Help me out with some concerns.

R

RobR

I am building a 75g FOWLR aquarium, with perhaps later on down the line adding some beginner corals that look purdy and such.
In the meantime, I want to pick up some lighting that is more than your typical Fresh water dual tube florescent. I want my fishes colors to stand out.

Here is kinda what I am looking for

Something that will make the fish colors stand out,
nothing to expensive ($150-250 range)
all in one unit ( ballast, lights, etc. )
Possibly fit my current tanks hood.

I am worried about clearance when mounted in the hood and how that will also affect the temp of the tank.
Here are some pics.

There about 4" of clearance from the where the hood sits on the aquarium (represented by the red line)
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I am guessing what i will need will have to be mounted in here.. About 5 inches of clearance.
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Random shot of the back of the tank and corner of the Hood
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Tank shot (whole tank needs a cleaning)
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SO masterminds of DFWMAS, I need your assistance on helping me pick up what I may need. I am not entirely opposed to going hood-less, but would prefer to keep it if needed.
 
for your price range..you may want to check out aquatraders.com

they are decent for the price..but in all honesty...the old addage "you get what you pay for" applies.
 
you should be able to get a couple of T5's in there...look for a Tek light...pretty inexpensive but still good checkout http://www.hellolights.com under the retrofit kits
 
Hi Rob, just another possible direction for you- are you a DoItYourself guy? If so and if you're interested I'll tell you how I did my setup inexpensively. I made my hood and it's not too different than yours. I bought an Icecap ballast on eBay, several fluorescent tubes from a club member (VHO, but T5's are cool), and waterproof sockets from Midcities Aquarium.

Would the 5" clearance under the hood allow for a bulb to be forward enough to light the front part of the tank?

Does the entire top of the hood hinge to open?

I installed 2 small fans (3" from Radio Shack, $9) in the back, which do a great job pulling the lamp heat out. There is no heat rise when the 300W of lights are on. The same fans may fit in your back corners.

Call if you'd like to talk about a DIY project, mine took a couple of days off'n'on.

Bill
817-271-8799
 
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