# NOW it's getting costly - ?



## 90gal (Jan 7, 2008)

All,
Got the AH supply retrofit 2x96w CF setup, with two of their 96w bulbs at 36 inches each. Now, the aquarium is a 90 which is 48 inches long. Here is where the problem comes in, the bulbs don't match end to end because there is overlap. Due to the MOST AWEFULLY written instructions I have ever read in my life, I figured the only way these two bulbs are going to fit in that tiny area is if they're mounted a little canted to the front for one bulb and the rear for another. 

Now, I leave to run around town, come back and BANG - the glass top is really screwed. I guess those bulbs get REALLY hot and one hung down a little too low and it split the glass top in two. Now - What's going on.  How in the world do you mount 2 36 inch bulbs in a 48 inch space without overlap. I'm really smart, but also thoroughly confused and a little frustrated:boxing:...

thanks for the assist - 
Rob


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## betta blue (Feb 3, 2008)

Hi Rob! I can't give you answers cause I'm in the same boat. I too have a 90 gal. that I want to have plants in. I actually live with an electrician that has no intentions of helping me. Interesting...but maybe we don't go there. I will be watching this thread and hope someone can help us with our delemma. Just wanted to say that I have the same quandry!

Shar


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

Call them (AHS). They're the specialists! lol


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## imeridian (Jan 17, 2007)

This is why those of us with 48" long tanks use 2x65 watt or 4x65 watt setups.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

The AH Supply website gives the dimensions of each of their kits, so you know when you order them, how much room you need. I assume you are fitting these into an existing light fixture? If so it was probably a single tube fixture. That does present a few problems. And, those lights do produce some heat, so enclosing them without good air circulation is a bad idea. I use a little fan in my fixture to keep them cooler, and more importantly, to keep them from heating the tank water so much. If you have room for a little fan, either visit a Radio Shack place for one, or to get a better quality and better price, visit some website stores to find one. A fan makes a big difference.

I don't have any glass between my lights and the water. No problems to date.

EDIT: You can use 55 watt bulbs in that kit if you wish. Same ballast. (To be absolutely sure, email AHS)


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

AHsupply is a good company. Call them up and they will help you with whatever you need. They have very good customer support.

Also as far as the glass breaking. If the bulbs heated up and then a fish splashed cold tank water onto the hot glass it could break from the thermal change.

I'd go with smaller bulbs for the tank like indiboi suggested. If you have multiple tanks or ever need to switch the light fixtures to a smaller tank its a good idea to standardize the type of bulb you use. So use smaller bulb sizes like 55W as you can use this bulb with many different sized tanks. 2x55w for a 55g, or 90g. 3x55w for a 125 gal, 1x55 w for a 20, 30, or 40g tank. 55w are pretty useful for nearly any size tank.


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## DaveS (Jun 9, 2006)

Is it the bulbs that generate so much heat or the ballast itself? I believe mounting the ballast external to the fixture, or even on the outside of the fixture itself should alleviate quite a bit of the heat issue.

Dave


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## 90gal (Jan 7, 2008)

It was the stock 48 inch fixture, single bulb. I completely agree about using smaller bulbs that may be the answer. It's bizarre... I managed to mess with it like there is no tomorrow and finagle (sp??) it so the bulbs won't touch the next glass top, but it's still a FAR cry from how the instructions said to set it up. I'm going out of town this week and won't have internet so I'll catch up with you next week and tell you all how my wife got along with this problem. Nice - leaving the wife with my fish tank problem...:heh:


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## 90gal (Jan 7, 2008)

So I got replacement glass today, a whole new glass top. The bulbs are NOT touching the glass. Ten minutes with the new glass - CRACK! At this rate, I'll need to replace the glass top 3 times daily. For the moment - I have wedged 2x4 pieces under the ends to hold the light fixture 2 inches above the glass - we'll see if we can bust the other one out...


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

Does your tank not have a center brace? Is your glass canopy all one piece or is it two individual pieces? If it's all one piece you're probably looking with an overall structural integrity issue more than a canopy heating issue...

My old 90gal is a custom tank without a center brace. It's 52" long. After extensive consultation and research with both glass and acrylic manufacturers (and I mean I talked with at least 4-5 manufacturers on the phone about my setup) I decided I was not going to go with a canopy on this tank because everyone agreed that there wouldn't be enough structural integrity w/out a center brace, and retrofitting a center brace was going to cost an arm and a leg.

If that's not the case in your tank, maybe adding some fans to your canopy would help?

