Just bought a metal halide from a guy... Little help understanding lighting and such pls!

[kilofey]

Ok, so the MH light I just got (picked it up for $40) is 175 watts. Currently, i have a 75 gal tank with 2x 54 watt t5 bulbs. One is a white color and the other is actanic.
To get my 4 watts per gallon, could I add the bulbs together or does it have to come from one single source? If I add them up, thats about 3.7 wpg so, im close, but im not sure if I need a MH thats like 300 watts or something.
Btw, pls dont go into intensity and lumens and such just yet. Im far too new to the hobby to start understanding all that lol... For now, lets work with wpg, cause thats what I understand atm :laughing:
Also, my MH came with a power box thing and a socket thing where u screw the bulb into... And thats it. What else do I need (like reflectors ect) and can I get them at home depot and the bulb, can that come from home depot? Ive read I may need a fan or something cause mh lights get hot... if I have a 1/2" piece of glass for the light to sit on above the tank, will that keep it cool enough or do I still need a fan?
Im not trying to do it the cheap way, but I am still learning and if the same exact things can be bought at a hardware store for less $, id like to go that route cause good god this hobby is pricey lol. I figure if I can save a little here or there, ill have more $ for other things I may need

 

[btldreef]

Watts per gallon isn't always accurate, which is why people go into PAR and lumens. But I agree, it gets confusing.
Anyways, actinic wattage means very little, so don't add it to your overall wpg number.
Can you post a picture of what you bought?

 

[acrylic51]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kilofey http:///forum/thread/386841/just-bought-a-metal-halide-from-a-guy-little-help-understanding-lighting-and-such-pls#post_3399880
Ok, so the MH light I just got (picked it up for $40) is 175 watts. Currently, i have a 75 gal tank with 2x 54 watt t5 bulbs. One is a white color and the other is actanic.
To get my 4 watts per gallon, could I add the bulbs together or does it have to come from one single source? If I add them up, thats about 3.7 wpg so, im close, but im not sure if I need a MH thats like 300 watts or something.
Btw, pls dont go into intensity and lumens and such just yet. Im far too new to the hobby to start understanding all that lol... For now, lets work with wpg, cause thats what I understand atm

Also, my MH came with a power box thing and a socket thing where u screw the bulb into... And thats it. What else do I need (like reflectors ect) and can I get them at home depot and the bulb, can that come from home depot? Ive read I may need a fan or something cause mh lights get hot... if I have a 1/2" piece of glass for the light to sit on above the tank, will that keep it cool enough or do I still need a fan?
Im not trying to do it the cheap way, but I am still learning and if the same exact things can be bought at a hardware store for less $, id like to go that route cause good god this hobby is pricey lol. I figure if I can save a little here or there, ill have more $ for other things I may need
Sounds like a good deal!!!!! You could easily add another MH to the setup, but would require a purchase of another MH ballast, but an easy project. A pic of the power box would be helpful, but I'm pretty sure it's just the enclosure that houses the ballast itself. Is there a cord coming off the socket with a plug end that plugs into the ballast box (power box)?
You could easily DIY reflector from material from HD or Lowes.....Probably not as efficient as an actual reflector, but would be a step in the right direction. I would assume that you have a canopy for the tank??? I would advise against placing the MH on top of the glass lids. Will create several issues....1. Being the glass over time will form condensation and salt creep and just crud up and it will actually cut down on light output to the tank. The other is possible not allowing the tank to natural cool thru evaporation; which needs to happen. Lastly by placing the lights so closely to the glass lids and really heating them up and then the glass lids being splashed with cooler water could easily crack the glass......
Normally you'd want to suspend your lighting at least 12" above the water surface. Search around there are a few good reflectors out there depending on what you want, price and space available to use them....Some require more mounting space than others to get the most out of them.....
As far as fan/heating issues....You can always blow a fan across the top of the tank, and another step to help combat heat issues would be to blow fans across your sump.