justinwwwallin
Member
what are some good halides? my local fish store has halides for sale that are each 150 watts. if i put three of these on my 260 gallon how would it work out? thanks
metal halide question
- Thread starter justinwwwallin
- Start date
justinwwwallin
Member
the tank is 30" deep
lion_crazz
Active Member
As Quint said, you will need at least 250 watts on a 30" deep tank. 150 watt bulbs will definitely not penetrate all the way down.
justinwwwallin
Member
well turds. i cant find cheap enough halides. im only 17 so everything seems like a lot lol. these were 200 a piece. i didnt think that was too bad
globaldesigns
Member
I personally use 2X250W Ushio 10K in my tank... It is 5 feet X 30 inches X 30 inches... These bulbs are great looking and work well with my ballasts and lighting fixture. Here in Canada, these bulbs are only $80 each
I also agree with the others, you will need minimum of 250W in order to try to keep SPS, etc.
I also agree with the others, you will need minimum of 250W in order to try to keep SPS, etc.
justinwwwallin
Member
i dont plan on keeping sps. maybe a few clams. but mostly soft corals
justinwwwallin
Member
would these work for clams?
johnr2604
Member
Originally Posted by smoothie
http:///forum/post/3159395
Only a crocea or Maxima you could put on the rockwork high in the tank under a light. Best to save and plan on a great 250 setup you will have no worries with.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I have always thought deresa and squamosas required less light than Maximas and croceas?
http:///forum/post/3159395
Only a crocea or Maxima you could put on the rockwork high in the tank under a light. Best to save and plan on a great 250 setup you will have no worries with.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I have always thought deresa and squamosas required less light than Maximas and croceas?
justinwwwallin
Member
What are some of the ways to do that? Makng your own that is
scsinet
Active Member
Well, the way most people go is to buy a retro kit, which includes a reflector, ballast pack, and the necessary cabling.
Others buy a loose reflector, an assembled ballast pack, and run/splice the wires themselves.
Still others buy everything as loose component parts and build everything by hand.
With the third option, you could probably accomplish this project in budget, including the lamp.
A basic spider reflector, which is of moderate efficiency, will cost about $35. It includes the socket. A magnetic ballast will cost about $50, or you can get an inexpensive electronic ballast for $90. A lamp will be about 60-80. If you add maybe $30 for some kind of box and some various bits of wire and hardware, you're at $235 per fixture for the most expensive of all options.
Later, you can upgrade your reflector if you want, but a spider will get you going. Frankly, the basic spider reflectors is what I use anyway.
Basically, here is your shopping list:
1. Lamp
2. Reflector
3. A 25 foot extension cord (you'll cut this up to make your power cord and wiring)
4. A "pull box" (you can get these from Lowes or Home Depot)
5. A ballast
6. A couple cable clamps, some wire nuts, and maybe a few zip ties.
A bit of metal drilling to get the ballast mounted in the box, and a bit of basic wiring will get you an operational system. If interested, we can certainly walk you through it.
Others buy a loose reflector, an assembled ballast pack, and run/splice the wires themselves.
Still others buy everything as loose component parts and build everything by hand.
With the third option, you could probably accomplish this project in budget, including the lamp.
A basic spider reflector, which is of moderate efficiency, will cost about $35. It includes the socket. A magnetic ballast will cost about $50, or you can get an inexpensive electronic ballast for $90. A lamp will be about 60-80. If you add maybe $30 for some kind of box and some various bits of wire and hardware, you're at $235 per fixture for the most expensive of all options.
Later, you can upgrade your reflector if you want, but a spider will get you going. Frankly, the basic spider reflectors is what I use anyway.
Basically, here is your shopping list:
1. Lamp
2. Reflector
3. A 25 foot extension cord (you'll cut this up to make your power cord and wiring)
4. A "pull box" (you can get these from Lowes or Home Depot)
5. A ballast
6. A couple cable clamps, some wire nuts, and maybe a few zip ties.
A bit of metal drilling to get the ballast mounted in the box, and a bit of basic wiring will get you an operational system. If interested, we can certainly walk you through it.