glass in the tank that I can't find.

 

[lakee911]

That's not cool. Murphy is around here somewhere! If you take a flashlight to your tank at night, you may see the reflection of the glass if it's a big piece.

You may want to run some sort of sponge that can remove (heavy) metals just to be on the safe side.

According to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_halide_lamp

In a metal halide lamp, the compact arc tube contains a high-pressure mixture of argon, mercury, and a variety of metal halides.

Granted it's a gas, but some could have disolved in the water when the bulb broke. Maybe not, I dunno. Best to be safe.

I'm afraid that one day I will inadvertenly knock loose a flourescent tube and it will go in the tank. That might be worse than the MH.

Jason