New 125- what is the cheapest way to get a halide setup?

[gsxrguru2]

Hey guys! So far I have gotten some wonderful responses to all the questions I have been coming up with. I am in the process of building a stand for the new 125 gallon that I bought. I want to get a reef tank with fish when things are up and running. Currently I am trying to piece all of my equip. together so I have everything I need the day I fill up the tank. So... here's the big question: If I want to go MH (I should right?), would 3 175w bulbs be sufficient or should I go up? What about supplementing that with VHO bulbs? (you include the wattage of those bulbs in the total watts when you determine how much you need, right?). Here's where things are getting tricky- I find setups on ebay that incorporate MH bulbs and VHO, that go for $800. But then i find sites that allow you to piece together what you need for lower prices. If I am going to build a canopy for my tank would I be better off with a retrofit? (correct me if I'm wrong, but a retrofit is designed to be custom built into a canopy, correct?) What is the best and most cost effective way to do this? Thanks to all for the help!!!

 

[thefishguy]

I have also been researching the topic latley. From what I have learned you want about 7-10 watts per gallon, which for you is between 975 and 1250 watts. that will pretty much suffice anything you could possibly want. you tank is prob. 72" long so you would you would want prob. 3 250 watt metal halide. I would suggest a 6500k or 1000k. in addition you would want to have cf. prob 4 96watt atinic 03.that would give you a total wattage of 1134. if you go to hellolights.com you can build a canopy like this. it would cost you about $582 for the equipment. that isn't counting bulbs, reflectors, fans, wire, so somewhere around 850. But this would be like a top of the line setup.

 

[lando]

would 3 175w bulbs be sufficient or should I go up? What about supplementing that with VHO bulbs?

You could do fine with 3x175watt 10,000K MH bulbs and CF or VHO actinic suppliment. You would have decent light and could keep a nice variety of corals. However, if it were me, I would go with 3x250watt MH with actinic suppliments. This will broaden the variety of things you could keep down the road to include super-colored clams, more species of anemones and SPS corals. Lighting is one of the most exspensive parts of a reef tank. Do it right from the begining and save yourself some money down the road. I wish I had.

If I am going to build a canopy for my tank would I be better off with a retrofit?

Yes, this will give you more control over what you do.

What is the best and most cost effective way to do this?

IF you are handy, you can source out the retrofit kits on the net, ebay is a good option.

 

[gsxrguru2]

So I checked out hellolights and am wondering what the difference is between the options they give for the 250w MH ballasts- there are three different ones (universal, advance, and ARO). As far as the sockets go there are standard and med. mogul. What 250w bulb would be recommended from the site? Thanks....

 

[gsxrguru2]

sorry, heres the web page for the DIY light kits: http://hellolights.com/72buityoreki.html

 

[lando]

Check out www.captivereefs.com for more options. Darin is a member and sponsor of this fine site and a great info resource.

 

[gsxrguru2]

What are actinics??? and what would be the advantages of using them as either VHO or CF?

 

[lando]

Actinics are the bulbs that appear blue in color. They help balance out the white daylight bulbs. YOu can get MH bulbs in various Kelvin ratings...6500K, 10,000K, 14,000K, 20,000K for example. The lower the number the less blue spectrum is shown. A single 6500K MH bulb will make the water appear whitish/yellow and less "full". A 20,000K MH bulb will have much more blue in it, giving it a more balanced look. You can either go with with 3 MH 10,000K bulbs and some VHO or CF actinic supplement to enhance the blue portion of the spectrum or go with just three 14,000K to 20,000K bulbs with out the CF or VHO supplements. It is really personal preference. Many people have their lights simulate a natural day-cycle. Actinics come on for an hour, then daylights join in. this simulates dawn. At night daylights go off and actinics remain on for an hour to simulate dusk. Moonlights on overnight. You can only do this lighting pattern if you have separate actinic lights. Not a big deal. There is also some reports that coral growth is slowed a bit when using 20,000K bulbs. For many hobbiests it is nt a noticable difference.

 

[gsxrguru2]

Hey Lando, thanks for the advice. I guess my best bet would be to try and find people locally who have these setups and figure out what i like best. pictures on the internet probably don't do much justice for how a tank looks under its lights huh? My last question on this for now is whether the different ballasts that are available make a difference? They vary widely in cost but will the cheapest ones work as well as the pricier ones? Thanks in advance...

 

[lando]

Ballasts do make a difference. Different ballasts drive different types/wattage bulbs. Hopefully some with more detailed info on ballasts can chime in.