400 watt DE halide too much for 30 gallon?

[fishnut321]

I've been looking in to starting a sps tank while im in college. It would have to be smallish, but i want to buy some equipment that will be compatible with a larger tank once im out of college. I was thinking of a 30 gallon +/- 10 gallons plus a sump.

Skimmer- looking at a Euro reef

Metal halide- ice cap 400 watt DE with probably 14k bulb

Any suggestions??? Nothing is set in stone since this is still in the planning stage, if you have any non-biased suggestions on equipment please respond.

Thanks!

 

[Kip]

i'd think a 250wDE would be plenty

 

[MiddletonMark]

What's the exact measurements on the tank?

Personally, unless 24"+ deep, I would skip the 400w. More light does not mean more growth/color ... nevermind the heat + power generated would be problematic IMO.

Personally, I would go for a 250w setup, consider a 150w MH [if you want some actinic supplimentation]. Realize, if you go with high wattage, you'll likely need to reduce the photoperiod to avoid pale corals, heat issues, etc ... meaning the more light, the less hours the tank is lit [to a point]. I don't mind my 7 hour photoperiod with 250's on my 58 ... but I do miss my 175's and the 10 hour photoperiod, esp on weekends, when I'd love the tank to be lit longer.

Just my take, others will differ.

 

[Ti]

You could do it, might have to start it off a bit high.
Nice part about that would be beaing able to keep sps practically anywhere in the tank, even down low in the tank not just high up.
I have a 250 in a 40 and I still can't keep sps as low.
Personally if I could afford the electricity I would try a 400.

 

[RichConley]

Wierd Ti, I've got a 58 with a 250DE, and can keep them whereever I please.

 

[fishnut321]

hmm... can you recommend a nice, but still affordable 250 + t5 combo hood??

 

[secrest]

Ive to a 250 on my 29 and I get amazing growth. 250 should be plenty for you. There is a guy on here that used to have a 400 on a 20 though so you could pull that off too.

 

[kahunakatz]

I completely agree with MiddletonMark and others that less light is often more. Just because SOME of these SPS come from very bright conditions does not mean that they benefit from excessive light. Often corals, even SPS, can have a hard time adapting to excess light. You will probably be happier with a 250W or even 150W halide and enjoying a longer photoperiod.

Best Wishes,
Barry Katz

 

[Ti]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7116917#post7116917 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RichConley
Wierd Ti, I've got a 58 with a 250DE, and can keep them whereever I please.

What is your set up like?
I have my MH in the middle, so the sides don't get as much light.

 

[MiddletonMark]

Ti - what kind of reflector do you have?

I found when I had 1 MH, changing the reflector blew me away with better light distribution, intensity, and lit-up-corners.

IMO, if stretching 1 MH to fit 24" or larger - the reflector is often neglected and makes a giant difference.

 

[RichConley]

TI, I've got a ROIII, but I polished the crap out of the reflector, and have it up about 12" off the water. It would probably work even better with a lumenarc or something like that. I also run ozone, which helps (cleaner water, better light penetration)

I run a 10K bulb, and replaced the UV shield with a thinner piece of tempered glass.


I used to be able to only keep SPS in the middle top, but as I've gotten the tank cleaner, and made little tweaks (like coating the inside of my canopy with polished aluminum flashing) that the areas I've been able to keep stuff have spread.


FWIW, I still seem to lose a ton of light that just reflects off the water and ends up on my ceiling. I think this is a big advantage that people dont think about with the really big reflectors (lumenarcs, lumenmax,etc). Most of that light isnt going to your ceiling, its going to go back into the reflector, and get reflected down again, so you get some of it back...


Ok, done ranting.

 

[Ti]

I was using a spider on mogul, but depth wise I haven't really been able to get SPS to color up past 1/2 down the tank.
Sps on the sand bed is definately out of the question unless it was a monti.

 

[fishnut321]

what do you guys think of the current 150 metal halide plus 130 watt actinic hood?? im kinda looking at putting that on a 20 now (space consideration)

 

[castorpollux]

i use a 400 watt xm se bulb pendant with 2 32 watt sunpaq dual actinic pc's on a 23 flat back hex and its fine. the only problem i ran into was that i waited too long to change the bulb and when i did the par increase so dramatically that its nuking the xenia that grew up to the top... oddly enough it also turned a green slimer deep purple with green polyps and corallites

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7118760#post7118760 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ti
I was using a spider on mogul, but depth wise I haven't really been able to get SPS to color up past 1/2 down the tank.
Sps on the sand bed is definately out of the question unless it was a monti.

The spider reflectors are pretty bad. Theyre open ended, so they lose a TON of light like that. My brother uses one, with his 20L and a 175, and has trouble with SPS.

 

[fishnut321]

lol this thread has turned into another my halide setup is better than yours. Very understandable, i too am a equipment geek. But im trying to setup this tank right the first time and i would appreciate your collective imput on gear.

sorry to sound mean, not trying to, just trying to turn the thread around.

Thank you!