Lighting / Lumenarc / Canopy Question

[Ryan S]

Could I get some advice please? My canopy is pretty "shallow". The distance from the inside of the canopy to the surface of the water of my tank is 12.5". There is a glass brace in the center of my tank, the distance from the inside of the canopy to it, is 11.5".

 

Here is a photo of the canopy. You can see inside to get an idea of the space I have to work with inside:

 

Here is a closer shot:

 

And finally, a shot of the glass center brace inside:

 

I only have 2 spider reflectors in there, along with 2 96w PC actinics. I have the chance to buy 3 lumenarc mini reflectors, which measure 14.5" square and 6.5" tall. I have a couple questions/concerns that may prevent me from buying them.

 

1. The distance between the lumenarc mini reflector and the surface of the water, will be 12.5"-6.5" = 6 inches. Is this too close to the water? Will this closeness cause 3 visible "beams" of light in my tank because the reflectors aren't farther up from the water?

 

2. Will the 6" distance be too close and cause water to splash on the bulbs and sockets and maybe burn them or cause other problems? Will the 6" also increase the heat in my tank by a large amount?

 

3. The 3rd reflector would go over the center of my tank, directly over that large glass brace in picture 3 above. I'd say it's a solid 1/2" glass brace, and the reflector would be 11.5"-6.5" = 5 inches from the brace. Would this closeness and the heat it causes, potentially break the glass or cause any problems there?

 

4. Finally, assuming the reflectors and 3 MH's are a go; I don't think I'll have room for the 2 96w pc actinic lights in there anymore. Do you think 3 lumenarc mini's with 14k bulbs are far better for a reef than 2 spider reflector MH's and 2 96w actinic pc lights? I assume yes right?

 

Thank you all in advance. I think I know some of the answers, but I am unsure on others. I'd love to upgrade, but just want to make sure it's a smart idea. If I need to pass on the reflectors for now, until I get a new tank, or a taller canopy, then I can do that if I need too. But if I don't have to wait, I'd love to upgrade from two 250w spider reflectors to 3 250w lumenarc mini's over my tank.

 

-Ryan

Edited January 14, 2010 by Ryan S

[bamainva]

Maybe it is a good opportunity to make something new.... :-). I went from the same type of set up you had and got mini reflectors and it made a world of difference. I had to change things up and remove the canopy and had the lights about 14" from the water surface.

[Brian Ward]

1- You should not see the beams of light as you describe - although the one over the center brace will definitely produce less light, so you may notice the center of the tank being a bit darker than the rest.

2- Yes, water will splash on the bulbs, reflectors, etc. It may cause the bulb to crack/break depending on how much water hits it - little drops won't be a big deal. The biggest problem you will probably have is that you will need to spend time cleaning the salt from the reflector and bulb in order to maintain maximum performance. Yes, you will experience more heat since the reflector is closer to the water and will concentrate more heat down onto the water. Something that may help is if the lumenarc minis you are looking at have the duct connections on them - then you can use fans to force the hot air out of the reflectors and to a place you can dispose of it, avoiding some of it from entering your tank.

3- The heat should not cause any problem with the glass center brace except as noted in #1

4- Yes. You may actually want to move to a 20k bulb like an XM - you will lose any dawn-dusk effect you may have been doing. I like having T5s because I run those from 1pm to 11pm and only run my MH from 4-10. reduces the amount of heat while still allowing me to enjoy the tank a bit longer.