Metal Halides in Low Canopies
 

I just installed on of the Sun Aquatics 250W 10K bulb in my canopy. I do not have a reflector and the bulb is about 2" from the top of the canopy. I ran the bulb for about half an hour and started to smell burning wood! :eek: I had a 5" fan running pointing directly at the bulb as I know that metal halides run hot.

Will a reflector dissipate the heat to any extent or am I resigned to building a new taller canopy? Any help would be appreciated. :smile:

Dave

A MH bulb 2 inches from wood will almost certainly cause a fire. Install a reflector with a bit of air space above it.

MH Reflector
 

You can try U Grow on the south side. 18' and 24' reflectors for about 25 bucks. They are white, not polished aluminium. From what I understand, the white will work just fine, and much cheaper. When you mount it, you should put a couple of 1"*1" strips of wood onto the canopy and mount the reflector to that. This will allow some air movement above the reflector.

Cheers,

Al

Thanks for the input. I have figured out a way to lift the whole hood 6 inches higher. I will also check out the reflector with an air space behind it.

The light looked awsome while it was on!

Dave

Hey Dave
is your bulb from Venki,if so how'd you find them for startup and overall lighting?(i just ordered a few 250 10k bulbs)
are you coming to the meet on Dec 06?

Jim

Hi Jim, yes I got it from Venki along with the electronic ballast. I also ordered 2 - 400W bulbs and ballasts from him for an upcoming tank.

It took about 3-4 minutes before the light came on. I don't know if this is normal or not for an electronic ballast so I was going to ask Venki about it on Monday. My other 400W non-electronic ballast fires up right away. Other than that the light looked good while it was on. Hopefully I will be able to rig up a reflector and raise the hood soon.

I won't be able to make the meeting this time but would like to attend a future one with some acro frags in hand. :smile: