more light questions-upgrade

[Phischy]

Ok, so I've got 2 24" 55w lights on my 40gal tank. Right now it's got zoos, an open brain, alvepora, rics and shrooms. My tank is 19" tall, I'm thinking of adding another 2x55w lights. Do I need this for what I've got? Will there be any negative side effects to what's already living there or will everything do better due to more light? I can get a light setup for $45, so this is whyI'm asking.

I don't plan on putting in any hard to keep corals (except the alvepora that doesn't do well anyway) so I'm just weighing pros/cons of more lights for my tank right now. about 220 would be the final in a 40gal tank.

thanks for any coments

 

[incysor]

Go for it.

That's a good deal for the upgrade, and nothing you've got is going to be hurt by the extra light. You might want to slowly add in the extra light a few hours at a time, but it shouldn't be as big a pain as adding MH to the system. With 220 you'll also be able to try some of the easier SPS. With seperate ballasts you can do the whole dawn-dusk effect as well, which I'm a bit jealous of. :wink:

B

 

[Phischy]

I'll probably do it then, it is a good deal. The way I'll have it setup is to have a light come on every 30mins for 2hrs, and then back them off the same way. I'll have to get some more timers but crapola, the stand is getting a bit crowded with all the equipment under there! I'mw aiting for the seller to PM me back about how old the ballasts are etc... Only thing that's different is they're straight pin whereis my current setup is square, just have to remember that when buying bulbs.

 

[Phischy]

I found a new seller for a 55wat dual light setup. So this weekend I'll be moving to 220watts on 4 timers so I'll be able to ramp dawn to daylight to dusk. I've got to replace one moonlight but no worries.

What should be my total photo period? I don't want to mess with algea blooms.

Thanks

 

[incysor]

I'd drop it back a bit to start with, then ramp it up gradually.
How many hours were you running the old lights?

For an end goal, I'd probably shoot for 8-10hrs a day, so probably 10hrs on the actinics, dawn/dusk, and 8hrs on the 10k. Or cut it each back by a couple hours.

B

 

[Phischy]

I think I had it running 12hrs, the atinics would come on at 9:30 and shut off at 9:30pm. I'll probably scale back either way to 10hrs on atinics and 8hrs on full light.

 

[incysor]

I think I had it running 12hrs, the atinics would come on at 9:30 and shut off at 9:30pm. I'll probably scale back either way to 10hrs on atinics and 8hrs on full light.

I'd start with it running 7hrs actinic total with the dawn/dusk, so the 10ks would run 5hrs. Then I'd shift everything up by an hour until you were up to 12/10, unless you start running into algae blooms, in which case just drop back a bit, and try it again after another week or so. Just gotta give the system time to adjust to the higher enegergy input.

B

 

[Phischy]

I am probably going to cram all my lights into the hood I've already got, vs. trying to build one from scratch. The thing about it is, currently it is nearly sealed with no fans. I really should put a fan and an air hatch in there to keep 'em cool. They get pretty warm right now as is.

So, everyone is using PC fans, but how do those hold up to salt creep? I would guess they weren't designed for this type of use. So are the fans made for tanks (even if more expensive) better or sealed against salt creep? Or better in anyway than a PC fan?

 

[incysor]

I am probably going to cram all my lights into the hood I've already got, vs. trying to build one from scratch. The thing about it is, currently it is nearly sealed with no fans. I really should put a fan and an air hatch in there to keep 'em cool. They get pretty warm right now as is.

So, everyone is using PC fans, but how do those hold up to salt creep? I would guess they weren't designed for this type of use. So are the fans made for tanks (even if more expensive) better or sealed against salt creep? Or better in anyway than a PC fan?

Supposedly the icecap fans are more durable as they're specifically made for this application. They're really pricy though. I bought six 3" fans, 2 converters, and wiring connectors for about $60.

Here's a link to the icecap ones....They have the temp probe which is nice.
http://www.customaquatic.com/customaqua ... ?offset=30

Most of the other ones that I've seen pre-wired don't have the temp probe, and run about $5-$10 cheaper than the icecaps.

B

 

[Phischy]

ok, it's after the super bowl, 12am and I"m a bit drunk. Perfect time to install my new light upgrade. Right? Well, tomorrow will tell the tale, but I get hard at work. Inside my canopy I had a light hood donated by the previous light owner of my 2x55w. I attemp to cram in 4x55w and in the process I break my atinic 03. Turns out, there's just not enough room inside this job to shove in 4x55w. Well crap, this is the same 03 that went out and was replaced 1 mo ago. Yee haw, the other two bulbs I just got were used and have 8mo running time on each.

First question: how long are these bulbs good for.

Second question: I scrapped the old light hood and just mounted the lights in my canopy thus the no longer have a piece of acrylic as a shield against salt vapor. But, the all fit now. Should I fabricate a shiled for these lights?

Anywho, the new lights are up and will be running tomorrow. 1 03 and 2x 10k lights. I plan on Tuesday to make a run to pick up another 03 bulb to get myself to 220w. Next weekend I will attempt to fab up a shield and to install a fan. I'm sure these babies will putting out enough heat that I'll have to worry about heat management.

Until then, the Pats won, I'm drunk and I've got to get up in 5.5hrs to spend 10hrs at work followed by 3 hrs in my "legal Principals of real estate" class of which I bought the book today and am already 2 chapters behind. As they say somewhere: "Two tears in a bucket, f*ck'it"

 

[incysor]

First question: how long are these bulbs good for.

Second question: I scrapped the old light hood and just mounted the lights in my canopy thus the no longer have a piece of acrylic as a shield against salt vapor. But, the all fit now. Should I fabricate a shiled for these lights?

PC bulbs are usually good for about 12months as long as they aren't over driven, or unless you're trying to keep clams/sps under them, in which case about 6-8months.

If the lights are more than 3-4 inches off the surface you probably don't need a shield. Unless your pumps put out a lot of spray or something.

B

 

[Phischy]

ok, well I'll get a new bulb tomorrow and then everything will be OK. I'll take some pics and then post 'em.