jabrbox Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I just got 2 400wt MH, everything that i have seen says to keep them 8-10" above the tank, it is acrylic. So i figue to run these plus at least 2 of the 4 blue actenic T5's that I have. Is there anything I should be weary of? Heat in the tank or with my fish or anemone's? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattv Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 How big is the tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gill Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 When I put a 250 hqi over my 125, I had to unplug my heaters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coralreefer Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 depends on tank size, open or closed, flow and evaporation... MH put off alot of heat...you might not know til you start running them...start slow and monitor tank temp... I'm running 3 250w on my 135g and need a chiller! DrMerle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattv Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 800 is a lot of light and heat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titus'reef Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 i am running 2X 250w on my 50 gallons 36x15x20 and don't need a chiller. i build the canopy by myself and made 4X4 inches wholes on the top and i have two fans running and taking the air out.. it works great. i don't have an AC in the house but the tank temperature is stable at 77.8-77.9, even when sometimes the room temp. reaches 77.8. i bought two 7 inch fans that circulate the air throughout the canopy. and i have another fan that's blowing straight to the water. RKL controls them all. my temperature never reaches 78 F. So 4 fans that keep the air moving and another in case the temp. reaches 77.9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titus'reef Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 my evaporation is about 6 gallons per week. that's not a lot because i only have a 4 inches fan that's blowing towards the water surface and that's maybe running one or two hours a day. it all depends of the room temperature. i hope you can figure it out somehow without buying a chiller unless you want one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabrbox Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 Thanks for all of the input, after a long night of modifying my canopy to get the proper clearance, and rewiring everything I fired them up, idk if they take time to get to speed, but I was very disappointed in the lack of blue in my tank, even with 2 t5 48" bulbs still running. I ran them for about an hour then went to bed, so today will be test day. It is a 125g , not sure of the dimensions, its like 74" long and about 17-18" wide. I guess I should install some fans, I have about 10" between the top of the water and the MH. Is that suffient? I will keep an eye on the water temp today, I do have AC and there is a vent right next to the tank that is usually closed I will open it up to help will these light damage the acrylic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titus'reef Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 My tank is acrylic, and so good so far. They didn't melt the acrylic because the fans are running. And my lights are about 8" or less from the water surface. But you really need some fans moving the air in and out. Cold air in, warm/hot air out. That's my philosophy and it works. What bulb brand, and what is the temperature of the bulbs (kelvin)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabrbox Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 That's what i dont know, and I meant to write down the numbers on them yesterday, my friend that is familliar with them said that this brand "Radium" does not put the kelvin rating on them and the number on the bulb I want to say was H-120 Blue, something like that I will google it or post when I get home and look at the bulbs if these numbers are incorrect. How do I find out the temp of the bulb? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabrbox Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 just to who i bought them from and he said they 20k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titus'reef Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I am running Radium and they are supposed to be 20K I really like the color they put out. Not too blue and not yellow either. Just perfect. I am running T5 actinic bulbs too. for some more blue. But it's not necessary. I tested some bulbs and the Radium seemed to be much brighter than the other bulbs with the same Kelvin temperature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabrbox Posted June 21, 2011 Author Share Posted June 21, 2011 well thats good news, so i should install some fans and keep an eye on the temp? i was worried how hot they got that it would catch the wood of the canopy on fire, jsut paranoid I guess. I do want more blue, i have 2 t5's now i will move them around maybe the MH reflectors are blocking some of the light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titus'reef Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 if you will not run fans there might be a good chance of catching the canopy on fire especially with the 400watt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gill Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 You also have to worry about cooking your fish. (scary) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titus'reef Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 that's a good point Gill. if you want sushi go to the restaurant. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabrbox Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 Yes I definitley dont want to catch the canopy on fire, I put a clip on house fan on there yesterday it seemed to help a lot, one side of the canopy is wide open for my cords and plumbing, so i pointed the fan in there, i will be putting another access hole at the other end and installing a fan probably as exaust. Any min sizes recomended? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titus'reef Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 I would say: The bigger the better, unless you are concerned about the noise. It can be noisy. i use the two speed one 7" clip on fans on low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabrbox Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 I put a 7" clip on fan to blow down the lights, the top of the canopy right where the reflectors are installed is pretty hot to the touch, and the top of my acrylic is super hot directly under the lights, I am going to find some sort of spacer to put between the reflector and the wood to see if that helps. i just finsshed designing a DIY cabinet and I am anxious to start building, i will post pics once the process begins, hopefully everything will be okay in the meanwhile. water temp today is 78 (fingers crossed) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titus'reef Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 It'll be nice to have some pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabrbox Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 I will put some up as I start the project, thanks again everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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