Diy Metal Halide Box

[garybuk]

Finaley getting to the stages of running metal halide's! 600w x2 14k( is this ok or too much lighting for my 330l corner tank)


anyway if anyone has any step by step guids or links to make a diy metal halide box i would be very greatfull

also:

how much heat will there purduce?

what could i use a reflector in side the box

and does anyone know ware i can get e40? blub holders?


EBAY

I was hopeing to make somethink like this? but i sopose even with this you would still have to stick it in a box

 

[ox5477]

Well.. some corals will soak up the light and if your going sps... the more light the better.... but some corals can get too much light and will bleach if pounded with light... many lps and some softies like ricordea can lose their color with too much light... if you keep the lights a good distance away from the water, put the more sensitive corals deeper in the tank, and have a short lighting period, maybe 3-5 hours with the halides (the rest with T5) then you should be fine...

as to how many btu's an hr it will pump out, you could prob calculate this, but just make sure there is plenty of air movement around the top of the tank and the bulb and it should help dissipate heat... if your still seeing high temps in the tan, you could always invest in a chiller to keep temps down...

Ox

 

[garybuk]

Well.. some corals will soak up the light and if your going sps... the more light the better.... but some corals can get too much light and will bleach if pounded with light... many lps and some softies like ricordea can lose their color with too much light... if you keep the lights a good distance away from the water, put the more sensitive corals deeper in the tank, and have a short lighting period, maybe 3-5 hours with the halides (the rest with T5) then you should be fine...

as to how many btu's an hr it will pump out, you could prob calculate this, but just make sure there is plenty of air movement around the top of the tank and the bulb and it should help dissipate heat... if your still seeing high temps in the tan, you could always invest in a chiller to keep temps down...

Ox

Cheers ox! i got a good diy plan will share soon

 

[ox5477]

Just thinking, is this a a bowfront corner tank? with two flat back sides and single curved front?

Or a cube in a corner? what are the approx dims of the tank?

Ox

 

[garybuk]

Just thinking, is this a a bowfront corner tank? with two flat back sides and single curved front?

Or a cube in a corner? what are the approx dims of the tank?

Ox

Windsor 88

Dimensions Tank: 88w x 88D x 70 H cm

corner tank with with two flat back sides and single curved front


what you thinking???

 

[ox5477]

just thinking... 600W halide is a good amoutn seeing as how its a corner tank... might be able to get away with a single halide.... depending on the light spread from the reflector... I would try out 1 halide to begin with and if its spreading around enough then I wouldn't even add the second. This will save in electricity and possibilities of frying the tank with heat and oversaturation of light.... hopefully ski or somebody else comes along to add into this convo... when it comes halides... by no means an expert... but I think after a second look, you might only need the one

Ox

 

[garybuk]

just thinking... 600W halide is a good amoutn seeing as how its a corner tank... might be able to get away with a single halide.... depending on the light spread from the reflector... I would try out 1 halide to begin with and if its spreading around enough then I wouldn't even add the second. This will save in electricity and possibilities of frying the tank with heat and oversaturation of light.... hopefully ski or somebody else comes along to add into this convo... when it comes halides... by no means an expert... but I think after a second look, you might only need the one

Ox

ahhh bumer lol , got two ballast on the way and my plan would invole too.....

 

[SkiFletch]

Ummm, wait a min. Since when do metal halides come in 600 watt modules? To the best of my knowledge, the only halide wattages that have marine bulbs made for them are 70, 150, 175, 250, 400, and a few 1000 watt lamps out there. Never have I seen 600

 

[garybuk]

Ummm, wait a min. Since when do metal halides come in 600 watt modules? To the best of my knowledge, the only halide wattages that have marine bulbs made for them are 70, 150, 175, 250, 400, and a few 1000 watt lamps out there. Never have I seen 600

Dubble checked they are 400w x2 @ 14k

METAL HALIDE E-Ballast

cant get a pic of the bulbs but they are big long round type one ended....


ski will 400w x2 in a 330l tank be too much??? or ok??? thanks

 

[SkiFletch]

That's A LOT! You'll run the risk of burning some corals upon introduction but ultimately they should be OK after a period of adjustment. Make sure any new additions start on the sandbed and are slowly moved up the rockwork to their final resting place. And finally, watch out for the heat off those bad booys...

 

[garybuk]

That's A LOT! You'll run the risk of burning some corals upon introduction but ultimately they should be OK after a period of adjustment. Make sure any new additions start on the sandbed and are slowly moved up the rockwork to their final resting place. And finally, watch out for the heat off those bad booys...

Ok but in the long run my tank shud looks nicer with 14k halides right???

How long shud i keep them on aday? as ox said maybe run t5s too?

 

[SkiFletch]

Might be a good idea to run some T5s along with them, maybe running the T5's for ~4 hours on the front and back end of the light cycle and halides for 4 hours in the middle...

 

[garybuk]

Might be a good idea to run some T5s along with them, maybe running the T5's for ~4 hours on the front and back end of the light cycle and halides for 4 hours in the middle...

i was going to run just blue t5s? witch my 14k halides? ill get on with my diy box and see what you think!!

 

[garybuk]

Had the grinder out today pics anyone

what you think? will have two t5s one the other side! hopeing to find some bendy reflectif stuff to put in side 1st!

 

[ox5477]

I was gonna say, a aluminum sheet bend slightly behind each bulb will help immensly in focusing the light towards the tank.... The fan in the middle is good, might wanna try and get two more fans for each end as well... that one little fan I doubt will do the job.... Is this going inside of a hood> Might just be easier to make a wooden hood if you don't have one, then you can flush mount the fans to the wooden canopy and have a much large reflector for each bulb.... the biggest concern is still heat though... those 400W badboys right next to each other are gonna pump out some serious btu's...

Ox