Mh and PC lighting BANG , THOMAS , MUDPLAYER Calling all Resources

[oceanists]

OK So hear is the deal .......
I am getting a 2x250 watt MH Retro kit for Christmas , and i also allready have corallife 4x65 PC's ....... I plan on taking that fixture apart and also retro fitting that with the MH so my question is
Will the
2x250 MH
4x65 PC ...2 - 10k, and 2 - 50/50's
be enough to keep just about anything .. with the MH alone that is 9 watts per gallon
with everything it is going to be 13.89 watts per gallon , on my 55
and if this is good how should i0 run them ............
SHould i run them all at the same time or just keep the MH's on for a certain amount of time ? ANybody who knows about this stuff

 

[jdragunas]

i would say that's perfect to keep anything (except low-lighting corals of course).
The MH's are really strong, and should only be kept of for about 6 hours a day. I suggest maybe running the PC's for 2 hours, then turn on the MH's for 6, then turn off the MH's, and leave the PC's on for another 2 hours. That'll give you 10 hours of lighting a day, but only 6 of them is with the MH's. IMO, that'll be perfect.
That's actually what i want to do too!!! I can't wait, but i have to save up a lot of money for it!!! Good luck!!!

 

[oceanists]

Jenn i know website that has the MH 2x250 Retro , with everything needed and 5 year warranty for only 229.99
i thought they would be flimsy parts when my buddy ordered it , but it is awesome qaulity

 

[oceanists]

if you want it let me know

 

[jdragunas]

i'm not really mechanically inclined, so i'd be afraid to rig a retro kit... and i don't really want a canopy on my tank either... Thanks, though.
does that place have actual lighting fixtures for cheap?

 

[oceanists]

yeah cheaper than any other place
The place is called Aqua Universe
so put those 2 words together and add a .com and youll be there

 

[oceana]

Originally Posted by Oceanists
OK So hear is the deal .......
I am getting a 2x250 watt MH Retro kit for Christmas , and i also allready have corallife 4x65 PC's ....... I plan on taking that fixture apart and also retro fitting that with the MH so my question is
Will the
2x250 MH
4x65 PC ...2 - 10k, and 2 - 50/50's
be enough to keep just about anything .. with the MH alone that is 9 watts per gallon
with everything it is going to be 13.89 watts per gallon , on my 55
and if this is good how should i0 run them ............
SHould i run them all at the same time or just keep the MH's on for a certain amount of time ? ANybody who knows about this stuff

yes that will eb fine for anything you want. WPG goes right out the window when you talking about MH. IE: 250 of pc and 250 of MH are two different worlds even though the wattage is the same.
i run my lighting(3x400mh) as follows
110 VHO actinic on at 9am
middle MH on at 10:00am
110 VHO actinic off at 10:00am
side MH lights on at 10:30am
middle light off at 8:00pm
Side lights off at 9:00pm
110VHO actinic on 9:00pm
110VHO off 10:30PM

 

[jdragunas]

i think watts per gallon doesn't ever apply. Watts is how much electricity it takes to power the bulb, and has nothing to do with the light it's giving off. the thing you need be most concerned with is the PAR of the bulb... which you have to have a PAR reader to find out the PAR of your bulb.

 

[oceana]

Originally Posted by jdragunas
i think watts per gallon doesn't ever apply. Watts is how much electricity it takes to power the bulb, and has nothing to do with the light it's giving off. the thing you need be most concerned with is the PAR of the bulb... which you have to have a PAR reader to find out the PAR of your bulb.

i agree however i think that for newer people using pc and VHO WPG is helpful becasue it gives a general starting point. the difference in par between the pc bulbs is not that huge. at least not as big as the differences in MH bulbs is.
if you talk par to a guy that just started your going to be looked at like your an alian.
but once into MH most people are getting the jist of things and the WPG method is way out of its league

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by Oceanists
Will the
2x250 MH
4x65 PC ...2 - 10k, and 2 - 50/50's
be enough to keep just about anything ..

No. It will be plenty of light for just about anything though

Lighting is just one aspect of keeping reef animals.

