Metal Halide Lighting

[simpleman]

Hey guys I have a question about lighting my little tiny 6 gal tank. I've noticed my corals(leather,fan,green zoas, and star polps, all small frags) don't look as good in my tank as they did at the lfs. My water parameters are all where they should be. The lfs keeps all corals under MH lighting. I am wondering if I should get a MH clip on(JNJ nano makes one). Just worried about possibly burning coral? because tank is so shallow 12". Any info is greatly appreciated.:bowdown:
BTW I have read the articles about lighting in the helpful articles section. Tank has been up and running no problems for 6 months.
Cheers (eye of the hawk, love this stuff)
:beerchug:

 

[simpleman]

Oh, also right now tank only has 18w pc. 3w per gallon

 

[bobby]

I wouldn't get a halide. Too much heat and too much light for a tank that size. The corals might just be getting used to the light. The most I would od is add another 18watt light.

 

[bobby]

Also I dont know about the fan but leathers usually need more light... I think.
I have several corals in my 30 under 3WPG and there doing fine.

 

[MikMcgyver]

Check this out, a bit pricey but I think I may end up with this one..

JBJ K-2 Viper HQI Clamp on Lamp Lighting Fixture

 

[HAWKS12thMAN]

What it the length of your tank? I would suggest more powerful pcs not MH.... Way to much heat for a 6 gal tank.

 

[simpleman]

Yea Mik that is the one I'm looking at!
Hawk my tank is roughly a cubic foot (12"x12"x12"). I don't know if I can get more powerful pc's. The nano's have a german type prong adapter to them. I think the problem is I've already outgrown my little tank. I think I'm addicted!

 

[reeffreak]

That JBJ Viper was specifically made with very small Nano in mine.I would give Marine Depot customer service for advice on possible heat issues and see what they say.If you don't mine spending the money than it may work.I would stick with the 70w version.

 

[hibye]

look at ebay for some t5s

 

[jhnrb]

You do not need Mh for that small of a nano system. What you do need is to get the correct spectrum, and at least 3 watts per gal. gross, and if need be extend the photo period. or, 5 watts per gallon and less photo period. you need to find out what the kelvin rating of the mh at the lfs is, what supplemental lighting he uses. post back here and we can provide some suggestions. also, dont forget that soft corals put off chemicals and shed/dewax to cleanse themselves, your lfs probably had them in more than 6 gal of water, with only 6- gal. you will need to be carful as to what you mix in the system so that chemical warfare does not become an issue. hope this helps. pass on the mh, you dont need um until your water collum gets down to about 20" in depth. check out the T-5"s and compacts but 1st you need to determine the spectrum/or kelvin rating you want before you search for lights. There are some lighting articles in the helpful article forum that might give you some background on lighting. good luck, keep us posted.

 

[Ironman]

ya metal halides are the meka of reef keeping but not in 6 gallon nano. At the most you might see a tank with 10 watts per gallon keeping SPS. but you will kill everything you have in that tank if you put a halide fixture over it. and lets face it, if you a typical human in this hobby you will grow out of the 6 gallon in a few months anyway. so instead of spending all that money on a light, put it toward a bigger system. I have seen alot of successful 6 gallon nanos, but they usually are in either a fish store or a hobbiests home that has a large reef to keep the water cycleing out of the tank. its nearly impossible to keep a 6 gallon reef for any long period of time. I have a 15 gallon nano that is difficult to keep stable and I have 200 gallons of reef tank sitting next to it. Anyway, all that to say find a different source for lighting if you are attached to the 6 gallon tank.

 

[simpleman]

Thanks for the help guys! You're right I want a bigger tank, just sort of space limited at the time.