Upgrading to a 180

[wharfrat48]

Looks like I just barely fit into this forum with a future upgrade to a 180. I currently have a 75 with all T5 lighting. First question I have is about lighting. I'd like to keep my 6 x 54W T5 retro and either add a couple 80W T5 or a couple 250W halides. Either way, I would like to DIY a "light fixture" that is suspended over the tank or has legs that rest on the frame rather than a large wooden canopy. Has anyone DIY'ed something like this? Any pics?

Thanks

Rich

[LeeMc]

Lighting is largly dependent upon depth of the water column. If you are not substantially increasing the depth - only increasing width and length then VHO should be fine if that is what you are currently using and your critters are doing well with the existing candlepower. As for DIY - hard to help you engineer the design without understanding the proposed layout and dimensions...

[wharfrat48]

The tank will be 72x24x24 (my 75 is 48x18x20). My current T5 retro are 6 54W bulbs (48"). I am able to keep clams on the substrate (maxima and derasa) and all my SPS are doing so well I am running out of room (which is one of the reasons I am upgrading). If I go all T5 I will add 2 80W and stagger the bulbs so I get even coverage. If I go with a T5/halide combo, I'll use my current T5 bulbs and add 2 halides. My question (first one of many) is more about the canopy than lighting requirements. I would rather have a light "hood", than a large wooden canopy that seems to be what most people DIY. I rather not buy a $1000+ light hood since I already have my T5 lights. So I was hoping someone had made a light "hood" for their large tank and could give me some suggestions.

Thanks

[20 20]

I build a hood to house T5's for my 125, here's a link to the thread:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=877954

Look in the DIY forum, lots of threads on hoods people have built.

[LeeMc]

sorry for the delay in getting back- my son just graduated Marine boot camp so my mind has been elsewhere...

So - you are increasing depth by 4" and have two species of clams that I presume are doing well at 20" Since you are 75" long you can use a 6 ft (72") VHO tube at 180W/tube ( as I recall)
x 4 or 6 dending on your lighting desires. Icecap makes ballasts that you can configure your power needs. You can mix MH with VHO but recognize the area of MH will be brighter than the area exposed to VHO simply because the intensity of candlepower output of MH is greater than VHO for the same given area of square feet (i.e., 250W MH in a 2x2 area vs 180W VHO over 6 feet). From a biophysiology standpoint, I am told (by Clams direct.com) that clams prefer MH at 10k. Reality says that if you have success with VHO at 20" then use "live" rock or another substrate to elevate the clams to about 20" in the tank and then move them lower to 24" over time evaluating their adjustment as you go. THe value of mixing light sources is that you can set the VHO to come on at sunrise and then the MH at "high noon" to simulate the noon time intense sunlight - then reverse the process.