150 or 250

[Chef Reef]

im trying to decide what to light my 75 with, would i be better of with 250's or 150's? (MH's)

 

[milsaltnewbie07]

Im would get 250's. That's what im looking for to put on my 75. But then againg my tank will be most if not all SPS, and a clam

 

[db_triggerfish]

250w on a 75g is the gold standard but 150w is fine because of it's low depth max 20" with BB. I feel the most important decision will be which reflectors small or the better wide coverage ones. I have seen many MH tanks that don't look anywhere near as bright as my T5 overdriven tank not counting the ones using Lumenarc type reflectors those are very nice but requires a large canopy.

 

[Chef Reef]

id like to keep SPS, LPS, shrooms, rics, zoas, and maybe a softie or two. so pretty much everything. im worried about the 250's might be to strong for some stuff. is this possible? or will 250's be fine for everything? i plan on keeping some T5's on there as well. im just trying to avoid overkill.

 

[Von_Rahvin]

<< using a 400w over a 65. but it's a short wide one.

 

[szhttm]

I think you should go with the 250 MH lights.

The reason is if you happen to have a coral that does not need much light, then you can keep it low in the tank. If you have a coral that requires more light, you can keep moving it up closer to the top until its happy.

If you start out with not enough light, then you might run into an issue with the more light loving corals.

Good Luck and Have Fun!!!;
:thumbsup:

 

[carlosngloria]

on a 75 you would need 2 to get good spread across the tank. i think 150 would be fine if you go 250 i think you will need a nice chiller. i got 3 250s on my 210 and they are good. plus you said you were going to add some t5s so 150 would be good.

 

[FleeVT]

I've got 2x175w Icecaps ballasts, mogul sockets, and used bulbs (need to check brand) that would work well for your 75. You would just need to pick up reflectors. $175 for them.