Lower electric bill reef

[kysard1]

Anyone have links to reefs setup with some energy conservation in mind. I've been away from the hobby for a while want to set up a tank but am a little turned off by the SPS tanks (just my opinion).

I'm thinking 1 250w MH over a 4 ft 100 gallon tank or 225w of PC. Just looking for a good mix of corals that woud work with these lights. I also want to avoid calcium reactors.

 

[AgentSPS]

Well sounds more to me that you don't want a reef. As most will tell you, there are few shortcuts in reeftanks (LPS or SPS). Just set up a nice fishtank with some really nice live rock in it. That way you won't have to worry as much about lighting. I mean...you tank is going to look really funny with just one halide above the middle. It will be all bright in the middle and dim on the sides. IMHO!

 

[danmhippo]

Skimp on MH? Yeah, sure, move your tank out to the yard........ :mrgreen:

Or, you can go with 1000W HQI but mount the light higher up........But you will still end up with high electric bills.

 

[fishfarmer]

I think I can be done, with proper placement of lighting possibly adding a Normal output fluorescent to balance the lighting. How about going with dual 175 halides for better coverage? Proper aquascaping like building your rock pile where your halide will be can work very well. Obviously don't think that you will be able to grow xenia in all four corners of your setup. You will be limited with what you can grow with your lighting, I would pick MH over PC's.

 

[monkeyboy]

Anyone have links to reefs setup with some energy conservation in mind. I've been away from the hobby for a while want to set up a tank but am a little turned off by the SPS tanks (just my opinion).

I'm thinking 1 250w MH over a 4 ft 100 gallon tank or 225w of PC. Just looking for a good mix of corals that woud work with these lights. I also want to avoid calcium reactors.

I'm a little turned off by a single halide in the middle of a 4' tank, just my opinion...

I'd say 4-6 vho's on an ice-cap ballast would allow you to keep a nice mix of softies and stoneys (don't worry, you don't have to get those evil acropora's :twisted: ) and would conserve some energy. Unfortunately when you skimp on energy, it equates to skimpy lighting.

I'd say a FOWLR would be in order with a few PC's for gorgonians and fish if adequately lighting the tank is going to be a problem.

 

[Lady Godiva]

Obviously don't think that you will be able to grow xenia in all four corners of your setup.

I've been reading "Aquarium Corals Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History" by Eric H. Borneman and, not all corals he discusses in that book require high lighting. There's alot you can do in a medium intensity (lighting) REEF tank.

BTW I have one heck of a Xenia forest thriving under PC's.

As far as electricity consumption and getting the most lighting bang-for-your-buck, I understand the DE halides take the cake. I don't know the details but am sure others here can fill us in. If you search on double ended halides, I am sure you will find the many threads of discussion on this topic.

My sugeestion is to do some research on what you want to keep in your tank before you make your lighting purchase, and if you decide to go with halides, look into the DE's.

Karen

 

[IcantTHINKofONE]

Granted, one halide in the center will look funny, but it is possible to keep a reef tank without high lighting. I am turned off by MH's because of how deep they penetrate into the water column. I like keeping corals of all light intensity. So I go with flourescents (PC, VHO, or T5) and place my corals the way they would be in the reef (high light ones on top and low light ones deeper down. It can be done. Again, I am fairly new and can be wrong but now you know my opinion.

 

[Anonymous]

Even corals that like lower amounts of light will do fine under halides, because even bright halides are significantly dimmer than sunlight, and the intensity drops off very rapidly with depth.

A single halide could probably illuminate a 4 foot tank if it was mounted high enough and used a spider-light type reflector. Watch out for shadows from the center brace- that gets old fast.

Other options are using 2 150W DE halides, although thats not the cheapest. Or just using VHO or pc bulbs.

I don't have any proof available at the moment, but I believe halides are as efficient as flourescent, watt for watt.