MH light Question

[Milez803]

for a 15 inch tall tank? should i go 2x400watts or 2x250 watts MH? but i do plan to upgrade to a bigger tank in the future. so with 2x400 watts would it be a bit too much?? thanks for the advices

 

[dailydriven911]

I would go w/ two 250's. What do you plan on keeping? Sounds like sps

 

[danno14]

"it matters"......was a favorite phrase of mine when younger (Was it really that long ago?)

It matters upon what you would like to keep. Some things do better with more light, others with less. Of course like many of us, you will likely try to plant things into your reef garden that do not coexist in nature. At least not in any proximity. What are you leaning toward keeping?

 

[Milez803]

yup..i'm trying to keep sps coral and stuff..especially my PC doesn't bring out the color of my frogspawn... what u guys think about this one

http://cgi.ebay.com/2X-400-Metal-Ha...6QQihZ019QQcategoryZ46314QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

gimme your opinion on it

 

[Snowboarda42]

thats not bad, at least it has a warranty on it. I'd look into seeing how other people are doing with it. Look at some of his comments and see who bought one and email them. See if the ballast is way noisy, lights suck, etc.

 

[Milez803]

another option for the light is ...
this one but buy 2 of them
http://cgi.ebay.com/METAL-HALIDE-40...6QQihZ016QQcategoryZ46314QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Reefdaddy1]

For a 15 inch tank depth IMO a 400 watt system is way over kill. Go with the 250 and go HQI you will not be disappointed.

 

[Milez803]

actually i'm just trying to plan for future..at this moment i have a 40 gallon tank, i plan to upgrade to a 100 gallon in the future..so that why if i buy 2x400 watts right now ..i don't have to buy it later ...

 

[returnofsid]

Well, I do understand your plans for upgrading. But keep in mind that UNTIL you upgrade, 2X400 MH would be a major problem in a tank 15" deep. You'll have a lot of heat issues. You mentioned SPS but then mentioned the color of your frogspawn, which is LPS. IMO 800 watts of MH lighting would probably burn your frogspawn. Once upgraded to a much larger tank, the 2X400s would be great. But even in a midsized tank like a 75, I think 2X400 would be too much...IMO.

 

[Krish]

IMO if you really want the 400's to have for the upgrade later and want to use them on this tank you have now, you could possibly mount them alot higher than the average 12 inches and maybe run a higher kelvin bulb leaning more towards the "bluer" spectrum and you may be ok. Dual 400's in any event is quite a lot for a 15inch deep tank, but placed high enough should work alright for the time being. Just my 2 cents

 

[Herefishyfishy]

If you will need the 2 400W lamps at a later date, power only one for now. IMO, 2 250s would be perfect for a 100. Even just running one 400 would add a LOT of heat to your 40.

"More can be better, but often is simply too much"

 

[Brenden]

I would def go with 250w HQI over 400 anything. I have ran 250w HQI with in a good pendent and had no problem keeping GSP, zoas, etc in 30" of water. In fact they grew faster than I could keep them fragged.

 

[Milez803]

thanks for the advice guys, maybe i will stick with 2x250 watts HQI for my 40 gallon right now, i hope the 250 watts can be use for my 100 gallon in the future, 100 gallon is the biggest i'll go..expensive hobby. i'm not sure what the depth of the tank for 100 gallons rectangle shape. Anyone know a website to calculate the amount of watts require for sps coral at certain depth? any opinion would be nice..thanks again for the advice..

 

[Milez803]

Another quick question, i was told that HQI are not as great compare to monguel socket.. HQI tend to burn out faster and use alot more energy compare to monguel, as of right now i don't know if i should go electronic ballast or a normal one..electronic ballast was said to save energy, but tend to break more often..is that true?

 

[dragoneggs]

I have 2 250w MH with actinics on the sides of them on my 250gal with 30in deep tank. I put my SPS on the top half of the tank, and my LPS, zoos, mushrooms on the lower half. I think you will be very happy with 250's.

 

[Milez803]

thanks for the advice mark..i'm pretty sure i would stick with 2x250 watts if your able to maintain your 250 gallon with 2..i currently have PC light i plan to take apart the fixture to connect it to the metal halide retro kit i plan to buy.. what do u guys think about this retro kit

http://cgi.ebay.com/2X-250-Metal-Ha...1QQihZ019QQcategoryZ46314QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

i was told that german brand are really good for reef tank?

any advice would be nice

 

[dragoneggs]

thanks for the advice mark..i'm pretty sure i would stick with 2x250 watts if your able to maintain your 250 gallon with 2..i currently have PC light i plan to take apart the fixture to connect it to the metal halide retro kit i plan to buy.. what do u guys think about this retro kit

http://cgi.ebay.com/2X-250-Metal-Ha...1QQihZ019QQcategoryZ46314QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

i was told that german brand are really good for reef tank?

any advice would be nice

Keep in mind that reflectors are important for light distribution. I use lumenarc IIIs and love them but they are expensive. I looked at the ebay site you posted and the product may well be good but a seller with only 15 sales, selling something like this would make me nervous.