My old Metal halide lights too bright. Down grade?

[gasser]

Ok, I switched from a full reef setup about 3 years ago and am just now setting up my 600 gallon tank again for Monster fish. I am wanting a few large specimins and not a bunch of little fish. I still have a MH setup left over from my reef days and so thought one bulb over the tank would be just about right. I mounted a 250 MH bulb over the tank for a dry run and its WAY too bright IMO. I am afraid it will grow algae way too fast and I am only going to have fish and a Pangea background. I don't want my Pangea background to get all mucked up by too overzealous lighting.

I have been away from fresh water for quite some time and so need a recomendation for my tank lighting.

Specs.

Tank is 7 feet long, 40 inches tall and 40 inches deep. It will have acrylic lits on top.

I was really wanting the MH to work for the point source light effect but this 250 just looks like too much.

I have two VHO flourcent lighting ballasts and fixtures I could run but that may be too much as well.

What do you recomend for lighting as far as output and spectrum?

I could just buy a dimmer higher kelvin bulb and see how that goes but I am still afraid algae will be a problem. Maybe a 10,000K 250 watt metal halide would be enough dimmer to give me the look I am after. With my background in and all the 3 dimentional rock work it looks like a cave or clif ledge so I want it to look deep.

I plan on keeping Jags and a few other big fish that they can't eat!

Thanks

Jeff

 

[Dr Joe]

You could mechanically limit the lighting but then your just wasting electricity.

Try the 250w idea and point it toward the front to shadow the background.

I think it's too deep for reg.flourescents, maybe H.O.'s?

Maybe sell them to recoupe cash to buy the new stuff (or trade).

If fish had ears you could just get them sunglasses screwy: ).

Dr Joe

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[gasser]

Well, thats a good Idea. I alreay have the light about 3 feet above the tank. Its built into the wall so I have 10 foot ceilings in that room. The light is mounted on a header above the tank with a nice reflector. I need the reflector to give the light an even effect over the long tank from one bulb. I want the metal reflector there to prevent burning of the header beam as well.

I think that with a higher kelvin bulb and once the water is in the tank, enough light will bounce off the surface of the water to reduce the light down to acctable levels. If I start to grow algae then its time to down grade. or filter the light. I can also controll some with the light durration and use just a small incandecent light in the morning and evening for effect.

Just think, I thought about putting two of these lights over the tank. Man talk about algae soup. Maybe i should have done a planted tank!

My old MH bulbs on my reef were actually 400 watt bulbs and I had 4 of those over it with 4 VHO actinics. It looked awsome and grew corals like mad but for fresh fish and no plants, its just WAY too much.

Thanks.

 

[Dr Joe]

Mmmm...boiled algae soup .

How about some pix if you can...(not of the soup).

Dr Joe

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[gasser]

Well, I am moving very slowly. Too much time spent at work. I will try to get some pics up soon.
Everything is set up minus the bio filter but its close.

 

[Nic]

try seeing it filled with water also try rasing the light up higher