Metal halide bulbs?

[oceanjunkie]

I'm looking to get some metal haildes for my 75gal fowlr I want to start adding coral. I was wondering if I should run 2 150, or 2 250. I was also going to run two t5's. Where's the best place to purchase the bulbs and what brand is also good to use. The tank is 22" deep. I was also wondering how high off the tank should the lights be.

 

[Schism]

I'm looking to get some metal haildes for my 75gal fowlr I want to start adding coral. I was wondering if I should run 2 150, or 2 250. I was also going to run two t5's. Where's the best place to purchase the bulbs and what brand is also good to use. The tank is 22" deep. I was also wondering how high off the tank should the lights be.

150's should do for most anything you might wish to keep. As far as bulb brand i highly recommend Phoenix 14k bulbs for the halides. Height off the water will depend on heat, evaporation, and light intensity needed. Start high and work your way down.

 

[oceanjunkie]

Ok thanks I'm going to start building a canopy for my tank. I was wondering is there a time period for breaking my tank in with the metal halides.

 

[Jabibi]

I would go with 2 250's

 

[oceanjunkie]

Ok why the 2 250's instead of the 2 150's

 

[Jabibi]

You can grow whatever you want in any area of the tank. If you wanted to grow sps on the floor of the tank you could with no problem. Plus if you ever wanted to upgrade to a taller tank you would already have lights for it.

 

[oceanjunkie]

Sounds great thank you

 

[Schism]

With 250 watt x 2 halides expect to have heat issues, so that probably means chiller. Just so your aware.

 

[Jabibi]

Not true. I have 2 250s in my tank and i have no chiller. Any metal halide is going to give off heat. If he would need a chiller with 2 250s he is going to need one with 2 150s. I cool mine off with fans. My temp does not get any higher than 78 degrees with all the lights on so he might not need a chiller.

 

[Schism]

Not true. I have 2 250s in my tank and i have no chiller. Any metal halide is going to give off heat. If he would need a chiller with 2 250s he is going to need one with 2 150s. I cool mine off with fans. My temp does not get any higher than 78 degrees with all the lights on so he might not need a chiller.

I never said he needed it i just said it was a probability. And i never said he wouldnt need one with the 150's. Just stating that 250's will give off more heat. House temp and seasonal temp play a major role along with equipment. Your temp compared to another can be totally different. OP 150 is more than capable of growing Sps in top 2/3 of tank. Base your selection off what you want to keep. Ive run 250's and 150's there is a heat difference and it could mean the difference between a chiller and no chiller, just saying. I suggest the OP do a lot of research. I would recommend Led highly to avoid halide problems.

 

[Jabibi]

IMO i would go with metal halide over leds any day. I have tried leds on my smaller tank and really have not seen the results in growth and color that i have with metal halides but thats just my opinion. On my big tank i do use some leds to suppliment my metal halides instead of using power compacts or t5 but i dont think i would ever get rid of my metal halides and go with a full led setup. I was not saying that you were incorrect about the chiller just saying that it can be done without using one. I live in miami which is one of the hottest and humid places aand i dont use one and am able to keep my temp down. I was just speaking from my experience.

 

[oceanjunkie]

I also live in Florida. That was my other concern is if I had to run a chiller. I can build the whole system cheaper than buying a system. I do like the leds just way to expensive for the good ones.

 

[Sniperhank]

I run 2 ecotech radions over my 55. They give no heat, but my tank still gets above 85 some days with how hot it has been getting and im in western pa. I run the ac in my living room to keep it in check. With florida temps I could easily see heat being an issue with mh.

Though I have never tried mh myself, I have seen the results from leds and they do work well. I love my radions. Though hindsight makes me wish I went the dimmable taotronics leds. They are 1/4th the price and many of the reefers here utilize them. It might be something you would want to look into if heat is going to be an issue. They are listed on ebay.

 

[oceanjunkie]

Cool thanks I will look into those. I really don't want to buy a chiller right now. I'm just starting out and so far I love it. I really want a bigger tank but that's down the road a little ways.

 

[Holygral]

I run 2x 250w 4 inches off the water, house is normally 78-80, 1 clip on fan keeps the temp 77.5 to 78.5. I would go with 250s as that will allow you to upgrade in the future.

 

[oceanjunkie]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I really want to grow coals so when I upgrade to my new tank it will be a show piece.

 

[Sniperhank]

I have made it without one as do many reefers. I think you will be fine with either mh or led. I would just get a fan if you do go mh to keep the heat down as much as possible. Though it is my personal opinion that leds are on par with mh, with how low the cost is for them they will replace mh as costs continue to fall as the technology continues to advance. I was drawn to led at first because you dont need to change bulbs every 6 months.