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Old 20-04-2003, 07:21 AM
Flandry
 
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Default Some lighting and retrofit questions

I've been reading, reading, reading about aquascaping and plant
lighting setups, and there's a lot of good material available online.
However, i'm still left with a few questions that i hope somebody can
answer for me.

1- I read in several places that MH (metal halide) lamps are MORE
efficient than fluorescents. That means that they convert more of the
electrical energy into light energy. The figure i read on one page
said 'twice' as efficient as regular fluorescents. Ok, so why does
everybody talk about how hot MHs are, compared to normal output (NO)
fluorescents or compact fluorescents? It seems that the same amount
of light from NOs would produce more heat than a comparable MH setup,
because they're less efficient. What gives here?

2- I bought a used 55Gal that came with the All-Glass deluxe hood, and
i'm finding out that the single F40T10 48" fluorescent bulb isn't
going to work for a planted tank. There are, as i see it, four
options, and cost is definitely a big factor for me.

* Try to stuff a double 22" 55W PCF retrofit from ahsupply into the
current single-tube light strip. I'm not sure if this will fit, but
if so it could be a complete solution (albeit expensive one) that lets
me keep my current setup. The retrofit is quite expensive and the
bulbs are around $20 apiece and have to be replaced about every year,
which means this could be expensive over the time.

* Do away with the whole deluxe hood and buy some glass canopies and
some 48" T8 double or triple bulb fixtures to set on top. Not the
most attractive result, but possibly the least expensive in the long
run (the bulbs are supposed to be available for around $5). It's hard
to tell looking at the pictures of the All-Glass versa top if there is
sufficient room behind the hinged area to fit a triple-bulb setup.
Can anyone using the versa top verify this?

* Get an extra 24" light strip and put it on top of a sheet of acrylic
in place of the left door. I could move the fixture easily when i
need access to that side. This is the cheapest, but also the least
conclusive solution, because it only adds 20W and isn't going to look
very good.

* Do away with the current hood and make a completely new one. This
isn't a viable option right now because i haven't any shop or access
to power tools.

So, has anybody else found themselves in the same situation? What did
they do?

Thanks
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Old 20-04-2003, 07:21 AM
kush
 
Posts: n/a
Default Some lighting and retrofit questions

Two 55-watt compact fluorescence retrofit into an All-glass hood quite
easily and (relatively) cheaply. I've done it with kits from
www.ahsupply.com

kush

Flandry wrote in message
om...
I've been reading, reading, reading about aquascaping and plant
lighting setups, and there's a lot of good material available online.
However, i'm still left with a few questions that i hope somebody can
answer for me.

1- I read in several places that MH (metal halide) lamps are MORE
efficient than fluorescents. That means that they convert more of the
electrical energy into light energy. The figure i read on one page
said 'twice' as efficient as regular fluorescents. Ok, so why does
everybody talk about how hot MHs are, compared to normal output (NO)
fluorescents or compact fluorescents? It seems that the same amount
of light from NOs would produce more heat than a comparable MH setup,
because they're less efficient. What gives here?

2- I bought a used 55Gal that came with the All-Glass deluxe hood, and
i'm finding out that the single F40T10 48" fluorescent bulb isn't
going to work for a planted tank. There are, as i see it, four
options, and cost is definitely a big factor for me.

* Try to stuff a double 22" 55W PCF retrofit from ahsupply into the
current single-tube light strip. I'm not sure if this will fit, but
if so it could be a complete solution (albeit expensive one) that lets
me keep my current setup. The retrofit is quite expensive and the
bulbs are around $20 apiece and have to be replaced about every year,
which means this could be expensive over the time.

* Do away with the whole deluxe hood and buy some glass canopies and
some 48" T8 double or triple bulb fixtures to set on top. Not the
most attractive result, but possibly the least expensive in the long
run (the bulbs are supposed to be available for around $5). It's hard
to tell looking at the pictures of the All-Glass versa top if there is
sufficient room behind the hinged area to fit a triple-bulb setup.
Can anyone using the versa top verify this?

