lighting question?? MH 150-400??

[ReefnQueens]

i have a 90 gallon tank 2 feet high with 2 150 watt 10k bulbs about a foot and a half above the tank, ive had a welder in my garage that i had no use for for a while now and i traded it for 400 watt hamilton which i used to have and just got it back from someone who weve traded in the past.....would it be too much light to put the 400 dead center in the tank and use my 2 150's with 20k bulbs for the blue color??? also another question.....i never bought new bulbs for halides yet .....wether its 10k 14k 20k when you buy a bulb does it have to be up to a certain wattage because all bulbs i see usually dont have the wattage on it , just the type of bulb and the make ......its like do they make a 14 k 400 watt bulb how does that work ?

 

[reefs4life]

Nah I think 400 watts wouldnt be too much at all, I have 2-175s on my 75 gallon tank so you should be ok with the 400 on your 90. and about buying the bulb, here's a link that might help you out: http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~lighting_metal_halide_bulbs.html

 

[tommy818]

what corals are u keeping

 

[ReefnQueens]

i have some sps and some lps, everything is really doing awesome with the 2 175's my mistake in first post not 150 there 175's , im not sure if i want to get committed to a one bulb fixture.... the 400 takes up alot of room and if i put it in my canopy then i dont really have much room for my pc actinics....i think im gonna put my 400 watt up for trade if you guys know anyone interested....ill make a post with in the next few days

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

You could always go 2 x 250's.

 

[dmr2000]

I'm running 3 175 20k on a 60 gallon and it does fine you be be fine with a 400 watter and 2 175 time it so the 400 watter on for maybe 5 hours or so like high noon :biggrin:

 

[ReefnQueens]

2- 250 watt? im just thinking of what to do with what i have...unless you want to give me 2 250's for my 400 lolll

 

[Bob 1000]

400 will drown out a 150 buy a lot...

 

[tommy818]

if everything is going well with the 175s stay with them.400 will make more heat and its to much for the lps.250 is your max.

 

[rookie07]

ive been told 400w bulbs run much hotter than 250 w bulbs....there will be alot more heat from the 400's

 

[NYreefNoob]

i would do 2 or 3 250's, just get some fan's, but prefferable a chiller, or really a 8 bulb t5's :hug:, put the other's up f\s, between the 2 u could buy the t5, well with a little money if new

 

[ReefnQueens]

thanks for getting back to me guys i just started a new job in the carpenters union and have been working so much overtime that i feel like i have no time for my tank getting home at 630 from leaving in the morning at 5 am is a killer ,then coming home to make top off water and feed the dog walk the dog .......im not getting rid of my freaking tank i love it just need some time and more money to get a auto top off and some nice timers for the lights......do you think my tank would produce more reproduction if i put 2 250's on the tank along with great parameters.....the 175s are doing great but if i could see more production faster that would be awesome ....and my canopy has 3 fans and 5 vent wholes same size as the fans

 

[bad coffee]

Did I read correctly, that you have two 150's 18" above your tank?

You're wasting your light, and electricity. Get them lower! My 150's are about 5" from the top of the water.

Since you also posted you want better growth, go with much lower Kelvin ratings than 20K. with 20KK's you'll get really nice color, and really slow growth.

If you want great growth, go with a 6500K bulb. Sure, they're Pee Yellow, but your corals will EXPLODE with growth.

I'm a big fan of 14KK's Great color, and decent growth. The other bulb I liked was a Ushio 10KK, when I had some PC actinics. Without the supplimentation, it was just okay.

I agree that two 250's would be perfect. I'd also get rid of your pc's and go with T5's.

Use that overtime $$ for something useful!!

B