michaelg March 5, 2003 Share March 5, 2003 Pics have been added to the gallery under my thread on updates for the 58. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cbo March 5, 2003 Share March 5, 2003 Michael I liked all the pictures you posted over in the gallery section. Looking at the picture which showed the wires coming out of the fixture, it looked like you just drilled a hole in the side of the fixture and fed them through. Is this right? and if so what are you doing to keep water out of the fixture? Looks real good, and I really like your hood. I am curious as to how hot the fixture and glass get, my first fixture was much the same as yours but I never ran it for an extended length of time as the bulb looked really close to the glass. cbo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg March 5, 2003 Share March 5, 2003 The holes are small and in the top back of the fixture, right near the post so water shouldn't get in there. It sits real close to the top board. I also wrapped all the wiring super good with electrical tape. I took out a lot of the metal bracket that was molded into place for the original halogen bulb. The new bracket sits almost flush- quite a bit of room from the glass, though not as much as the red fixture you made. I ran it for about 4 hours last night, but didn't touch it. I plan to run it for a while again tonight and I will see how hot it is both on the fixture, the glass, and the wood on the hood. Little to no temp increase int he tank water and I did not have any fans running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salmon alley June 11, 2003 Share June 11, 2003 I wanted to revive this thread if possible. I'm considering trying a DIY HQI and curious as to how happy you are with the fixtures you chose. Do you get good light spread? Am I better off going with a ReefOptix III type pendant? I appreciate any help here. TIA SA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg June 11, 2003 Share June 11, 2003 I have been real happy with the rig I put together. It is over a pretty small tank though. If I was looking to cover a bigger tank, I might consider spending the $90 on a reefoptix fixture- though the tank is a good 20" deep and I have a bunch of corals down towards the bottom. By the time all is said and done cost wise, it is about $50 more for a reefoptix (if you figure in a bulb socket, the fixture, and some misc electrical supplies). The savings overall was pretty big on my end though. This is my LPS/anenome/softie tank though. Some montipora is in there and it is growing well. I found a great aluminum box at an electrical supply shop to enclose the ballast in- it has knock out holes that could accomidate a switch for the ballast if so desired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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