Lighting recommendations for 36"L x 36"D x27"H tank

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pineappleface

Last Saturday I bought a Marineland 150G Deep Dimension tank at the R2R Anniversary sale (thanks Dane!). Originally i planned using 8 39watt T5HO bulbs for lighting. i have an Icecap660 and 2 Triad ballasts, so all i would have to buy is 4 parabolic reflectors and 4 pairs of endcaps/standoffs. lately i have been thinking of getting one of the larger 20" lumen bright reflectors with a 250watt dimmable e-ballast, and using 4 or 6 T5HO for actinic/supplemental lighting for the edges of the tank. I'm sure i will have heat issues with both, more so with the halide t5 combo. i plan on keeping SPS, LPS and softies. Suggestions?
 
Hi,
Nothing to add on the lights but just wanted to say that's a kick^%s tank. First time I got to compare Starfire(sp?) side by side with non-starfire glass....what a difference in clarity and coloration. :shock: Nice pick-up

Cheers,
 
the lumenbrights are nice and you may not have the heat issues you are expecting because these reflectors allow you to mount the fixture higher, thus moving the heat source farther away from the water. my bulb on my lumen is 18 inches above the water level and i use the same ballast you were looking at. works great and with only a small 120mm pc fan i keep my tank at 79ish all the time.
 
Unfortunately, I don't think I can mount them that high. Since this will be set up right off of my living room/entertainment center, I need to keep the light 'bleed' to a minimum. Having a high canopy might be a no-go as this tank is 27" tall, + approx 30" tall stand. I was thinking using 2-3 120mm fans - low rpms but with a respectable cfm, needs to be quiet as possible. WIth that said, I get to figure out what to do with my ASM G2 sedra pump- it's going to be too loud.
 
you can do them closer, something around 12" and another great thing about these is above them there is little to no light bleed. even overspill from the front and sides you probably wont get any its just being mounted that way if you are below the light you could look into it if you didnt at least have a 12" or so canopy. the lumenarcs are still great reflectors too and can be mounted lower.
 
@Wes wrote:
the lumenarcs are still great reflectors too and can be mounted lower. said:
Thanks for the suggestion! Lumenarcs look to have a better spread and would be more suited for deeper tanks (30" or more).
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