Metal Halides and Power Compacts

[a_fool_for_fish]

I just want to thank you guys for all the help you have givin me

Hey you guys i just wanted to know if in my 135 gallon reef tank it would be ok to add a 200 to 400 watt MH to my power compact lighting. The lighting i have now is 224 watts that include 2 daylight PC and 2 actinic PC. i got the Tank off a friend and it came with this lighting. My only concern is if there woud be to much heat coming off the lights. My tank is already between 78 and 80 degrees so i was thinking of adding 2 fans to the hood and running a fan over my sump because i have heard that this also helps.

Thanks you guys

 

[caz]

mh do produce a lot of heat i hear. but usually a couple small fans in the canopy do the trick

 

[Richer]

I'm surprised slip hasn't come in to point something out yet

MH bulbs don't exactly produce more heat than PC bulbs... is just that all the heat MH bulbs produced are focused on one spot, whereas, the heat in PC bulbs are spread over a larger area. Nothing major, just thought I'd point that out.

That said, definately add a couple of fans to your canopy... a few cfms of airflow does wonders.

-Richer

 

[gcvt]

Two or three 250w MH bulbs would do nicely over that tank. One MH bulb will only cover about a 2' x 2' area so people with longer tanks generally use 2 or 3 bulbs. I have a five-foot tank with two 250w bulbs and the light coverage is pretty good, but three bulbs would be better. I also run two fans in my canopy and don't have any problems with heat - 80/81 degrees consistently.