If your wooden blocks don't work, have you considered trying to suspend the fixture from the ceiling like a metal halide?


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## 90gal (Jan 7, 2008)

Mine has the center brace - this is so bizarre I just don't understand. How do I go about adding a fan to the lights (I mean wiring it up and where to buy the things I'll need). Thanks -


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

Computer fans are cheap and easy. You want to position one so it pulls fresh cooler air into the canopy and the other at the other end to push the hot air out.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Most computer fans run on DC power, not AC, and most are 12 volt DC. So, you need a small power supply for them too. I use one I purchased at RadioShack, that is a variable output voltage. Then I operate the fan at about 8 volts instead of 12 volts, to slow it down and reduce the noise. Wiring it up is very simple - if the fan runs clockwise when you want it to run counterclockwise, just reverse the connection at the fan. Mine runs 24 hours a day.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

90gal said:


> So I got replacement glass today, a whole new glass top. The bulbs are NOT touching the glass. Ten minutes with the new glass - CRACK! At this rate, I'll need to replace the glass top 3 times daily. For the moment - I have wedged 2x4 pieces under the ends to hold the light fixture 2 inches above the glass - we'll see if we can bust the other one out...


While I don't have your fixture (obviously ) I had the same problem with the heat cracking my glass top. I did 2 things. I got tempered glass (used for ovens) at a glass place - it didn't cost much more. I made me some rubber spacers to sit the fixture on. They lift the fixture off about 1/2" and that is enough to circulate the air. I have had no more problems. Before I did this I lost 2 pieces in the top. Here is a px of the spacers


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

I'm not a big fan of lights resting on the glass for several reasons- and a big one is I live in FL and tend to have problems with heat in the summer. Another is I live in FL and with the electrical storms we have here the further electrical equipment is from water the more comfortable I am. I like your rubber spacers, Tex- the rubber would definitely help in case anything ever shorted out inside the light fixture...


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## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

Little rubber spacers may work for a CL fixture (with built in fans) but probably won't work for a AH-Supply retrofit.

I broke some glass w/ mine when I first got it too. You need some legs. I fashioned mine from some old hard drive brackets & metal braces. My 96W bulb now sits ~2.5" above my glass (thick window glass in back, original front section) and warms the black center brace enough I feel the need to keep a bit of white plastic (grocery bag) betweeen the lid & the brace. There's no way around it - those PCs do get hot.


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

You know, I've wondered how hot AHSupply's bulbs get- probably will go with AH next time I need a fixture. I've wondered about heat issues with those canopy enclosures they build- they don't ever include fans, do they... hmmm


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

The AHS enclosures don't include fans, but they are almost wide open at the top, with very large ventilation slots. I tried to substitute a large area of 1/8" holes on one enclosure to provide ventilation, but it didn't work at all well. So, I have used a cooling fan ever since. My hood is open at the back, and my fan blows air into the enclosure and it exhausts out the open back.


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

Hoppy- I don't know too much about Sacramento's climate- is ever hot enough during the summer that you need to find ways to cool your tanks?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Sacramento has a beautiful summer climate! (We can't ever acknowledge otherwise can we?) It gets to 100F several days during the summer, and rarely has a day under 90F all summer, so yes we do have water heating problems. The fan in the hood idea reduces the water temperature at least 5F in my experience, while evaporating quite a bit of water.


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

Hmm 5 degrees might be enough... we live close enough to the water that we don't usually get into the triple digits here... Thanks for the info!


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## trag (Jan 9, 2008)

betta blue said:


> Hi Rob! I can't give you answers cause I'm in the same boat. I too have a 90 gal. that I want to have plants in.
> Shar


If you folks have 48" tanks, rather than trying to squeeze in AHS compact fluorescents, why don't you just use 48" (46.5") 54 watt T5 HO lights. They will fit over your tank perfectly. The use the same technology as the CF bulbs but are more efficient because they are linear instead of bent tubes and have fewer restrike issues, and the bulbs are cheaper. With a good reflector, you can fit two 54 watt T5HO lights in each 3 inches of width over the tank.

The only disadvantage is that there are not retro-fit kits as commonly available for them. But there are places which sell miro-4 polished reflectors for them, and ballasts and sockets are easy to get (ballastwise.com for ballasts, 1000bulbs.com for mini bi-pin sockets).


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

Now that I sold my wooden hood, I probably will go with a T5 fixure since I no longer need a retrofit. Issue now is that they tend to be about 2x as expensive...


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

2x expensive - 10x worth it


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