150W MH on 12gal. Too much?
- Thread starter wla1610
- Start date
bigpete
Member
i think you should go with 70watt but im pretty sure a few people on here have a 150 watts on a 12 gal. You might have more evaporation with 70 MH. but, if you could get a 150 watt for the same price i would go with that. anyone else have an opinion on this? i dont have MH but i did alot of research on it, i planned on getting some but didnt want to deal with massive evaporation.
jakebtc
Member
many people on here have the 70 on the 24 and are happy
and there are some with the 150 on the 24 and are super happy and it looks really well
with the 12 IMO I would not go with the 150
your more likely to be limited on what you can not keep rather than what you can
and your heat and evap may be a problem not sure
if you're lookin at the 150 real hard you may want to look at the 24 gal and sell your lil one hehe this is all my opinion not tryin to steer you or offend
I'm sure there are plenty that have gone with the 150 on your size tank but with that short depth and small size its alot of light
this is a clamp on correct??
and there are some with the 150 on the 24 and are super happy and it looks really well
with the 12 IMO I would not go with the 150
your more likely to be limited on what you can not keep rather than what you can
and your heat and evap may be a problem not sure
if you're lookin at the 150 real hard you may want to look at the 24 gal and sell your lil one hehe this is all my opinion not tryin to steer you or offend
I'm sure there are plenty that have gone with the 150 on your size tank but with that short depth and small size its alot of light
this is a clamp on correct??
mag395
Member
150 is a lot for a 12 but if you are looking to upgrade, just put it higher above the tank. Or you can or limit the light somehow (make a shade, run it less, etc.) I've never heard of anyone shading a light but if I was in your situation, I would probably go get some auto tinting. Keep in mind MH's are very hot so get something that can take the heat.
Or do what jakebtc said and get another tank.
Or do what jakebtc said and get another tank.
bonebrake
Active Member
Heat will be impossible to deal with unless we are talking about a 150 watt pendant or clamp on 10 inches above the tank and going topless. You will definitely need an excellent auto top off because you will probably lose close to a gallon of water a day, and in a twelve gallon that is a ton of water and without auto top off you would have to manually top of four times a day so your chemistry would not go out of whack. If you go 150 watt, go pendant or clamp, go topless, auto-top off system, definitely get 20,000 K bulb, and get some amazing SPS!
davind
Member
I have a 150W on my 12 gallon. I also have a 4 inch fan pulling air away from the surface connected to a temperature controller. When I tired to keep the temp at 78-79, I had a lot of evap (1/4 - 1/2 gallon a day). I live in AZ and keep my AC at 81 in the house. I've since adjusted my fan to come on at 82 so it keeps the tank 81-82 and now evap is very little. My understanding is that the higher temp is ok, you just don't want any big swings in temp.
wla1610
Member
I am looking at the clamp on MH. I just can't see buying a 70 when i can buy a 150 for the same price. I could always use it on my 20 later on if i set it back up. I dunno what to do right now... it has 54w Power Compact right now.. I'll wait a bit.... god i hate spending the same for less.
keithinjax
Member
What kind of 70 watt fixture are you looking at getting?
How much are the 70watt verse the 150watt?
How much are the 70watt verse the 150watt?
wla1610
Member
Current has a sunpod that is 70W and one that is 150W. Both are almost the same price.
There is also a fixture "coralife i think" that clamps onto the top of the tank that is 150W and its about the same price if not a bit cheaper than the 2 fixtures above. So it is driving me nuts right now.
There is also a fixture "coralife i think" that clamps onto the top of the tank that is 150W and its about the same price if not a bit cheaper than the 2 fixtures above. So it is driving me nuts right now.
