MH in a canopy

[coogarts]

So, impulsively I've purchased a 36g bowfront with a length of 30". This is bad. Why, you ask? Because I can find nothing in the way of VHOs or T5s that come in such a length.

So I must now look at MHs. I would really, really like to use the canopy that I purchased with the setup, so can a MH fixture be fitted to the inside of the canopy?

[FUA]

you probably wouldn't want to put the MH much closer than 8 inches to the water level. some say a foot is even better. you could buy two 24" t5 fixtures and just stagger them. then you would have a hot spot in the middle, where they overlap, and decent lighting on the sides. hopefully this helps. I recently purchased my first MH for a 29G which is also 30" in length. that is partially why I went with MH. I will probably be building a canopy for it. I have never used MH before and it isn't hooked up yet, but I am excited to get it going because of all the positive things I read about the growth with these lights.

[coogarts]

If it shouldn't be closer than 8 inches, it doesn't seem like putting it inside the canopy will work. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

[burris]

There isn't any reason not to have a MH bulb less than 8" from the water level. Where you put the light depends on the wattage of the bulb, how far the light needs to spread, what animals are under it, etc...

I use a single 400W MH on a 36" tank. It is pretty high up, about 12", so the sides of the tank are well lit. I had the canopy made to be taller than usual to accomodate this.