light

[flamingkingofhe]

i am considdering switching to mh i currently have 7 wpg of vho i was wondering if i switched to mh would i have to run some sort of flouressnet witth it or would mh be ok by itself ? also is higher k rating better than lower k

 

[michaeltx]

I have the 65K bulbs and really dont care for color.
with those you will need actinic supplement deffinately
but check my post there are a couple fo people giving advise on K ratings on them
Mike

 

[flamingkingofhe]

ok so lets say that i go with two 175 w 10,000k mh + 2 110 vho actinic and i keep them about 6-7" above the tank and i run 2 4.5" fans on them will it get real hot and possibly increase the temp of the tank also is this a good set up for my 55 g tank?

 

[flamingkingofhe]

bump

 

[hookedonreefs]

You're suggested lighting is exactly what I have in my 75 tank. It should work fine for you. I see that some people are suggesting 250 watt halides for sps and clams, but I personally feel/hope 175 will be enough.
One warning the tank temp does go up. Given that I have tops on the tank, and the lights are 5-6"s above the water surface, it will still get warmer.
The nice thing is I've built my rock so some sections of the tank have slightly low intesity of light for softies and 'shrooms.
Just my experience for ya!

 

[jim672]

I run one 175w 10K Mh and 2 95w VHO's (one actinic and one daylight) over my 45 gallon tank (3' long). I have dual 4 1/2" fans that come on when the MH bulb comes on. The ballast I have allows separate off/on for the MH and VHO's. I found that my tank temp actually goes down a degree or two shortly after the fans come on.
I love the flexiblity I have with my lamps but really wish I had gotten the 250 watt MH. All of my soft coral are really doing well but I've tried twice with clams and haven't had any luck.
Jim

 

[flamingkingofhe]

i have a canopy not glass tops so do you thimk the temp would rise? if so how much on a guestament?

 

[jim672]

I have a canopy also; no glass tops. My canopy, though, came with an acrylic "shield" to protect the bulbs. I built a 2" x 4" frame to go around the top of the tank......stained to match my stand. That keeps the whole canopy 4" or 5" inches off the water and I get very little splash on the acrylic shield.
If your fans work to pull the heat away from the water the way they should, I'd guess the temp shouldn't be effected too drastically.....a couple degrees, maybe? (There's probably a formula to figure that out but I don't know it.....)
One thing to remember is you're going to have the MH's on less time than your current VHO's so there's less time for them to generate heat. (I run my MH 7 hours a day......the VHO's are on for 10)
Jim