# Challanging project: more light into a hex tank



## Lauren (Mar 18, 2006)

Right now I have just shy of 3wpg in my 45 gallon tank, with 2 65w bulbs. Because the tank is so deep, I know not much light is getting to the floor. Also, because it is a rectangular legged unit over a hex tank, a lot of light isn't even making it into the tank. I'd like to get it up closer to 4wpg. But here is the challenge:

The tank is a hex. At its widest point in the middle is it 23 inches long. At the front, it was 12 inches long. Each side is 11 inches long. I already have a very nice coralife unit with legs (the 2 65w bulbs) and I don't want to change if I dont' have to. But unless there are 23inch 96 watt bulbs out there, I don't see how I could retrofit the current set up to put out more output.

I could just get a 2 55w bulb kit and add on, making an enclosure for it all, problem with this is that I think it would be impossible to make a hinged unit that would make it easy for me to access the tank. With the current leg coralife unit, i have to remove the light to access the tank. I am afraid that by building something to house around 200watts, I will be making something far too heavy for easy access to the tank. The fact that the opening is right smack dab in the middle of the tank doesn't make this very easy.

I dont' know what I want right now. perhaps a top enclosure with five compacts on each side, and a hinged door in the middle for access? Problem with this is that each side is only 11 inches long, and the compacts I've seen are 12 inches.

Then there is this beauty: http://bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=30936;category_id=1845;pcid1=1843;pcid2= two of those guys would be perfect, but I would need a way to house them.

I am not a mechanical individual, so any insight would be great. I probably have a great hookup on ballasts (boyfriend's dad is an electrician) but I'd need to tell him exactly what I want. Then my dad has a table saw that he could always use more experience on, however, he's just a notch above me when it comes to mechanical ability.


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## Raul-7 (Feb 4, 2004)

Why not use MH? IMO, it's the perfect solution for the odd shaped aquarium, not to mention you can grow whatever you want with a 175W pendant. The only problem is that you might not like the idea of a lamp hanging from the cieling, but I believe Coralife makes a pendant that hangs on the lip of the tank if you're interested.


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## Lauren (Mar 18, 2006)

I forgot to mention that I don't really want to spend 200-500 on this project. I would like to keep it under 200 if possible. The hanging lights are pretty $$, if I could make my own that hung, I would be up to that, I have an outlet up there already (used to have a wall mounted TV) and I wouldn't have to move it to get into the tank.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

I like the idea with the Quad Coralife tubes. I'm sure you can rig that up somehow to hang it above the tank. Maybe an enclosure that encompasses the bulbs and suspends from the ceiling using wire hooks and wire?

Also, have you checked out http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=24 for possible cheaper MH solutions.

-John N.


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## Lauren (Mar 18, 2006)

Thanks for the link. The only negative things I see in a hanging unit are:
my ceiling is 12 feet up
this IS earthquake country, I'd hate for them to swing into the wall
I will be moving in late August into an apartment that might not be as thrilled about holes in the ceiling as my parents are.

Another option, if I didn't want something on top of the tank, would be something that I could attach to the wall. However, it would have to be probably a foot from the tank for me to be able to do my aquascaping. With a hanging light system, I could have it on a pully, and raise it when I needed access. With a shelf, I could hing it and get it out of the way. Both would be more expensive than something I would have to take off and remove. What I don't like about having to remove the unit is that I lose all of the light, and I have to scape in the dark. Hanging lights would be the best way around that.

I just checked out your link, and found this: http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=212 perfect! Comes with the bulbs too. That would probably be less than the cost of me building something with the same output.

Should I just buy that and forget trying to be mechanical, which I'm not?


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## titan97 (Feb 14, 2005)

Lauren,
Sounds like you and I have the same tank. I, too, considered MH when I wanted to upgrade my lighting. However, I decided on building a DIY enclosure with ODNO fluorescents. I bought 4 electronic ballasts from Home Depot for about $17 each, 4 24" GE Aquaray bulbs, and the endcaps. I built a square box with 2x4's and 1/2" plywood. I mounted the ballasts on the top, and the bulbs below. I drilled holes in the ply for the wires to go through. My Mom is an electrician, and she helped a bit to double check my wiring, but I already had everything more or less planned out. I realize that the light will spill out over the corners of the tank, but it works VERY well. I just took a bunch of plants to my LFS for trade in. I started out pretty sparse about 3 months ago, and now my tank is getting pretty overgrown. My dwarf sag is super thick, like my front lawn. My different rotala species are adding about 1/2-1" per day. My ludwigia repens is, in the words of the LFS guy yesterday, "WOW, this is some super healthy stuff. Whatever you are doing, keep it up."
I mounted the hood with 2 hinges to studs in my wall. Then I used some jack chain, screw-eyes, and screw-hooks to support the other side. It is a very sturdy mounting. Plus, I can tilt up the hood easily and use the chain and hook to hold it in the up position. 
In retrospect, I might have gone with the MH setup, but I've never used one, so I can't compare the two. I realize that you will lose a bit of light, but the amount that you get inside the tank is amazing. And reaching the bottom of a 24" deep tank can be difficult.

-Dustin

Edit: If you are ever in Yuma, come on over to check it out. Also, with that HQI fixture, be sure to change out the PC bulbs, and perhaps the HQI, too. 20k is a bit high for fresswater setups. Otherwise, it looks like a neat fixture.


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## Lauren (Mar 18, 2006)

Sounds like an interesting project. I'd love to see pictures. Wow, leave it to me to get excited and not even look at the kinds of bulbs that unit came with, those bulbs are definitely for a saltwater set up. I'm sure the guys over at reefcentral would want them. They have a 6700K and a 10000K at the bottom of the page. I suppose the 6700 would be best, more like natural light. After that, it starts to get pretty blue. The compact flourecents are blue too, I'd have to swap those out. 

Dispite the fact that I would need to get bulbs, I still think it is a good deal. It means I could sell my coralife opposed to raping it for parts.


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## JoeHoetzl (Feb 23, 2005)

Have you had a look at one of these...

$229...close to the bottom of the budget...


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