Lighting placement

[stephane]

the Pic have been taken before I receive it 6 month ago the 2 first came from my first tank a five foot that require only two bulb

What do you mean by open top ? I dont uderstand

As for the fluorescent they only pass at both end of the bulb so they dont create any shadow

[stephane]

The bulb are at 5 inch from the surface and I tink it is a way to close for a 400W because it transfer a lot off heat but I have no choice my canopy was design when I have change for 400W

I recommend if you could 8 inch it will be a lot more easy on the heat transfert you will see those radium get pretty hot!

I have 6 fan and an A/C in the house and my temp get as hight as 84 at is peak the water climb of 4 degree at the end of the lightning period

[ 20 September 2002, 23:07: Message edited by: stephane ]

[Dez]

I will have my 400's at 6inches. But even if your fluorescents pass at both ends of the bulbs, they are lower than the bulbs so it will definitely create a shadow because the light from the halides shoulds spread toward the front of your tank and the back, but with the fluorescents lower, they will creat a shadow, but the human eye will not notice it.

I'm wondering if you have an open top meaning "do you have any glass lids on top of your tank?" or do your have your lights directly over the water?

Do you have to wipe off salt creep much in your canopy?

Thanks Stephane

Des

[stephane]

No I dont have any glass over the tank and it not realy get dirty only at both end some time the salt climb up to the support

About shadow the light is so intense that there no way you could have a shadow there the light probably even pass trought the fluo

Anyway there not a lot of way to do it because if you put the fluo at the same height than the bulb
you will need a lot of space and at 6 inch you will loose a lot more light from the fluo. mine are at about 2 inch from the water suface so I tink the small amount I loose is greatly compensate buy the height of my fluo

The other solution is to put the bulb parale and you will loose much of the bulb light in the glass

So I have ended whith that solution after a lot of test

You will understand the minute you will fire those puppy they are bright I mean REALY bright!

[ 20 September 2002, 23:38: Message edited by: stephane ]

[Dez]

Stephane, another question (by the way, your canopy is very very nice. Good job on the DIY). Are you running actinics with your 20K bulbs?

Des

[stephane]

the fluo are only run when the light are off
at the end of the light period for now I run the
radium 6 houre and the vho for another 7 I have achieve a very good grow like that for now

Whit the radium I absolutly not need any actnic
or suplement but I run them on Agro ballast maybe in your case you will even have to put a bit of daylight to cut the blue and made the radium more intense as the bluewave will cut a lot off PAR from the radium IMO

the VHO are now only actinic but I will change one for a daylight soon

Read my upper post I have add some more info since you have read it

[ 20 September 2002, 23:49: Message edited by: stephane ]

[Dez]

Okay, after much contemplation and thinking. Thank you Stephane and the rest of the opinions. I have come to a conclusion to do my lighting like your's Stephane. Also the tank of the month on reefcentral is done like that. I will experiment with placing the socket side toward the front of the tank like Jayson's suggestion, but I'll have to see if there is enough wire because I'm mounting my ballast far away and the Bluewave ballast is pretty big. Thanks for all the help and I will post pictures if possible. Thanks once again.

Des

[stephane]

Good luck dez can't wait to see the picture

one last ting in case you have not already bought the encap
If you look at my picture you will see I have never jump in the encap wagon for 20$ a pair I utilize regular 1$ a pair socket for more than 10 years without never having any problem even at 2 inch from the water surface! ;)

[Doug]

So, if we have a 2ft. by 2ft. square, being lit by a single halide bulb, how is it brighter when bulbs are perpendicular versus parallel?

[stephane]

Originally posted by Doug:
So, if we have a 2ft. by 2ft. square, being lit by a single halide bulb, how is it brighter when bulbs are perpendicular versus parallel?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hey very good one Doug

IMO it a lot more like 18x30 then 2x2 and you alway
have the soket who block a lot. I have searching in all my catalog for the analys of how the light spread under a MH whitout reflector but I just can't remeber where I view it

it like an egg but with a 'U'shadow in one end of the socket maybe someone have a link to those patern

the reflector to are round only on one side so the other side it notting than a flat refector
if the reflector was round on bothe side like a halogen reflector or the doudle ended one it could be another story .