Lighting issue on a 72" 150 gallon aquarium.

[abezr]

Hey guys, I just purchased a new aquarium, 72"x29"x18" and it comes with a luxurious stand and canopy(I was told by many to ditch the canopy but it was custom made and it is made to hide itself in my kitchen cabinetry-will not part with it). So my main issue is not the type of lighting to get, I decided on metal halide lighting. My issue is that I have a canopy and I have a feeling that a 72" long metal halide lighting fixture will not fit correctly in the canopy, plus there are fans on the lighting fixture which are pointless because the canopy will restrict air flow.

My main question is, would it be better to purchase a 60" metal halide over the 72? would it be enough lighting? because the extra 12 inches of room in the canopy would allow for lot more room for the air to circulate and not heat up.

[Saltwatercoral2]

Why dont you just get retrofits since you have a canopy?

[abezr]

oh right forgot to mention that, because although they do the job, im not a fan of it because I rather have 1 programable fixture than a mess of wires etc...

[Felixc395]

oh right forgot to mention that, because although they do the job, im not a fan of it because I rather have 1 programable fixture than a mess of wires etc...

I see where you're coming from here, but first of all...

:celeb1: :celeb2: :celeb1: :) :) WELCOME TO REEFCENTRAL!!!!! :) :) :celeb1: :celeb2: :celeb1:

Sorry I don't have the big flashy welcome, I did my best!

But anyways back to your question. I think that a 72" fixture would fit inside. Just make sure you know the dimensions inside and the length of the fixture, then go from there. But I hope you know you'll need a chiller and it might be expensive to get one big enough for 150 gallons. I'd suggest T5's and you could avoid the heat, but that's not my choice.

[abezr]

hmm well the fixture has t5's aswell as halides and led's, they are all set on timers so would over heating still happen if the halides were programmed for less time and t5's or led's kick in?

[abezr]

OH and thanks so much for your awesome welcome!!

[Felixc395]

hmm well the fixture has t5's aswell as halides and led's, they are all set on timers so would over heating still happen if the halides were programmed for less time and t5's or led's kick in?

What fixture is it that you're looking at exactly? I don't know of any that actually have power LED's, just moonlights. The only one that sounds remotely similar is an Icecap fixture of some sort.

And either way your tank will get hot with a canopy. It may very well get hot without a canopy too. Fans aren't enough and you almost have to get a chiller. This is why I think an all T5 fixture would be perfect for you and you would not regret it. Can I ask why you chose the metal halide route by the way?

And you are more than welcome with the welcome, haha. It was my pleasure!!! :)

[abezr]

So i did my research a little, and i think the 60" metal halide is the best option because it has 2 150 w mh bulbs instead of 3 on the 72, my canopy is open back oh and i live in canada lol so its always cold as hell... i guess if things get hot in the summer, i can switch the temp and turn on the mh bulbs at night when its cooler and simply have a different time zone for the fishies. i have nothing against t5's, i think mh bulbs will reach further down and simulate the heat of the sun sooo i hope it will work out but thanks so much for your help!

[tkeracer619]

Go with 3 bulbs on a 72" tank.

Get a controller so in case it does get to hot it can shut off the lighting to avoid over temp conditions.

For your tank retrofit is the best option. You won't have a mess of wires. That is what zip ties and wire routing are for.

Fixtures are not designed to go inside canopies for two main reasons. the ballasts will not have proper cooling and will see too much humidity.

I would go with 3x luminmax 2 reflectors. They are small, have glass shields, and run SE bulbs so you have more choice as to what bulbs you can run.

Last point. If you use a fixture inside a canopy. You will have to remove the canopy to service the fixture.

What do you plan on keeping? 150w are pretty weak for your size tank.

[Saltwatercoral2]

on a tank thats 72 inches, you will need atleast 3 halide.

[abezr]

hey guys, thanks so much for your help once again!
So i decided to get a t5 system, the seller i purchased it from is giving me 3 canopy cooling fans with it, it also has an lcd screen to program it anyway i like for 499!!! 72 inches so i think i will get that instead, less heat and it has almost the same amount of wattage

[Felixc395]

What fixture did you purchase exactly? And watts don't really matter. Good choice with T5 though.

[Saltwatercoral2]

depending what brand of T5's he got, he might have trouble hittin the bottom of his sand bed with good par at 29 inches

[abezr]

To be exact it was this ( http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180616219635&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_1426wt_1139 )

It seems like a good deal so i took it... it wont get nearly as hot as the halides so i guess its the smartest choice

[Saltwatercoral2]

Power compacts?

[Saltwatercoral2]

Power compacts will not be good.

