3 x 175 or 3 x 250 MH Lighting for 210Gallon

bwild

bwild

New Member
Hi,
This is my first post. I am looking at doing a retrofit up from PC's to MH. Which would be better, 3 x 175, 3 x 250 or something else. I plan to use the PC for actinics. I was looking at the catalina retros. Right now I am FOWLR but would like to add an anemone in the future. Any suggestion are appreciated. Thanks!
 
fishfreak1242

fishfreak1242

Active Member
I would go with the 3x 250s for a 210. You would probably find that 3x 175s would be insufficient and you wouldnt be able to have as much of a choice of corals and anemones.
 
spiderwoman

spiderwoman

Active Member
Originally Posted by bwild
http:///forum/post/2602609
Would 3 x 400 require a chiller? Are HQI better than the other bulbs?
All depends on your total water volume (DT + sump/ref), how well your canopy is ventilated and what fans you have in place. Probably you'll need a chiller, I'm already anticipating us needing one for our 150, total water volume (sump 22g and refugium 17g) of 189g.
 
bwild

bwild

New Member
I have seen seen some good VHO setups from ARO but it seems MH is much higher $ than the catalina. Is the quality of ARO better?
 
chilwil84

chilwil84

Active Member
aro is comparable to icecap but a couple bucks cheaper. i think pfo is almost double but also a whole new catagory of top of the line ballasts.
 
scubanoah

scubanoah

Member
3 250 watt DE or even SE with good reflectors will be plenty for a 28 in deep tank. they dont get near as hot either so depending on where you live you may not need a chiller. you will need plenty of ventilation though.
 
devil dog

devil dog

Active Member
I run three 400w MH on my 210 and I don't run a chiller I have no problems with heat but my whole system is 320 gallons
Hope that helps...
 
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