how much light is overkill?

rryyddeerr

rryyddeerr

New Member
i have a little 42 hex. i have somelive rock, 2 small fish, and a bta. i would like to get more rock, lights and invest in building a reef slowly. lets assume my filtration is adequate, and bio load is low. id like a maxima clam or two, some corals, etc, added over time. the first thing i would like to do is increase my light. currently im running a 96 watt compact setup 50/50. would adding a 250 watt mh be too much? im going to build a new hood utilizing the curent setup + a mh, but i dont know where to draw the line. the tank is about 24"deep
did i forget anything?
thanks for all your help!
noah
 
sk8shorty01

sk8shorty01

Active Member
I don't think that a 250W MH would be overkill for that tank. The tank is rather deep so you are going to need something that can reach the bottom. With a 250W you would be sitting at about 6 watts per gallon (this is just a guideline) so thats not too much in my opinion.
 
matt b

matt b

Active Member
Originally Posted by rryyddeerr
http:///forum/post/2515903
i have a little 42 hex. i have somelive rock, 2 small fish, and a bta. i would like to get more rock, lights and invest in building a reef slowly. lets assume my filtration is adequate, and bio load is low. id like a maxima clam or two, some corals, etc, added over time. the first thing i would like to do is increase my light. currently im running a 96 watt compact setup 50/50. would adding a 250 watt mh be too much? im going to build a new hood utilizing the curent setup + a mh, but i dont know where to draw the line. the tank is about 24"deep
did i forget anything?
thanks for all your help!
noah
There is not really any point of getting that much unless you already have it. And I would upgrade soon or that bta is gonna be long gone. And good luck finding a way to fit the light strip and and retro fit without causing a shadow
 
rryyddeerr

rryyddeerr

New Member
Originally Posted by MaTT B
http:///forum/post/2515976
There is not really any point of getting that much unless you already have it. And I would upgrade soon or that bta is gonna be long gone. And good luck finding a way to fit the light strip and and retro fit without causing a shadow
to be clear, i was thinking of putting in aprox. 7.7 watts/gal. thats the compact flo. and mh. now, what ive thought about doing is taking apart the strip the flourescents are in and mounting everything in the new canopy, that will cover the whole top of the tank.
so, in total, there would be 346 watts, 250 from the mh and 96 from the flo's. is that too much? or would i be better off just switching to the mh?
im going to take it all apart and construct something from scratch.
thank you again for your thoughts.
oh, and the bta is in danger now?
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
For the depth of the tank a 250w halide plus the actinics would be fine, not overkill at all. A 175w system will work, but you not be able to keep more light demanding things towards the bottom.
I would keep an eye on temp. If you add some fans you may not have too much of a problem, but with less surface area on a hexagon tank it may be harder to control.
-Justin
 
rryyddeerr

rryyddeerr

New Member
thank you very much. i will keep an eye on the temps and build in a fan. i also have a great deal of surface area in my sump closet. i may install a fan in there if i need to.
thanks again.
noah
 
devil dog

devil dog

Active Member
The only thing I was thinking was the heat of the light in a small tank and with a 250w MH you will most likely need a chiller...
 
rryyddeerr

rryyddeerr

New Member
i made the canopy this weekend as i was under the weather and needed something all consuming to keep me off my bike. (primary obsessive hobby)
so, this thing isnt pretty but it should get the job done. ive got the ballast mounted in the closet and power routed through the wall.
the aqualight came apart very nicely. i was even able to cut the casing and preserve all the original mounts for the ballast and fans. even wired the new fan out of it.
bulb should get here on monday. there are some details to iron out, but the best i can tell it should come together without any serious hiccups.
thanks again for all yawls advice.
noah


 
rryyddeerr

rryyddeerr

New Member
ok, mounted up the iwasaki 250 today. its really bright. what can i say? it looks like the damned sun is out, but its aweful yellow lookin. (6500K) im almost dissappointed. temps are all good right now though.
ive deceded that i would like to pursue a small collection of clams. i have always admired them. finally, i have light that can sustain them.
ill post pictures when i get the tank cleaned.
noah
 
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