sunpod 36" with only one hood fan?

Hi, I just received my current sunpod today. It is 36", 250x2 HQI. There is a cooling fan on one side of the canopy to suck in air, but on the other end there isn't. Just wondering if this is normal, because the other end has a fan hole with no fan attached to it. Just want to make sure this is adequate ventilation so I dont burn anything up =)

btw, they are BRIGHT!

 

i also notice the instruciton manual said to use a glass or acrylic canopy. Is this absolutely necessary? I feel that a glass/acrylic top will trap in heat within tank. if so, I can go to home depot and get a pane of glass / acrylic to act as a canopy.

i seen this fixture used at pet stores without any canopy, just over open waters. is there any danger of splashing with the fixfure hanging about 2 inch over top of aquarium trim?

 

I would get a peice of glass over a peice of acrylic if the fixture is only 2 inches above the tank. I think that they suggest using that to help prevent evaporation.

Brian

 

I don't know about the fan issue, I'd call the manufacturer if I were you, just to check.

As for covering your tank, if you keep the light high enough up, it should be okay over an open tank. If you do decide to put a glass or acrylic top on, gas exchange and oxygen levels might go down, heat might be trapped in your tank, raising temps and you will have to clean the glass a lot.

 

that halide will break glass from the heat. you need to get tempered glass for it if you put a top on it.

 

I would hang it much higher than 2'' over the tank rim.Start at 18-24'',than lower as long as there isn't any heat issues.If there is a acrylic shield for the fixture then don't bother to get a cover for the tank.You're going to need to get enough O2 exchange and heat will probably be an issue if you cover the tank.Having only one fan sounds common.The fan draws air in and exits on the opposite end.

 

Yea, i just called and confirm that there is only one fan in the housing, draws in air from that side, and hot air exits out the other end.

Yea, 2" is low, tell me about it hehe. But apparently, this is the mounting leg that current ships out. Kind of odd to have it hovering so close to water, I would think they would make it at least 10". Good thing it came with an optional ceiling mounting kit.

If you mount it to the ceiling, would you mount it directly to the floor joist, or does the ceiling drywall/ sheetrock work as well?

 

I screwed the hanging kit into a beam and not just the drywall.

 

light has been mounted to the ceiling, and currently hung about 10 inches off water. I can re-adjust height cable to my liking based on evaporation, temperature, etc etc.

the fixture came with two timers, each supporting two devices. i followed sunpod specifications and running HQI #1 and hood fan on timer one. Timer two is just running HQI #2. The manual recommends to run one of the HQI / hood fan for 11-12 hours per day. The other timer should run the other HQI for 6-10 hours a day. So the lighting becomes kind of staggered. I am assuming this is to keep from shocking the fish/corals due to having both halides turn off and on at the same time.

Right now, I have one HQI/fan running for 12 hours a day. The second HQI turns on one hour later, and turns off one hour earlier, for a total of 10 hours. Do you think I can get away with running the second halide for 6 hours, as stated in the manual? My setup will be fish only, slowly moving to corals after tank fully stabalizes. Evaporation is a concern, so I do not want to leave these lights on too long if overkill. Any input is greatly appreciated =)

 

Glad things have worked out.You can do it the way you suggested or do even less hours.You really don't have any corals that need it right now.