DIY canopy lighting help

I'm building a canopy for a 125 and am going to be using T5 retro. How high does the canopy need to be?

Basically I need to know how high off the water I need the lights to avoid excessive salt build up on the lights and reflectors.

 

if you make it high enough to access the tank with out removing it you will be ok. maybe 6-10 inches

 

Do I want the canopy 6-10 inches tall or the lights 6-10 inchs off the water?

I just don't want to cut back on light by making it too high, but also don't want salt build up on the lights.

 

you won't lose much light if you have reflectors. most canopies are a foot high. just make it tall enough that you can get you shoulder in it comfortably and won't burn your self on the lights.

 

Thanks for the advise.

 

Also, what kind of fans do people normally use in DIY canopys. I always see fans in manufactured fixtures, are they primarily for cooling ballasts or bulbs?

I will be mounting the ballasts on the back of the canopy as there is not going to be room inside it for the ballasts. Do I need to cool the ballasts as well as the bulbs?

I was thinking about just cutting a couple holes in the sides of the canopy and using a couple 120mm 12V computer fans at each end for cooling the bulbs if needed.

 

they are for the bulbs. ballast have them in them if they need them. i probably wouldn't even worry about the fans with t5 if the back is open.
most people have fans with halides.

 

+1. If you decide to do it, they are basically the same type of fans used for computers

 

nice aquarium friend. I like it.

 

My reflectors are about 2-3 inches from the water. I wanted to accomplish two things, A. Have as much light as possible in the tank without wasting any to air, B. Not have to mod my existing canopy to get my Retro skeleton in there.
To avoid excess salt creep do not use an air stone of venturi type PH, and keep splashing to a minimum. I only had issue with splashing before I redid my sump.. the water level got low and the pump sucked air causing bubble so splash on the bulbs and reflectors, both are fairly easy to clean though. I don't have much room in the front of back to get in but have 6" on both sides, I have barely enough room to get my arm in front but that prevents me from playing in there all day!!8)

Happy building!