[bvlester]

I was reading on here yesterday and came acrost a post that someone needed lights for a 30" tank. I don't know if was a old post or not I was just browsing. I fould a link to a guy on Ebay that you can check out. I don't know the guy, but he has all sorts of lighting products; here is the link:

30" Power Compact PC Aquarium Reef Light 130W LED LEG - eBay (item 290343251806 end time Sep-03-09 23:59:16 PDT)

Chech it out,

Bill

[BLKBRDTA]

http://www.reefbuilders.com/forums/r...eing-help.html

PM Donnie999 with your link find.. Although I believe they are still 24" PC bulb's fitted into a 30" ballast, because the 24" and 30" models both pull 130w from 2 x 65w PC/CF's..

Great find Bill!

[bvlester]

Hay if it is just a cheepy then he still has the guts to build a better one and bulbs...30" bulbs are hard to find I have seen them a couple of times..
anouther link this one is a bit pricey but it has MH and T5's.
I PMed Donnie999.
30" Metal Halide Aquarium Reef Light 380W Power Compact - eBay (item 300340488772 end time Aug-30-09 12:49:54 PDT)
Bill

[Donnie999]

Hey,
Yea that was me looking for that 30". i think i'm going to end up retrofitting my hood to fit in a few power compacts and LEDs. i bought one of those complete tanks with filter and lighting part of the hood. currently running 3 30" fluorescence. and might attempt to take it apart and change the ballasts over. i was going to use halide but they're too hot to put under the hood and i don't want my eel escaping. ATM there is around a watt a gallon which is not enough for an anemone, so upgrade is needed.

[bvlester]

It should work you will need to put a couple little fans in the hood also.
Good luck,
Bill

[Donnie999]

Hey how much heat will 2 22" T5 produce? do you think i could stick them under the hood without a heat vent, or will they produce enough heat to require a fan or heat vent?

[BLKBRDTA]

Usually, T5HO bulbs will average out around 95* to 100*F (35* to 38*C.) However, depending on the location and average room temperature, the bulbs can hit upwards of 135* (57*C.) Heat also greatly impacts the life expectancy of T5HO lamps. This is why many manufactures claim "ice cold fans" in their fixtures, because even a small amount of heat circulation will lengthen the bulbs life. I recommend installing fans, or at least heat sinks if you're going with a retrofit kit or modifying your existing hood.

[Donnie999]

sure thanks for the advice. im going to take off the existing plastic cover and put all the bulbs together and create a new plastic cover to hold all the heat (although it reduces the light into the tank), then ill stick a few computer fans on the top to pull the heat out the the plastic light enclosure. One last question, if i want to add a skimmer to my system, but i don't have room in my sump or tank (too many powerheads making it look bad already) what system should i use? maybe a hang-on with an attached refugim, what good models are avaliable? however i've been told i don't really need a refugium as my live rock should do the same thing.
Thanks for your time and effort - Conal