MH over a 55 with a center brace...

[Canyon]

I want to put a single 250W over my tank but to center it would mean I would have a bad shadow in the tank. Any solutions? I am not keen on cutting the center brace. What I was thinking was to place the MH on one side and have my pc's cover over the other side. It is a squat tank so only 36" long and I really don't want to look into buying a second. All input, as usual, is always appreciated!

[Ti]

there will b no shadow

[chinaman4u]

Bad pic, 36" 45 gal tank, 175W mh. There is a shadow but not a bad one. A 36" PC supplement would eliminate reduce the shadow much.

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/7783/194hn0.jpg

[GSMguy]

i was worried about the shadow on my 36 in with a brace so i used two halides and i love it

[JGross4]

I put a single 250 with 2x 24 T5's over my 36 gallon bowfront with a centerbrace and there definitely was a shadow. so i drained 8 inches out of the tank, clamped the center snugly, cut the center brace out, and glued a 2 in wide 1/4 in piece if acrylic in its place.

Now the shadow is gone and it looks great!

Just my experience, hope this helps, keep in mine i am a perfectionest though haha.

Good luck!

[Pomacanthus Rex]

i think you guys missed what he said, hes not putting the halide over the brace, just to one side f it.

canyon, you may not have a shadow, but one side of the tank will look very different than the other. one will have a lot more "glimmer to it", and be more contrasty, as well as having the spectrum difference of the halide v power compacts.

ive read too many threads about the middle braces melting with a single halide over them, so that alone, not to mention the shadow and the fact that it kills the halides output (remember, its a point source and with a good reflector the brightest area is directly beneath it) is enough to avoid ever doing it.

good luck

[Ti]

I have one over the brace, works out fine.

[chinaman4u]

The shadow will be larger if you put the halide to the side off the tank. As shown.

If you make your own reflector, i'm sure you can fashion it to direct light to where you want. I dont have any experiences with center brace melting, but I wouldn't use acrylic, I have seen what halides do to that material. I have seen people cut it out and use glass siliconed in there, or a small rod screwed to holes drilled in the plastic frame to reduce the shadow. Shadow vs electric cost, heat. I think i could live with a shadow.

http://hometown.aol.com/hchung5501/RCpics/DSC01302.jpg

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/492/hoodlr1.jpg

[chinaman4u]

I'd definitely go fo a DIY reflector to maximize the single halide over a 36" tank, as opposed to spending money for a commercial one.

[dippin61]

theres a horrible shadow on my 55g with 1 250w MH

[Canyon]

I am going with a DIY setup and I will make a reflector for the brace. has anyone seen a plastic brace melt? I plan in the supplementing idea of placing a PC retro on it to help reduce the shadow. I may go out and get a single T5 reflector for over the brace.