29g 150w MH or 70W MH?
- Thread starter MalawianDude
- Start date
Apparently I misunderstood the reply by Alien. All I sensed was sarcasm .... something I was used to getting in the past around here. Ticked me off and I went on a tear. Sorry
As far as my "cheap advice" leading someone in the wrong direction ... That is even more offensive. I've been in the reef hobby for over 10 years, so I don't consider myself a beginner.
I too have had many different setups and have had success and frustrations with ALL of them. To say that 70watt recommendation is wrong is a broad statement as I know you can have the same success with a variety of different lighting setups. I never said the 150 was the wrong way to go and maybe in this case it is the way to go.
Here's my point guys .... Who here knows why one aquarist can grow SPS/LPS under "inadequate" lighting while another aquarist with all the wattage/PAR you can pack in fails miserably???
How bout .... lighting is not the most important ingredient. Seems like most forget that and get blinded by the light
I've seen beautiful growth under PC lighting alone and the reason why is water quality, combined with light and water movement. It's a multi-part equasion.
As far as my "cheap advice" leading someone in the wrong direction ... That is even more offensive. I've been in the reef hobby for over 10 years, so I don't consider myself a beginner.
I too have had many different setups and have had success and frustrations with ALL of them. To say that 70watt recommendation is wrong is a broad statement as I know you can have the same success with a variety of different lighting setups. I never said the 150 was the wrong way to go and maybe in this case it is the way to go.
Here's my point guys .... Who here knows why one aquarist can grow SPS/LPS under "inadequate" lighting while another aquarist with all the wattage/PAR you can pack in fails miserably???
How bout .... lighting is not the most important ingredient. Seems like most forget that and get blinded by the light
I've seen beautiful growth under PC lighting alone and the reason why is water quality, combined with light and water movement. It's a multi-part equasion.hijacking
hijacking
Alien, this is not my thread. No need to apologize to me. Its actually malawi's thread. Isthisnametaken, I will bump the thread I started on my tank so that you can check some more specs on my tank. Malawi, sorry for the hijack. I would like you to give me some input on my thread as well.
Back on Topic
Like I mentioned before, i would go with the 250w mh. At one point my only concern with my 29 and the 250mh was bleaching the corals. I got some great input from knowledgable reefers and decided to keep them.
hijacking
Alien, this is not my thread. No need to apologize to me. Its actually malawi's thread. Isthisnametaken, I will bump the thread I started on my tank so that you can check some more specs on my tank. Malawi, sorry for the hijack. I would like you to give me some input on my thread as well.
Back on Topic
Like I mentioned before, i would go with the 250w mh. At one point my only concern with my 29 and the 250mh was bleaching the corals. I got some great input from knowledgable reefers and decided to keep them.
surfnvb7
Premium Member
my response is not intended to bust anyones ballz or anything.
no one has mentioned the intensity difference b/w 10k, 14k, 20k etc. which makes a big difference in what you want to keep and what wattage light to get.
my only problem with 70w DE retros, is that there arent very many 70w DE bulbs being sold out there at all. it takes a bit more work to track one down too. they aren't impossible to find by any means, its just that they are mostly off brands, not made by the big lighting companies which kinda worries me about service and reliability.
however, i think its enough light for softies, you barely need 2 NO bulbs to keep most softies alive. they may not look great and thrive...but they are alive.
also, a 150w DE retro doesn't cost much more than a 70w. so you may as well grab more light for the same price.
personally, i've seen a 29g tank with a 20k 175w SE mogul (electronic ballast). and IMO i didn't think it packed enough punch. the tank looked overal kinda dim.
i've also seen a 29g tank with a 14k 250w SE mogul (magnetic ballast). this packed waaay too much punch (for more softier corals, and heat was a big issue). it was great for sps and clams though.
