2 part question, display tank and refugium lighting? (Pics attached)

1) So I'm currently in the middle of modding my red sea 34 gallon, (more pics to come soon) but I'm building a top for my tank since I now have the AI sol. Right now its about a foot above the water (that's an older pic, I've lowered it since then) and hanging from the ceiling. So how high should I mount the light above the water in its fixed position? Want it low enough so it looks more smooth, but not so low its gonna get creep all over it.


2) I'm also starting a refugium build this week and have no idea what kind of light to get, I'm only growing macro in the fuge. I would prefer an LED so its less maintenance but don't really know where to start. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

thanks 3reefers

 

1.) I would say anywhere between 8-12 inches would be okay. The closer the light gets to the water the more spotlighting i think you will see. You could put it lower and swap the optics in the middle out for 70 degree instead of the 40 degree that come standard. I have 2 ai sols over a 40B at 12 inches or so.

2.) A fuge light can be anything really(as long as its in the correct range....6500Kish), several companies sell LED fuge lights. Or there are even lights at hardware stores that would probably do just fine. The question is how much are will to spend to grow some macro algae.

 

thanks skurius,
I'll post pics of this masterpiece when its all completed.