250 Watt DE MH Too much on a 10 Gal?

T

tripstank

In Memoriam
I want to switch over from my 80 watts of PC to MH and recently purchased a 250 wall MH setup. It is a Reef Optics III and a Blue Wave Ballast. Would this be too much for my 10 gal? I currently have Zoas, Xenias, Star Polyps, Monti's, Shrooms, and a Clam. I will be moving this setup hopefully to a larger tank in August, but I was wondering how the 250 watts would do over my tank. Any input would be great!
 
Since you already have it, I'd use it. Just mount it fairly high. I'd probably start with 12-14" atleast, and see how your livestock reacts and go from there. You're gonna get a lot of spill over, but it's better than frying the corals. What bulb are you using?
 
Ehh.. I think it just comes down to whether or not your tank can handle the heat. You could definetly get away with a 150 watt DE.

I have a 250 watt DE on my 15 gal, but I run a chiller too. My sps love the light and I haven't had anything bleach.
 
It is a 10K Bulb. Should I also shorten my photo period for the first couple of weeks so that the corals have a chance to acclimate?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7089566#post7089566 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by won digity
Ehh.. I think it just comes down to whether or not your tank can handle the heat. You could definetly get away with a 150 watt DE.

I have a 250 watt DE on my 15 gal, but I run a chiller too. My sps love the light and I haven't had anything bleach.
Click to expand...


How high over you tank are your lights?
 
I kept a ROIII pendant over a 10g once, too. It was pretty sweet. Using an electronic ballast is in your favor because the bulb will put out a lower PPFD than if you used a magnetic ballast. The only difference between my setup and yours is that I had a Phoenix 14K bulb. Your 10K will put out more light, but you can adjust for that by keeping the light a little higher up.

I hung the pendant about 12" off of the top of my tank with a clip-on fan pointed up at the pendant. I had a lot of evaporation, but it was managable. This was my work nano, so I didn't top it off over the weekend and everything was still ok when I got in on Monday mornings.

The temp was right at 80 during that day and I used a timer to turn off the fan at night. You'll be alright as long as you're not planning on keeping the pendant in any kind of canopy or anything that'll trap heat.

Eventually, I had to move the tank to a different office that didn't have anywhere to hang a light, so I switched to a 150W Sunpod (I bought a 15G tall tank to make myself fell better), but I still miss the 25W/gallon setup.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7090265#post7090265 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Penfold
I kept a ROIII pendant over a 10g once, too. It was pretty sweet. Using an electronic ballast is in your favor because the bulb will put out a lower PPFD than if you used a magnetic ballast. The only difference between my setup and yours is that I had a Phoenix 14K bulb. Your 10K will put out more light, but you can adjust for that by keeping the light a little higher up.

I hung the pendant about 12" off of the top of my tank with a clip-on fan pointed up at the pendant. I had a lot of evaporation, but it was managable. This was my work nano, so I didn't top it off over the weekend and everything was still ok when I got in on Monday mornings.

The temp was right at 80 during that day and I used a timer to turn off the fan at night. You'll be alright as long as you're not planning on keeping the pendant in any kind of canopy or anything that'll trap heat.

Eventually, I had to move the tank to a different office that didn't have anywhere to hang a light, so I switched to a 150W Sunpod (I bought a 15G tall tank to make myself fell better), but I still miss the 25W/gallon setup.
Click to expand...

What were you keeping in the tank?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7087771#post7087771 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mikeeal
Since you already have it, I'd use it. Just mount it fairly high. I'd probably start with 12-14" atleast, and see how your livestock reacts and go from there. You're gonna get a lot of spill over, but it's better than frying the corals. What bulb are you using?
Click to expand...

I completly agree. Do you think it should be a little higher mike?

-alien
 
A 10K bulb is gonna be quite a bit, however, you'll still be able to swing it. You could keep a 1000W halide over a 10G, if you mounted it high enough, so that's not the issue. It's like Penfold said, as long as it's not in a canopy, and you keep plenty of air blowing across it, it'll work, until you upgrade. About the skimmer, you shouldn't have a problem, as long as the fan/ or two is doing their jobs. You'll probably get some funky growth in the skimmer body, but it won't warp it.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7090413#post7090413 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by alien9168
I completly agree. Do you think it should be a little higher mike?

-alien
Click to expand...

I'd start with atleast 14", maybe more since it's a 10K.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7090033#post7090033 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tripstank
How high over you tank are your lights?
Click to expand...

Well, with the chiller set-up, I really am not that concerned. I've been running it about 6" from the surface of the water. And, that was running just fine. With the new configuration that I am setting up, I may run the pendant a little higher, so I can get a better, unobstructed, top-down view of my tank.
 
Ok, sounds like it will work. How should I anchor the pendant into the ceiling? Toggle Bolts? I don't think I am going to be able to find a stud and if I do it will be a metal one since I live in the city (damn codes!).
 
it's way too much lighting ... good job ;)

... you might however experience some unexpected algae growth ... watch for it because it WILL happen in such a watt jump!

... you will also encounter your MH heating up that 10 gallons and such great temp. ranges can kill your corals esp. monti's ... make sure you have a fan blowing the air over the top of your aquarium! This will ensure that the heat waves will blow off and only light waves end up travelling towards your tank.

... and the higher you hang your MH the more light will flood your entire room ... not sure if that bothers you just wanted to let you know ;)

Post pics of your setup it's the easiest way to identify any current/potential problems :)
 
Thanks! I knew it would be overkill, but god, I have to try it! Do think I should try a 20K bulb instead of the 10K? As far as light flooding the room, I am already dealing with that even with 80 watts PC over the tank. As soon as I get the lights up I will be sure to post pics.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Reefing102
My UPS - Do you have a UPS back up?
Replies
7
Views
408
Guygettnby
Guygettnby
Guygettnby
Nyos 220 on a 120g?
Replies
8
Views
372
Guygettnby
Guygettnby
revclyburn
Need some thoghts on skimmers
Replies
7
Views
350
Timfish
Timfish
mixedreeflife
Reefer 250 GEN1 leak proofing...
Replies
3
Views
345
griss
griss
T
3.7 gal pico nano lighting
Replies
7
Views
942
Dustin07
D
Back
Top