* Get an extra 24" light strip and put it on top of a sheet of acrylic
in place of the left door. I could move the fixture easily when i
need access to that side. This is the cheapest, but also the least
conclusive solution, because it only adds 20W and isn't going to look
very good.

* Do away with the current hood and make a completely new one. This
isn't a viable option right now because i haven't any shop or access
to power tools.

So, has anybody else found themselves in the same situation? What did
they do?

Thanks



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Old 20-04-2003, 07:21 AM
Flandry
 
Posts: n/a
Default Some lighting and retrofit questions

tose (LeighMo) wrote in message ...
So, has anybody else found themselves in the same situation? What did
they do?


If cost was an issue, I would buy a glass canopy hood for the tank. (Buying
online is usually cheapest.) Then get a 4' shop light from Home Depot ($15 or
so) and sit it on top of the glass. Cheap, easy, no tools needed.


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

I see that you're using CFs on your tanks. Have you ever used the
shop light approach? I was trying to figure out if the more efficient
reflectors, ballasts, and bulbs as well as the longer bulb life would
make CFs more economical in the long run. Hmm...

The tank is in the common room of my dorm, and i don't think i can
make it as hideously ghetto as a simple shoplight sitting on top of
the tank will probably look. I'd have to make something resembling a
hood to cover it.

After doing some more research on what's available besides shoplights
in NO fluorescents, i'm leaning towards the 110W CF retrofit from
AHSupply: a bit more money now for a cleaner looking, more long-term
solution. I still am wondering if 110Watts crammed into the original
40W light strip case will get too hot.

Anybody have comments on the MH vs CF question from the original post?
Is there any reason to use MH if i'm going to be spending $100 on
the retrofit? ARE they more efficient than CFs?
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Old 20-04-2003, 07:21 AM
chet
 
Posts: n/a
Default Some lighting and retrofit questions


"Flandry" wrote in message
om...
snip

I still am wondering if 110Watts crammed into the original
40W light strip case will get too hot.


Often, a lot of the heat comes from the ballast. Consider mounting it
unobtrusively on the outside of the hood. If you do this, the only heat you
introduce to the tank is directly from the lamp and may actually be less
than the stock product.

The tank I upgraded to a 1x55 ahsupply kit originally had a "perfecto
style" hood with the ballast tucked up inside. The stock setup was a 20W
fluorescent tube. The 55W upgrade introduces LESS heat to the tank water
because the ballast is mounted outside the hood. It is not easily visible
and the heat is exhausted directly to the room and not captured.

Your call, just a thought.

chet


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Old 20-04-2003, 07:21 AM
Rich Conley
 
Posts: n/a
Default Some lighting and retrofit questions

Metal halides are less efficient then fluorescent...obviously, as they put out much more heat per watt.
The thing that makes them nice, is a very high amount of light being produced from a single source...they
have a higher "intensity" than fluorescents. You can put a whole lot of fluorescents over a reeftank, and
they still may not be "bright" enough to grow some corals, but a metal halide is.

Flandry wrote:

tose (LeighMo) wrote in message ...
So, has anybody else found themselves in the same situation? What did
they do?


If cost was an issue, I would buy a glass canopy hood for the tank. (Buying
online is usually cheapest.) Then get a 4' shop light from Home Depot ($15 or
so) and sit it on top of the glass. Cheap, easy, no tools needed.


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

I see that you're using CFs on your tanks. Have you ever used the
shop light approach? I was trying to figure out if the more efficient
reflectors, ballasts, and bulbs as well as the longer bulb life would
make CFs more economical in the long run. Hmm...

The tank is in the common room of my dorm, and i don't think i can
make it as hideously ghetto as a simple shoplight sitting on top of
the tank will probably look. I'd have to make something resembling a
hood to cover it.

After doing some more research on what's available besides shoplights
in NO fluorescents, i'm leaning towards the 110W CF retrofit from
AHSupply: a bit more money now for a cleaner looking, more long-term
solution. I still am wondering if 110Watts crammed into the original
40W light strip case will get too hot.

Anybody have comments on the MH vs CF question from the original post?
Is there any reason to use MH if i'm going to be spending $100 on
the retrofit? ARE they more efficient than CFs?


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