 

[jdragunas]

Originally Posted by Bang Guy
No. It will be plenty of light for just about anything though

Lighting is just one aspect of keeping reef animals.
lol, you're so funny... you crack me up!

 

[oceanists]

Bang Guy I totally understand that .....You also have to have perfect water qaulity , which i do have since i changed my crushed coral to aragonite .......... so with that type of lighting and my great water qaulity i should be able to keep just about anything , right ?

 

[toughguy80]

Originally Posted by Oceanists
yeah cheaper than any other place
The place is called Aqua Universe
so put those 2 words together and add a .com and youll be there

Thanks for the site Oceanists! My ballast just recently went out on me and I gave up on getting a new one b/c of price. With those prices though, I have new hope

 

[mudplayerx]

Two 250watt MH bulbs on a 55 gallon tank alone is more than enough light to keep anything you want. What spec bulbs are they...10k, 14k? 20k? If they are 10k then you wouldn't even need the PC bulbs....wouldn't really need them with 14k either. Are the bulbs double ended because those are almost twice as powerful as the single ended MH bulbs.
I run two 150watt double ended MH on my tank and its more than enough light.

 

[harndog]

I just got my mh from the same place and I must say they are top notch. Just as nice as the Coralife or orbit. I got two 150 double ended 10K and 4 65 w atinics and my tank has never been more alive. Shrooms spread out twice the size they did with just 4x65 pc all zoos open up everything seems happier I even can see the yellow better in my GSM. these things are awsome. Get the stands or the hangers you will need them. these dudes heat up the water quick. I order mine and one of my atincis was bad I used one of my coralife extras and the atincs AU sends with theirs are so much brighter. also the moonlights are adjustable you can make them really bright or really dim and the 48" unit had 8 lights in it. cool stuff. can't beat a 5 year warranty either

 

[harndog]

they are sending me a new atinic free of charge no shipping or anything. as they should great people.

 

[fishermon]

I too have a 48" coralife 4X65 PC light. I've been considering MH.I checked out the site Oceanists posted, and was impressed. I would love to add MH to my light if possible. However after looking at it I didn't see room neither in my light nor in my canopy for it.
Oceanists thanks for the site,and how are you planning on adding the MH retro to your coralife PC?
With MH I am very conerned with the heat issue. I have a 90g oceanic bowfront tank which is fairly tall (26"). Anyone know either if a chiller would be neccessary, or maybe fans would be enough? I have a canopy on my tank with 7" height on the inside of it. Is this enough room for any kind of MH.
I'd appreciate any advise.

 

[oceanists]

im happy i could help you all, what im gonna do is take my 4x65 coral life apart and retro fit it in the the mh in the canopy im gonna start building this weekend ............ i figure this should give me all the lighting i need
mudplayers ill probably go with 14k to get a little of the blue spectrum , also they are single ended

 

[jafrench]

You won't need a chiller. My Odyssea's built in fans are plenty of cooling on my 20Long with 280watts of light, including a 150wattMH at 20000K and two 65wattCF actinic blues. My fixture is only about 8-10 inches above my tank and my water temp onlygoes up .8degrees over a 9hr MH period and an extra 3 hours of CF lighting.Total 12 hrs of light. MY CORALS LOVE IT!!

 

[mikeyjer]

This is how my set up goes:
55 gallon tank
48" Aluminum Canopy
2-175w SE MH 14k with Icecap Ballast
2-110w VHO Actinics
2-Moon Lights
Dual Fan
Acrylic Shield
I run my lights:
12:30 pm Actinics on
1:30 pm Right MH on
2:30 pm Left MH on
6:30 pm Right MH off
7:30 pm Left MH off
12:30 am Actinics off
12:30 am Moon lights on
3:30 am Moon Lights off
This gives dawn to dusk effect, I can't sleep with those moon lights on forever....We've been running this for over a month now and everything is looking good and coraline algae is growing wild even after the lace rocks only been in there for 3 months. My Green Star Polyps is going like mad, already got a frag off of it. The Candy Cane is looking good, the Zoos are all opened and looking pretty, except the one I accidently sprayed with Joe's Juice, it's trying to open now though. Long Tentacle Plate Coral is looking good too! :happyfish :happyfish