Temp Maintenance with MH ?

[wsboyette]

I am planning to use a single 175 watt MH lamp, canopy-mounted over a 45 gallon tank, with a glass cover to separate the lighting unit from the tank and filter UVB. The rear of this canopy is open and there are spaces between its top boards, so I cannot think of any need or practical way to use a cooling fan for the MH. What I am wondering is, given this setup in a 72-degree room environment, does anyone think that a chiller would be necessary ?

 

[crvz]

maybe... but you'll have to consider all your other hardware as well. is the tank set up already? sounds like it's not. you could cut a 3" or 4" hole in the canopy to place some fans.

 

[bbehring]

Provide a glass lense in the fixture, not a lid. The lid will trap/magnify the heat and bake the display. I run a 250w MH HQI with T5's on my 54, the fixture is sitting about 8" off the top of the water. My canopy has an open top, with open sides. I have 4 evap fans set on a heat sensor controller. They do run pretty much constantly while the MH is on. My AC is set at 78. If you have a sump, you can place an evap fan blowing across/on the sump also. Keep in mind that your pumps/powerheads will also add heat. Probably be better to go with a chiller.

 

[NaClH20reeffish]

Re: Temp Maintenance with MH ?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13292077#post13292077 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wsboyette
I cannot think of any practical way to use a cooling fan

What about this...

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+14701&pcatid=14701

 

[wsboyette]

Well guys, I was hoping to avoid any surgery on the canopy other than mounting the MH fixture. And that's right, I have assembled tank, stand, sump but have not begun setup yet - I'm still planning. I'll have a couple of powerheads in the tank, and the skimmer and return pumps in the sump. Somehow, there has to be glass between the lamp and the water's surface to protect the bulb and filter UVB. It may be possible to remove part of the center board from the top and mount a single MH fixture (with its own cooling fans and glass lens) to the top of the canopy. I suppose the only way to know for certain is to set the @$% thing up and see what happens...

 

[wsboyette]

Finalized Design

Finalized Design

OK all,

I have decided upon a solution for the lighting installation. My canopy's hinged top will have a 36" Hamilton MH/FL hood mounted on the top of it. I will get the hood with an extra fan so that all the heat from the lamps will be carried away. Of course, I will carefully monitor temperature at first anyway,