mh pc what is good 4 me

[Mghslowell]

hey everyone i have a 55g reef with 70lbs lr dsb mushrooms, carpet anemones some invertebres, manderine coral beauty , and marine cat .

i am currently running 2 65w 10k pc and 2 actinic 65w pc over my 48" tank

my tank has been successful to a point but i wish for thingsto thrive and may look to getting soft corals. i am looking around at Mh lighting and just wondering how much wattage i need and what size and do i run actinics as well as mh and what shedual would be great

thanks !


ok did some research and can get a fixture that has dual 175 mh bulbs and 2 110w actinic VHO bulbs on a 48 " fixture with ballast for 375 bucks is that sufficient for my tank ?

 

[Salttanker]

How deep is your tank? Depending on the depth, you could go with 175w MH or even 250w. Each one will cover approximately 2 feet, so two would suffice. Your carpet Anemone will thrive with MH lighting. Just make sure you use a slow acclimation period for the lighting so they can get used to it. Do you have a canopy for these for retro fit, or placing it over the glass?


Mike

 

[Mghslowell]

going to hang it over the glass just judging it how high above i need the 175s will do fine

this is what im looking at to get

http://cgi.ebay.com/Dual175-Metal-H...746761864QQcategoryZ46314QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[MT79]

If you plan on having just a couple high light corals/clam placed midway to high in the tank go w/ 175w MH's. If you want a "high light" reef- predominetly SPS's, clams, anemones-go w/ 250's. 175 would be sufficient in most circumstances on a 55gal. Beware of heat. I'm running 2x250's on my 55gal and w/ no heaters they keep my tank at 80-84 degrees(84 being in the summer months). I have to use an air conditioner in the summer.

 

[Salttanker]

Beware of heat. I'm running 2x250's on my 55gal and w/ no heaters they keep my tank at 80-84 degrees

I agree with that. My tank gets pretty hot, especially in Arizona. I ended up getting a chiller though for more consistent temperatures.


Mike

 

[Mghslowell]

yeah only thing is i live in the east coast so the temp drops in theroom where the tank is considerable so ill prob have pc fans blowing out

but the 2 110 watt vho actinitics should be there too or is that neccessary?

and what schedual should i maintain?

thx for your help !