Hypothetically speaking...

[ThrillYa]

So, lets say for the sake of conversation you have yourself a 65 gallon tank (36L x 18W X 24H) that is currently fish only and you would like to finally go reef with it. The problem being new lights needed. Lets also say you don't know exactly what kind of corals you want therefor you need the lighting to be as versatile as possible. Just to make it interesting let's say your tank is in a room that in summer can reach 78 degrees for a couple hours on a hot day.

Question is... What do you do?

Mike

 

[wally311]

My two cents....
Go with 2 250 MH, 10K or 6.5K, supplement as needed. Put these in a custom built pendant style fixture hanging over the tank to minimize heat transfer. Or use those cool HQI MH pendants. Pricy, but this is hypothetical, Right? :wink:

-Troy

 

[danmhippo]

Yes, pendant MH is an excellent suggestion. Keeping the lights away from the tank enclosure makes your water much much cooler. With pendant, you can adjust height of the light to suit your need.

65Gal, I would also suggest 2x 250W MH. This can either be the double ended HQI, or single ended mogul typed MH. You choose any color temp as you wish, but I would suggest the 14000K lamp.

 

[ThrillYa]

Thanks much for your suggestions. I would have probably only gone with MH 175s so I'll start looking at the 250s now.

Mike

 

[ThrillYa]

So I went looking at DIY parts and uh .... oh yea.... Suppose you went looking for DIY parts :roll: and found one MH 250 ballast for $47 while you found another for $139. What gives?

$47 - Universal Magnectic M58/H37 Ballast
$69 - Universal Magnetic M138 Ballast
$139 - ARO Electronic Ballast

Mike

 

[reefNewbie]

Electronic ballasts are more expensive than magnetic ballasts
Electronic ballasts are cooler and more efficent than magnetic ballasts
Some bulbs work better with electronic ballasts than magnetic ones because of their ability to be tuned to the bulbs.

There are some downsides to the electronic ones, I forgot what they are now, somebody?

 

[rwesurfn]

Electronic ballasts cost less to operate but, will not fully drive some bulbs.
If you have a place to easily remote mount your ballast I would go with the magnetic ballast.
some electronic ballasts dont do well with certain bulbs as far as driving them properly.
on the other hand some magnetic ballasts tend to be noisy if that is a consideration....a multi vapor is also a feasible option......all of these can be had at your local electric supply house or lowes or home depot for cheaper....just a thought

 

[Anonymous]

I got a 58.

Custom made hood.

1 250K 10K HQI MH pendant, 2 x 95W VHO Actinics. I have the back of the canopy wide open with 2 Icecap fans, 1 in and 1 out

MH is about 11 inches off of the water.

I love the look.
_________________
Mercedes Wiki

 

[ThrillYa]

Hey Rob do you happen to have a picture or design spec for your custom hood? I'm probably going to attempt building my own as well.

Mike

 

[Anonymous]

Thrillya - I don't know the dimensions of the 65 off the top of myhead. Does it have a center brace? If not you might be able to get away with a single pendant and possibly some tube supplemetnation depending on color of halide buble you get.

 

[ThrillYa]

The dimensions are 36L x 18W X 24H and it does have a center brace. So I guess that kind of rules out a single MH then huh?

 

[ThrillYa]

Well, I've got 2-250W MHs on the way and am now working on a hood design. I know pendants where suggested but I can't hang anything. How far should I have the bulbs off the water? I've seen everything from 8" - 16".