Approve or Disapprove

[OldManOfTheSea]

OK ladies and gentlemen, its time now to agree or not, thumbs up or down on this lighting spec for my to be SPS reef tank 8'x2'x2' with a DSB of 4" to 4.5"

The light quote is: for the metal halides - 3 250 watt (Screw in bulbs) (Retrofit reflectors with Reef Optix 1 ballasts. These reflectors allow the heat to dissapate. These lights will be spaced out to equally cover your aquarium, placed in the middle of the tank

For the T-5's: for the backround fill lights I recommend putting 6 48" atinic lights. Placing 4 lights on the front and 2 on the back. These will give you very good fill lights to complement the metal halides. The ballast ( 3 of them) are IceCap units. The end caps are waterproof and also by IceCap. I'm not sure who manufactures the reflectors are by, but they are highly polished units from I think IceCap. The bulbs I was thinking about are 48" 54watt atinic.

Buddy

 

[ajnweb]

Seems reasonable, 240 gallon tank with 1074 watts of light....about 4.5 watts per gallon, although a 400 watt halide in the center might give you more coral options, high/lower light options with the 250's outboard

 

[nsamouroux]

The watts per gallon measurement is pretty useless anymore, but you'll probably be OK with 3 halides at 2' depth as long as those reflectors can handle a 3' x 3' or 3' x 2' area. I don't know the specs on your reflectors, but the 19" large size Lumenarc reflectors cover a 3' x 3' area, while the smaller 15" lumenarcs cover a 2' x 2' area. On my 8' tank (also 2' tall like yours) I'm most likely going to be running four of these 15" reflectors but I'm using 400w XM20k bulbs with no supplemental lighting. Between your 250 halides and the t-5s between them, you should be good to go

 

[braddo]

3 250watt bulbs with reflectors and supplimental T-5 lighting on a 2' deep tank seems about right to grow pretty much anything.

Wow Nsamouroux impressive, 4 - 400watt halides in a focused 2'x2' coverage reflectors on a tank that is only 2' deep? Seems like an excessive amount of light, I take it you aren't all too worried about heat issues?

 

[nsamouroux]

Not particularly worried about heat I've currently got two 400w XM20k bulbs on my 100g tank and a 250w Ushio 10k bulb between them and I haven't needed a chiller in the last two years. The canopy I built for the big tank is 14" tall (bulbs will be 12" above the top of tank, and about 13" above the water surface) with an open back and will have 120mm fans (100cfm airflow) blowing room-temp air into it. My sump is in a below-ground unfinished basement, which never gets above 60* even in the 100* heat wave we had a while back, so it acts as a chiller of sorts.

 

[braddo]

on the opposite side of the spectrum I only run two 150w bulbs 12" - 14" above the water with no canopy on my 50g and need to run a fan across the top of my sump when the temperature outside reaches the mid 80's.

 

[Saltyfish]

I have 3 250W Dual End HQI and the reason I went with them is because I was told by several "experts" that if I went with Single End (Screw-In) I would need 3 400W bulbs

T-5's are great but from my own design I would run 4 250W SE or DE and then 4 T5's 2 infront and 2 in back for my blue effect...

 

[roscoe]

If it was me. I would go with 3 250w maybe 4 under full size lumenarc reflectors best spread IMO and flank them with T-5s for supplemental lighting. IMO it is a waste of electricity with 400w in a tank that is only 24'' tall unless you have your lights 18'' from the water surface like myself. The Watts per gallon rule is real lame nowadays. I don't know why people still think that way. It is the intensity of the light not the watts that matter.

 

[nsamouroux]

The OP is already using 250w bulbs / ballasts from the looks of his post. I'm only using 400w because I already had a nice Hamilton dual-ballast, but will have to pick up another dual ballast or two individual ones for the larger tank. With the 20k bulbs I normally use I haven't had to run any sort of supplemental / actinic lighting, which keeps things simple. I'll probably go with 250w 20k halides for the other two bulbs if only to save on power. I'm buying four of Fatboy's lumenarc clone reflectors tomorrow, so I'll be set

 

[roscoe]

The OP is already using 250w bulbs / ballasts from the looks of his post. I'm only using 400w because I already had a nice Hamilton dual-ballast, but will have to pick up another dual ballast or two individual ones for the larger tank. With the 20k bulbs I normally use I haven't had to run any sort of supplemental / actinic lighting, which keeps things simple. I'll probably go with 250w 20k halides for the other two bulbs if only to save on power. I'm buying four of Fatboy's lumenarc clone reflectors tomorrow, so I'll be set

There is a few reasons for the T-5s. One is to supplement and 2 for a dawn to dusk effect and the 3rd is I can have a longer viewing time without having the halides on more than 6-8 hrs a day. I don't have any supplmental lighting for my 270g DT that is because I havn't figured out what and how to install it to my canopy to make it look clean as the canopy float about 18'' above my tank.

