HQI vs Mogul base

[drthsideous]

so for a 55 gal. setup i was going to go with 2 250 watt mogul base metal halides at 10k. If I were to go with double ended HQI lamps instead would I need the same wattage or could I use lower wattages? Basically in terms of efficiency and performance what is the difference between going with double ended bulbs vs mogul base? All the mogul base stuff I have seen is cheaper than double ended, is paying the extra money for hqi worth it?
jeff

 

[junglebase]

so for a 55 gal. setup i was going to go with 2 250 watt mogul base metal halides at 10k. If I were to go with double ended HQI lamps instead would I need the same wattage or could I use lower wattages? Basically in terms of efficiency and performance what is the difference between going with double ended bulbs vs mogul base? All the mogul base stuff I have seen is cheaper than double ended, is paying the extra money for hqi worth it?
jeff

IMO, 2 250 watt is way overkill for a 55 gallon tank... that is if it is the regular sized 48" 55 gallon tank....

 

[fritz]

Agreed.

What do you plan on keeping in the tank? I would spend the money on a different tank personally. I had a 55 gallon reef that I lit with T5s. I'm not the biggest fan of T5s but it's hard to make an argument against them on a 12 inch wide tank. When I finally decided to upgrade to MH I just couldn't do it on a 12 inch wide tank. A MH bulb has a spread of 2 feet by 2 feet which meant that on my 55 gallon tank half of the bulb output would be wasted on my floor.

I decided to go to a 58 gallon tank. Same overall maintenance etc but the size (3 feet by 18 inches) is much better suited to a reef. I was able to aquascape a much better tank IMO than I could on the 55. On a 55 you're limited to a wall of rock. There's not much else you can do with it. Plus on a 58 I was able to get away with using two 150 watt HQIs which was nice.

If I were you I'd look into getting a 75 (or 90) gallon tank or a 65 gallon tank. For a 65 gallon tank two 150 watt HQIs is plenty and for a 75 or 90 two 175 watters is plenty for most stuff.

To answer your question though, no HQI is not more efficient or worth the money. Most companies claim that HQI puts out more light, which it does but at the cost of more wattage. Some ballasts like icecap and ARO (hellolights.com) use the actual wattage of the bulb negating my above statement. HQIs are nice IMO because you can place them closer to the water due to the glass shield required to use them.

Moguls however have far more bulb choices and are usually cheaper. Most electronic ballasts now adays run both.

 

[ZZROCOOL]

I AGREE WITH FRITZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1) The lighting we keep on our tanks can't even get close to what a reef gets in water that is 18" deep! The more light the better but more light requires better water quality to avoid algea blooms etc.
I use 2 400 Watt Radiums on an 20" deep tank with the lights about 14" from the surface.

2)I like mogul base, HQI refers to the ballast, I have 1 PFO HQI ballast running each of my 400 watt radiums

3) My bigger concern is using a stock sized 55gallon tank which could have the worst dimensions for reef keeping in the history of the planet.
Because of its length it requires more bulbs, more flow, and dictates horrible aquascaping due to its depth!

Buy a better tank before you spend any money on lights!

 

[drthsideous]

thanks guys that cleared up a lot for me and it is much appreciated. I'm still in the preliminary stages of planning, I am also considering 75 gallon just hadn't mentioned it. As for the response I guess I'll be going with a 75 or maybe a 90. I am planning on eventually keeping as many kinds of corals and clams as possible, so off the bat I want to have appropriate lighting so I don't have to buy another lights set up down the road.

 

[masterswimmer]

Some good information given here. I tend to lean towards 250w on a 24" tall tank (90g). You can get away with 175w on a 75g but I'd even consider the 250w for that as well, as you've already mentioned that you'd like to keep a variety of corals AND clams.

JM $.02,
swimmer

 

[meschaefer]

Don't forget about reflectors.... just as important as the type of ballast and bulb

 

[masterswimmer]

Don't forget about reflectors.... just as important as the type of ballast and bulb

Without a doubt.