lquidglass Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Hi I'm Stephan from Portland and I just recently bought a 70g bow front reef tank from someone and have lots of questions. I've had aquariums since I was a kid and even had a 20g salt tank set up twenty years ago and man has this advanced over the years. I'm very happy withe the tank except for the canopy for the lights, which is getto tastick to say the least. the two 250w metal halides and reflector are just resting on top of the two 48" actinics about 4" above the water. Lot's of light but put together very poorly to say the least. So if anyone has any suggestions that would help. The covers for the bow front seem hard to find so I am thinking of having a friend help me build one. ( He is a carpenter by trade. ) I could use some ideas about making it easy access to the tank hight suggestions fan placement and such. Thanks in advance, Stephan. (scratch) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
180Brandy Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 (welcome)(To)(P)(N)(W)(W)(A)(S)!!!! It might help to see a picture of your current light set up. Nice tank!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
civicsit Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Make sure you get good reflectors for your light. They are one of the most important things. You can hard mount the reflectors to the top of the canopy so that you can open it. Probably two 3-4" fans with two more outlets would be good for circulation. You can use a heavy duty piano hinge for it so that it can swing open, just make sure that it is going to be stable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lquidglass Posted September 7, 2007 Author Share Posted September 7, 2007 Well? I did not post what I have because it truly is bad and I think I need to start from scratch. It has two hinges on the back so the whole thing comes up. The lights are two close to the water to me also 4". But anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lquidglass Posted September 7, 2007 Author Share Posted September 7, 2007 The current top is 8" tall and does not fit the curve of the tank at all. I do have 2X4" fans and not really having a heat problem with tank water temp but as you can see the center tank support has melted from the heat. So how tall should it be? Any suggestions on a reflector? thanks, Stephan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCR Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Welcome TOAD I just tossed a hood for a 72. But anyway. If the top is still solid, you can raise the sides by using it as a template and using a thin !/4" or less for the bow. steaam it and it will bend. IE in a steamy shower. bend slowly. over time it will work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
civicsit Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 I think that 6-8" would be good for height, but really you just need the lights off high enough so that you don't have any heat issues, or water splashing on the bulbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Welcome Stephan! Nice tank layout you have there. I agree that there have been lots of changes in 20 years! Better equipment and test kits. Better selection and healthier fish and inverts. Captive propagation was in the early days back then! Now, coral frags and captive raised fish are no big deal in the hobby! If you would like to be added to the Evite list for receiving announcements of PNWMAS Meetings and Events in your e-mail, send me a pm with your contact info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Welcome to the site!!! Nice looking tank you have there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Welcome. Your story is similar to many of ours. I agree, reef-keeping has changed A LOT over the last few years. Good luck with the light situation. It looks like you have a good base to start from. When you get ready to frag some of those corals, post on here. I would be up for a trade when you are ready. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 (welcome)(To)(P)(N)(W)(M)(A)(S) Glad to see you are aboard one of the best sites in the Portland and NW area! Good luck with your lights and keep us posted on your new tank! Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wegotjs Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 Welcome !!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 When I had a 72 bow, my lights were on top of a wood frame. Here is a pic. Watch that center brace. Mine got brittle from all the heat and broke. I fixed it with a piece of acrylic and lots of #16 acrylic cement. Good luck and welcome to the website. (rock2) Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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