175w MH, too much for a 5.5?

[MarineMiLk]

i was wondering if that is too much light for a 5.5 nano?....thanks in advance.

[Littleoceans]

Originally posted by MarineMiLk

i was wondering if that is too much light for a 5.5 nano?....thanks in advance.

 

ummm.... yea! Unless you want to make boiling sea soup.....

[palaegic]

I say go for it. Please make sure you record the results with a camera and post pics.

[MaxMike]

Sorry i 'm a newbie but what i heard is it better to have 5 to 8 wpg ..i dont think over than that is necessary..

[NanoAmyDee]

You could do it, but you will have tons of heat issues and problems with low light corals bleaching out.

 

Might want to save the 175w for a bigger tanks and try some other kind of lighting system for this small nano.

 

Try for 5-8 with most soft corals and a little higher for clams and anemones.

[MaxMike]

??? now i'm confused....i got a 20L then my optimal wpg is what?i just decided to order a BlueLine E-Ballast HQI Pendants 150w 20K

is it enough? ( thought 5-8wpg is enough)8)

[NanoAmyDee]

5-8 is enough. There are some things that prefer more lighting, and it really depends on who you ask. I am not a MH person, which is a whole other topic of its own, so I am sure 5-8 of MH would be perfect. IME 5-8 PC lighting is good for most soft corals. You need more for clams and hard corals, and some anemones. I do know there is a difference between the watts MH gives off and the watts PC lights give off.

 

I am damned sure 175w MH for a 5.5 is overkill.

[MaxMike]

I would wanna own a clams hard corals(someday)then what lighting is the"best" so that i could something like a clam?

[NanoAmyDee]

My clams are in a 10g with 96w PC lighting. I also have a deep sand bed so they are even closer. The only other thing in the tank is some GSP and a blenny (and various cleaners).

 

5-8 is good for MH. If you want to keep clams get closer to 8.

[MaxMike]

thanks ..i'm reconsidering to get the 150w 20k maybe go for the 175w 10k ..thank cos i going to order tomorrow(lucky that u are here)

[TiGs]

If the MH lights are too strong you can always raise them up further from the tank.

[jonnyringo]

tigs makes a good point, the higher the light from the water the less heat issues you have to worry about. generally people have thier lights about 8 inches from teh water line.

[Vincerama]

My 2 cents;

 

1) Get a 175W, not a 150W, you will find a greater variety (and better prices) for the bulbs.

 

2) Don't forget that a you have to pay for electricity! So raising your lights to dim them is a waste.

 

3) The wpg rule of thumb is just that. IF you have a short and fat tank, it will take less light than a very tall tank of the same volume.

 

I have a 10g, and I have a 70W MH over it. The tank is 12 inches high and the light is 5 inches over the water. That seems OK.

I think a 175 would be a waste.

 

V

[MaxMike]

thank for the advise but i had already order the 175w. i think it ok to have a little higher so i can get most of the critter that need higher light..i also order a custom made tank 30"x14x12and a refugium 20"x4x12 a skimmer re** somthing pro(forgot the brand) still waiting for my LR n LS to come

[nanocat]

Since the 5.5 isn't all that much shorter than the 10g. I don't see any issues assuming you are going to mount it 8" from the tank. I have a 175w MH pendant with a 14K Hamilton above my 10g. Nothing is "bleaching out" and the SPS and clams are happy as, well....clams

 

I do get a lot of spillover light, but hey, I may get a bigger tank someday.

 

The MH is actually quite a LOT cooler than my dual 32w PC setup was in a canopy.

[TiGs]

175W is a good choice.

 

I got my double ended MH lights 4" above the water and I also got a IceProbe chiller for my nano. They are good chillers for tanks less than 20G. I think the IceProbe goes for around $150 with the temp controller.

 

Just acclimate your corals to the new light by keeping the lights up higher and gradualy lower them over the weeks. If you see some corals start to bleach just move them off to the side where the light isn't so intense or into the shade.