Which 150 HQI Bulb for a 29 gal 10K, 12K, Higher?

[Spindog]

I'm going to bite the bullet and get the mini-pendant 150watt DE MH fixture for my 29 reef. It's just not doing quite as good as I want with 3x55 PC's and instead of toying with VHO's I thought I would just go straight to MH and stop messing around.

 

Some questions: Is this DE 150 enough for SPS, LPS, and maybe a clam? I understand from reading that the 150 DE puts out more PAR than a 175 MH ... Is this correct?

 

Also, most fixtures come with either a 10K or a 20K bulb. I have 2x55W PC's that I can use as actinic to supplement the 10K bulb as needed. Is actinic needed with a higher Kelvin bulb and would a 20K 150 watt bulb be all I would need for the tank?

 

I'm looking at possibly an upgrade to a Sunburst 12K bulb. Any opinions on this bulb? What single bulb do you use? Thanks!

[OxInYourBox]

A 150 DE rivals a 250SE. I picked up my 250SE setup for a steal otherwise I would have went with 150DE. I'd go with the 10K and supplement with the 55W PC's or switch over to VHO. Will look good either way. If you don't want to do actinic supplementation a 20K would do fine.

[MrKrispy]

what's the height of the 29 gallon, 18 inches? I have a 250W DE on my 20g which is only 12" high. I have a 20k bulb, which is great because I don't need actinics. However, the 20k bulbs are a bit more dim, so I was advised to go with the higher wattage, and I am damn glad I did. I would advise you the same, they are the same price.

[theclearblue]

I'll second Mr. Krispy, go 250w 20K HQI, the price difference between 150 v 250 is really negligible (talking maybe 20 bucks - extra 15 for the ballast, extra 5 or 10 for the bulb)