Mh question for 180?

[asbury030]

Ok i have a 180 and i want to make it a reef and i was wonderin if this is good?and im goin to put it on to a canopy.and heres the info on it 3-250W Mh 10,000K 2-96W
Actinic 71" x 12.25" x 3.75"

 

[lobstergrabber]

No experience personally but looks like a nice set up to me.
Rich

 

[asbury030]

yea well i want to make sure 250 is good enough.

 

[harlequinnut]

What is the depth of the 180? The 250 may or may not be enough depending on the depth and also on what corals you plan to keep. JMO

 

[lobstergrabber]

How deep is the tank and what type of corals/clams are you interested in? You would undoubtedly be fine with any softy and 99% of the LPS. I don't know that much about sps but not all of them require insane amounts of light and you don't necessarily have to put the most light intensive all the way on the bottom. In my limited personal experience and extensive reading I would think the 250 would be fine as long as the tank is not 3 feet or higher and you won't have to worry about the heat the 400's are going to put off.
Rich

 

[asbury030]

the tank is 2 feet deep.

 

[nas19320]

What kind of corals and clams are you looking to have?

 

[asbury030]

any.Well if it isnt enought and i order the the 400w bulbs later would that be good.because im not going to get the clams right away.

 

[lobstergrabber]

IMO 250 would be fine for anything you want to keep in a 2 foot deep tank. And to answer your question if you want to swich from 250w to 400w bulbs later you have to switch ballasts also.
Rich

 

[asbury030]

yea i know but could i just buy a 400w ballast to begin with for the 250w or would it get messed up?

 

[nas19320]

Why not just buy the 400w ballast now with 400w bulbs?

 

[asbury030]

because they dont sell 400w they only sell the 175 and 250? so nas do u think 250 is good enought?

 

[nas19320]

You can do a lot with a 250 w set-up. If your not looking to do a strictly SPS tank with light loving clams like crocea than go for the 250 w. You can still have sps and some clams they will just need to be placed closer to the lights. The benefits of a 250w over 400w is a savings in electricity and heat. JMO

 

[asbury030]

well i want to basicaly get any kind of coral and not worry about it so what should i do?

 

[nas19320]

The 400 w is gonna allow you the most growth, best color for SPS's and give you a lot more leeway for placement within the tank.You can have anything with the 400w provided the conditions are right. But there is a lot more than just lighting involved.

 

[jscarb2]

nobody is saying anything about the heat issues. i run 3 175 on my 180 with 4 72 inch vhos atinics and i have clams and a few sps but i have to have a chiller so i know with 400 watters you will definatly need a chiller.also i am not sure but i dont think pc are worth it on a tank this deep vho would be a better choice

 

[nas19320]

I did mention heat briefly but I wasn't sure how much it would affect a 180. Defineltly something to take into consideration.

 

[jscarb2]

sorry nas did not see that

 

[asbury030]

yea i know heat will be a problem so i am goin to install fans and get a chiller thanks for the concern though. and i think i will get it and then when i get into the sps corals i will buy 400watters. But can i but a ballast that works for 400w but use a 250w?

 

[jscarb2]

if i am not mistaken it will over drive the bulb and shorten the life drasticly.but i will let someone else correct me if i am wrong