New MH Lighting

[MarkW19]

I'm thinking about upgrading the lighting on my 10G nano. I currently have 33w of CF (2 white/1 actinic), but the corals I've got aren't doing as well as they could be.

So, instead of letting them wither away and having to buy them again in the future, AND a new light, I'm thinking of getting a new light now to try and get them back on track.

I was looking at this Haqos 150w metal halide one:-
http://hellesdonbarnaquatics.net//product_info.php?products_id=582

But, with 150w over such a small tank (10 US Gallons), won't it be too much?! Particularly for corals placed higher up the rock? And, what about the extra heat that the light will generate, and algae problems?

The bulb it comes with is 20k, I want a nice bright white light with a hint of blue/actinic, to bring out the fluorescent greens etc. Will 20k be a good colour? I don't want it TOO blue.

Also, will I have to photoacclimate my corals to this new light, with it being so much brighter?

Thanks.

 

[austinsdad]

Wow! A 150 MH will fry that small tank IMO. Heat will be off the charts I'll bet. Algae growths etc. No coral would do well in that much light and heat. Maybe something placed under an overhang with shade from above.

I'd try to find maybe about 50w or so for that tank. No way should you consider that 150.

 

[lando]

I agree with Ray...way too much light for a 10gal. If you are intent on going with MH then 50watts would be plenty. Otherwise, JBJ makes a clamp-on 70watt lamp called the vipor.

 

[MarkW19]

OK guys It's just that most of my corals at the moment look like they could do with a lot more light, and I already have 33w. I'd also like to keep a maxima clam maybe as well...

Unfortunately, low-wattage MH clamp-on lights seem to be VERY sparse in the UK.

Could I get the 150W fixture, and just swap the bulb with a 70w HQI (double-ended, which is what it uses)?

 

[NoSvOrAx]

You could use that light if you just hang it high.

On the upside it would light up the whole room.

 

[MarkW19]

lol, true! It would like the whole room, which would be annoying, bit too bright!

It would be placed a good few inches above the water, but again I don't want it to blind me whenever I look over at my tank!

Could I use that light with a 70w HQI?

 

[cmor1701d]

No, the ballast and bulb must be rated for the same output.

 

[usmcmarc]

Just order the 70W Viper-clip-on on the internet. You might pay a bit more for shipping, but you will have what will work for your setup.

 

[Burks]

Either use the clip-on style lights or a DIY 70w hanging style. Pretty easy to wire up.

 

[MarkW19]

Just order the 70W Viper-clip-on on the internet. You might pay a bit more for shipping, but you will have what will work for your setup.

The only problem is the 70w Viper is £160, whereas the 150w Haqos with double the output is £150! Plus, the Haqos looks 10 times better.

I'll have a rethink...as I already have 33w (3.3-3.5WPG CF), will my 3 leathers that haven't been looking too good recently (changing colour, not extending polyps etc.), and my pink plate coral which has started losing its colour, be brought back to life a few days after I put the new light on?!

Or, may the better light still not help them? Water parameters are fine, I feed DT's Phyto, and the corals aren't getting stung etc.

 

[ccCapt]

I don't think your problem is lighting. You have plenty with those CF for leathers. 3 leathers in such a small tank can lead to some chemical warfare between them. Are you running carbon? You say water parameters are fine, but what exactly are they? Specifically nitrate and phosphate.

You can look into T5 HO flourescents. I don't know the dimensions of your tank, but I don't think you can get T5's smaller than 24". The have way more PAR (intensity) than CF's and you can keep virtually any coral under them, including clams.

 

[MarkW19]

The single small leather keeps sort of flaking a bit of white away, and folding in. Most of the day only a few polyps come out at random sections on its surface. Rarely will they all come out. The other double leather is growing well (too well!), but throughout the day it changes from being really shrunk down, to brown, orange, black parts/dots on it, and the yellow one is even worse, it rarely extends, and remains shrunk/green for most of the day. The 2 leathers are at opposite ends of the tank.

I've looked into T5s before, and you're right, they start at 24", or 20" at best. My tank is just under 16" wide.

I also have a green brain/maze coral and a pink plate coral, which may need more lighting than I'm giving them, although the brain is halfway up the tank directly under one of the white lights.

I am running carbon in 2 internal filters. It's Seachem Matrix Carbon.

My nitrates are approx 5ppm, and it's PWC time tomorrow (30%). No phosphate kit, but I feed lightly only once a day usually, and use good quality RO water.

 

[Lance M.]

I told you you'd end up upgrading your light! lol

Actually the 150 watt would be great for clam/sps/anemone tank. ~12'' off the surface w/ a fan would be fine. You would top off like 1/3 gallon a day though.

The 70 watt should be perfect for what you have. You have to acclimate the corals to the light though.

The dimensions of your tank make it hard to find a light.

 

[MarkW19]

Hehe! Well I wasn't intending to, but my corals aren't doing as well as I'd hoped. As there's not really many places to move them, and my water quality appears fine, I figured it was the light that was probablly a bit on the low side.

That 150w MH would be about 6" off the surface (no fan underneath, but it has an internal fan...), any high and it'd look stupid Also topping off 1L a day is enough as I'm doing at the mo!

I'd love to get a 50-70w MH, but the only one I can find that will fit is the JBJ Viper, which I've read about on many forums, and people have apparently had a lot of reliability problems with (parts breaking off, melting down, etc!).

I just want a clamp-on one, but the Haqos (too strong) and Viper (apparently unreliable, and don't like the design) seem to be my only options...

 

[lando]

What makes you think your corals are not doing okay?

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

that link isnt working for me, where can i get these lights?

 

[melosu58]

It`s not working for me either.

 

[Innovator]

This is just a 10g? Seriously, all you really need is a Coralife Aqualight (Quad) 96w. You should be able to keep clams and sps with such. Leathers do love their water flow so make sure they are getting plenty of it (indirect). Do you add any chemicals to the tank (Ca, Alk, Iodine?) What type of leathers do you have? What section of the coral is the flaking occuring from? What other corals are in your tank?

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

where can you get one of the halides in the link that doesnt work?

 

[ccCapt]

In case no one noticed, this thread is almost 1 year old. I dont think that light is available in the US, but here's a link to a place that does have it.

Here's an American version.