Metal Halide
- Thread starter fatcats
- Start date
maelv
Active Member
I am new also, and without going into any specifics, just because I don't know them.....I believe it is the heat. MH lights produce a lot of heat, and I think chillers prevent you from having a fish fry in your living room, or where ever you have your tank.
But I have also heard/read that it depends on the location of your tank....like I have mine in a room that does not get overy hot...so I won't have a chiller, but will have fans running to ensure I am not cooking everything inside of it.
With that being said...what is a safe distance you should have/hang your lights from the top of the aquarium? (more specifically hanging, as that is what i'll be doing with my MH)
But I have also heard/read that it depends on the location of your tank....like I have mine in a room that does not get overy hot...so I won't have a chiller, but will have fans running to ensure I am not cooking everything inside of it.
With that being said...what is a safe distance you should have/hang your lights from the top of the aquarium? (more specifically hanging, as that is what i'll be doing with my MH)
sebae09
Member
what are your tank deminsions? most people just use small fans on their MH lights, my fans blow directly on the bulb and i have never had any problems with heat exchange. i will post you some pics of mine after the lights turn off at 9 pm. if your tank is under 30IN deep i would just use 175W bulbs ( you can get a killer deal on
[hr]
) what all fish do you have? not all fish are reef safe so you might end up getting rid of some. a reef tank can be tricky but everyone on this site are more than willing to help you with just about anything. and dont be scared to ask questions, im sure everyone here has had some type of question they are scared to ask. welcome to the wonderfull world of reefkeeping.
[hr]
) what all fish do you have? not all fish are reef safe so you might end up getting rid of some. a reef tank can be tricky but everyone on this site are more than willing to help you with just about anything. and dont be scared to ask questions, im sure everyone here has had some type of question they are scared to ask. welcome to the wonderfull world of reefkeeping.
zman1
Active Member
The wrong lighting for the coral you want keep could be a problem. You can't go wrong with Metal Halide, but if you are not going to keep SPS, then you could go with T5 HO or VHO for the others. I have MH on my 120 (2x250W)and don't use or need a chiller, it depends on location and ambient room temperatures.
What size tank are you looking at lighting and coral types...
What size tank are you looking at lighting and coral types...
maelv
Active Member
Originally Posted by zman1
I have MH on my 120 (2x250W)
Zman1....what are the dimensions of your tank? I have a 135 (6 ft long) and believe I need 3 lights..... 1 for each 2 ft. Am I correct in this?
Originally Posted by sebae09
...your tank is under 30IN deep i would just use 175W bulbs ( you can get a killer deal on
[hr]
)
Sebae, I just bought a 250 MH light.....and my tank is about 24 - 26 inches deep...can't remember off the top of my head. Now questions I have are:
1. Will everything in there be okay (it will be a reef)? I am in the process of setting everything up, so I don't have anything in there at this moment.
2. Can I get some 175w MH for the other 2 remaining lights?
3. How much space between the lights and top of tank should there be?
Thanks.
I have MH on my 120 (2x250W)
Zman1....what are the dimensions of your tank? I have a 135 (6 ft long) and believe I need 3 lights..... 1 for each 2 ft. Am I correct in this?
Originally Posted by sebae09
...your tank is under 30IN deep i would just use 175W bulbs ( you can get a killer deal on
[hr]
)
Sebae, I just bought a 250 MH light.....and my tank is about 24 - 26 inches deep...can't remember off the top of my head. Now questions I have are:
1. Will everything in there be okay (it will be a reef)? I am in the process of setting everything up, so I don't have anything in there at this moment.
2. Can I get some 175w MH for the other 2 remaining lights?
3. How much space between the lights and top of tank should there be?
Thanks.
zman1
Active Member
fatcats - yours is a 75 gal I'd go with 2X175 or 2x250. If your room is small and has a temp. of 80 degrees then your tank could over heat and the lights will heat your room up above the normal 80 degrees. Hope I am making sense. Keep that in mind.
My tanks are in the basement in a large area and the lights raise my room temp 2 degrees when they are on over time - I have one tank with 440 W VHOs (75gal) and the other (120 gal) with 2x250w MH and 2x110w VHOs. The basement is usually 76 degrees without the lights.
maelv - my 120 is 48x24x24 - you need 1 MH for every 24" of length...
My tanks are in the basement in a large area and the lights raise my room temp 2 degrees when they are on over time - I have one tank with 440 W VHOs (75gal) and the other (120 gal) with 2x250w MH and 2x110w VHOs. The basement is usually 76 degrees without the lights.
maelv - my 120 is 48x24x24 - you need 1 MH for every 24" of length...
zman1
Active Member
Originally Posted by fatcats
Thanks
should i get a strip were it has both florescent and MH
or just MH that hang from celling
My tank is in the basement and i check that it is about 70 in here on average
That's up to you and your preference. I personally like the florescent supplements with the MH. They come on before and go off after the MH and they make the corals glow.
Search this WEB site for Outer Orbit I think I saw someone earlier having an issue with one of their ballast. I did DIY for my lighting so I couldn't recommend a combo fixture. There are a bunch out there and would imagine goods one, I just have no experience with them to make a reccomendation on one over the other.
Thanks
should i get a strip were it has both florescent and MH
or just MH that hang from celling
My tank is in the basement and i check that it is about 70 in here on average
That's up to you and your preference. I personally like the florescent supplements with the MH. They come on before and go off after the MH and they make the corals glow.
Search this WEB site for Outer Orbit I think I saw someone earlier having an issue with one of their ballast. I did DIY for my lighting so I couldn't recommend a combo fixture. There are a bunch out there and would imagine goods one, I just have no experience with them to make a reccomendation on one over the other.