You wont be able to cover up, and have the halides
Yeah, you could, the good thing about this hobby is, you dont have to follow everyone elses lead, try something yourself, with the basics recieved via advice, but add your ideas/designs. Have a look around, do some searches around the net (Not enough members here use MH for me to link you to DIY pages, sorry). Its doable, its wether its worth it for your Record 70.
They give off far too much heat, and have to be a certain distance from the waters surrface...
This can be controlled by smart hood design and fans.
Yes, they do have to be a certain distance from the waters surface, but this can be altered manually if you hang your MH reflectors via a chain link chain, attached to some hooks in your Hood, so you can move them up and down as you please, and to eliminate shadow. Or, alternativly, if you buy an all in one unit, you can vary the length of the cord you use.
You could make a very large hood, that is high, and has cooling fans, but it wouldnt be easy to get into the tank, and will look out of place and expensive....
The Record 70 would be a tough tank to put MH's on, but rather than have shop fitters or an actual reflector in a hood, buy a complete unit that hangs from your roof or a stand. Remove the top of the crappy 18W fixture from the Record, leaving the rim, using a dremel or something similar, and have it open topped and hang the MH. The "Skirt" around your hood is for safety, so if your mantis or fish do decide to jump, theyd have to make it over the skirt (may not be 100% carpet surfing proof). Wouldnt a Record 70 have glass lids underneath the hood anyway? MH's can punch through glass if your only going LPS/softies.
BTW, why do you need to cover a tank with a mantis?
