how would i light this: 72x30x20

[Detritivore]

hi,
what would be the best way to light a tank 72" long by 30" wide by 20" tall? this is gonna house only SPS and the light MUST cover the 30" width because its gonna be a room divider.
-thanks

[CCG]

3 luminarc III with 250w bulbs of your choice. The Luminarc’s are suppose to cover up to 30”

Colin

[Detritivore]

which are the best 250w SE...i dont want to use any supplementation.

[mesocosm]

Greetings All !

what would be the best way to light a tank 72" long by 30" wide by 20" tall? this is gonna house only SPS and the light MUST cover the 30" width because its gonna be a room divider.

I agree with CCG ... 3 X 250W, each with a reflector that gives you more than the usual 12" radius from the bulb.

Having said that ... it's really not that big of an issue. After all, the usual 12" coverage radius from the bulb will give you "adequate" light to within 3" of the edge of the tank ... are you really considring growth patterns that close? If you are ... way cool ... but you'll have fun cleaning algae without breaking anything.

Even with a less efficient reflector, your coverage pattern would look something like this ...



... I would think 3 X 250W would be more than adequate

... because its gonna be a room divider.

If I may presume to make a few random asethetic comments ...

Your LR aquascape is going to be critical. Good LR structure is oftentimes really hard to do when it is viewed through both long axes of a tank ... finding that "just right" balance between open viewing space/angles, and SPS/specimen support structure/geometry can be tricky. While you have no doubt diagramed out the mechanical aspects of the system, you might wish to consider doing the same with your rockwork ... if you haven't already ... JMO. Narrow vs. broad base piece contrast, pedistals, overhangs, and "staircase" arches are geometric "patterns" that have all worked out really well for me in the past with these types of systems. If you've never "fabricated" LR structures using stuff like epoxy and internal/external support structures, you might wish to consider it ... JMO.

Your depth/width to height ratio is EXCELLENT ... if you've never fooled around with "wider than tall" tank geometry before ... and a lot of folks haven't (most people seem to like the tall/show/portrait geometry) ... I think you'll discover that you can do some VERY cool things - especially with halide lighting.

But this is a lighting thread, and I've wandered away from that too much ...

JMO ... HTH

[Detritivore]

please keep wandering!!! LOL, your comments are so insightful! yea, i actually have been thinking about rockwork. i was thinking about doing maybe two or three low rock islands, since the tank is long and low....

so i guess i could just use 250w DE in ROIII like i was planning before? or should i still go with the lumenarcs and 250w SE?

[mesocosm]

Greetings All !

so i guess i could just use 250w DE in ROIII like i was planning before? or should i still go with the lumenarcs and 250w SE?

In terms of coverage, the 3 X 250W DE ROIII should get you there, but ... Diamond Light's Luminarc III is clearly ... IMO ... a superior reflector.

Also, I haven't done a serious review comparing the quality and diversity of DE vs. SE bulb availability lately, but this might be another factor to consider. It seems to me that there is still a greater diversity of SE bulb selection, but others might have better perspective ... JMO.

If you haven't seen it, the following article analyzing reflectors is very good ... IMO.

ANALYZING REFLECTORS: PART I – MOGUL REFLECTORS
by SANJAY JOSHI & TIMOTHY MARKS
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...03/feature.htm

HTH ...

[moonpod]

You'll get a wider light distribution with the lumenarcs. You'll get more absolute light (hot spots) under ROIIIs. I personally think the ROIIIs make more sense. You are not going to be growing things right up to the tank edges on both sides. In fact you are more likely to be centered than in a coventional tank. Additionally your tank is shallow. So I'd just go ahead with the ROIIIs and have less "light splash" outside the tank.