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#1
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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 |
#2
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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 |
#4
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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 |
#5
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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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