blk_g20 Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 i currently have 2x65pc, and am planning on adding the 70W MH with a 10K ushio. i just want to conform that with this setup i can keep clams and sps. this is over a 20H with about 4" sand bed. Link to comment
Phish Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Why? All you need is a 150/175w MH not any of that 2x65w pc crap, waste of money, I had a 40g reef and all I needed is a 250w MH, people go way overboard with lighting on this forum, but if you wanted to keep some birds nest, you would need at least 250w' ers because they need that much intensity... I say get rid of this science project sitting above your tank and get a 150w MH, that will give all you need. Link to comment
Jahkaya Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 I agree with Phish. However, There are many SPS that will do okay with that lighting, 2x65 (okay being the operative word). It may be best to look into selling that 2x65 and buy a 150/175 20k MH if what you really want is clams and SPS's. Link to comment
blk_g20 Posted October 2, 2003 Author Share Posted October 2, 2003 hm, i was thinking that 200watts total over a 20gallon was pretty good. Link to comment
Phish Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 250w MH over a 40g will hold ANY SINGLE KIND OF CORAL POSSIBLE no need for all that junk. A single 70w MH with some actinic lighting would work too, you only need 6 WPG when using MH because it is more powerful (DONT USE THE WPG RULE... EVER!) Link to comment
blk_g20 Posted October 3, 2003 Author Share Posted October 3, 2003 does anybody have any experience withe the electronic ballasts from diyreef.com? they're both around $104 i think for either 175 or 250 watts. and the bulbs are $50 and $52. about $30 for reflector and base from hellolights. how does that set up sound? Link to comment
Phish Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 Not bad, dont go for 250w MH that is WAY too much for your tank... Go to ebay and look up Metal Halide, or Aquarium Light, or something to that effect, there used to be a guy that sold ballasts for like $20-60 for 70-175w MH's, he might not be there but it is worth a look... Link to comment
blk_g20 Posted October 3, 2003 Author Share Posted October 3, 2003 i thought there is no such thing as too much light. the magnetic ballasts on ebay are rather cheap, but i thought electronics, altought more expensive initially, are better and uses less electricity with less heat generated. also, those $50 and $52 bulbs are 'coralvue', are they any good? Link to comment
blk_g20 Posted October 3, 2003 Author Share Posted October 3, 2003 also, are all electronic ballasts created equal? or is the more expensive ones like icecap better. i thought i read somewhere that all electronics are the same. Link to comment
ralegen Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 i heard magnetic ballasts are noisy, and electric are nice and quiet. You might want to take that into consideration. Link to comment
kennerd Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 I'm a major proponent of IceCaps. Quiet, efficient, cooler, smaller and with soft start, they supposedly lengthen the life of your bulbs. I have their new 150HQI and a 250HQI, and they are both fantastic. $120-130, though. Ironically, the 250 is only warm to the touch, but the 150 does get a bit hotter. Another consideration is the availability and price of the lower wattage bulbs. Sometimes they get kinda pricey and tough to find Double ended bulbs, and you also need to enclose them with UV filtering glass. Just a thought. Link to comment
Phish Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 Well, its not Too much for anything to survive if thats what you mean, its just too much, too much wasted money, more plugs to fill up, light you dont need, and Evap.... Jesus Evap would kill me... Link to comment
kennerd Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 evap it brutal on my 10 gal with a 150 fixture on legs (read: open top with a fan + hot lighting= 1 gal/day. Also, Phish: I think he'd be fine with some major lighting, as it's a 20H: more depth, so more light=more gooder. I do like suplpemental actinics, personally. Link to comment
Phish Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 A 150w MH WILL penetrate to the bottom of a 20H, all that is not needed, but I would just for balance use one or two small actinic lights also, I think I seggested that already... Link to comment
kennerd Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 the actinic statement was meant to be on a sep line, not directed @ you. saw your post: we're cool. I'd go 150 minimum: if it were on anything more than my 10, I'd be going with 2: of course, this is a personl preference. I like a really broght tank with as much intensity to the bottom as heat issues will allow. My 150 doesn't have the capability of adding actinics (not easily, at least), but I have clams in the tank, and with the open top, the coloration is dazzling, with 10kk halide & no actinic anyway. I also think you might be able to get away with a 175 for cheaper, due to the more general use of the format. I picked up a 2x175 for my 65 gal, PFO ballast, bulbs, reflectors, sockets for $140 shipped. Deals are out there, but I've found that, with the 70 and 150 now coming more available, prices are still a bit high, even on the resale side. Depends on your budget. Link to comment
Phish Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 Just asking, Do you have experiance with LARGE reef? When I say large I mean over 200g. Link to comment
kennerd Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 Who, me? No. I do have a 65 gal, though, and @ 24", I absolutely prefer the 250's to the 175's. I did post a few weeks ago about my new best freind, a monster emerald crab that helped prompt my wife to say "I think you're little freinds need a bigger tank...starting to look crowded." She's setting me up for sure. What's up? Going "Big Tank?" Link to comment
Phish Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 No at my LFS I was in charge of the 100g, 125g, 250g, 300g, 500g, I loved those tanks... the 500g has a school of 8 yellow tang, 2 male it was soo nice... I miss it. Link to comment
blk_g20 Posted October 3, 2003 Author Share Posted October 3, 2003 i would like to hear more people's view on 175 vs 250 over a 20H please. the difference in cost of ballast and bulb are very minimal. but it'll cost twice as much to run the 250 in terms of electric bill. so the added benefit of extra wattage does not out-weight the added heat and evaporation as well as upkeep cost? and a clam will be happy on the sand bed with the 175w? also, i'm thinking of buying the 20,000K XM bulb as i read they provide more blue spectrum. Link to comment
Phish Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 20ks look too blue IMO, I would opt for the 175w thats all you need, not many people would say to go for the 250w here... and yes clams will do PERFECT under a 175w MH... Link to comment
kennerd Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 Agreed with Phish. Your clam should do fine. Realize that deresas and squamosa clams are sand-dwellers, and generally have a lower light requirement. Croceas and maximas demand higher light and are rock-boring clams, so they need to be up on your rockwork anyway, and thus closer to the light, too. I have changed one side of my lighting in the 65 to 250 in a pendant inside the hood. The other side is a 175 with parallel reflector. The 250 is marginally more bright, and I have not noticed any heat difference. Just be aware of the possibilty of heat and evap issues with halides, regardless of the wattage. Link to comment
blk_g20 Posted October 3, 2003 Author Share Posted October 3, 2003 than you all very much for helping me decide. i was thinking of mounting the bulb 4-6" above the top of the water which is at the rim of my tank. i've read some people go up to 9". i wont have a glass top, but there's not much splashing around . how high should i mount it as it will affect the canopy i'm building. Link to comment
Phish Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 It is best to keep MH suspended, pendants are the way to go, in a canopy they could get way too hot. Link to comment
blk_g20 Posted October 3, 2003 Author Share Posted October 3, 2003 pendants are not an option right now, i plan to put multiple fans on one side and cut out an exit hole on the other. perhaps a fan on top blowing out as well. i concern about the height above water to avoide damaging the bulbs. Link to comment
kennerd Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 My pendant is actually mounted inside of the canopy, with zero clearance on top. The glass shield is about 4"from the top of the water. Link to comment
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