I currently have a 50gal tank w/ glass hood and with one SpetraMax
strip light in a generic 48" tank fixture. Since adding a second
single bulb fixture wouldn't work very well size-wise and double and
triple fixtures can be expensive, I was thinking of getting a double
shop light (with a commercial ballast so intensity should be fine) and
hanging it above the tank in conjunction with the hood light. The
hood light would being running a Triton buld, and the shop light would
have the SpectraMax and a GE Aqua-Glow. Would this be a decent
lighting setup? Any suggestions on how low/high to hang the shop
light?

Huh. I guess not...

On Fri, 13 Jun 2003 14:19:33 -0700, Jak Crow
wrote:

Hanging a shop light over your tank is going to be a great way to
light the room and a lousy way to light the tank. Shop lights are one
of the most inefficient ways to get light into a tank. The diffuser,
I refuse to call it a reflector, is very poor at directing light
straight down. You would be better off going to AH Supply and
getting a 2x55 watt upgrade kit and installing it in your strip light.
Of course now that I have mentioned a company and given you some
advice someone is going to accuse me of spamming the group.

I currently have a 50gal tank w/ glass hood and with one SpetraMax
strip light in a generic 48" tank fixture. Since adding a second
single bulb fixture wouldn't work very well size-wise and double and
triple fixtures can be expensive, I was thinking of getting a double
shop light (with a commercial ballast so intensity should be fine) and
hanging it above the tank in conjunction with the hood light. The
hood light would being running a Triton buld, and the shop light would
have the SpectraMax and a GE Aqua-Glow. Would this be a decent
lighting setup? Any suggestions on how low/high to hang the shop
light?



Semper Fi!

Visit the forums at Aqua Botanic!
http://aquabotanicwetthumb.infopop.cc/#1

Need Nitrate or Potassium for your tank? Go to www.litemanu.com
(Just a happy customer of the above!)

On Sat, 14 Jun 2003 21:39:50 -0700, Rex Grigg wrote:

On Fri, 13 Jun 2003 14:19:33 -0700, Jak Crow
wrote:

Hanging a shop light over your tank is going to be a great way to
light the room and a lousy way to light the tank. Shop lights are one
of the most inefficient ways to get light into a tank. The diffuser,
I refuse to call it a reflector, is very poor at directing light
straight down. You would be better off going to AH Supply and
getting a 2x55 watt upgrade kit and installing it in your strip light.
Of course now that I have mentioned a company and given you some
advice someone is going to accuse me of spamming the group.

I would prefer to use my existing bulbs

Are you sure that 2x55 kit would fit into the hood? It's a 48" Perfecto
fixture that came with the tank.

On Sat, 14 Jun 2003 22:41:58 -0700, Jak Crow
wrote:


I'm pretty sure it would fit. The only question would be the
reflectors. And if you go to the AH Supply web site you can get the
measurements of the reflectors and check. Why do you want to keep the
existing bulbs? They don't provide enough light.

On Sat, 14 Jun 2003 21:39:50 -0700, Rex Grigg wrote:

On Fri, 13 Jun 2003 14:19:33 -0700, Jak Crow
wrote:

Hanging a shop light over your tank is going to be a great way to
light the room and a lousy way to light the tank. Shop lights are one
of the most inefficient ways to get light into a tank. The diffuser,
I refuse to call it a reflector, is very poor at directing light
straight down. You would be better off going to AH Supply and
getting a 2x55 watt upgrade kit and installing it in your strip light.
Of course now that I have mentioned a company and given you some
advice someone is going to accuse me of spamming the group.

I would prefer to use my existing bulbs

Are you sure that 2x55 kit would fit into the hood? It's a 48" Perfecto
fixture that came with the tank.


Semper Fi!

Visit the forums at Aqua Botanic!
http://aquabotanicwetthumb.infopop.cc/#1

Need Nitrate or Potassium for your tank? Go to www.litemanu.com
(Just a happy customer of the above!)

On Sun, 15 Jun 2003 06:41:22 -0700, Rex Grigg wrote:

On Sat, 14 Jun 2003 22:41:58 -0700, Jak Crow
wrote:


I'm pretty sure it would fit. The only question would be the
reflectors. And if you go to the AH Supply web site you can get the
measurements of the reflectors and check. Why do you want to keep the
existing bulbs? They don't provide enough light.

Looking at the ah stuff, the kit would work. I wanted to keep my existing
bulbs, because I just paid for them . Anyways, I've decided to go for a
second single bulb tank strip and seeing how the tank is with 80 watts of
light. I have a lot of easy and moderate care plants, then later getting a
couple of those retrofit kits.