new canopy

[John H.]

I recently got a canopy for my 60gal planted tank, what type of lights do
you mount up inside the canopy. Is there ever a problem with the wood
burning?
thanks

[George Pontis]

John H. wrote:

> I recently got a canopy for my 60gal planted tank, what type of
> lights do you mount up inside the canopy. Is there ever a problem
> with the wood burning? thanks

The most practical would be power compact fluorescents, but T5 are also
good at somewhat higher initial cost. To get the most from any lighting
you need good reflectors. The reflectors will direct most of the light
and heat into the tank. The heat that is dissipated in the hood is not
that much, and there is no chance of a fire. So long as you have a
little bit of air circulation, the temperatures will remain
comfortable. Usually hoods have the back open. If there is a space at
the front and sides of the hood where it goes around the tank, then
that is all you need.

I am not sure what size your 60 G tank is, perhaps 48x16" ? In that
size you could easily fit two 55W/65W power compact tubes end to end -
each one is about 21" long. Though many prefer more power in a tank of
that size, two such lamps with good reflectors would enable you to grow
most plants. You could probably also fit two 96W tubes with a little
more effort.

One potential issue is getting blinded by the lights when you open the
hood to do some work. This is sure to be an annoyance if you rigidly
mount the reflectors to a lid that lifts open. If you can rig up
something that lets you slide the lights back to get access, then you
can avoid this problem and have good lighting in the tank while you
work. The folks at AH Supply ( www.ahsupply.com ) suggested a method to
do this which I built into my hood. I have been very satisfied with
their kit and their mounting suggestion. I posted a picture here:
www.z9.com/aquarium.html

See "Lighting detail"

--

George

[John H.]

"George Pontis" > wrote in message
...
> John H. wrote:
>
>> I recently got a canopy for my 60gal planted tank, what type of
>> lights do you mount up inside the canopy. Is there ever a problem
>> with the wood burning? thanks
>
> The most practical would be power compact fluorescents, but T5 are also
> good at somewhat higher initial cost. To get the most from any lighting
> you need good reflectors. The reflectors will direct most of the light
> and heat into the tank. The heat that is dissipated in the hood is not
> that much, and there is no chance of a fire. So long as you have a
> little bit of air circulation, the temperatures will remain
> comfortable. Usually hoods have the back open. If there is a space at
> the front and sides of the hood where it goes around the tank, then
> that is all you need.
>
> I am not sure what size your 60 G tank is, perhaps 48x16" ? In that
> size you could easily fit two 55W/65W power compact tubes end to end -
> each one is about 21" long. Though many prefer more power in a tank of
> that size, two such lamps with good reflectors would enable you to grow
> most plants. You could probably also fit two 96W tubes with a little
> more effort.
>
> One potential issue is getting blinded by the lights when you open the
> hood to do some work. This is sure to be an annoyance if you rigidly
> mount the reflectors to a lid that lifts open. If you can rig up
> something that lets you slide the lights back to get access, then you
> can avoid this problem and have good lighting in the tank while you
> work. The folks at AH Supply ( www.ahsupply.com ) suggested a method to
> do this which I built into my hood. I have been very satisfied with
> their kit and their mounting suggestion. I posted a picture here:
> www.z9.com/aquarium.html
>
> See "Lighting detail"
>
> --
>
> George


Thanks George thats some good information.

Think I will go with that 96watt kit from ahsupply and see how the plants do
and go from there.

John