Lighting Query

[deuce11705]

We have a 12 gal. Eclipse system, with a 15 watt compact florescent light that came with the set up. We have an Anthelia Coral and Button Polyp and are wondering if this is enough lighting ? The anthelia isn't looking as well as it did at the LFS. Any advice is appreciated, Thanks Duece11705

 

[Anonymous]

not nearly enough light - need at least 48W

 

[nickleslik]

yeah u should def get more light i have the same corals in my tank it is 10g and i only have 40W over the tank and they are fine

 

[deuce11705]

Eclipse 12 lighting upgrade isnt possible ....

Thanks for the replies,
We have searched on the web for bulbs that would give us more light, and we have determined that because its an eclipse, 15 watt is all they make for that style of canopy anything larger would damage the canopy , so we are going to have to remove the canopy that came with the set up and make our own, any suggestions on where to buy maybe a kit to attach to a canopy that we will make would be cool, Thanks again everyone ......

 

[nickleslik]

if i am corect the dimensions on your tank are 21"L x 11"W x 18"H if u build your own hood u could wire in 2 18" Power Compacts i dont have much experience with making your own hood but i heard it is very easy also alot of companys make retrofit kits i see them all the time on ebay here is one i know of just to give you an idea

http://cgi.ebay.com/18-96W-Aqualigh...90136QQcategoryZ46314QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

 

[deuce11705]

Thanks for the link, nickleslik! I think that's exactly what we're looking for. We build cabinets and furniture for a living, so I'm sure building a hood for our tank won't be a problem at all. Actually, we were thinking of making hoods and stands for tanks, so who knows. Anyway, thanks again!

 

[wettank]

I have 36 watts over my 6 gallon eclipse

 

[deuce11705]

Hey Wettank, Did you buy a retro fit kit to get that kind of wattage, or were you able to buy lamps for the hood that came with the Eclipse set up ? Thanks...

 

[incysor]

I've got a 32w over my 6g. It's a retro kit that's wired into a standard NO fixture.
This is the bulb. It's 13" long.

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem. ... uct=PC1325

You should be able to fit a couple of these over your tank easily.

Even better would be a 96w powerquad retro kit.

http://www.innovativelights.com/ret-pc-diy-196q.html

If you didn't want to mess with building a canopy the coralife 96w fixture would work as well.

http://hellolights.com/201xcoaqpcho.html

B

 

[wettank]

I actually did away with the stock eclipse hood because I did not like the filtration.I put on a HOB and used the coralife 12" fixture.

 

[nickleslik]

the retrofit kit should fit very well over your tank and give u enough light to run a nice looking reef tank i just bought the coralife 96w fixture for my 10 gal and i like it very much but would love to see pics of your finished product

 

[nautilus]

I have 12 gal eclipse. I threw away the canopy cos it can not hold any additional lights. i threw away the filter as well cos it is a poor design for reef system and it blocks light. i have 18 watt compacts on there now. Its not enough light for the lower areas of the tank but the 96 watt quad is on its way.