Medal Halide??

[deucey]

Hi, I am new to this forum and it seems to be really cool.....I need some advice...I have a new 36 gallon bow set up with a reef and fish.....all these things came from other tanks that I had.....well my dad and I have built a custom canopy for my tank and it turned out really well! Now I have decide I need to upgrade my lights and I have ordered a hamilton 175w medal halide system with a true German 10000K bulb! I have some ppl telling me that this is too much light for the tank, but I don't think so. What are some of you alls opinions? I also will be running a open top tank and the bulb will be about 11" off the water..is this going to cause heat problems and if so how can I control this. I have seen these systems on smaller tanks and the owners haven't had heat problems....any input would be great thanks!!

 

[option720]

I think that a 175 is a great bulb for your tank. That is almost five watts per gallon, i think you will be very happy with that choice. The only thing i would be concerned with is that bows are somtimes difficult to get even light distribution with. You may want to add some normal output or VHO lamps to suppliment the MH and give better overall light coverage. As far as the heat problem. I would just put a fan in the hood and you shoul be stylin. Good luck and welcome to the board.

 

[deucey]

Does anyone else have any input on this matter or does what we have talked about sound like a good plan.....any other opinions or advice would be apreciated especially with the heat problems....if it is even a problem at all!?Thanks in advance!

 

[biggdriver]

You could also look into buying or making a pendant light hood for your MH.. THey can be hung 8-10" above the water and that would also take care of the heat problem..I made one out of a replacement outdoor yard light hood made for MH bulbs..and lined the inside with reflective tape..It cost me only about 9 bucks for the hood and 6 for the tape..It doesn;t look as fancy as a store bought pendant but was a lot cheaper..YOu can also check out the internet for lighting ..some places sell the pendandt hood alone for you to put your own bulb in for about 100.00 and they look real nice too..