Lighting placement

[Dez]

Few questions

1. Why would you get a better spread if you mount your halides front to back as opposed to parallel with your tank? I have a 4 x 2 footprint and running to 400w halides. If I mount them either way, won't they still light up each 2 x 2 foot section?

2. I am debating not using my reflector that came with my bluewave retrofit kit. It is so tall! It is shaped like a big "U" shape. But if I use my other spider type reflector, it is 4 feet long and curved more like the curve of a contact lense - not quite as tall. This way the fans can blow through the 4 foot length of the hood. But if I mount it front to back with the "U" shaped reflectors, I supposedly get a "better spread" right? but the fans would be blowing right into the reflector. and this would allow me less option of mounting my 4 compact fluorescent bulbs because the tall reflector would be "blocking" some of the fluorescent lighting.

Please convince me why it would give me a better spread and if the "U" shaped reflectore is even worth it. I spent a good deal of money on them, but my 4 foot reflector is a spider typed reflectore and it's polished aluminum..

Help please. Thanks..

Des

[Delphinus]

Why would you get a better spread if you mount your halides front to back as opposed to parallel with your tank?

I would think that it depends on the reflector. Just using a reflector one way or the other shouldn't make a difference .... it depends on the spread that a reflector gives you. I thought that the ones for perpendicular had a wider spread or something like that. The shape mustn't be a perfectly symmetrical 2'x2' area.

BUT ... I don't have those kind myself so I can't really offer any practical advice based on experience ... sorry. I myself went with the 4' reflector running the length of the tank. I'm sure it's not "optimal" but then again I'm pretty happy with the results so far. So ... whatever you do, go with whatever makes most sense for you. Try it out both ways and see if you notice a difference.

[Jayson]

Dez, use the Bluewave reflecters. Mount them front to back. I would also mount the socket end at the front of the tank and not at the back. This will allow more light hit your reef/rockwork and not the front glass. If I am confusing you give me a call and I will walk you through it. Thanks

[stephane]

As Im a poor french it is very hard to explane you why but if you install them in paralel you will loose a lot of light in the glass of the tank

Aniway I will try to explane Look carfuly the bulb. It is a cylinder so it spread the light all over it on the other hand the top dont spead a lot and the soket block most of the light so if you put the bulb in paralel you will have in your tank the light of the tip and the socket but most of the light that the cylinder spread will be directed in the glass

Hope you will understand

[ 20 September 2002, 22:40: Message edited by: stephane ]

[Dez]

Okay, I've had a few opinions so far... so should I mount them directly in the middle of the 2x2 footprint then?

Des

[EmilyB]

per Dana Riddle:

the best design would be to have your bulbs perpendicular to the front of the aquarium<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">this page (http://www.athiel.com/lib4/par1.htm)

I know with the bowfront, it was very helpful to get light up towards the front, where I keep sand dwelling corals.

[Dez]

question again....

How do you fit other lighting in if you mount the halides front to back? It's a lot easier to mound other lighting if it's parallel. All of the commercial lighting fixtures have them mounted parallel with the long side of the aquarium. I'm trying to fit 4 other 55watt compact fluorescent bulbs in my hood as well. It doesn't work very well with the Bluewave reflector....

Thanks for the input so far.

Des

[stephane]

Here pic of my DIYset up

the canopy is split in two so any side could flip over very helful when you want to work in the tank some have door who could open but I like more to have all the top off the tank clear when I want to work in it I will send other picture of the top that way you will see who it work note that any side of the tank could be open, front or back

now I will show you what it make when I close it

http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=3217

http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=3218

http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=3219

http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=3220

http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=3221

[stephane]

Originally posted by EmilyB:
per Dana Riddle:

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> the best design would be to have your bulbs perpendicular to the front of the aquarium<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">this page (http://www.athiel.com/lib4/par1.htm)

I know with the bowfront, it was very helpful to get light up towards the front, where I keep sand dwelling corals.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Oupss I have said I will try but my english is very poor in those case I have said the way to go is parralele but in fact what I want to say is perpendicular like Emily and Jason have said Sorry for the confusion Dez

[ 20 September 2002, 22:47: Message edited by: stephane ]

[Dez]

Thanks Stephane....

why doesn't your middle halide have a reflector? Also, are you running open tops? How do you keep the canopy so clean if it is open tops? Thanks so much..

Also, doesn't your fluorescent cause shadows if you mount them like that below the halides? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of getting the most spread with the halides?

Also, how high are your bulbs off the surface. I'm sure that makes a difference. Any other opinions? I'll have mine about 6 inches above the surface of the water.

des

[ 20 September 2002, 22:50: Message edited by: Dez ]

[stephane]

the Pic have been taken before I receive it 6 month ago the 2 first came from my first tank a five foot that require only two bulb

What do you mean by open top ? I dont uderstand

As for the fluorescent they only pass at both end of the bulb so they dont create any shadow

[stephane]

The bulb are at 5 inch from the surface and I tink it is a way to close for a 400W because it transfer a lot off heat but I have no choice my canopy was design when I have change for 400W

I recommend if you could 8 inch it will be a lot more easy on the heat transfert you will see those radium get pretty hot!

