[ShaneSmith]

I am getting a 65 gallon aquarium this weekend. I plan on using 2 150 watt HQI pendants with good Ballasts/Reflectors. It comes out to like 4.6 wpg. I really need to use these lights. It is necessary for me to become used to using HQI pendants.

AM i going to be able to hang these above the fishtank to drastically reduce the light and not get any spilled light around the room? What would be an estimated amount of light lost to X amount of inches? Is there a way to calculate that out roughly?

If anyone is interested in what i will be using i'll post it here for commentary.

>Bit of peat under some FLourish Tabs Under some Onyx Sand
>The Lights of course
>Driftwood from my supplier
>RotaLA 'GREEN', Rotala Macranda 'green', Anubias Nana Petite/Narrow, Elatine Triandra or glosso, Moss, Wendlov Java Fern, Ammania Gracilis.
>65 gallon w/ stand no Canopy
>Filstar XP3
>Some titanium Heater
>Boyu Glass Diffuser
>5-10lb co2 tank
>Otos, SAE's (maybe), 25-30 Blue Tetras.

 

[gnatster]

AM i going to be able to hang these above the fishtank to drastically reduce the light and not get any spilled light around the room?

This depends on the fixture and the reflectors. In general the higher above the tank they are the more will be spilled in the room. There are fixtures that will concentrate the light into a small area but in general you will find lights such as these will illuminate quite an area.

What would be an estimated amount of light lost to X amount of inches? Is there a way to calculate that out roughly?

With the distances you are typically looking at this is a non issue. Unless you are talking multiple feet above the water level.

Also must caution you that this is a LOT of light. With similar levels I saw problems with glosso, it grew under the substrate. Rotala rotundifolia grew horizontally along the substrate Nymphea sp never gained any height.

Just wondering, but do you need to get used to running HQI lighting?

As an aside HQI is a misnomer that we all use, just like asking for Kleenex when a tissue is needed. DE bulbs have gotten the common name HQI. HQI is a trademark or brand name of Osram/Sylvania. They were the first to put out the DE, non-UV inhibiting glass. Naturally everyone just followed suit and called all double ended lamps HQI. This term really needs to be disassociated with DE bulbs. HQI, in the lighting industry, refers to High Quartz Iodide metal halide bulbs. This can be in the form of a DE bulb, fiber optic reflector, or SE bulbs. The DE bulb is the most common form of an HQI seen. The difference is in the construction of the bulb. Standard metal halide, like domestic SE bulbs, have 1 starter electrode with 2 main electrodes while most European bulbs just have the 2 main electrodes. The two filament design is available in both European DE and SE forms. In addition, gas composition has nothing to do with the term HQI. The name or trademark HQI can be related to metal halide bulbs that utilize 2 main electrodes requiring a pulse type or HQI ballast to ignite the bulb. The term HQI should be dismissed and we should just pay attention to the proper bulb and ballast combinations. The term HQI has lead to much confusion in the hobby. I am also guilty of this generic naming.

 

[ShaneSmith]

Thank you for the warning about light levels. I must have HQI it is the future i believe. I set up tanks sort of proffessionally. I work for Aquaticecosystems and i am using their 150 watt Fixtures. I also plan for working for a couple more places around town soon setting up their display tanks. This tank will be at my mom's house however, as an experiment and hopefully a contest entry. Placing well in contests will increase credibility. i am not confident i will place well, but i must give it an attempt until i do.

Here is a link to my light, the bulb that comes with it i forget, but i do remember a co-worker saying it is the 2d best on the market (He is a big reef guy though). Anyway the PAR rating checks out, the ballast is a top model, he says the reflector is good, and i personally love 10k's. It is a
little yellow compared to some 10k's but that is really good for the plants i find.

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/3777/cid/1120

I know that this amount of light is just irresponisble it will be too much work. However if i do feel comfortable with using these lights... i can have 70 watt fixtures ordered for myself. These are expensive but the best option for a slow growth setup.

The MH just Look much more impressive to me, and having the Open top really adds to an aquascape. People like to look down into the tank as if it were a lush river.

 

[JLudwig]

As an aside HQI is a misnomer that we all use, just like asking for Kleenex when a tissue is needed. DE bulbs have gotten the common name HQI. HQI is a trademark or brand name of Osram/Sylvania.

DE =
Daylight Enhancing?
Diatomicious Earth?
Disgruntled Employee?

Just curious

Jeff

 

[gnatster]

Sorry...

DE - Double Ended snap in type
SE - Single Ended screw in base

 

[dennis]

So, I get the SE/DE part. HQI is a product name by OSram. their HQI is Metal Halide correct. Are all the bulbs now commonally refered to as HQI metal halide, meaning they are the same technology, ballast type (although the wattege may differ) etcetera. Is HID different(high intensity discharge)? HPS(high pressure sodium) is tsimilare to MH but it uses different bulb typse and ballasts. Are the biggest differences between all these typse of lighting the ballast they use and the material that fill the bulb, ei. sodium, quartz iodide, etc.?

 

[ShaneSmith]

From what i read HID is a type of bulb that INCLUDES MH and HPS. Both MH and HPS use a Glass bulb inside the bulb you see to create the light. it is covered with Chemicals to make the bulb whatever color. MH use Mercury i guess and HPS use sodiums. HPS are more economical b/c they lose spectrum/ light slower. I think people say HQI meing Double Ended MH bulbs commonly now.

 

[IUnknown]

ShaneSmith,
What are the dimensions of the tank? If you look at Oliver's gallery of Amano's gallery, all of his 75 gallon tanks have 2 x 150W MH. He has them spaced 3 feet apart. When I used the 70W I noticed that I needed to have them 2 feet apart, so you might want to consider that. You just need to keep up with the ferts.

What would be an estimated amount of light lost to X amount of inches?

The intensity is lost, not loss of light from spilling out of the sides? Maybe your thinking in terms of PC lighting? MH light is spot lighting and will go straight down.

http://www.pbase.com/plantella/ada_training_day_update

 

[IUnknown]

If you look at this thread, another idea was to limit the high light to a couple of hours a day,
http://aquaticplantcentral.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3241
If I was to do a 75 gallon tank, I would get a pendant that had 2 MH and extra PC's.
Something like this,
http://www.aqua-medic.de/cgi-bin/php/display_product.php3?p_id=205&lang=en&cat_id=14

 

[ShaneSmith]

I read that article. But i work for a company that sells these lights (Aquatic-ecosystems) So it is of course cheap for me to do this, much more expensive to mix in PC's. We do sell Current-USA lighting fixtures but in 4-96 watt formats. THat is even more light. So i opted against it. We have a 2-96 watt one... which is fine but i wanted HQI.

Tank Format: 36 - 18-25 (I love it)

I will space them out 18 inches apart. Is this going to cause Uneven Lighting that is noticable?