Lighting My 180

[OHOHJOJO]

Just Looking For Ideas On Lighting My 180. The Stand/canopy Is A Single Piece That Is Open At The Top. So I Believe My Only Options Are Pendants Or Something That Will Clip On To The Top Of The Stand. I Dont Want Anything That Is A Pain To Remove Or Gets Int The Way Every Time I Want To Get Into The Tank. Any Suggestions Are Welcome.

[Dakota]

you could make a rail like I did and hang the pendants from there.. depending on wha tyou wanna keep, 250w or 400w DE would do nicely.

[OHOHJOJO]

You Have Any Pics On Your Lighting. I Would Love To See It. I Think I Know But Would Like To Be Sure.
Thanks

[Dakota]

actually, my canopyt is currently being built. . . but as soon as I have pics, I'd behappy to send them to you... right now I use a rail supported by cheap pine wood...

[GoTakuF1]

That's a very broad question: Some things for you to ponder: What corals do you want to keep? How tall is your canopy? What's your budget?

[OHOHJOJO]

yes i guess it is broad... let me narrow it a bit.
as far as what corals i will have... mostly hard corals with some soft.
my biggest concern is the lighting fixture. with no canopy i know i am limited. the tank slides in from the top and rest inside of the cabinetry. the surrounding walls of the cabinetry is 7" higher than the tank. so is there is a fixture out there that can clip onto 3/4" aldur and raise and shut like opening a bbq grill? if not i guess i could attach to a wooden plank... which i dont like! or ballast which is looking like my only choice if nobody doesnt know of anything else.
hard to explain cabinetry but did my best. soon i will post a pic.
thanks for responding and hope to hear from more sdreefers...

[GoTakuF1]

I'm not aware of any other clip on style lights other than this one: http://www.hellolights.com/aqadhatamo.html. But I don't think that'll be effective on a 180. On the other hand, having no top on your canopy will allow for better heat control and not having to run a chiller :) You can go with one of these hanging fixtures with builtin ballast/fans/supplements and be done: http://www.championlighting.com/product.php?productid=18365&cat=533&page=1 ;)

[dvincent]

I built my own Canopy for my 180, and made the top out of 2 72"x 24" pieces that hinge in the middle and on the back so iwould be easier to open and access every thing easily, I have a FOWLR so my lighting requirments are not as demanding, so i was able to install my 2x 96 pc's just behind center line, my plan is to install a set of t-5's just infront of them as soon as i get the end caps and bulbs, i have a pic of it in the closed position but nothing with it open,http://www.sdreefs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11158 hope this helps. Darrin

yes i guess it is broad... let me narrow it a bit.
as far as what corals i will have... mostly hard corals with some soft.
my biggest concern is the lighting fixture. with no canopy i know i am limited. the tank slides in from the top and rest inside of the cabinetry. the surrounding walls of the cabinetry is 7" higher than the tank. so is there is a fixture out there that can clip onto 3/4" aldur and raise and shut like opening a bbq grill? if not i guess i could attach to a wooden plank... which i dont like! or ballast which is looking like my only choice if nobody doesnt know of anything else.
hard to explain cabinetry but did my best. soon i will post a pic.
thanks for responding and hope to hear from more sdreefers...

[OHOHJOJO]

thanks guys
i really like the way that hello light works but your right not enough light. i would like to at least have 250watt maybe even 400 watts with 3 bulbs. i like a lot of light. man its going to cost me a fortune. wish me luck i will post pics of whatever i get.
thanks again

[Dakota]

you can probably run an SPS tank just fine with 3 250w double ended pendants and some VHO supplimentation. The cost of 3 400 watters would be nuts.