Advice on MH retro fit....

[hoover86]

I was looking at upgrading my PC to MH for my 75 gallon tank. I want to be able to get SPS corals and things eventually so I'm weighing out my options and interested in anyones advice. What have you guys experienced for the lowest price but the best product? I hear a lot of people saying retro fit is good price and works well. What do most people pay and reccomend for a setup like mine? ALL advice is welcome with your experiences as I've only been in this about a month! Thanks guys!

 

[oceana]

Originally Posted by hoover86
I was looking at upgrading my PC to MH for my 75 gallon tank. I want to be able to get SPS corals and things eventually so I'm weighing out my options and interested in anyones advice. What have you guys experienced for the lowest price but the best product? I hear a lot of people saying retro fit is good price and works well. What do most people pay and reccomend for a setup like mine? ALL advice is welcome with your experiences as I've only been in this about a month! Thanks guys!
for a 2 x 250MH retro unit you can spend as little as around 300

 

[buzzword]

Hoover, here is my set up. PFO dual 250w MH with Current 4x65w PC's and Spyder light reflectors. Can't give you the sites here but just google retrofit or metal halide reef lighting and you will get tons of sites.

 

[hoover86]

Ic, that looks pretty nice. Now you're kind of talking over my head here, I hear people talk about 14K 16K, and how the light is different colors?.... What do I need for like SPS corals and all these numbers are drving me kinda crazy :notsure: and where do you put your balasts? just under your stand? Thanks for all the advice and help guys and gals!

 

[buzzword]

Ok, the K stands for Kelvin rating the higher the number the bluer the bulb. I started with 10K and now run 14K because I like the little bluer look than the white of the 10K. I got great growth out of my SPS with the 10K. Have only run the 14 K for 2 months so don't know about how good the growth is yet.
And I put my ballasts right next to my tank on a bookcase i got from Walmart just for that purpose. They stay cooler than they would under the tank.

 

[hoover86]

How much did you pay for your setup? It's really close to what I'm looking for. One other question, could I use my current pc's and convert them into a canopy setup with halides? I have an all enclosed fixture with 4 bulbs total I believe...

 

[buzzword]

Hoover, I paid somewhere between $600-650 for the set up last year. Prices a little higher this year. I am unfamiliar with taking an enclosed piece apart and using those, although expect it can be done.