Canopy Lighting How To's

i have my mh mounted to wood. no problems. no shield is needed. mount mh bulbs 8-12" aboved water.

 

i also added a diy cree led strip, due to lack of room for 2 t5 bulbs w/ reflectors on my 55g. I also mounted my 2 aro ballasts remotely on back wall behind the tank.

 

What brand & how much did yours cost?[the halides]

 

the 175w hamilton 10k bulbs were free, new/10yr old bulbs. family member found in attic from a old tank. I will be probly changing out to phoenix 14k or iwasaki 15k in a few months.

the 2 reefoptix2 reflectors were $60

the 2 aro 175w eballasts were $100 used

the 2 mogul sockets with brackets $30

2 power cords $10

so $200 for the mh setup.

$100 for the 8x3w blue cree diy led 48" strip
$12 ebaylunar led lights
$10 for 2 fans
$40 for canopy materials

grandtotal $362.00 for 375w-400w of light w/ canopy.

 

Thanks Rida. I'm looking at many different options for lighting & it seems retro fits will give me the best price with most customization.

 

no problem, if your handy with a drill and a saw.. diy is the best way to go. and if you ever upgrade to a bigger/longer tank adding/modifiying current setup is a breeze.

 

Nice pics nite rider. I want to set mine up in a similar way but I am realizing now that my canopy is not tall enough. This sucks

 

here's a simple canopy diy plan i made for my 55g.

 

lighting

Is Aquaticlife compact fluorescent ficture with actinic and 10000K combination with lunar lights .... would that be good lights for a reef??

 

Power compacts are just about the worst lights you can get. Either halides or T5s are a much better choice.