I have 6 fan and an A/C in the house and my temp get as hight as 84 at is peak the water climb of 4 degree at the end of the lightning period

[ 20 September 2002, 23:07: Message edited by: stephane ]

[Dez]

I will have my 400's at 6inches. But even if your fluorescents pass at both ends of the bulbs, they are lower than the bulbs so it will definitely create a shadow because the light from the halides shoulds spread toward the front of your tank and the back, but with the fluorescents lower, they will creat a shadow, but the human eye will not notice it.

I'm wondering if you have an open top meaning "do you have any glass lids on top of your tank?" or do your have your lights directly over the water?

Do you have to wipe off salt creep much in your canopy?

Thanks Stephane

Des

[stephane]

No I dont have any glass over the tank and it not realy get dirty only at both end some time the salt climb up to the support

About shadow the light is so intense that there no way you could have a shadow there the light probably even pass trought the fluo

Anyway there not a lot of way to do it because if you put the fluo at the same height than the bulb
you will need a lot of space and at 6 inch you will loose a lot more light from the fluo. mine are at about 2 inch from the water suface so I tink the small amount I loose is greatly compensate buy the height of my fluo

The other solution is to put the bulb parale and you will loose much of the bulb light in the glass

So I have ended whith that solution after a lot of test

You will understand the minute you will fire those puppy they are bright I mean REALY bright!

[ 20 September 2002, 23:38: Message edited by: stephane ]

[Dez]

Stephane, another question (by the way, your canopy is very very nice. Good job on the DIY). Are you running actinics with your 20K bulbs?

Des

[stephane]

the fluo are only run when the light are off
at the end of the light period for now I run the
radium 6 houre and the vho for another 7 I have achieve a very good grow like that for now

Whit the radium I absolutly not need any actnic
or suplement but I run them on Agro ballast maybe in your case you will even have to put a bit of daylight to cut the blue and made the radium more intense as the bluewave will cut a lot off PAR from the radium IMO

the VHO are now only actinic but I will change one for a daylight soon

Read my upper post I have add some more info since you have read it

[ 20 September 2002, 23:49: Message edited by: stephane ]

[Dez]

Okay, after much contemplation and thinking. Thank you Stephane and the rest of the opinions. I have come to a conclusion to do my lighting like your's Stephane. Also the tank of the month on reefcentral is done like that. I will experiment with placing the socket side toward the front of the tank like Jayson's suggestion, but I'll have to see if there is enough wire because I'm mounting my ballast far away and the Bluewave ballast is pretty big. Thanks for all the help and I will post pictures if possible. Thanks once again.

Des

[stephane]

Good luck dez can't wait to see the picture

one last ting in case you have not already bought the encap
If you look at my picture you will see I have never jump in the encap wagon for 20$ a pair I utilize regular 1$ a pair socket for more than 10 years without never having any problem even at 2 inch from the water surface! ;)

[Doug]

So, if we have a 2ft. by 2ft. square, being lit by a single halide bulb, how is it brighter when bulbs are perpendicular versus parallel?

[stephane]

Originally posted by Doug:
So, if we have a 2ft. by 2ft. square, being lit by a single halide bulb, how is it brighter when bulbs are perpendicular versus parallel?<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hey very good one Doug

IMO it a lot more like 18x30 then 2x2 and you alway
have the soket who block a lot. I have searching in all my catalog for the analys of how the light spread under a MH whitout reflector but I just can't remeber where I view it

it like an egg but with a 'U'shadow in one end of the socket maybe someone have a link to those patern

the reflector to are round only on one side so the other side it notting than a flat refector
if the reflector was round on bothe side like a halogen reflector or the doudle ended one it could be another story .

[StirCrazy]

This is interesting as most bulbs will cover the 2X2 either way, the thing to decide is if you can fit all the lights you want in there with that orentation, I know it would be real tight on my tank to try put them that way, which leads to my question.

my tank is 3 foot long and 2 foot wide.. I am thinking of putting the bulbs parralell with the fron of the tank and have the ends on the outsides of the tanks.. so the glass part of the bulbs will be facing each other.. my thinking on this is that I am only covering 18" long by 24" wide with each bulb so I should have the sides of the bulb to the longer dimension... right?

Steve

[Dez]

steve,

I think you get the picture. If you have the bulbs front to back...then you are going to get more of the area lit than if parallel with your sockets on either end. Each end of your tank won't be as brightly lit I guess. But if you mount it perpendicular with the sockets at the front glass, then the whole front of your tank won't be as brightly lit right?

Should we therefore mount it in the center of the 2 x 2 area?

Des

[stephane]

Originally posted by Dez:
steve,

I think you get the picture. If you have the bulbs front to back...then you are going to get more of the area lit than if parallel with your sockets on either end. Each end of your tank won't be as brightly lit I guess. But if you mount it perpendicular with the sockets at the front glass, then the whole front of your tank won't be as brightly lit right?

Should we therefore mount it in the center of the 2 x 2 area?

Des<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Des IMO to the naked eye you won't see a big difference but the only ting to get in mind is when you will place your coral put the more demandind light coral where you know you have more light

IMO the most intense part under the reflector will be a line perpendicular to the bulb where the niple is and shadie place are at both end of the bulb but a biger one the side of the socket

[Skimmerking]

Ok im confused ,so the best way is to have the bulbs running front to back ,
Nowi dont have reflectors i have what Jaysons using that reflective material. So i should have the bulbs facing the other way then.