Metal Halide Questions

[phisigs79]

I have a 55g regular and was wondering if anyone could help me out. I am about to buy a 400w Metal Halide and was wondering if one right in the middle of the canopy will light the entire aquarium without having areas on the sides that aren't as bright. I also was wondering how much of a increase in electricity this would be a month on average and if i stepped in down to a 250w if the usage would change at all.

Edited July 12, 2005 by phisigs79

[xeon]

The light coverage from a Metal Halide is about a 2' square. So with a bulb in the middle, you will have roughly a foot on each end that is not getting much light. I think 400's would be overkill anyway. "Bigger" ballasts have larger power requirements, so yes a 400 is more expensive to run than a 250. If efficiency is a goal, you might also look into electronic ballasts over the probe or pulse start variety. Without going into a ton of detail, I would use 250's or 175's given the depth you are dealing with the 55.

 

Reefcentral has an electicity cost calculator. Fill in the price you pay per KWH, the power requirement(W) for your various equipment and it will spit out an answer.

[phisigs79]

The light coverage from a Metal Halide is about a 2' square. So with a bulb in the middle, you will have roughly a foot on each end that is not getting much light. I think 400's would be overkill anyway. "Bigger" ballasts have larger power requirements, so yes a 400 is more expensive to run than a 250. If efficiency is a goal, you might also look into electronic ballasts over the probe or pulse start variety. Without going into a ton of detail, I would use 250's or 175's given the depth you are dealing with the 55.

 

Reefcentral has an electicity cost calculator. Fill in the price you pay per KWH, the power requirement(W) for your various equipment and it will spit out an answer.

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How do PC's relate vs MH?

[flowerseller]

400w could be overkill but as far as covering the tank with light, it can be done with 1 bulb if you make a reflector that covers the entire length of the tank.

I have a 250w mounted front to back on my 36" tank with a DIY reflector and the light coverage is suprisingly even.

[phisigs79]

400w could be overkill but as far as covering the tank with light, it can be done with 1 bulb if you make a reflector that covers the entire length of the tank.

I have a 250w mounted front to back on my 36" tank with a DIY reflector and the light coverage is suprisingly even.

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i dont understand why its too much. The standard is 5 watts a gallon and im doing like 7.5 which is 2.5 watt more a gallon. Will this hurt the corals. I have heard of people saying 5watts is min.

[flowerseller]

i dont understand why its too much. The standard is 5 watts a gallon and im doing like 7.5 which is 2.5 watt more a gallon. Will this hurt the corals. I have heard of people saying 5watts is min.

Well, you asked a question and it's not the answer you wanted. That's OK because it causes conversation however,

If you ask 4 people you will get 5 different opinions, especially if you ask about a 55g as a choice for a reef tank.

The best thing for you to do might be to buy it, try it and then maybe sell it for pennies on the dollar. You'll learn, someone will get a good deal on a used lighting system, someone will make money selling you a new one better suited for a 55, or someone might even make money selling you a bigger tank to match your 400w light. This will collect taxes which might be used for new roads which in the long run will make it easier for us all to get to the LFS. :D

No offense intended whatsoever, your choice of a 55 demonstrates (at least to me) that you might be a newer keeper given the draw backs of a 55 as a reef.

Most 55s can't be drilled and they are not easy to aquascape or keep a good flow in if you have lot's of rock.

As far as the light goes, with a 400w bulb, you will need to be very careful of placement of corals and you better be able to keep excellent water quality or your hardness will drop and bleach your corals in a heartbeat.

 

Next conversation might about which skimmer you want verses what we think.

[phisigs79]

Well, you asked a question and it's not the answer you wanted. That's OK because it causes conversation however,

If you ask 4 people you will get 5 different opinions, especially if you ask about a 55g as a choice for a reef tank.

The best thing for you to do might be to buy it, try it and then maybe sell it for pennies on the dollar. You'll learn, someone will get a good deal on a used lighting system, someone will make money selling you a new one better suited for a 55, or someone might even make money selling you a bigger tank to match your 400w light. This will collect taxes which might be used for new roads which in the long run will make it easier for us all to get to the LFS. :D

No offense intended whatsoever, your choice of a 55 demonstrates (at least to me) that you might be a newer keeper given the draw backs of a 55 as a reef.

Most 55s can't be drilled and they are not easy to aquascape or keep a good flow in if you have lot's of rock.

As far as the light goes, with a 400w bulb, you will need to be very careful of placement of corals and you better be able to keep excellent water quality or your hardness will drop and bleach your corals in a heartbeat.

 

Next conversation might about which skimmer you want verses what we think.

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I actually am a new reefer and i tons of stuff to learn. i wanted to know why because alot of people keep telling me to do it but i wanted to know the draw backs. I didnt mean to downplay advise you have given me. I appreciate your help. i asked because i had a full set offered to me for $100 which i thought was a great deal. as for the tank the woman wont let me go bigger or i would of so i guess ill have to live with it. I had a 12g and i kept the water quality super but it was too much work to keep it that way so i went bigger. How many powerheads should i use to keep good circulation?

[phisigs79]

should i go with power compacts JEBO 220watt?

[xeon]

What full set was offered to you? You mentioned the woman would not allow you to go bigger... would this be the Signifigant Other? We might have tips on helping sway your way into a slighly larger tank.

