Is MH only ok for lighting?

sco999

sco999

Member
I am in the process of purchasing my lighting for my DIY canopy. I was going to buy 1 250 watt MH with 10,000K bulb. Do I need a p/c or vho fixture as well. I was told that you need to have the p/c or vho so it can replicate sunrise and sunset. Would having only a MH be harmful to my corals, and inverts? Tank size is a 38Gallon dimensions are 36"x12.25"x20".
Thanks
 
broncofish

broncofish

Active Member
I would recomend supplemental lighting, not jsut for replicating sunrise/sunset, but also for the comlete spectrum. There are some people who use 20,000k bulbs that don't use pc'sor vhos, I would imagine that having a MH fire straight up and cut straight out would frighten your fish every morning and night though.
 
bjgwilliam

bjgwilliam

Member
My tank is a 46 bow. The only lighting I have is 150 watt MH with 10,000 Kelvins. I have had no problem with my fish, inverts or corals.
Within the last three weeks, my green star Polyups have doubled in size and have added 25-30 new starts. My Mushrooms have propigated x4 I have a tourch coral that just split and now has 2 mouths and is quickly growing. My Yellow polyps are starting to grow everywhere, and I just noticed this morning the my green zoanthid just sprouted a new polyup:jumping:
I have had great luck with my MH...
Hope this helps.
Oh, I almost forgot, my fish are also doing great
 
coolfish22

coolfish22

Member
I have just a 20k 250watt MH HQI pendant hanging over a 60 gallon hexagon tank and I have had no problems at all - both fish and coral doing fine.
 
golfish

golfish

Active Member

Originally posted by sco999
I was told that you need to have the p/c or vho so it can replicate sunrise and sunset.

Originally posted by mudplayerx
10k MH bulbs don't need to be supplemented with other light types, but they do need to be left on for 12 hours a day.
I don't know where people get these ideas:notsure: You don't need any lighitng for sunrise and sunset. It might be nice to have but certainly not needed..
leaving MH's on for 12 hrs a day isn't needed either. When I switch out the old bulbs with new bulbs I start with about 6 hrs a day after about a month I might bump it up to 7 hrs, then a month or two later I'll bump it up to 8hrs, then maybe 9 and so on...as the bulb gets weaker I increase the time. I never get up to 12 hrs a day...
 
broncofish

broncofish

Active Member

Originally posted by golfish
I don't know where people get these ideas:notsure: You don't need any lighitng for sunrise and sunset. It might be nice to have but certainly not needed..
A long time ago in a thread far far away sammy stingray and I had a discussion about this. My opinion is that the sunrise/sunset thing is mostly for our benefit, because a power compact flicking on is not even close to simulating sunrise or sunset for a fish.
 
broncofish

broncofish

Active Member

Originally posted by golfish
I bet your Avitar is one of Sammy's.....:D
Nope this one i found on my own..I suppose he would approve of it. I have not seen him on here since I started posting agai, him and a few others, I don't even want to ask where they went
 
mudplayerx

mudplayerx

Active Member
Everywhere I've read about having a 10k mh setup with no supplemental lighting, it says to leave them on for 12 hours. Julian Sprung and John Tullock are my main sources for info, and they definately advocate at least 10 hours of MH a day.
I'm not home enough to only have the lights on for 6 hours a day, unless I leave them on while I'm sleeping. What would be the point of having the tank then :p
I have no algae problems and all my inverts are growing/reproducing so I don't think 12 hours a day of MH are going to hurt.
Good luck all
 
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