Lighting suggestion

DarthOcellaris

DarthOcellaris

Reefing newb
I am thinking of getting two 250 watt xm lights @ 6500K MH for my 37 gallon tank. I say this because I want at LEAST two bulbs for full coverage. I plan to keep nothing but softies in my tank along with an anemone and two clowns and a manderin.

Please help me select the best lighting. I want more than I need because in the future, I may get one or two hard corals too :D I plan to buy from hellolights.com btw :D
 
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Cool! I think 6500K will be too intense.. You should go with 10k with actinics, or 14 or 15K with no actinics....

That's my suggestion for that type of tank...Keep in mind that you are really going to heat that tank up! You will prob. need a chiller on that size tank with that much lighting...

How long is that tank and wide?
 
I would be keep the lighting you have but change one bulb so both are actinic and add the 250 watt halide.I would go with 10k bulb unless you like alot of blue than go with 20k.the 6500k bulb will grow alot algae and give a yellow tint to your tank.also your tank and coral may go through some bleaching or light shock when adding this amount of extra light.keeping the compacts and adding the M.H. light will let you do a dusk to dawn light cycle to.250 + 130=380 over ten watts per gallon every coral I can thing of should be fine with that much light
 
Well, heat WILL be a problem but not for long..I have my tank in my garage where it will be rather chilly coming up in the next few months :D

I didn't think about this: I could slowly replace my power compacts over the next few months so the new intensity won't shock anything and let everyone acclimate. THEN, after both bulbs have been replaced, get two 100 watt 10k halides. I'm stuck on two so I can get coverage over the entire tank. I love the dusk to dawn idea btw.

the dimensions are: 12" deep X 22" high X 30" wide. I did a quick check and I have THREE 65W bulbs totalling 195 watts!-->The existing bulbs are: 65W PowerCompact 10K and a Coralife Aqualite 24" Actinic/10K fixture. I'm having a doozy of a time finding a replacement for that PC 10K though :( I may have to take it to Bermuda Triangle and have Jon help me (argh! I despise going there)

Anyhoo, Do you all think that's a more economical and stress-relieving plan? I want halides for the nice natural effect it puts on water to give it that shimmering look. Should I ditch the halide for now?
 
The easiest way to introduce halides without shocking your tank is by changing the distance it is from the top of the water.....

If you are using strong PC at say 6" for 10 hours a day.

I would start the MH off at about 12 to 18" for 6-8 hours a day then slowly move it closer to the water level and slowly increase the time interval.

Just some words from my personal experience.
1) Gary at www.championlighting.com one of the best and most helpful people i have found when it comes to knowing what he sells.
2) softies anywhere on the top half of my 55 gallon running 2 250 watt 14.5k bulbs 10 hours a day 6 inches off the water seem to draw up and don't like that much light.

Hope this helps.
Also take a look at my tank on the homepage for what 14.5k bulbs look like.

Brandon.
 
Another acclimation idea that will reduce stress due to UV burning will be to buy some window screen from Lowes or Home Depot and cut it into 6 or 7 peices to fit over your tank. Remove 1 peice per week until all are gone..

I hear that is the best method...
 
Great suggestions guys :D It won't be long now that I have some more ideas and knowlege.

Softies can thrive under flo's only can't they? I dont HAVE to have halide, right? I wan't to get them but the wallet says wait a while longer LOL
 
It includes the hanging kit... the light.. the ballast... the bulb and the pendant...

Basically everything you see and need...

The three pictures are just of different angles though just so you didn't get confused.

Also I called gary at champion lighting and he switched it to a 20k bulb from the 10k for me.. .Great guy and if you are only using that one light i would go with the 20k bulb... AB 20k bulb is about like other 14k bulbs....

Just my :twocents:
 
Totally incredible! Sweet Price. That's exactly how I want to have my halides too. Tell me this: If I wanted two bulbs, I'd have to have two of those kits, right? will one ballast power more than one bulb at a time? I'm gonna look around at that site and see if they have a two bulb model ;)

Thankx a ton!
 
They do, but they go up pretty quickly in price...

I wouldn't put two 250 watts over a 30 gallon... and in fact have to run a 1/5 hp chiller to keep my water where it needs to be with 2 over my 55.

that would boil your water.

If you live around chattanooga you are always welcome to come see mine in action.

No that is strickly a one bulb unit, but one 250 watt HQI bulb is no shabby light.

Brandon
 
I may take you up on that view offer ;)
I was thinking maybe two 100 watt 10k's. I'm gonna get replacement bulbs for my pc's soon and may opt to get all actinics to complicment those halides you introduced me to :D

When is a good time to visit ya?
 
That is an AWESOME deal for a pendant light!

If you need it lower on the budget scale then you could do a retro that includes a Magnetic ballest (Mine dont run hot and they make no sound), Reflector, XM Bulb, and about 15ft of chord. The only thing you have to do is connect the wire from the ballest to the wire from the bulb. Two Wires and it takes about a minute to do.

I ordered and they were shipped the same day.

For a 250w kit they cost $130.00 each....The free bulb can be either a 10k, 15k, or 20k XM bulb.

http://www.hellolights.com/arocu25re.html

PS. You saw my lights in Ft. O remember...
 
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Yeah..your lights are INCREDIBLE! I love how you have them spaced out and have very little to no 'dead' space.

Ok, so....considering my tank's size and what I'm planning on keeping, what is the ideal halide to get keeping in mind that I will most likely use my compacts as actinics? (is that a good idea?)
 
If you plan on keeping all 200 watts currently for actinic on that tank i would say go with a single 150 -175 watt 10k pendant and you should have way more than enough lighting even for stonies in the future.

250 might be a bit much and you would struggle with heat issues and not see much in the form of an advantage.

Just my :twocents:

The invitation is good for whenever.

LMK
Brandon
 
I know that the actual power is determined by the ballast. If I bought a 96W bulb, and I have a ballast for 65W, will that work? I'll only be getting 65W, I know but will that bulb work?

Reason: I found a GREAT deal on ebay (2 96W bulbs for 21 bucks!)
 

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