Lighting questions

wla1610

wla1610

Member
Hello, Currently i have a 20 Gal tank with and i'm wondering if a 130W compact light setup with Sunpaq dual 6700/10000 bulb, a Dual Actinic 460nm/420nm bulb, and 2 3/4 W lunar lights.
I'm also debating on going to a 46 gal bow tank and the same company has a 384W compact light setup with the same stuff as above except its 4 bulbs instead of 2 and 3 lunar lights.
The company that makes the fixture is Orbit.
Would this be good enought to light up some corals? Watt per gallon is 6.5 W / Gal on the 20 gal tank and 8.3 W / Gal on the 46 tank.
Comments? Suggestions? Please also note that I cannot mount lighting from the ceiling, so I think it kinda rules out Metal Halides.
Thank you!
 
wla1610

wla1610

Member
Are there any MH that i can mount over my tank with some sort of mounting legs?
Also thank you for the replies back.
 
airforceb2

airforceb2

Active Member
There are all kinds of retro kits you can get and put them on your own home-made canopy if you feel like you can do it. Otherwise, you can get MH canopies or pendants to hang over the tank.
 
wla1610

wla1610

Member
I guess I'm just really confused. I'm going to be working on a 46 Gal bow reef tank. I can get a 384 W compact light fixture to set on top. I've also seen a similar setup with 2 compact actinic bulbs and a 150 Mh light. Watt / Gal, the first option has more than the 2nd with the MH light.
My guess is it's not just the Watt / Gal. Is a 150 W MH bulb better than 200 W compact light? Can someone give an explanation on this?
I just want to make sure I don't fork out a ton of money and have to do it again. Money isn't a big issue but I just don't want to have to do it again. Also as I said above, I cannot do any sort of suspension hookup in my apartment.
Thank you.
 
airforceb2

airforceb2

Active Member
The thing to look at is the PAR. MH bulbs put out a lot more par then flourescents. This will allow the light to get deeper and stonger. Always go with MH when you can.
You can't even put a hook in the ceiling and fill it with toothpaste when you move out?
 
wla1610

wla1610

Member
I guess I should talk to my apartment manager. Do you have any suggestions on a couple good MH setups that I can look at?
Would it be a bad idea to get an aqualight pro setup that is 48" long and has 2 150W MH and 2 96W actinic bulbs. Or should I get the 36" which is what the length of the 46 Gal bow tank is that I'm going to buy. The 36" has only 1 MH and the 2 actinics are 65 W.
My only thought of going with the 48" is because if I'm hanging it, would it matter to have that big of a setup?
Thanks
 
airforceb2

airforceb2

Active Member
I would get the smaller set-up. You can get a 36" fixture with 2 halides and either 2 55W PC or 2 VHO 95W lights.
 
wla1610

wla1610

Member
can you email me link to a site with that setup? All i've found are 1 MH light in the 36" fixtures.
Thanks
 
wla1610

wla1610

Member
One last question for you. Would 1 MH be enough for a 46 gal tank with some PC lights. Or should I go with 2 so I can have some corals?
 
airforceb2

airforceb2

Active Member
I'd say 1 would be enough. MH are good for a 2'x2' area. Just put your high light corals in the middle of the tank and the softies on the sides. Just remember, if you get an anemone, it will walk around the tank and may plant itself in a low light spot. It is all personal preference.
The 2 light set-up would be nice but will put out a lot more heat and cost more. The 1 light set-up wont put out as much light but will be easier to mount and wont hurt the pocketbook as much.
 
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