Halide Question

[ReefMan29]

I'm thinking about upgrading my lighting system and I want to do MH. Would two 150watt and 2 VHO actinics be enough to pretty much have a wide range of corals? and would I need cooling fans?

 

[jandree22]

Well... IME 175W are more common in that wattage range, but either of those would probably be only optimal for softies and LPS. If you want to keep SPS and/or clams, I'd say at least go with 250w. I'm upgrading to 2x250W over my 75g at some point, and if I'm correct, a 90g has the same footprint but is taller than a 75g. 2x400w wouldn't hurt even, but IMO certainly isn't necessary.

 

[Anonymous]

2 x 250 HQI would work good on that tank IMO.
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[Anonymous]

We ran 2 250 watt Mh bulbs over our 90 and the corals loved it. As far as fans, I would recommend a couple of small fans in the canopy if it is not well vented.

 

[spaulr]

For that tank the 250's should be fine. I'd recommend getting the Double Ended(what industry refers to incorrectly as HQI) 250W bulbs. They are more efficient, last longer, and typically put out more PAR for input power.

Sanjay has written a ton of articles that helped me decide on ballast, bulb, SE or DE (single ended or double ended).

http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/articles.htm

HTH

 

[jay24k]

150 would be ok but most of your sps would need to be higher. It's not much more to go ahead and upgrade to 250's though and that is what I would recommend. If you are looking to do 20K spectrum, I would go with the 400 watt bulbs. With 20k's you lose a ton of par.

 

[ReefMan29]

should the MH be 10k and the VHO's be actinic? I've got some PC fixtures. Should I use them with the MH or go with VHO? I guess 250 MH is the way to go.

 

[jay24k]

I personally like VHO. They have a better color but PC's or T5's would work as well.

 

[jandree22]

10K is widely available and is a white light with a very slight bluish tint. If you want really really blue, almost purplish, go 20k. If you want somewhere in the middle, look for 12k-15k

 

[jay24k]

I use 10K XM's and my color is a light tinty blue but mainly super bright.

Here is a couple shots of the bright white light shots of mine. I personally will never switch but it might not be blue enough for you.

 

[jandree22]

jay, hawt damn your tank is ba-ewe-tee-ful!!!

The more hi-res pics, the better

 

[ReefMan29]

What type of bulb should I use(VHO)? I guess with the Halide's I'll use 12k but what about the VHO's? Actinic? and how do you DIY moon lights? I'll be using Lowes Hardware for all DIY.

 

[jay24k]

I would use URI super actinic bulbs. Just my opinion but the 12k's aren't much bluer then the 10k's and the amount of par lost isn't worth it. I think either go with the 10k or go with 14k's for the halides.

For the moonlights, you are going to have to buy the leds and then wire then up. Then buy the shrinkrap and heat it up. I believe ebay is probably the cheapest and you might want to go ahead and buy them already wired. It used to be pretty dang cheap.

 

[jandree22]

I just use blue rope lights from Home Depot for a moon light. I will admit that they def don't look as cool as the LED's, but for $5, I'm happy with the subtle blue light it casts over the tank at night. All you need is a short length(a few feet) to run one, maybe two lengths of the tank depending how bright you want it. I just use one length. Should be available at both Home Depot and Lowes. Here's what I'm talking about...

 

[jay24k]

Does it still give a cool looking tint to the water? I like the LEDs but since they are a direct light, it doesn't give a good spread.

 

[jandree22]

It gives a good blue tint, but definately not as cool looking as the LED. LED's tend to give that black light effect, the rope light does not. It is a very even spread of light, though

 

[jay24k]

Hmm maybe I'll try one and see what it does. Thanks for the tank comment though