kylemagoo March 25, 2009 March 25, 2009 I have a 24 in. deep 120 gallon tank. I want to set up a reef. Is a 2x150 watt plus power compact lighting system sufficient? What type of corals will I be able to grow with that set up? thanks!
jason the filter freak March 25, 2009 March 25, 2009 (edited) sorry i missed that you were going with halides, I thought you were saying 150 watt PC bulbs. You can do most any coral you'll just have to do high light corals up high in the tank. Edited March 25, 2009 by jason the filter freak
kylemagoo March 25, 2009 Author March 25, 2009 yes i am referring to 150 Metal Halides.... to clarifty 2x150 metal halide bulbs plus power compacts in a 120 gallon reef tank 24 in. deep. Is this lighting sufficient for corals? which ones? thanks!
Brian Ward March 25, 2009 March 25, 2009 yes i am referring to 150 Metal Halides.... to clarifty 2x150 metal halide bulbs plus power compacts in a 120 gallon reef tank 24 in. deep. Is this lighting sufficient for corals? which ones? thanks! You can keep pretty much any coral with that setup. The higher light SPS will need to be at the top of the tank - this could result in less vibrant colors in SPS near the bottom of the tank. You probably can't have maxima clams on your sandbed either. 2x250 is a more typical setup on that tank. I actually have 2x400. Also, consider going VHO - either T12 or T5 instead of the PC lights. PC bulbs are pretty expensive, so I think you'd be happier w/ the T5 or T12.
kylemagoo March 25, 2009 Author March 25, 2009 thanks... can you put the vho or t5 bulbs in a power compact ballast?
gastone March 25, 2009 March 25, 2009 I agree with others. The 150mh + pc combo will probably suffice, but you'll find that you have a lot more options regarding potential livestock and placement, as well as many more lamp/color combinations if you were to go with 250mh and T5s (my personal preference). You could also utilize T5's only. Browse the member tank threads. I'm sure you'll find plenty of nice looking 120g tanks. Check out their lighting scheme and ask them questions. If you get it right the first time, you only have to buy equipment once.
Coral Hind March 25, 2009 March 25, 2009 thanks... can you put the vho or t5 bulbs in a power compact ballast? If the ballast is only made for PC bulbs then no. If it is an electronic ballast like IceCap that is designed for different bulb types and configurations then maybe. I agree with what brian said. The PC bulbs to me are outdated, T5HO is the way to go. I have 2x250w SE 14k and 2x54w T5HO actinics on my 120. I have no issues with what I want to keep. It is fully stocked with 99% SPS.
onyx March 25, 2009 March 25, 2009 I run 2 x 150w halides on my 120 and I've yet to find something I can't keep. However, I have my SPS pieces up quite high to the top of the tank. When we started we kept more LPS and zoas. Now that we have more SPS pieces, I would have gone the 2 x 250w. Just gives you more options down the road. But, 150s will work. I would also skip PCs on a 120.
Brian Ward March 26, 2009 March 26, 2009 It is ever possible to have too much light ? sorta. if you have very high light, you'll need to acclimate your corals to the light in your tank - usually by starting them at the bottom and working your way up. I believe most corals will adapt to higher light. As with most corals, the coloration depends on lighting - esp intensity. Certain corals like to bake under very high lights and you get great color by doing that, others prefer dimmer conditions for best coloration.
onux20 March 28, 2009 March 28, 2009 Dont want to hijack the thread but, I just picked up a 120 too. Plan to go with the Current Outer orbit 2x250 MH with 4x54 t5's. Thoughts on this particular light? Thoughts on going with MH solely? I personally like the versatility of MH t5/PC combo. But I know some of you (onyx) have success with just MH lighting. Ron
onyx March 29, 2009 March 29, 2009 Dont want to hijack the thread but, I just picked up a 120 too. Plan to go with the Current Outer orbit 2x250 MH with 4x54 t5's. Thoughts on this particular light? Thoughts on going with MH solely? I personally like the versatility of MH t5/PC combo. But I know some of you (onyx) have success with just MH lighting. Ron Congrats on the new 120! I also looked at that fixture, as I liked the combo as well. Ultimately I went with my setup mainly because I wanted more flexibility in case something went wrong with the fixture. I didn't like the fact that if one part of it went bad, I might have to send the whole unit in for service. Having said that, I do like the fixture.
lhcorals March 30, 2009 March 30, 2009 (edited) I went with the Current Lighting fixture on my 265 Gal. (3) 250 W metal Halides and (8) 39 W T-5's. It also has (12) White and (12) Blue lunars. Edited March 30, 2009 by lhcorals
onux20 March 30, 2009 March 30, 2009 I went with the Current Lighting fixture on my 265 Gal. (3) 250 W metal Halides and (8) 39 W T-5's. It also has (12) White and (12) Blue lunars. Likes? Dislikes? limitations? benefits? Ron
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