Open top vs. closed top - Canopy or no

T

Trackz

[Specifically regarding MH setups. Which do most prefer: canopy style systems or pendant/hanging fixture style systems.

Please give reasons.]
 
[I do not have MH lighting however I would prefer a closed top do to the fact I would not want a spaceship landing look alike in my living room :wwww: or what ever room the tank is placed nor would I want planes thinking my house is a runway. :uhoh: Or my civilian counter parts thinking I was growing something I shouldn’t :cool grin:]



Edited By vman181 on 1088997049
 
[Okay...I guess I should post my thoughts.

I do not like the look of the MH 12"+ tall canopies. I think it makes the tank look 'squashed'. I don't especially care for the look of fixtures either, but for me..it's the lesser of two evils.

I also like the open-top ideas of: less heat, ease of access, and self-contained units.]



Edited By Trackz on 1088998398
 
[I like to contain the light to my tank and I don't think
my wife will allow me to hang a light from the ceiling.]
 
[I love an open top, despite the glare problem. It helps a lot with heat dissipation but more importantly, it makes it possible to look down on things. So many things look better from above that it's worth it to me. Here's a sorta bad picture but you get the idea.]



Edited By ChrisCurtis on 1089015506
 
[The Rev. does open tops even though he has scored a couple of canopies for tanks along the way as well as building a canopy for his non-drilled 100 gal. However, the heat factor & convenience factor (the Rev. is basically lazy or, if you prefer, into time-and-motion conservative), have convinced him that open tops are tops.
Seems like the canopies I've scored all had water damage to the inside so they seem a great place for strange and wonderful fungi to find a home as well as a source of wood finish and wood-decomposition products, which would, of course, find their way down into the tank. Hey, it's a slight danger but justificiations don't have to make sense, you just got to have one...and since my tank isn't drilled, I was looking at making a buncha custom cuts in the canopies for all the HOT/HOB stuff and that didn't seem to lend itself to flexibility of changing the rock or equipment out as conditions and purchases changed the tank...seems like this hobby is a work in progress, changing as time and cash present themselves...
I kinda like the UFO landing look myself - I did cut a 1x4 board that rests on the tank edge to shade the viewer's eyes from the VHOs but found an old URI tube works about as well as the board. Pretty primitive but allows me to work the tank and equipment under the conservation of time-and-motion guidelines...in fact, I was at Joe's Crab Shack last night and was thinking, you know that's not a bad look, those Tijuana Xmas lights handing from ceiling and draped tastefully thoughout the room are pretty festive and cheery and would go well with my Elvis on Velvet and my cabriolet tanks...]
 
[This is kinda surprising to me. I thought it would be about even. 10 people, however, have voted and left no comments about why...c'mon people. This is a BIG money decision. :)]
 
[I have closed tops for two reasons. 1. CATS (need I say more?) 2.The actinic glare is too much for my wife and friends to take. I am used to the glare but over time it gives my wife headaches.]
 
[Got a semi-open top canopy and its the smartest move I have made yet. Its about 6 inches with a completely open top. A 2 x 160 watt VHO retro has been fittied inside and three 400 watt pendents sit on top on brackets fabricated to hold them. It dissapates heat very well and there is minimal heat build up as a result. Very little light escapes through the top. The down side is about a gallon or so of evaporation a day. Maintenance and work on the tank is so much easier than the original Oak as everything is easily accessable from the top. I doubt I will ever build another copmpletely enclosed canopy again!]



Edited By Imaexpat2 on 1089065987
 
[I voted closed for a couple reasons. (Really I could be persuaded either way!)

1) If you have it in a room that is not just your "fish room" the light that it casts out is annoying and intense.

2) You don't have to have a contraption hanging from the ceiling.

On the flip side I do agree that viewing things from the top makes them look much better.]
 
[I say closed top. One reason is that i think a tank with a nice stand should also have a nice canopy. Unless you have a metal frame stand, that exposes all your equipment, then why don't you show off your lights as well. Secondly, the glare from the MH takes away from the viewing pleasure of the tank. It's really cool to look at things from the top (montipora and clams) but personally, how often would you really do that?Lastly, It's better to have a closed top because it will keep bugs out. I occasionally let a fly in when i'm going in and out of the house, and with MH, you'll be attracting bugs to your tank like crazy. I left my cannopy open one time and i found a fly floating on the surface.]
 
[@Imaexpat2 wrote:
Got a semi-open top canopy and its the smartest move I have made yet. Its about 6 inches with a completely open top. said:
I like this idea...any pics? Do you access the tank completely from the top, or is the frame hinged?]
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[I didn't do the poll. We have one of each. Our open top is almost closed by the reflector so can't do maintainence from top. Front panal is hinged

Both backs are opened except for two braces.

It's funny how different ppl perceive our closed top canopy. Some have said they thought it was a magnificent piece of furniture and were not convinced it was only a 55. Of course it is in Living Room and is a pc of furniture.]
 
[I am partial to hanging fixtures and an open top.

The big downside is the fixture needs to be a bit off the tank, and depending on the reflector you use, you may sit on your couch looking right into the blinding bulb. Something to consider.
Canopys have thier place and use, a lot is personal preference, where the tank is, the look you want etc etc etc...]
 
[Why would the fixture need to be any more off the tank than the lights in a canopy?

To me, that is the biggest downside of a full canopy. I don't like the look of a really tall box on top of the aquarium. Although, I also don't like the thought of looking into MH.

Hmm...decisions, decisions. Since there's kids running amuck, I might have to make the healthy-decision and save their retinas. I suppose they may need them someday :).]
 
[I prefer an open tank, no heat problems. I've attached a pic of my setup. I had a short hood so I couldn't mount them in it and hanging from the ceiling was not an option according to the wife. Not the best looking canopy but it serves its purpose and the wife hasn't complained.]
 
[My solution to the blinding bulb was to cut a 2"x1" board the kength of the tank. I set the board on the edge of the tank to block the blinding bulb. Works well and inexpensively. You can paint/stain/pickle/tie-dye the board to match your stand if you wish....

The other solution that I use since my VHO's just sit on the tank edges or on those little plastic mounting rings is to just lay a dead actinic tube between the working light and the edge of the tank. That effectively blocks the blinding light. URI's are best for this and are pretty cool looking as they have a bluish glow from the light from the adjacent active tube. Pretty convenient and easy to move off and on the top as I need to work the tank.

You can prolly tell I'm a bachelor from these solutions as nothing *has* to match anything.]
 
[I am doing the same as Opus did, just bought this 72" hood from Reeftanklighting, I am going to put mh/vho in there and place on top of 10' canopy.]
 
[
Why would the fixture need to be any more off the tank than the lights in a canopy? said:
Let me rephrase that, with a fixture hung over the tank, there is no canopy blocking the light from shining outside the dimensions of the tank and into your eyes when sitting below the light, if that makes sense...]
Click to expand...
 
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