How high to mount lights?

Gdbyrd

Gdbyrd

life's a beach
Trying to mount that 250watt MH light I picked up the other day. How high do I put it above the water line? I figure around 7 or so inches. Anyone else think anything different? Tank's 33" deep.

Do I need to cover the tank rim, the black line. I've read that it's not resistance to lights and will degrade over time.
 
33" deep? That's VERY deep. I would mount it as close to the water as possible, like 3-4 inch above the rim IF the tank temperature is not an issue for you. I think it's about 1.5-2 inch between the water line and the tank rim. So you are kinda close already.

I haven't heard of tank rim would have problem with the light.
 
From the top of the water to the sand it's 27 inches, give or tank. Sorry..shoulda been clear on that. Heat is going to be an issue I'm pretty sure. Going to buy another fan tomorrow that I'll run on a timer with the lights. One on constant and one on only with the lights.
 
Sweet. So what I did I won't have to change. Thanks for confirming for me guys.

To deal with heat do I need to run another fan just when the lights are on? Or just wait and see what the temp is going to fluctuate? Currently have a clip on, its on the low speed keeps it at a constant 76 or so.

Thanks guys
 
You'll just have run it a day or 2 to see what its gonna do with the temps.
You'll probably see at least a couple of degrees climb,but thats not set in stone.
 
Curious as to exactly what kind of setup you have. Do you have a fixture, a pendant or a single reflector. The reflector determines how high it should be mounted to give the best spread of light to cover the whole tank.
 
Honestly Capt, I'm not sure what I have. Here's a pic of it. I just know it's a coralife setup.

SU1HMDAyMTcuanBn.jpg
 
That's better for me for heat issues..But, will I still need to be mindful of what I can put in the tank based off of light requirements?

Also..the cowl for the light says it's rated for 175watts..the bulb is 250 watts. The lights have been used in this setup for 2 years. The inside of the cowl is just white..I was expecting some kind shiny thing, lol. I know white reflects light, but just not what I was expecting.

Capt, if I can keep the light lower and still have it flood the tank, is there any reason why I shouldn't do it?
 
You'll always have to keep the light requirements in mind when choosing your corals,along with their final placement in the tank.
 
Gdbyrd said:
That's better for me for heat issues..But, will I still need to be mindful of what I can put in the tank based off of light requirements?

Also..the cowl for the light says it's rated for 175watts..the bulb is 250 watts. The lights have been used in this setup for 2 years. The inside of the cowl is just white..I was expecting some kind shiny thing, lol. I know white reflects light, but just not what I was expecting.

Capt, if I can keep the light lower and still have it flood the tank, is there any reason why I shouldn't do it?
Click to expand...
You will be good for any corals in your tank, but you would have to keep any SPS in the upper 1/2.

What does that ballast say? Can you ake a pic of the inside of the pendant and the ballast? The bulb is definitely past it's usable life at 2 yrs.

You can mount the light lower, but you will get a spotlight effect. You can play with the height and see what gives you the best coverage.
 
Model # on the ballast is AF250WS

There's not much to take of the ballast, it's a black box.


This is a website with the exact same looking ballast: Coralife 250 Watt HQI Replacement Ballast

However, on the bottom of mine it says MH next to the model number. Also, the bulb running in it is a MH bulb, if it was HQI it would say on it right? What's the difference?

SU1HMDAyMzYuanBn.jpg


Also, I caught my 2 year old messing with the lights. I'm assuming he was flipping the toggle up/down. I tried to turn the ligths back on, but they wouldn't turn on. I checked the plug to make sure it was seated..then waited a few minutes for it to cool so I could check how well the bulb was screwed in..it was a tiny bit loose. Turned it on and they came on.

Is that a ballast issue or a bulb issue? The bulb is even a little black on one of the inside chambers.
 
Last edited:
as far as your kid playing with the light switch, on mh lights they have to cool completely down before they will fire back up. At least mine does so I would think yours is the same. As far as the hqi thing, That is the style of bulb mine is hqi double ended your picture is a mogul bulb. I think thats the only real difference. I could be wrong. If I am im sure biff or yote will set me straight.
 
Thanks for the pics. You can run any 250w MH bulb with that ballast. You currently have a single ended bulb, but your ballast is also capable of running a HQI double ended bulb, even tho it won't work in your current pendant.

As far as the toggling on/off, MH ballasts need a few mins to reset after they have been powered off. That's perfectly normal.

When you are getting a replacement bulb, make sure it will burn in any position. Some bulbs will only fire in the horizontal position. Your bulb is mounted vertically. Some of the cheap Ebay bulbs are horizontal burn only.
 
Thanks a bunch for all the help guys. Ill thank you when I get home from work. My phone won't let me do it.

My temps are going up pretty high. Last night they were 74. The lights have been on now for 7 hours and the temp is now 79. What needs to be done about that?
 

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