switching to halide

[jmac]

i'm thinking of getting of buying a halide setup, also as i was checking out different brands current has legs that they use on there setups, does that mean they don't have to be hung on the ceiling and i don't have to use a chiller? and i have a 58 gallon oceanic so if you have any suggestions on what i should get i would appreciate that thank you

 

[corey]

i'm thinking of getting of buying a halide setup, also as i was checking out different brands current has legs that they use on there setups, does that mean they don't have to be hung on the ceiling and i don't have to use a chiller? and i have a 58 gallon oceanic so if you have any suggestions on what i should get i would appreciate that thank you

on a 58 gal you should definately use a chiller, id say up to about a 120gal needs a chiller

 

[Holygral]

I disagree, it depends on what you want to keep and what wattage you are looking at. I have a 75 with a 20 g sump and am running 2x250 MH. I am using a Ranco temp controller with a clip on fan ($4 Walmart) and I can keep temps at 79-80 with a room temp of 78-80. Lights are about 4 in. above water level. Mix reef with a clam.

 

[corey]

I disagree, it depends on what you want to keep and what wattage you are looking at. I have a 75 with a 20 g sump and am running 2x250 MH. I am using a Ranco temp controller with a clip on fan ($4 Walmart) and I can keep temps at 79-80 with a room temp of 78-80. Lights are about 4 in. above water level. Mix reef with a clam.

lets just say to be on the safe side it would be a good idea

 

[ronj]

i have had halides on several smaller tanks(250w halides).. i have never used a chiller and the weather gets really hot here.....i have kept my lights about 4in from the water and it did get warmer, but all you have to do is raise the lights a bit or add a fan.. a chiller is not necessary unless you keep your house warm or it is really hot where you live

 

[mmkeeper]

No chiller here two 175w over a 75 with canopy. Just use a fan, I have come on 1/2 before lights on and turn off 1/2 after lights out. Northern California.

 

[Holygral]

As others have stated and agreeed, $300 chiller vrs a $4 fan, but You do need to have some kind of temp controller, it also does double duty if a heater malfunctions and does not shut off.

 

[jmac]

so what should i go with two150w, one 250w ?

 

[mmkeeper]

3ft or 4ft tank?

 

[Holygral]

IMO I would go with 2 x 150, this would give you better coverage and give you more options in the future to upgrade in tank size. :-}

 

[ronj]

i would go with the 250w halides.. they will be perfect for most tanks that aren't over 24" deep... the 150's don't penetrate the water deep enough in most tanks

 

[Scooterman]

That is a 36" tank If it is the same as my sump from Oceanic, I think 36"x18"H &18"D If I remember correctly. Depending on what you want to do with this tank I think the initial cost from 150's to 250's would be about the same. The thing you have to look at would be what are your plans now & future plans, I tend to say go with the 250's with smaller pendants even though It may be an over kill or over lap somewhat, If you plan of getting a larger tank down the road you could reuse them up to a 4ft tank. If you don't want to deal with extra power consumption, more heat & plan on staying with this tank a few years you could do one larger Luminarc reflector with a 250 watt over it, It should pounce the tank well with light but will have some over lap on the sides because of the size of the large reflectors & being square, If it can fit under your hood.

 

[TWallace]

I have 2 x 250W over my 55 and I don't use a chiller. I have 4 computer fans built into the canopy that turn on when one of the halides turns on. I live in the Seattle area, so outside heat isn't much of a concern. Not sure if Wisconsin is in the same boat.

 

[mcvicker]

I have the exact same tank and went with one 400 watt halide, but didn't like the look of one point source of light. I would go with two 250 watt halides. I currently run 2 400 watt MH with only 4 hours of overlap, but I don't use a chiller and haven't had a problem. I run two large volume computer fans across the water. Lots of evaporation, but little heat problems.

This will give you plenty of light and allow for future upgrade. I am going to go to a single 400 watt and t5 supplement next time I can afford to put money into my tank. I really wish I would have gone with the 250 watt.
-chris

 

[Scooterman]

Chris what reflectors are you using because It sounds like you could spread out the light with a good LIII?

 

[mcvicker]

I have a DIY I made at work using polished steel. It is the same footprint as my tank (18x36). The problem I ran into is most off the shelf reflectors are designed for a 24" by 24" footprint of light. this leaves 6" on either side that is shady. Which is okay because you can put your low light stuff there, but I didn't like the way it looked (solely aesthetics). In retrospect I would only go with one halide if I had strong supplemental flourescent light to even out the look.

Another factor is the kelvin rating of the light. I like to use a 15k style light for the color, these don't seem to be as bright as the 10ks. When I switched to the 12k reefluxes I was able to back off to a single light and still like how it looks. But I noticed the undersides and outsides of my sps dieing off.

I really need to start over on my lighting, but I think I am going to hold off until I get a new tank. Then do it right.
-chris

 

[Scooterman]

I wouldn't sweat the high end reflectors, you can adjust the amount of light hitting the tank by adjusting the height of the reflector, this will most probably (no offense) produce way more light into your tank then home made or the cheaper reflectors, there just isn't any comparison!