Dissipating Heat From Lighting In Canopies

[KLaRue]

What's the best design for a canopy that allows heat to be dissipated. My current lighting plan is to combine an Aquatic Life DX-18 with 2 or 3 LED pucks. Generally speaking, the DX-18 doesn't seem to be intended for in-canopy installs, but want to avoid any light spill into the room (so a floating canopy isn't an option). What passive and active cooling designs have people come up with on their canopies?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Build Thread - Flippers reef 125 gallon

The story of Flippers reef started long ago.......... In a time before a thing called "The Internet"existed. Land locked Missouri, mid western U.S.A. back in 1993. I had just got out of the army in 1992 and got busy starting a family. See, I had fresh water tanks off and on since I was very...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[schuby]

I have two Noctua NF-A12x25 FLX, Premium Quiet Fan, 3-Pin (120mm, Brown) in back of my hood & two in back of my stand. Each pair is directly connected to a buck converter (24v -> 12v). Each buck converter is wired to one of two 24v ports on eb832. My hood fans come on with lights (time-based) and stand fans come on when water temp above 77 using Apex. Works great. Friend wired fans to buck converters & adjuster voltage to 12v. In hood and stand, one fan blows in and one fan blows out.

There are directional grills mounted over the outside of each fan pointing away from the tank. Idea is to pull air in from one side and push it out in the other direction: keep hot, output air away from input.

Just a note, we tried daisy-chain but fans wouldn't stay at constant speed. Kept pulsing. Direct connect each to power best result. Fans I chose have more blades & move air well.

One more thing. Using Apex breakout box kit from Avast Marine, I connected a micro switch to my hood top. When I open hood, lights turn off(switched outlet). Super convenient.

 

[KLaRue]

Build Thread - Flippers reef 125 gallon

The story of Flippers reef started long ago.......... In a time before a thing called "The Internet"existed. Land locked Missouri, mid western U.S.A. back in 1993. I had just got out of the army in 1992 and got busy starting a family. See, I had fresh water tanks off and on since I was very...

www.reef2reef.com

I think I’ve read your build thread all the way through at least twice to learn what you and all the responders offer up.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I think I’ve read your build thread all the way through at least twice to learn what you and all the responders offer up.

Thanks!

 

[KLaRue]

I have two Noctua NF-A12x25 FLX, Premium Quiet Fan, 3-Pin (120mm, Brown) in back of my hood & two in back of my stand. Each pair is directly connected to a buck converter (24v -> 12v). Each buck converter is wired to one of two 24v ports on eb832. My hood fans come on with lights (time-based) and stand fans come on when water temp above 77 using Apex. Works great. Friend wired fans to buck converters & adjuster voltage to 12v. In hood and stand, one fan blows in and one fan blows out.

There are directional grills mounted over the outside of each fan pointing away from the tank. Idea is to pull air in from one side and push it out in the other direction: keep hot, output air away from input.

Just a note, we tried daisy-chain but fans wouldn't stay at constant speed. Kept pulsing. Direct connect each to power best result. Fans I chose have more blades & move air well.

One more thing. Using Apex breakout box kit from Avast Marine, I connected a micro switch to my hood top. When I open hood, lights turn off(switched outlet). Super convenient.

Love the idea of the on/off switch. I would always temporarily blind myself when I lifted the lid of my old 40b canopy. Another reason to “keep my hands out of the tank.” ;Joyful

 

[mfinn]

What's the best design for a canopy that allows heat to be dissipated. My current lighting plan is to combine an Aquatic Life DX-18 with 2 or 3 LED pucks. Generally speaking, the DX-18 doesn't seem to be intended for in-canopy installs, but want to avoid any light spill into the room (so a floating canopy isn't an option). What passive and active cooling designs have people come up with on their canopies?

When I used mh and vho lighting in a full canopy, heat was a major issue.
2 things that really helped was cutting vent holes in the top. I found screen vent covers to help clean up the holes.
The second thing that helped ( 2 part) was to open the back side of the canopy and then hang 120mm pc fans ( dc) in the back blowing in.