150 hqi vs 175

[fugucuts]

One of my tanks is a 20 gallon and i am thinking of putting in either a 150 hqi or retrofit a 175 watt mh. The hqi will cost about a $100.00 more for the pendant. Is the hqi worth the extra money or should I just stick to the 175. And I will be stocking the tank with light loving creatures.

[GSXR1000]

Hmm good questions im kinda in the same boat as you. I have heard that a 150 HQI is as powerful as a 250watt SE thats what i heard. Are you planning on using a 20k bulb or a 10k with actinic supplement. IF you plan using a 20k i would suggest you get a higher watt MH cause of the PAR. There is alot of nice model PFO and ICECAP mini hoods. IF i were you i do know that i would get a hang model cause i think that a 12 inch tall canopy would look odd maybe thats just me. That means youll have to prob go 20k bulb no biggie. Ill bump this thread for you i want to see some answers too.

[JIM27]

150w DE isn't as powerful as 250w SE but it is as powerful as a 175. Check out this article in Advanced aquarist magazine. It basically says the 150w DE is a better choice because it gives pretty much the same abount of light but uses less electricity.

[wetworx101]

Ever notice how 250watt ballasts are the same price, if not cheaper than, 175s and 150s? You can get a 250watt e-ballast by icecap for just over $110. It will run single ended, or double ended. I am using a 250watt over my 25gallon. Perfect. I know that the icecap 150 is more than the 250...but it makes sense. 250s are just that much more popular...driving price down.

 

250s are the most versitile as well. You can run single ended and double ended bulbs in them. The single ended ones only put out half the PAR of the double ended...still about double the output of a 175wattSE, a little bit more than the 150wattDE. The double ended bulbs often put out as much as 400wattSE bulbs...so it's a size you can grow with...from a 20gallon, to a 50gallon or half of a 90g, etc. I didnt list any exact numbers, as actual PAR readings will also vary depending on the Kelvin of the bulb. If you desire, you can run the bulb without actinics by using a 15-20,000K bulb. These bulbs often have only half the PAR and overall output of the equal bulb at 10,000K. So this is another way to 'tone down' the lights if you feel it's too much light for a 20gallon. Hey, Lunchbucket if runs a 20gallon with a 400wattMH...cant be all that bad. Just go for the 250.

[fugucuts]

I was under the impression that a 150 hqi would put out more light than a 175 but reading the article, I guess I was wrong. So my clams and such will not notice a difference between the two?

[05dr]

i think that test was done without reflectors. because DE bulbs are much more efficiently reflected they put out more light than a 175 and not far from a 250SE if my memory serves me. i think it has come up on reefcentral so maybe do a search there.