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View Full Version : LIGHT MOVERS ???... pros/cons, experiences/opinions etc


K' Family Reef
02/19/2009, 08:48 PM
thoughts on using a lite mover?



1.
less initial investment
as in less number of halides required... which means subsequent lower maintenance expense (bulb replacement etc)

2.
higher watt lites (400watt) able to be kept closer to the water level
vs the 6-8" minumum...

3.
less number of lites = less overall heat
(even better when being used inside a canopy)



a lfs has a lite mover on a 500+ gal dt
its an open top and doesnt (imo) take away from the overall aesthetics of the system...

in arizona
heat is a major issue and our tank sits on the western or hottest side of the house... and overall less power consumption is always good... these are some of the reasons why we are considering this option (or we might forget halides altogether and go w/ t5)




pros/cons???



here is a lite mover that is reported to be dead silent/reliable
the light rail 3 from Gualala Robotics... http://www.lightrail3.com

rgulrich
02/20/2009, 07:21 AM
Warren,
For what it’s worth, I’ve been using a light rail 3 for about 8-10 months now. The intent was to provide supplemental lighting to the front of the aquarium where the reef structure and stationary hood didn’t reach. It works as advertised, and really isn’t too difficult to set up. In my case, I mounted the rail to a strip of red oak, and mounted the red oak to the ceiling (low ceiling in the basement). As I had planned, it provides good coverage end-to-end on the aquarium, and the reflector I’m using spreads the light where I intended while still fitting in the space allotted.

If you’re looking to use it with a single 400watt, get a good reflector and supplement with T5’s along the front and back and you should be fine. Whether it will address issues with overall heat production, well, it still would produce heat, just not as much perhaps as the four 250’s MH and four 96W PC I’ve sitting on top of the 180. I’m still planning on building out a fish room for the Sierra Vista house, using primarily solar lighting and its own air conditioning. That will be a year or two down the road.

Hope this helps.
Ray

K' Family Reef
02/20/2009, 09:16 AM
Ray

thanks for the reply.

that was a good idea to use it the way you described
(as supplemental lighting)

few quests about your experience w/ using this mover:


what type of corals are you keeping more towards the front where the 400 watt (on the lite mover) is hitting?

how high above the water line do you have it placed?

was there any 'noticeable' increase in heat when you added this to your system?

sounds like you are using the same lite mover i referenced
are you pleased w/ the way its performing and is it as quiet as it is claimed to be? believe this is the same one that foster and smith uses.

sierra vista house?

we have been ok so far going w/o a chiller
(using fans but at the upper limits of temp range)... we tried one but w/ our living room sitting on the western (hottest) side of the house - its barely able to be kept at a comfortable temperature as it is (again this is AZ - desert heat - 110-120 during hottest times of the year)... we are changing our lighting around and will be upgrading to a larger dt... so just weighing out different options... i know quite a few people here in AZ who have switched to using t5 (from halides) bec of less heat the t5 produce... but we like the shimmer of the halides... still havent seen anyone (locally at least) who is using a lite mover... have heard from several people they dont like the 'effect' of the moving lite - feel it ruins the aesthetics etc and are afraid their corals may not get enough lite they need

thanks.

regards

hunter4268
02/20/2009, 09:46 AM
I use this same light mover on my 125. I am running a single 250 on the light mover. I really like the look I get with the movment of the light. You will need to suppliment so you do not get a destinct "Spotlight" effect but I am able to keep the 250 about 3 inches off the water surface.

K' Family Reef
02/20/2009, 11:05 AM
what other supplemental lighting are you using?

why only a 250 vs using a 400?

is it a 5 ft 125 or 6 ft
(our current tank is a 5ft 125)



thanks.

regards

K' Family Reef
02/20/2009, 05:38 PM
.

rgulrich
02/22/2009, 09:57 AM
Hi Warren,
Sorry, been a few days since I’ve had the time to hit the boards here.
Let’s see if I can make my way through the questions.

I need to start out with saying I’m using a 250W pendant with my 180 (24” height), and a hood that contains three more 250W MH and four 96W PCs. The hood illuminates the rear half of the aquarium and the light rail 250W tracks along the front half. I have the light rail pendant approximately 4-6 inches from the surface, and I use a glass cover (I lost a chalk basslet to carpet surfing, and don’t want to lose any more). What depth aquarium are you looking at using this over? If it’s a125, a 250W would be plenty of light.

I keep a mixed reef, with LPS (lobophyllia and trachyphyllia), and a wide variety of acropora, montipora, and seriatopora. Hmm. I also have a handful of clams as well. I even have a teal branching hydnophora in there as well as a few other odd coral. The light rail provides light for the gamut.

I didn’t notice any increase in heat above and beyond what I’m currently dealing with, and I use fans liberally, including an exhaust fan in the basement window on occasion. I do run a chiller on the aquarium, and it does kick in on hot days.

Yes, it’s the same model you’re thinking of. The manufacturer has good site as well, so you might want to take a look at what they have to say about their product. It is pretty darn quiet; I don’t really hear it over the fans from the light canopy.

Yep, Sierra Vista house. I have a place out on Ramsey Road at the south end of town. I lived in Tucson for over ten years before I moved to Sierra Vista. I understand completely about the heat in the region, and have been working my way through dealing with that, lighting, and water changes for the next big build when I move back out west. Hence the focus on building out a dedicated room, most probably going with SolaTube or some such for lighting supplemented by smaller halides, and a separate air conditioning system (separate from the house). It should be fun.

If you’d like to see a few shots of the big chunk o’glass, drop me a pm and I’ll send you photobucket link.

Have fun, and tell the southwestern skies I said hi.

Cheers,
Ray