[elgordoinavw]

now once i get this whole ballast thing sorted out, when i mount my pc should i put the glass lid on the tank? or leave it open? well also will i need a fan? the pine canopy that i have right now has several spaces about 1 1/2 " between boards to vent on top. the canopy is a about 7" tall just your standard lfs hieght.

thanks,

 

[ziggy]

I do not have glass sitting over the tank, it will diffuse the light even more. My VHO's sit about 3" off the top and the MH's sit about 7" off the top. The only time I am in the top of the tank is for feeding, everything else runs through the sump.

ziggy

 

[thefatman]

skip the glass.

i dont think power compacts get hot enough to warrent needing a fan, especially since you have one of the vented top boxes.

 

[elgordoinavw]

thank you, now to mount the reflector should i use liquid nails to mount them?

 

[Jimmer]

thank you, now to mount the reflector should i use liquid nails to mount them?

I mounted mine directly by using screws. I'll attach a couple pics of my canopy before I mounted my PC lighting because even after removing the glass I still am having heat issues. I'm gonna take some new pics and will attach those asap. I'm planning to add a fan or 2 to my canopy.

 

[Jimmer]

from the side

 

[thefatman]

yeah use screws.

i dont know how much i would trust LN to hold up under heat and moisture 24/7

it wouldn't be a pretty site if the lights decided to fall into the tank one day.

the lights aren't heavy, so a few 3/4" screws should do fine.

 

[Doug1]

Jimmer, you need to free those lights into open space
As far as the canopy and reflector mounting screws would be better, coat them with clea nail polish or something to protect from salt water. The thing to watch for is blocking the escape slots with the reflector. IMO any high output lighting needs at least a min fan, moving air reduces bulb temp and helps increase life

 

[Reefer Addict]

Whether or not you need a fan with PC's is dependent on the amount of wattage you're running. PC's get very hot, since they're a high-output bulb, so the more bulbs, the more heat you need to dissipate.
I'm running 220w of PC bulbs (4x55w 24") on my 55 gallon tank with a 12" tall canopy and I have 2 30cfm fans directed at the bulbs and another (105cfm throttled down to about 80cfm) ventilating the canopy. Without the fans my water temperatures climbed over 84 degrees F. Since you already have vents in the top of the canopy, my suggestion is that if you find heat buildup to be intolerable, install a fan that will push some air into the canopy. This will kick up your evaporation rate (which helps cool the tank) and will keep the heat generated by the bulbs from heating the tank water.

In my canopy, I have a piece of 1/8" plexiglass between the bulbs and the tank water (mounted on risers), so that if a splash were to occur (and indeed has occurred) it wouldn't hit the bulbs. It's not the full width/depth of the canopy, but just enough to keep the bulbs from getting splashed (and subsequently shattered).
Hope that helps.