MH Lighting

[Coralaholic]

I am thinking about to install a MH light for my 120L RT, how much light in terms of watt do I need?

[Reefscape]

what is the depth of the tank? in inches?

Niko

[Coralaholic]

18"

[Reefscape]

i would suggest 250w halides. that will remove a lot of limitations of what you can have in the tank regarding corals..One thing to remember aswell...that if you go for single pendant lights, is that a single pendant is enough to cover 2 feet of tank length...so, if you have a 4 foot long tank, you would need two pendants....

Niko

[Germanman]

yea i agree 250wts

[Coralaholic]

Thanks guys, I will go for the 250W.

[Germanman]

let us know how it turns out:)

[Coralaholic]

Yes sure, will post some pics here once installed, cheers..

[Coralaholic]

Anyone experienced to use Tungsten for reef tank? Local superstore is selling 200W Tungsten light bulb and it is much much cheaper compare to MH bulb. I think the light spectrum should be fine for corals... anyone not recommend me to have one and why?

[Coralaholic]

I am still thinking about what sort of MH light I am going to install, there are quite a lot of choices, those ones desgined for aquariums are very expensive from the LFS, so I searched it from the stores selling electronic appliances and turned out much cheaper since the it is not for aquarium but for public
advertisement lighting, and square-shaped.

The guy from the electronic appliances store told me that if I want it for aquarium I must change the MH blub to have at least 8000k, which I believe he is right. Since I have to think about how I am going to put it in place on top of my tank, my question is if I want to have a 250W 10000k MH light, how far from the water does it need to be separated given that my tank is 18 inches tall?

Heat generated should not be a problem as I have a water cooler. Please help, thanks.

[Germanman]

wouldnt use lamps not made for aquaria..sometime dont have uv filters or are not the same thing...would really research it first.

[Coralaholic]

Thanks Germanman. :)

The one I am looking for have UV filter (It is Philips), and I don't know any difference between the one for aquarium and for other use. Apart from watt and color temperture, what, in terms of quality of light, do I need to consider? Please help.

If I place a 250W 10000K MH lamp just 2 inches above the water level, do you think it is too close and may hurt the fishes/corals (18 inches tall tank)? Since I have a water cooler, the temperture is constantly maintaining at 24C.

Btw, Germanman, read from other thread, knowing you're studying aquatic science, I am actually very interested about the scope of your course, any place I could take a look at it? I may decide to do it for my 3rd degree.

[Germanman]

im just starting it up. still finishing off my credits and a few majors course at a community collage, doing it right and taking it slow. my community collage has a wonderful bio department actually. im all set to transfer to UCSB when im done. its an excellent school. and depending on when the time comes i may got to UCSD for after grad work.

[Coralaholic]

Good luck for your study Germanman!

Thanks for your advice for the lamp, I have bought a Dymax MH lamp, 150W 14000k, not sure whether you have heard it b4, it costed me USD120 including the light bulb. My corals seems very happy with the bright purple light, I can actually see their true color! Attached some pics, enjoy!

[TomToro]

Very nice tank! Very nice pics.

I have an 18" tank and have 3 175's. It does limit what I can keep down low, but I keep my sps up high, the lps (with higher light req.)medium and the low light lps and softies low. That seems to work out well for me. My electric bill is high enough with these. The 250's are nice though.

My middle light is a pendant and seems to 'spotlight' the corals in a narrow area. The other two are sideways in reflectors and it seems like a more natural gradual lighting. If I wasn't lazy, I'd retro the pendant into a reflector.

Once again, nice setup.
Tom

[Coralaholic]

TomToro, your tank is huge, 100g but 18" tall, very wide!
What is the big circular thing on the left hand side of your tank http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...o/P1010109.jpg???

[TomToro]

TomToro, your tank is huge, 100g but 18" tall, very wide!
What is the big circular thing on the left hand side of your tank http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...o/P1010109.jpg???

You mean that big ol' sweaty sebae anemone? That's where the clowns breed. Right under it on a flat rock. If I took a pic now, it would show that same anemone way up top like a sunflower. When it got that big I stopped feeding it and I'm assuming it's looking for a nutrient rich spot to stay. I might just feed it up there so it stays. Opens up a lot of room for more corals down below.

I had to unplug a powerhead in that area so it wouldn't blend it.

Take care,
Tom

[Germanman]

looks wonderful!

[TomToro]

looks wonderful!

Thanks! I appreciate that.

[Reefscape]

the light is looking good with the new light...

Niko

[musho3210]

how much did the light cost and where did you buy it (if it was online) is it a good company? Im interested in buying one myself.

[Coralaholic]

It is a Dymax HQI-150 Clip Metal Halide Lamp, it costs ~USD120 in a LFS in Hong Kong, you should be able to get it online.