how much MH do i need?

[FishingInMyNano]

Im planning on setting up a 30-40 gallon tank for the living room...I'm not to fimiliar with MH, but I wanted to go with a pendant style MH. what wattage would you guys recommend to go with? I planned on having SPS and clams

 

Do I have to have PC actnic suppliments? I would prefer not to.

 

I wanted to go with a electronic ballast maybe icecap or champion lighting. anyone got any recomendations? I want to set this thing up right the first time.

 

Thanks for any help.

[coral reef]

go with a 250 and use a 20k bulb it should be nice

[Aiptasia]

No, you don't absolutely need supplimental actinics with a 10k or 20k bulb. The intensity is so much greater with MH bulbs. I'd also go with a 250w. light, that should be more than enough.

[FishingInMyNano]

Im still feeling kind of nervous...I dont want to buy something that I dont need. I was wondering if you guys could help me with my plans as to what I would need.

 

I want a electronic ballast because of the long term benfits. should I go with the 250 HQI watt Icecap Ballast or is there another that is better in terms of more energy efficient?....

 

What bulb should I go with specifically...I see alot of brands out there and Im not to sure which one will fit what.

 

If I go with a pendant style hung above the tank, will I have to put a fan in the unit to cool it down? or will it be cool enough?

 

sorry for the questions, I just want to make sure I order the right things.

 

thanks

[FishingInMyNano]

oh yeah......is XM better? will the icecap ballast run that?

[theclearblue]

The IceCap ballast will not run the XM bulb (as far as 250w HQI DE goes), although some people have had success, there's too many that haven't - why risk it. For 20K I'd get the AB bulb personally. It seems to be getting positive reviews, although I've yet to see one in person.

 

The New style IceCap ballast will run either HQI or SE bulbs just fine (except for XM and XDE). A lot of people really like the ReefStar pendant, but the PFO (which I own) is very good as well.

 

For cooling, it really depends on how you have it set up. If you're just hanging it from the ceiling, I'd be surprised if you ran into heat problems in a room with air conditioning. If you have it hanging inside of a hood, you might want to consider adding a fan, as it might heat up the tank during the summer.