Metal halides on planted tank

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Zander_The_RBP

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jan 8, 2009
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Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Hi guys this is my first thread in the planted section so bear with me......



I recently planted my 150 gallon piranha tank(72 x 20 x 24) with some echinodorus tellenus and amazon swords(whose scientific name i can't remember right now) and im loving the look of live plants, but i feel i dont have enough light with my current lights (2 32 watt 6500k t8's and 2 40 watt t8's (aqua glo's). im only getting about 1 watt per gallon. My amazon swords seem to be doing well but my pygmy chain swords dont seem to be doing as well (brownish leaves sometimes) so i was wondering since i have a hydroponics store near me that sells metal halide lights i was thinking of getting some (1 or 2) to replace the flourescents i have (maybe keep 2 flourescents up and just replace 2 of them).

But my question is what wattage of halides should i be getting ? im thinking 1x 400 watt halide or 2x 175 watt ones would a 600 watt one be better?

does wpg work well at all as a guideline for halides? as i know they give off more light per watt than flourescents

Im thinking 2 wpg of halides would be more than enough for that plants i have and intend on adding (valisneria soon for sure) but i may want to add higher light plants later (if anyone has a list of amazonian plant species and there care requirements that would be great)

i also have a DIY co2 system to switch on when i get the better lights and i will be dosing iron/ trace nuitrients

so 2 x 175 watt

OR

1 x 400 watt

OR

1x 600 watt

keep in mind im not rich and the lower wattage ballasts/ bulbs are much cheaper......
 
2x 175.

a metal halide basically covers 2 square feet in are tanks. a single one won't work unless all your plants are in one area.
 
You'll need 2 fixtures for decent coverage. 400 watts would be waaaaaaaay too bright. 150 might even be too much, I'm not sure how intense they'll be at a given distance though. If you ask on a reef forum you might be able to find people who have tested the intensity (PAR) at different depths. Obviously reef people are going to be using a ton more light than you'll need though.

If you want CO2, you need to go pressurized. A DIY yeast system isn't going to do crap on a 150 gallon tank.


these are a good bargain, and good quality, I've read.
http://www.fishneedit.com/metal-halide.html
 
thanks for the info guys i am also looking into building a diy LED lighting system if anyone has any idea on the required watts per gallon for one of those that would be great then i could compare the prices of the LEDs vs the halides and decide which fits my budget best



thanks for that link FSM maybe 2 70 watt fixtures from that site would be what im looking for
 
i just got my 70w MH from fishneedit. they only had 20,000k bulbs at the time, so i got an 8000k bulb off of ebay. pretty awesome setup. my tank's footprint is just 24"x12". with your tank, go with 2x 150w. have you considered going with high output t5's with good quality reflectors?
 
fish_geek85;3984326; said:
i just got my 70w MH from fishneedit. they only had 20,000k bulbs at the time, so i got an 8000k bulb off of ebay. pretty awesome setup. my tank's footprint is just 24"x12". with your tank, go with 2x 150w. have you considered going with high output t5's with good quality reflectors?
Click to expand...

i have considered high output t5's but i find them to be rediculously overpriced for what they do (atleast metal halides are expensive but give off a ton more light) and i really want the shimmery effect that only metal halides or LED's provide
 
Zander_The_RBP;3984640; said:
i have considered high output t5's but i find them to be rediculously overpriced for what they do (atleast metal halides are expensive but give off a ton more light) and i really want the shimmery effect that only metal halides or LED's provide
Click to expand...
ehh t5HO is comparable with halide both vary based on the fixtures quality.
you can find very cheap version of both on ebay. the downsides to the cheap versions are very hot ballast(with halides), poor reflectors and very cheap stock bulbs(with t5ho, oddyseas specifically).
 
i've been taking a look around on kijiji (basicaly the smae thing as craigslist) and ive been seeing some killer deals on metal halides

one such deal is a 400 watt metal halides system ( reflector, bulb (which ill replace probably), and ballast for 25 bucks !!!!) should i get this? would it really be too much light for my tank? or should i wait until someone has a deal on 250 watt or 175 watt halides ?


if i have too much light i can always put some sort of shade over it or something right ?


ill be hanging it probably a foot or more off the tank so the light diffuses properly into the tank (adjust the distance till i get it perfect)


EDIT nvrm i misread the guy is selling 4 100watt metal halides yay!! would 3 be good for my tank or 2 (chances are they are probably 175 or 150 watts actualy becuase i don't think 100 watts is a standard size)
 
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