Need help wireing and mounting 2 MH's

[Chicken_Eye]

Is there any thing I should know when wireing my MH retro kit.
I have an IceCap ballast.

I am trying to decide how to mount my MH retro kit. I have a 100 gal with this canopy. I will have 2 250MH mounted in this canopy. If I mount it like in the first pic I am afraid of having a bad shadow in the middle but I can mount another light in the middle something like a 175 MH or some type of PC or T5. In the second pic I dont think I will have room to mount another light in the middle.

Should I mount it like the first pic or the second?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/quads4_life/100gal%20reef/DSC02302.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/quads4_life/100gal%20reef/DSC02303.jpg

[Chicken_Eye]

There is a brace in the center about 12" wide. Here is a pic of the top of my tank.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/quads4_life/100gal%20reef/DSC02304.jpg

[erick]

Does the canopy have 4 sides? if so check out what I did. :pics http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q316/erick_swanson/DSC00877.jpg
Those are 1x2" cut to fit right inside the frame. Then I used small eye hooks on each end to support the light on the canopy. I can move them around and get the light just right, and I can take them out altogether real easily to access the top of the tank without removing the canopy. ^_^

[Chicken_Eye]

Where do you have your ballast mounted? Here is what I am dealing with. I am unsure where to mount my ballast.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/quads4_life/100gal%20reef/DSC02283.jpg

[erick]

My ballast is on the floor inside my stand. Its a dual core ballast so it doesnt take up that much space. You can see the 2 cords running to the lamps, I used that black flex conduit from pepboys to keep the two wires together and neat/easy to handle. How much space do you have underneath? Could you possibly hang the ballast?

[Chicken_Eye]

Not much room. I thought the moister would be to high. Here is a pic of under my tank

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/quads4_life/100gal%20reef/DSC02289.jpg

[erick]

Mount it on the left inside of the cabinet, on the support wall. Dont worry about moisture, it aint like your hanging it in a rainforrest!! It will be fine, the coils are well sealed. If your worried about the heat of the ballast, dont, it wont get hot enough to burn wood. But, you could put a 'larger than the ballast' piece of aluminum flashing between the ballast and the wood to act as a heat dissipator. Lowes/Home Dep sell aluminum flashing in rolls real cheap $5-10, and you can cut it to fit. If your ballast doesnt have any place to mount screws through, buy some metal strapping (1/2"Wx2'L the type with holes in it, real cheap $2) and use that to strap around the ballast.

[Chicken_Eye]

Ok thanks, I will do that I am going to mount my power strips on the left side and I will just mount the ballast right there with them

[caferacermike]

Keep the MH bulbs hot and the ballast cold. So as you were informed, keep the ballast remote. In the stand is a great place. I have mine attached to the support brace at the top of my stand directly above my sump. All is well.