saltwaternewbie
Member
I know this should be in the classifieds but i need lights bad. So i figured some people in here could help me...... Also is 4.17 watts per gallon enough for a reef tank email me at GSXRKIDX@AOL.COM thanks jon
Lights
- Thread starter saltwaternewbie
- Start date
saltyshark
Member
WPG is only a rule of thumb for measuring lighting. There are many other factors that come into play when determining amount of light needed. Tell us more about your current setup (tank depth, high, width, type of lighting...etc) and what you plan on keeping and we will be able to help you out better.
HTH
SaltyShark
HTH
SaltyShark
saltwaternewbie
Member
well the tank is a 46 gallon bow front 36" across i dont know the depth it is tall maybe like 30 or so inches i havent set it up yet i wanna make a nice reef tank. With some coral etc.
saltyshark
Member
30"? Are you sure...that seems deep for a 46 gallon tank. Measure it, and if does measure 30" the best lighting IMO would be 2 400watt mh. You would be able to keep just about anything under these.
HTH
SaltyShark
HTH
SaltyShark
radioactive
Member
I have a 250w MH on my 35g hex . salty , are you sure saltwaternewbie needs 2 400w MH ? that is like 17 watts per gallon ? 46g tank right ?
crazy4reefs
Member
i have a 46 gallon bow tank also. and it is about 21 inches deep.
for lighting i have 2 96 watt pc also 2 55 watt pcs. i keep polyps,mushroom,leathers,frogspawn, torch coral and bubble and open brain corals.. they seem to do well and thrive.. hth.
for lighting i have 2 96 watt pc also 2 55 watt pcs. i keep polyps,mushroom,leathers,frogspawn, torch coral and bubble and open brain corals.. they seem to do well and thrive.. hth.
slick
Active Member
I agree with Radioactive. I think 2 400w would be overkill not to mention the heat problem that would occur. If the tank is only 21 inches tall there are a lot of options on lighting. Me personally I would get 2 175w MH's with some VHO or PC for actinics. The 175's shouldn't get to hot to cause a problem.
Are you posting your requests for info on lights in the Equiptment forum?? If you want info on lights, that would be a better place to get info, rather than the New Hobbyist Forum. If you want reef light info, then you might also inquire in the Reef Forum.
If you want to buy used light, then post in Trading. Not to say anything bad about this forum, but the New Hobbyist section is basically for new hobbyists to ask basic questions and get basic info, etc. I guess lighting could be disscussed here, but you'll get additional info from the other forums. Also, if you do a search, there are many , many discussion on lighting requirements. Lighting is a major investment, so its good that you get as much info as you can before putting out the bucks!
Also, the other thread you had up, was closed because there were a few links in there. Someone deleted those links at some point, but not before I saw them. I opened that up for you again, now that they don't have links.
If you want to buy used light, then post in Trading. Not to say anything bad about this forum, but the New Hobbyist section is basically for new hobbyists to ask basic questions and get basic info, etc. I guess lighting could be disscussed here, but you'll get additional info from the other forums. Also, if you do a search, there are many , many discussion on lighting requirements. Lighting is a major investment, so its good that you get as much info as you can before putting out the bucks!
Also, the other thread you had up, was closed because there were a few links in there. Someone deleted those links at some point, but not before I saw them. I opened that up for you again, now that they don't have links.
saltyshark
Member
Originally posted by radioactive
I have a 250w MH on my 35g hex . salty , are you sure saltwaternewbie needs 2 400w MH ? that is like 17 watts per gallon ? 46g tank right ?
Again this is my opinion but if he wants decent lighting at a depth of 30"...then I believe the only way to go is a 400 watt mh. This is what I based my opinion on:
Depth in inches
12-17 = 125 watts
18-23 = 250 watts
24 < 400 watts
and a rule of thumb is that a MH lamp will illuminate approximately a 2’ x 2’ area of the tank. That would come out to 1.5 lamps...so it could go either way depending on how intense you want the lighting to be.
SaltWaterNewbie: If your tank is 21" deep, like crazy4reefs 46 gallon bow front, then 1 or 2 250 watt lamps would be ideal. But mh is not your only option...Pc's or VHO would be a nice addition as well.
HTH
SaltyShark