# lighting a 54g corner tank - tricky!



## Dave-H (Oct 5, 2010)

Hello all!

I'm trying to set up new lighting for my 54g bowfront corner tank. This tank is beautiful, but it's deep with about 20 inches of water above the substrate. And, I'm getting a canopy made for it which will be 9 inches tall.

That basically means that it'll be 28 inches from the lights (suspended in canopy) to the Flourite, and the corner shape makes it even tougher.










My current lighting looks like this, but now that I found a canopy that will fit I want to redesign the lighting:










My goal is:

1) I am hoping to have solid MEDIUM lighting in this tank. I'll be using pressurized CO2 and I really don't want to have excessive light. I want the plants to be happy and healthy but not grow at a ridiculous rate, so the medium lighting is the goal.

2) I'm trying to use the minimal wattage possible, just for general efficiency. I considered an LED setup but the technology just isn't in line with my wallet 

3) The hard part about the corner tank is obviously the shape. As you can see, there are plastic bits over the tank (part of the rim) in the front corners, they block a few inches of the extreme corner. The opening over the tank is 30 inches wide, but 30 inch T5 retrofits are uncommon. However, it seems like I can do a 24 x 2 retrofit and since it's 8 inches above the water I think it will fill in nicely. The other tricky thing is the back - it gets dim back there and there's just not that many lights that will fit. I considered a MH light that I could tuck back there (70w) but it kind of seemed like it would push too much light.

So, I am considering going with this:










The red arrows show how much I anticipate the T5HO light spreading out, and it indicates that the whole tank should be lit nicely.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any comments, thoughts, opinions, anything 
Would this setup bring me to medium light? I think it would be ever so slightly dimmer in the back, but probably the low end of the medium range (or high end of low) which would probably be ok - I've got a mess of jungle vals there and they aren't that picky. Sometimes I think I don't even need both AHS lights back there!

thanks! Dave


----------



## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Dave,

I would send this link to Kim at AHS and see what he suggests!


----------



## Dave-H (Oct 5, 2010)

Good idea! I sent Kim an email


----------



## Dave-H (Oct 5, 2010)

Update: Being obsessed with making everything as perfect as I can, I decided to cut out some pieces of cardboard to the exact dimensions of the lights and place on the top of the tank. That way I could eyeball the setup and adjust.

The light fixtures are wider than I had estimated in my diagram, and the 'gap' in the far back corner was bigger than I thought it would be. I think a better setup might be something like this, with the same fixtures just different placement:


----------



## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Dave-H said:


> Good idea! I sent Kim an email


Hi Dave,

Let us know what they come up with, I am curious!


----------



## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

I'd go a single pendent MH. Or maybe a combo MH and tube pendent.


You can never have too much light.


----------



## Dave-H (Oct 5, 2010)

I considered a single combo pendant, but even a single 70w MH seemed like it would be some pretty heavy light - in the high light range probably. I really don't want high light because it just seems to increase the maintenance/pruning and I can grow everything I want to grow in medium light!

So, the 2 x 24w + 24w PC + 18w PC will run on slightly less power, be more flexible because I can move/switch on and off individual lights, and will let me use multiple bulbs to dial in the appearance if needed.

That's my thinking, at least


----------



## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

I'd go with a 150. 

You don't have to have a long photo period with the MH. I only run mine about 3 hours a day.


----------



## Dave-H (Oct 5, 2010)

If I run the MH, the light would be so high that I'd be limited to a few hours of light per day. Doesn't that kind of suck, though, because the tank is dark most of the time? 

I love to watch my fish, so I would be sort of bummed if it was usually dim in there.


----------



## Dave-H (Oct 5, 2010)

The AHS recommendation was to use 2 55 watt kits and one 18 watt kit, mounted horizontally in the tank with the shorter 18 watt kit in the rear. To make sure that the light is strong enough, the lights would be suspended by wooden bracing so that they are about 2 inches above the water.

I estimate that the actual PAR levels at substrate would be on the very low end of the medium light range.

I'm not sure I'm crazy about the idea of putting in wooden bracing to lower the lights 6 inches from the canopy top. It seems easy, but not really necessary when a T5HO 2 x 24 watt connected right to the canopy top would deliver more light and get me to a mid-medium light that is better spread out. Further, the T5HO setup would actually use less power and allow for more open space inside the canopy for better heat dispersal.

The main reason I want to use the AHS lights in the rear is simply because the 24 inch T5HO won't quite light up the back of the corner tank and thus the smaller AHS lights seem light a good way to augment the rear lighting.

Any opinions on that?


----------



## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

Dave-H said:


> If I run the MH, the light would be so high that I'd be limited to a few hours of light per day. Doesn't that kind of suck, though, because the tank is dark most of the time?
> 
> I love to watch my fish, so I would be sort of bummed if it was usually dim in there.


For me its no big deal, as I work crazy hours being a general contractor. Its only on at night when I'm home and can veiw it. I also have some NO tubes that I can turn on when I'm not at home if I want to view the tank.


----------



## Dave-H (Oct 5, 2010)

I work funky hours but usually from home. Staring into the aquarium is my new form of relaxation so I love the idea of the lights being on quite a bit!

Now that I think about it, I hope I will be able to run the intended T5HO + 2 x PC light setup for a long time each day!


----------



## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Dave-H,

Or do what I have done for a couple of years now, do a split photoperiod. I run about 3 hours in the morning and about 4 hours in the evening. I get to enjoy the fish when I am around and the plants do great.


----------



## tusktek (Jul 11, 2008)

Those AH reflectors are something though, you might be surprised at the actual PAR.I wasn't able to test PAR with my AH setup, but I did get some LUX numbers (I know, not great, but it gives you an idea)........I tried accessing my LUX numbers on another site, but it seems that there are some issues there. I know it was just a bit behind my 10 gallon with a 36w kit on it.

At any rate, I here is what I did with my corner setup. Might give you some ideas (96, 55 x3, & 18w kits and somewhere around 2' deep)


----------



## Dave-H (Oct 5, 2010)

Wow! That is quite a setup. What size tank does it go on? Is it meant to fit under a canopy?


----------



## tusktek (Jul 11, 2008)

It gets the job done  It's a "DIY plywood" thing. It's around 110 gallons. There is a cover that goes in front of it, but it would be fine under a traditional canopy.


----------