 

[OldManOfTheSea]

I already had let James know of the Lumenbrights and being that his idea to help keep the tank not so hot, that the larger of the two sizes would be required here. Also, i wanted from the start and even told james that i wanted 250 Watt DE MH bulbs, and he selected the screw in type, is there so much difference between the two, other then one is a screw in and the other is DE? If so, being that I originally wanted DE, he would then have to make the proper adjustments.

roscoe, The old canopy, were it was new, just never used, but it too was build 18 tall, but on the inside, when the canopy rest on the tank, there be only a height of 15 3/4" of height above the water line.

Now i hear that the T5 lights need to be 10" above the water line, the MH however are higher up, what should they be? I said before accepting any price quote for the stand and canopy, that I wanted the lighting issue to be at a conclusion.

Buddy

 

[roscoe]

IMO I would stick with the moguls as they don't need a UV glass shield and is much easier to replace bulbs maybe cuz I'm lazy LOL. I have a DE over my 40b and I hate having to remove the glass shield to replace the bulb. If I remember right you are somewhat disable and can do limited work on your tank this is why I say to stick with moguls for you. You should be fine with the height you have for T-5s. There are many folks that have them 4-6'' above the water surface.

 

[OldManOfTheSea]

roscoe, it will not matter for me in my case if I was lazy or not, because im now looking into a stand with the height under the tank of 40", and I already bought a 9' step stool ladder for this reason. In this, it will be extremely difficult for me to change each and every bulbs myself, that is due to my disability. So i would be paying James to come around to change one bulb at a time, for what little i know in these matters is that by changing all the bulbs in one shot, could cause the corals or some of them to go into shock.

THanks guys

Buddy

 

[roscoe]

I guess I am just lazy LOL.

 

[Saltyfish]

Like I said if you use the SE (moguls) you might want to go with four of them
If you go with the DE HQI you can get away with three of them.

Think of it this way

2X2X2 box the moguls do not over lap as well as the DE HQI. Of course depends on other factors too like the reflectors.

If you wanted to you could just put two 48" 8 bulb tek fitures over the tank and be done with it. Just remember you do not get the shimmer from the water if you use T-5's.

The best thing is to decide what your goal is and find what works for you. Some people say I do not have enough light others say it will be fine. All I can say is that I got good growth so it must be working for my set up and I can't complain about that.

 

[Saltyfish]

BTW

the rule of thumb (still 2' area)

150W DE HQI - up to 24"
250W DE HQI - Up to 30"
400W DE HQI - up to 36" (if I remember right on this one)

As stated above I have 3 250W DE HQI on my 8' Tank and they over lap very well. I also lose about 10 inches for my over flow because it is on one end of the tank instead of the back of the tank. I believe it is just enough light but if I can add another one I would.

I only have three cut outs on the top of my tank. I am thinking of designing a reflector that will hold two bulbs so I can get up to 6 lights but not sure it is worth the electric bill with the growth I am getting.

 

[returnofsid]

I've been running 150 MH, over an 18" deep tank, with about 2" of sand, for about 9 months now. Totally unimpressed. Switching to T5HO very soon, on that tank. Corals that were under T5s, deep in our 75, quickly browned out, when put in the 40, under the 150MH.

 

[CarlaW]

Lighting isn't the only thing that promotes good growth!!!! I think he will be fine with what he has chosen. I think his only dilemma is going to be what "K" value he is gonna chose.

 

[OldManOfTheSea]

I hope this decision now reach will be well enough suited for my goal. Also, the SPS corals that require stronger lighting, will be position right under the three MH in the area of 24" square area.

So on the lighting specs, the only change made is the MH reflectors to the large LumenBright (20” x 20” x 9”) and all will be completed on light selections for the 240.

James however is trying to work it that i should have good enough lighting with less heating problems, but i wasnt happy about the MH reflectors he quoted for me. I hope with the far better reflectors that this will be well enough.suited.

Buddy