 

Personally I would not buy a PC lighting hood. Then again I've stated that I'm not a real fan of PC's. I use PC's on one tank... but that is a custom built 7 gallon nano cube with 2 x 32W of PC's. I needed something short to fit in the hood was the decision maker there. I could of used a 70W MH bulb... but then heat would of been an issue. There is a ton to think about with lighting since it is very important to reefkeeping. If I were lighting a 55, I'd use 2x110W VHO's and 2x175W Metal Halides. IMO, you could probably have pretty good results with 4x110W VHO's.

 

What is the basis of your decisions in having a reef tank? Are you trying to do this on a limited budget? Personally, I wouldn't work from a tank as a basis. This hobby has many expensive areas. IMO, the tank is one of the least expensive. Aside from that, what type of livestock are you shooting for? Angels, tangs, lionfish, SPS, LPS, softies, amenones... bla bla bla.

 

As with many subjects, lighting is a very detailed subject that one could type pages about. It is also a subject with many varying yet viable opinions. No one here uses the same setup, but many of us are successful reef keepers. Using a 400W IMO on a 55 would just be a waste and too much light. For the record, the watts per gallon is not really a rule. There is a big difference in lighting charachteristics of VHO's, PC's, T5's and Metal Halides. It is not Apples and Apples.

[phisigs79]

What full set was offered to you?  You mentioned the woman would not allow you to go bigger... would this be the Signifigant Other?  We might have tips on helping sway your way into a slighly larger tank. 

 

Personally I would not buy a PC lighting hood.  Then again I've stated that I'm not a real fan of PC's.  I use PC's on one tank... but that is a custom built 7 gallon nano cube with 2 x 32W of PC's.  I needed something short to fit in the hood was the decision maker there.  I could of used a 70W MH bulb... but then heat would of been an issue.  There is a ton to think about with lighting since it is very important to reefkeeping.  If I were lighting a 55, I'd use 2x110W VHO's and 2x175W Metal Halides.  IMO, you could probably have pretty good results with 4x110W VHO's.     

 

What is the basis of your decisions in having a reef tank?  Are you trying to do this on a limited budget?  Personally, I wouldn't work from a tank as a basis.  This hobby has many expensive areas.  IMO, the tank is one of the least expensive.  Aside from that, what type of livestock are you shooting for?  Angels, tangs, lionfish, SPS, LPS, softies, amenones... bla bla bla. 

 

As with many subjects, lighting is a very detailed subject that one could type pages about.  It is also a subject with many varying yet viable opinions.  No one here uses the same setup, but many of us are successful reef keepers.  Using a 400W IMO on a 55 would just be a waste and too much light.  For the record, the watts per gallon is not really a rule.  There is a big difference in lighting charachteristics of VHO's, PC's, T5's and Metal Halides.  It is not Apples and Apples.

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it was a full setup for a 400w MH. I have money to spend but am on a budget when it comes to the tank because my fiance thinks that its a waste. I also thought about VHO's mayself. I found a 260w pc lighting for $85 that sounded like a great deal. i dont plan on doing and fancy as of yet thats why i wanted to go larger and get a 400w. i want some soft coals for now and then when i get better go into harder corals. let me know what you think i should do because i am trying to build a canopy and need to order these ligts to get my 55g running. Plus i agree with my fiance on a 55g right now since i live in a apt and space is tight. shoot its the biggest tank i have had. before that was my 29g tall freshwater chilid tank.

[dbartco]

Heed the advice of the others here. Back off 400W, and disperse that wattage over a wider area of the tank. Full set or not. Go 175W or 250Ws on the 55. Will look much better and better for the inhabitants. Do it right the first time, and it will cause less "discussions" with the fiance' over time. Once you get involved with both, you can't get out what you put in!

 

Sell tank used = get half (of what you paid)

Divorce wife= get half

 

Six one, half dozen the other in my book. You are just joining the club when it comes to the sig other. WAMAS doubles as a junkie support group.

[phisigs79]

Heed the advice of the others here. Back off 400W, and disperse that wattage over a wider area of the tank. Full set or not. Go 175W or 250Ws on the 55. Will look much better and better for the inhabitants. Do it right the first time, and it will cause less "discussions" with the fiance' over time. Once you get involved with both, you can't get out what you put in!

 

Sell tank used = get half (of what you paid)

Divorce wife= get  half

 

Six one, half dozen the other in my book. You are just joining the club when it comes to the sig other. WAMAS doubles as a junkie support group.

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HAHA i like that!

[pez]

First off, there is no right set up. You need to do what is good for your situation.

 

You didn't post what kind of corals you want to keep or if you are keeping corals at all for that matter. However, the normal rule-of-thumb is 4 watt/gallon. However, not all watts are created equal. 400 watts of VHO is not as intense as 400 watts of MH. Why? You can get 400 watts from 1 MH lamp, verses 4 4-foot long lamps. So you have what amounts to a point source of high intensity energy verses 4 very long, very broad (relatively) lamps. This, the MH lamp more closely matches the sun than any FL lamp.

 

For a 55 gallon tank, depending on the inhabitants, I would think 4 VHOs, 4 PCs, or 2 MH of moderate size (e.g., DE 150, Mogal 175/250) would be find. I prefer the MH lamps over FL for many reasons.

 

-Tom