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Opinions on Lightinghight.

MikeNapoli

MikeNapoli

Ok I just had my Biocube/Fragtank stand built.

IMG_4567.jpg


My frag tank will be 18x18x10 in the center of the stand. (Not built yet)

Here's my problem. From the actual eggcrate where the frags will sit is only 15 inches below the light's protective glass. The light is a Metal Halide Reefstar 150 watt 14,000K Hamilton bulb.

reefstar.jpg


The coral will be under 9 inches of water and 6 inches of air . Is this going to burn my corals?

Keep in mind that I haven't built the frag tank yet and I haven't mounted the light so if something needs to be changed then I can still make the change.

Will at A.O. recomended a 70W Metal Halide or all T5's which is a good idea but I bought the Reefstar already cause the deal was too good to pass up. But I can figure that out based on what some of you guys think. LMK thanks.
 
S

sinkingbeach

Mike what are the frags under now? My 24 aquapod has a sunpod 150hqi over it and it may only be 4 inches from the water surface with corals 2-3 inches inches under water.
 
S

Subliminal

NJRC Member
I'd worry about heat in that little cubby more than burning anything. My light is less than 15 inches from some coral as well. Closer to 10, really.
 
MikeNapoli

MikeNapoli

The frags are under about 8" of water in my main display under 250watt MH's and 4T5's but they are all the way to the right of the tank ... about 15" to the left of a Metal Halide, so they aren't getting direct metal halide lighting.

I'm not worried about the heat because they system will be over 200 gallons and I'll have fans
30_2.JPG
on the frag tank and my sump .. hooked up to my ACjr as a chiller.

The only thing i'm worred about is frying my corals at that height. By the way thanks for taking time to help.
 
MikeNapoli

MikeNapoli

Subliminal said:
I'd worry about heat in that little cubby more than burning anything. My light is less than 15 inches from some coral as well. Closer to 10, really.
Click to expand...

Also for the overheating, I may have forgot to mention, the stand is open on all four sides on the fragtank's level.

So do you think this is ok for a 150w MH? Francis your Aquapod is a pretty convincing argument that I won't burn them out.

IMG_4564.jpg
 
B

Brian

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I'd be more worried about that TV sitting so close to the tank...Salt spray travels!
 
M

mladencovic

Couple of thoughts from me:

- As far as the general dimensions: 9" of water, and 6" of air, most of the corals can handle that. It is very dependent on type of coral, so, for example, that would be a boundary for some Montiporas (from y personal experience) where M. danae species (Supermans, rainbows, etc) would have hard time , while M. hirsuta, capricornis and foliosa would be really fine. But, in general, I think you would be fine. Water depth is far more crucial.

- That being said, however, I have to question those numbers themselves. I was not sure whether your frag tank will be 10" or 18" high. If it is going to be 10" high (sometimes the outside dimensions are quated and sometimes the inside ones), then i seriously doubt that you would be able to pull 9" from the eggcrate to the top of the water. Remember, you will have to leave an inch or two at the top just so that waves and surges (turning on and off pumps) will not spill out. Then you loose at the bottom an inch or two to eggcrate and bottom of the tank. In such tight squeeze, you have even to factor the height of the frag itself and the plug/disc/rubble it is mounted on. You might end up with only 6" of water over it. That, with only 6" of air space would be pushing it. On the other hand, if the height is 18", why would you have only 9" of water depth, With 18" height, you might play with the two or more shelves on different heights.

- How do you plan to mount light fixture? Mind, 6" above water surface would mean at most 4-5" above the rim of the tank, which will mean that you might have problems handling the things in the tank. Also, splashing of the water on the glass could be a real issue, and you will have to clean it diligently. Dirty glass will, of course, remove all you worries about frying the corals ;D Make sure you can remove it easily for both tank and light maintenance (don't screw it tight to the stand's "ceiling")

- A far as heat goes, you have the following 3 issues and possible solutions:
a) At those distances, your corals will heat. You have to have a really good water flow on them so that excess heat is removed fast.

b) 150W MH on 14gal tank will heat the water fast. I am very sceptical that any fans alone in such configuration (you tank in the middle of the stand) will be able to to reduce the heat. Your evaporation surface on the frag tank alone will be quite insufficient to reduce the heat through the evaporation. Therefore, your frag tank must be to the connected plumbing for the rest of your system, which, if I am not mistaken, you have already planned.

c) Heating of the fixtures and the stand itself. If the fixture is what you have shown on the pic, I don't see any fans on it, so it will become extremely hot. Coupled with the "ceiling" and not so much space around in the stand, that could be a bit of a problem. You will need not those fans you showed on another pic, but fans that will be positioned on the sides and will pull/push air from the sides to cool it.

- Water spills and salt creep from the splashing will certainly be a problem. I really hope that that nice wood has an extra coat of paint to protect it. I don't know about you, but I am quite a messy person, and in that tight space you will have to do a lot of things. You won't be changing water, but you will be putting frags in and out, vacuuming the stuff, target feeding (possibly), so be prepared for some salt all around the stand. strictly speaking, you shouldn't waste too much effort on aesthetically pleasing frag tank (unless you are my wife for whom coraline algae=dirt) but one that is efficient in growing things. I have yet to find the single owner of a pretty frag tank ;)

- How do you plan to maintain the water level? Assuming that the frag tank is plumbed into the main system, I assume that it will overflow into the sump, will you have flow sufficient for heat exchange? Just a thought.

Finally, if I could make a suggestion, you can make several experiments before you place all the pieces together. With a plain bucket and few pipes, you can simulate a few things and see how they behave. You can place your lights over the bucket with water and using one of those digital thermometers with a probe on the wire, measure temperatures at various depths with various flows. Check how much flow you can expect through the overflow pipes at that particular height to the sump, so buy a pump accordingly.
 
A

AnDom1

Mike

Mlad makes a lot of very good points. My suggestions are first, to go with a T5 lighting system. Knowing your penchant for acquiring a variety of exotic (expensive?) pieces, why take any chances? The minimal clearance above the water AND CORALS, coupled with the heat retaining "ceiling" means warm water which will AT BEST, limit the types of frags you can keep and make handling/maintenence difficult. Try to sell/swap the the MH unit for a multilight T5. Secondly, give the stand a coat of clear polyurathane and let it thoroughly dry. Water will just bead on this stuff.

Dom
 
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