i can't comment much on DE setups, other than they dont tend to put out as much heat as SE. and i dont like how the reflectors are so small, it just punches a lot of light intensity straight down, istead of bouncing it around from the sides like a lumenarc reflector for an SE bulb would do. with DE, you also have to use crappy UV glass, which cuts down a ton of intensity from the bulb, and if you dont have that of course...your corals will all die from UV exposure, not to mention degrade the retina's in your eyes severely.
with all that said....if i was doing a 29g, and i wasnt planning on upgrading for 2 years at least, i would prob choose to go with some sort of 250w DE pendant, and start out with a 20k bulb. with this, you can raise the pendent up as high as you need to spread the light and intensity out. and if you decide to go to more light loving sps and clams, change to a 14k bulb.
or, if you like the whiter look, i would susgest a 150w DE pendant with a 10k bulb, and supplement with some VHO or T-5 HO actinics.
remember, 10k bulbs are more intense/brighter, penatrate deeper water, and greater risk of burning softies. but provide great growth to sps and clams.
20k is a bit dimmer, doesnt penatrate as deep, and makes softies and sps look great but sacrificing some growth.
i think the ultimate setup in that gallon range, would be a 30g cube, with a 250w SE 20k bulb, in a lumenarc reflector....now thats SWEET!! just gota make sure you have a good sump, some fans, and a good AC controlled room the tank is in to keep the heat in check.
no one has mentioned the intensity difference b/w 10k, 14k, 20k etc. which makes a big difference in what you want to keep and what wattage light to get.
my only problem with 70w DE retros, is that there arent very many 70w DE bulbs being sold out there at all. it takes a bit more work to track one down too. they aren't impossible to find by any means, its just that they are mostly off brands, not made by the big lighting companies which kinda worries me about service and reliability.
however, i think its enough light for softies, you barely need 2 NO bulbs to keep most softies alive. they may not look great and thrive...but they are alive.
also, a 150w DE retro doesn't cost much more than a 70w. so you may as well grab more light for the same price.
personally, i've seen a 29g tank with a 20k 175w SE mogul (electronic ballast). and IMO i didn't think it packed enough punch. the tank looked overal kinda dim.
i've also seen a 29g tank with a 14k 250w SE mogul (magnetic ballast). this packed waaay too much punch (for more softier corals, and heat was a big issue). it was great for sps and clams though.
i can't comment much on DE setups, other than they dont tend to put out as much heat as SE. and i dont like how the reflectors are so small, it just punches a lot of light intensity straight down, istead of bouncing it around from the sides like a lumenarc reflector for an SE bulb would do. with DE, you also have to use crappy UV glass, which cuts down a ton of intensity from the bulb, and if you dont have that of course...your corals will all die from UV exposure, not to mention degrade the retina's in your eyes severely.
with all that said....if i was doing a 29g, and i wasnt planning on upgrading for 2 years at least, i would prob choose to go with some sort of 250w DE pendant, and start out with a 20k bulb. with this, you can raise the pendent up as high as you need to spread the light and intensity out. and if you decide to go to more light loving sps and clams, change to a 14k bulb.
or, if you like the whiter look, i would susgest a 150w DE pendant with a 10k bulb, and supplement with some VHO or T-5 HO actinics.
remember, 10k bulbs are more intense/brighter, penatrate deeper water, and greater risk of burning softies. but provide great growth to sps and clams.
20k is a bit dimmer, doesnt penatrate as deep, and makes softies and sps look great but sacrificing some growth.
i think the ultimate setup in that gallon range, would be a 30g cube, with a 250w SE 20k bulb, in a lumenarc reflector....now thats SWEET!!
just gota make sure you have a good sump, some fans, and a good AC controlled room the tank is in to keep the heat in check.
jobob
New member
i have a 29gal with 175w se 10k and 2x75w vho actinic. its also a sps tank. but if i shut of my vhos it is kinda yellow and not as bright. i tired a 14k bulb without actinics and it was really nice. mostly white with a little blue, but it wasnt as intense as the 10k. so if u are only goin with metal halide i would get the 150, even the 250. u can always upgrade the ballast later if need be.
