Guest JasonD March 20, 2007 Share March 20, 2007 I'm thinking of getting either a 4 or 6 bulb Tek light fixture. I'm going to have a canopy over my tank, do I need the optional ($65) tank bracket, or can I just attach the fixture somehow to the canopy? If your asking why I don't do a retro kit, I can get the fixture on eBay, with bulbs and free shipping for the same or a bit less than a retro kit and I don't have to hassle with wiring. Where'd I put that roll of duct tape... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicSkimmr March 20, 2007 Share March 20, 2007 Why not just ditch the canopy? But yeah, you should be able to mount the fixture inside the canopy without the mounting set, it just seems like a colossal waste of a good piece of equipment IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JasonD March 21, 2007 Share March 21, 2007 I picked up my stand and canopy tonight (thanks Craigslist!) and the guy had a beautiful small tank lit by a single MH bulb. Wow, it was awesome! Nothing gives that "pop" to colors like a MH bulb, and the sparkle you get is incredible. I think I'll be looking on here and RC for a couple of 250w MH's for my tank...heat and expense be darned! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman March 21, 2007 Share March 21, 2007 I picked up my stand and canopy tonight (thanks Craigslist!) and the guy had a beautiful small tank lit by a single MH bulb. Wow, it was awesome! Nothing gives that "pop" to colors like a MH bulb, and the sparkle you get is incredible. I think I'll be looking on here and RC for a couple of 250w MH's for my tank...heat and expense be darned! Don't knock the T5's - have a small tank with MH, and a 45-gallon with T5's. I like the light color, and the way things grow and show. The biggest advantage of the MH is the sparkly light on the ceiling from the reflections. Gives a lot of mood to the room! As far as fitting them in a hood - the 58-gallon that I'm going to move the 45 into has a hood - and I'm going to have to make some modifications if I use it. T5 fixture is 36" long - hood is 36" long - with braces in the ends. So I'll have to re-do the braces or cut off the last few inches of the light bulbs. But I have seen a Tek fixture in a hood - sitting on metal L-brackets. Slides out for maintenance. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbuf March 21, 2007 Share March 21, 2007 I picked up my stand and canopy tonight (thanks Craigslist!) and the guy had a beautiful small tank lit by a single MH bulb. Wow, it was awesome! Nothing gives that "pop" to colors like a MH bulb, and the sparkle you get is incredible. I think I'll be looking on here and RC for a couple of 250w MH's for my tank...heat and expense be darned! Out of curiousity, did you get that 90gallon from a hippie looking guy over in Springfield, VA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JasonD March 21, 2007 Share March 21, 2007 (edited) No...the tank was from a guy in Waldorf. I got the stand/canopy from a non-hippie in Springfield, though. Do tell about the hippie from Springfield! Out of curiousity, did you get that 90gallon from a hippie looking guy over in Springfield, VA? Edited March 21, 2007 by JasonD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbuf March 21, 2007 Share March 21, 2007 I just wanted to make sure. The hippie guy had a roommate skip out on him, and the guy left his tank, which the hippie was breaking down and selling. The roommate had a 90gal RR but the guy took off the top plastic rim around the fishtank and used a homemade canopy to cover the tank, so it was being held together by just the silicone. The hippie said it was up for almost a year and they had no problems. Looked unsafe to me, hence my concern when I saw a 90 RR in your signature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FZ1Rider March 21, 2007 Share March 21, 2007 Out of curiousity, did you get that 90gallon from a hippie looking guy over in Springfield, VA? Would that be "Frankenstein's Reef Tank"? We went to see it but had to pass. I was afraid it would wake up and kill me in my sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JasonD March 21, 2007 Share March 21, 2007 Another thought just hit me: my tank has about a 12 inch wide glass center brace...looks like a big light-blocker for the middle quarter of the tank. It looks like the tank was meant to have 2 MH pendants, one on either side of the brace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbuf March 21, 2007 Share March 21, 2007 (edited) My 180 is like that as well. Alot of the Oceanic tanks are that way. I just made sure to clean the glass off every other week or so. At first, I had a tough time cleaning the bottom, but the trick to cleaning the bottom of the glass is to use a magnet and a papertowel on the underside. Worked like a charm for me. Edited March 21, 2007 by jamesbuf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JasonD March 22, 2007 Share March 22, 2007 Wll, I got my canopy assembled last night, and see that the top of it is all glass that folds back so you can get into the tank. So my idea of hanging a MH (or I guess ANY kind of) retro kit in there is shot. So I don't bloody know what to do...one minute, it's a Sunpod MH fixture, next it's a Tek T5 fixture. Maybe I'll do a deep-sea abyss tank with NO lighting -- that would be easy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicSkimmr March 22, 2007 Share March 22, 2007 (edited) The top of the canopy is all made of glass? Can you post a pic? That seems strange. Edited March 22, 2007 by VicSkimmr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascal March 22, 2007 Share March 22, 2007 Wll, I got my canopy assembled last night, and see that the top of it is all glass that folds back so you can get into the tank. So my idea of hanging a MH (or I guess ANY kind of) retro kit in there is shot. Not necessarily. Just get out your carpentry kit and get to work! The best thing about building canopies is that even if you mess one up and it doesn't come out quite the way you want it, you can always just build a new one in a few months. I should know. I'm on my 3rd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JasonD March 22, 2007 Share March 22, 2007 Here's a pic of the canopy: The tank is sitting on the floor...I haven't got it on the stand yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JasonD March 22, 2007 Share March 22, 2007 Here's everything...I like having usable drawers in the stand: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicSkimmr March 23, 2007 Share March 23, 2007 Wow, thats a really nice looking stand/canopy! I don't see how those glass doors on top serve any purpose though, and I have no idea how you're going to retrofit that T5 fixture in there. How did the previous owner have it set up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JasonD March 23, 2007 Share March 23, 2007 The previous owner never assembled the canopy...it was still in the shipping box. I don't see any way to put a retro lighting system in there either -- it'll have to be a fixture. I don't mind, don't feel like messing with the wiring! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rioreef March 23, 2007 Share March 23, 2007 With a glass top to the canopy, you will be getting light coming out of it and into you room onto the wall and ceiling. Consider that also, you might want to put some fabric on the top of the canopy to block the light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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