[Saltwatercoral2]

im hoping you meant that you ordered this one

http://www.marineandreef.com/AquaticLife_72_T5_HO_8_Lamp_Fixture_Lunar_Light_p/ral01038.htm

[notclear]

I think people are avoiding to buy power compacts any more! They are not as efficient as T5 and you will need to replace the bulbs more often than T5.

[Felixc395]

Uh oh, was that the fixture you really got? You might be able to get some softies up high, but other than that you might be in trouble. I hope that fixture is T5. But if it is, that still is hardly a good brand. Could you clear this up?

[abezr]

trying to... i thought it was an aquatic life t5 fixture... looks exactly the same grrr trying to solve this...

[abezr]

if i cant solve this, is it really that bad for my setup?

[abezr]

ok solved, the guy was incredibly helpful, i told him ive got almost 3 feet deep and power compacts will not do it and the guy was like ofcourse! so he refunded me everything (really nice guy) and so my question is should i do an aquatic life t5 72 fixture or retrofit 3 400 w metal halide with a 72" 4x36" t5 bulbs.

[zooty]

If you are determined to keep the canopy, I would go with a T5 retrofit to alleviate the heat issue. I prefer halides myself and three 150 watt should be good with supplemental T5s or just use three 250 watt halides and no T5s. 400 watt is huge overkill IMO

[Felixc395]

ok solved, the guy was incredibly helpful, i told him ive got almost 3 feet deep and power compacts will not do it and the guy was like ofcourse! so he refunded me everything (really nice guy) and so my question is should i do an aquatic life t5 72 fixture or retrofit 3 400 w metal halide with a 72" 4x36" t5 bulbs.

Most definitely go with T5's in a canopy. But the light fixture IME and IMO is terrible. I had a 4 bulb fixture. The output was bad and the ballast died within 6 months. If I were you, stay away!

[abezr]

aruba sun retrofit fixture 36"x2? or 4?

[Felixc395]

Those retrofits would be fine for softies. Yet I do have another suggestion. If it was me I would get two 36" ATI or Tek fixtures with 6 or 8 bulbs. 6 bulbs would e better for softies however. This way you have only two units and very few cords to deal with. This will make things easier, but the only downside is that this will be more expensive.

[abezr]

unfortunately, i cannot find any tek or ati fixtures on the net that ship to canada... i found this though http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260727185875&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_500wt_1156

thing is, if they sell it at a local store, you can double the price in canada... so i have a limited choice...

[bevoboy]

IMO, four bulbs of T5 are likely not going to be enough lighting in a 150 to support anything except for soft corals. Speaking from personal experience, putting an actual light fixture (an enclosed fixture) inside of a canopy is going to create a lot of heat that could lead to premature failure of the fixture and shorten the useful life of the bulbs.

You might consider a 6 tube 60" T5 retro or a 3 X 250 watt halide retro setup. Either of these will be sufficient light for most all except the most light-demanding corals. Retros are not difficult to install or wire.

[Saltwatercoral2]

since its going to be shipped to canada, IMO i would go with halides, and retro fits, getting something 72 inches shipped to you is going to cost you quiet a bit, i say halides all the way.

[abezr]

halides it is... i will look around and take my time i guess worst thing is to rush into something...

[myerss]

You are only leaving 6 inches open on either end, which is basically nothing, plus the tank is fairly shallow. I'd go with the 60".

[abezr]

Ha ok well im going with LED's, did some caculation with electrivity bills, need of fans and possibly a chiller, vs 3 led lighting units that can replace 250 mh's... not hot and lasts for 50 000 hours- here is the link. tell me what you think!

http://cgi.ebay.ca/120-Watt-Aquarium-Coral-Reef-Tank-LED-Grow-Light-120W-/190487950394?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item2c59f7743a

[Felixc395]

Hmm... I'd stay away if I were you. LED's certainly can work, but I jus don't trust any 1 watt LED fixtures. I don't mean to be a downer, It's just better to get it right the first time so you don't have to pay more in the long run.

[abezr]

hey, i researched these lights and they are very good for coral growth, a reefer friend that lives near me(who has been doing this for 15 years and it is his job to install and maintain aquariums) switched all of the 250 mh he had with these led fixtures... I also read about them on reefcentral and its got some really good reviews! So i will tell ya how these work, i too have heard so many ups and downs from led's and im unsure as everyone else is but, it will save me money in the long run and 4 fixtures comes out to about the same price as a 72 inch mh fixture... annddddd ITS FROM CANADA WOOO NO FRIGGIN DUTIES WOOhoo

IP calculated it... id be saving about 1000$ a year on electricity if i switch to led... SO if by year one everything has gone to poop i figure id hold on to that 1000 and get it right...