My lights dont fit under the canopy.  help!

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bump1

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[Well i have 4 MH 250w each and was going to use 6 VHO's 4foot each but they wont fit. The end caps have ta sit side by side so with the 4 vhos in the back & the 2 in the front the MHs dont fit. The canopy is 8ft.from the inside lips and 2ft. from front to back. Does URI make a 8foot bulb & if so will it fit in with the end caps and not go over 8 feet at all. If so who has a 8 foot VHO bulb.

What would be a good # of watts maybe i can go with 3 5 ft and 3 4 ft to off set the end caps so the MH's wont be so close to the frount of the tank.

How would you guys do it. I have sps,lps,soft corals & clams. In the 110g tank i had MH's and # VHO's. I thought i had this all worked out but didnt take in that the end caps would have ta sit side by side so if i can get your help maybe i can get this done tomarrow.

Thanks Bump]
 
[here is the new 240g with the canopy that goes on the old tank. It's better then no lights at all witch is what i have now.So im hopeing to get the lights done tomorrow.Then i will add the fug Monday and put the doors on then i will be done.]
 
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MHvho.jpg
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OK first of all the longest bulb is 6 feet long.
What ballast are you using for the VHO because the 660 Ice Cap will only run 440 watts total which would = 4 110 watt bulbs.
Me think you are over killing here.
The 4 MH 250's is enough and to get the blue color of the VHO 4 would work fine on the 660 ballast.

The drawing above is one way you could do the 6 VHO bulbs but you would need 2 ice cap ballasts to do that and again over kill comes to mind.]
 
[Hi Nautilus I have 2 660 icecaps. I only want one set of vhos in the front so i will have room to get in & out of the tank as my canopy opens from the front & theres not a lot of room.]
 
[Put 14K metal halide bulbs in and forget about the VHO's. You get a very similar look to the tank and a smaller electric bill. Trust me on this one. :D]
 
[Hi scott ? how long do you run your MH bulbs before you put in new ones. Right now i have a lot of 13k MH bulbs and i need more blue. What brand of 14k bulb do you use.
Bump]



Edited By bump1 on 1101621129
 
[I run my bulbs for about a year before changing them out and I am running the Hamilton 14K bulbs. The blue runs somewhere between a XM20K and the PFO 13K. It's a lot more blue that then 13K but not the overpowering blueness of a 20K. (and yes, I know that a LOT of people like the look of the 20K, personally I don't care for it)

Having said that, I am in the process of changing my bulbs over to the Sun Aquatics 14k. At 35$ a bulb, I figure that I can afford to experiment with them. If I don't like them it's back to the Hamiltons.]
 
[I dont know what the pfo13 looks like but i know i dont like the 20k's either when are you going to start the 35$ bulbs? Can i get back to you later say in a month to see if you like them.]
 
[Here is the Metal Halide bible. :)

http://www.cnidarianreef.com/lamps.cfm

It shows the different bulbs, with and without actinics. He does have the Sun 14K and 20K pictures reversed but it should give you a better idea of what's out there and the differences between bulbs.

The new bulbs should be in this week. And of course you can check back! (I might even post a review on them)

Scott]
 
[Carrol,

I would run the 4 MH bulbs with the length of the tank. This will allow you more room for the VHO later on if you decide you still need them. Tranquil scape came up with a movable (left to right) system that seems very functional for any aquarium.

The VHO lights are not really needed here, but if you insist on having them I would put 3 in back and 3 in front. This would leave the important MH bulbs dead center in the aquarium.]
 
[Hi all
I put the MH bulbs in Like this. Hope you can make this out.
<hr class="bbcode_rule" />

<hr class="bbcode_rule" />
l l l l
l l l l
l l l l
<hr class="bbcode_rule" />

<hr class="bbcode_rule" />

vho's
<hr class="bbcode_rule" />

MH's = l
l
l

I will post the picture in a bit after i get the wires on the VHO's. I have it all mounted and it all fits. I will take the end caps off now and wire them.]



Edited By bump1 on 1101687589
 
[heres what we have so far, the kids came over so we called it a night & will start in the mornning.]
 
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