I would think that depth of the tank would come more in to play than gallonage...mos90;4879211; said:
I found a used 250/400 W metal halide on my local classifieds that I am going to look into. How close to the water would the light need to be?
Lighting/Metal Halide Q's
- Thread starter 08trdoffroad
- Start date
I found a used 250/400 W metal halide on my local classifieds that I am going to look into. How close to the water would the light need to be?
Meh...this is all really hard stuff to answer.
There is science to it...but it is largely vague and complicated.
You really need a PAR meter, and a lot of spare time to come up with concrete answers, and even so, some people will tell you that you will require different PAR values than others. The rest of this, at least in my case, is something that just comes from experience, and it is somewhat of an art balancing your lighting, and doing it in a matter that keeps all your inhabitants happy and growing. (I am still learning, and about to find out if I have enough penetration on my 125g reef.)
A 400w'er would most likely be too much. The fact that it is a 250w/400w almost makes me wonder if this is a HPS system...you will find this often. Some people use them on aquaria because they buy them from greenhouse supply stores, and they are cheaper, but not recommended really for aquaria. Make sure you find out when you go take a look.
By gallonage, I think what he is saying is that you need to consider the spread, as well as the penetration of the light in a tank.
There is science to it...but it is largely vague and complicated.
You really need a PAR meter, and a lot of spare time to come up with concrete answers, and even so, some people will tell you that you will require different PAR values than others. The rest of this, at least in my case, is something that just comes from experience, and it is somewhat of an art balancing your lighting, and doing it in a matter that keeps all your inhabitants happy and growing. (I am still learning, and about to find out if I have enough penetration on my 125g reef.)
A 400w'er would most likely be too much. The fact that it is a 250w/400w almost makes me wonder if this is a HPS system...you will find this often. Some people use them on aquaria because they buy them from greenhouse supply stores, and they are cheaper, but not recommended really for aquaria. Make sure you find out when you go take a look.
By gallonage, I think what he is saying is that you need to consider the spread, as well as the penetration of the light in a tank.
I would also go with the 250. If you go that route, what I would do is build a canopy for the tank, and build cooling fans into the sides of it. My 110 has a hole on either side of the tank. I only have one fan in it because its a fresh tank and no way the lights (2x175w halides, 4x64w PC) could heat it up too much, but if it was a smaller tank I would make one fan pull in cool outside air and one push warm air out.
Lighting a 40g breeder with a 250 will mean that unless he hangs the light like 3 feet above the tank he will burn sps corals.
They might adjust slowly, but I am willing to bet he would lose a lot of color.
They might adjust slowly, but I am willing to bet he would lose a lot of color.
No plans for SPS in this tank, just softies, a nem, and a clam or two. My tank is a 45 gallon. 36"x12"x24". Based on a similar discussion I am having on another forum I will likely end up running two of what ever wattage I determine to be necessary to avoid a dark spot due to the center brace in the tank.FLESHY;4889117; said:Lighting a 40g breeder with a 250 will mean that unless he hangs the light like 3 feet above the tank he will burn sps corals.
They might adjust slowly, but I am willing to bet he would lose a lot of color.
The softies will grow under fluorescent. Nem will take a little more, and clams take a lot. 40g breeder though means you dont need much in the way of light penetration.
I think that a 150w MH would be perfect. www.aquatraders.com has a $99 shipped fixture that comes with just that, plus t5 atinics, and moonlights.
Because of your center brace...you might want to go and find 2x of 75w MH?
This will be more expensive, but it will give you the right lighting.
I think that a 150w MH would be perfect. www.aquatraders.com has a $99 shipped fixture that comes with just that, plus t5 atinics, and moonlights.
Because of your center brace...you might want to go and find 2x of 75w MH?
This will be more expensive, but it will give you the right lighting.
I have been looking at ordering two of the 150 w fixtures that are the deal of the week. This would eliminate the issues with the center brace as I would have a MH on each side. I think that is the $99 fixture you are referring too. But I am a bit leary as I can't find anywhere that sells an 18" T5 bulbs.
