anemone pc lighting?
- Thread starter Beemo
- Start date
Haddonisreef
New member
4x96 on a 220? Dont think it will be enough! May be 4 x250 mh
Beemo
Moved On
yes thats all i can afford on a 72" long tank. it cost 400 bux, the cheapest pc light i can find for that length. its dual daylight and actinic (and moonlights,fan)
metal halides for that size tank are up in the thousands no???
i cant afford an upgrade
would a bubble tip fair better in that lighting?
E.J. Coral
New member
I was able to keep a BTA under 130w pc. Of course the anemone was 6" below the lamps... If your heart is set on an anemone AND you can find a cheap BTA clone (no ecological impact), why not try it...
An LTA is probably out of the question becuase of the distance to tyhe lamps...
An LTA is probably out of the question becuase of the distance to tyhe lamps...
Haddonisreef
New member
If you hunt Ebay and craigs list sometime you can find smoking deals! Even sometime on the sellers forum here on rc. If MH run in the thousands then im in the wrong business. Good luck and its always a good thing to ask here first sometime all the lfs see is $$$$$ with newbies!
Goby1kenobe
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11084430#post11084430 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LPDK91
I have my carpet nem under vho lighting. I had the problem of my tank being 6ft long also. I went with 6 vho bulbs. It seemed to be the cheapest way to go on a large tank
just in case you did not catch it Beemo this is underVHO's not pc lighting. Btw you can get two t5 retro kits for 130 bucks each if you can do a little electrical. That would give you 4-48" bulbs
Last edited:
discretekarma
New member
I have a 72" tank as well (180 gallon). I just upgraded my lights from 2 x 250w metal halide to 2 x 400w metal halide. Neither setup was more than a few hundred. Ballasts are $250-$400, bulbs are $150 shipped, and reflector are maybe $100 for so so ones.
My anemone are very happy under this lighting.
My anemone are very happy under this lighting.
Beemo
Moved On
so total thats around $650?
i dont even know what a ballast is...im an electrical dummy. the ones im looking at are allready put together, bulbs n' all
i need something that comes out of the box ready to go :lol:
the pendants wont work for me because the tank is in my basement with a drop ceiling that wouldnt hold anything hanging from it
55semireef
Moved On
Total is around $650 but then those halides are going to drive up the electrical bill. If I were you, I would have never even bought those PCS because your not going to support any anemone with that lighting in the long run. If I were you I would sell your PCs, save as much side money and put that towards your "new lighting fund." Get T5s with the individual reflectors. They are easier on your electric bill, run a bit cooler and definately put out intense lighting (just as much as MH roughly) depending on what ballast you are using. T5s are worth it. What is even better is sand dwelling anemones such as your LTA will thrive in T5 lighting since T5s distribute the light evenly on all sides of the tank.
If getting T5s is too much for you, you could then buy one 400 watt MH and put that in the center of your tank. Then you could place your LTA or some BTAs under the direct MH light.
Hope that helps!
If getting T5s is too much for you, you could then buy one 400 watt MH and put that in the center of your tank. Then you could place your LTA or some BTAs under the direct MH light.
Hope that helps!
Beemo
Moved On
thanks so much
christmas is right around the corner, i could def buy better lighting by then.
do you think the anemone will last under my lights until xmas?
how high does MH run on the bill?? like equal to a plasma tv? a pond heater? (my pond heater soaks up alot of electrical juice)
do MH soak up alot of electrical juice too? i think my house is maxed out lol
the t5's sound decent. do you have a link to a decent t5 so i can get an idea what to buy?
christmas is right around the corner, i could def buy better lighting by then.
do you think the anemone will last under my lights until xmas?
how high does MH run on the bill?? like equal to a plasma tv? a pond heater? (my pond heater soaks up alot of electrical juice)
do MH soak up alot of electrical juice too? i think my house is maxed out lol
the t5's sound decent. do you have a link to a decent t5 so i can get an idea what to buy?
::PixelFish::
New member
Reefgeek.com has excellent deals on affordable Tek T5 lighting. You can go more exspensive than the Tek lighting but you don't want to go cheaper, stay away from single reflector set ups/units.
I would skip the metal halide and go with T5. A lot less heat and if you look around reefcentral you will see some awesome T5 lighted tanks with everything from SPS to clams.
You can buy retrofit 48" lamps and stagger them to provide full coverage.
I would skip the metal halide and go with T5. A lot less heat and if you look around reefcentral you will see some awesome T5 lighted tanks with everything from SPS to clams.
You can buy retrofit 48" lamps and stagger them to provide full coverage.
Goby1kenobe
New member
Go Gators!! (sorry i had to)
)
Poorcollegereef
Future Doc
I think there is a lot of myth about MH and driving up the power bill. As with all systems, it is the wattage and the duration of the light use that is significant. Running a pc/t5/vho might be more expensive than running a MH for a shorter period, but once again that is personal choice. MH may cause you AC to work harder, but you may save a bit in the winter since they are small heaters. I know my MH work in the mild SC winters
well, for the specific MH question, I am running two Hamilton 400DE and my power bill is stable and I have yet to trip the breaker. Total bill for my home is less than $80 a month for electricity (as low as $55 some months), but thats the SC kWh rate of $.069 too. I run them 4 hours each with one firing 1.5 hours before the other so it is 6.5 hours of run time total.
If you just want to have enough light for a nem, I would suggest to spotlight it. Have one MH for over the area of the nem and have pc/t5 or vho. I think hellolights were running assembled 250w pendents for $215 recently. If you look around, I am sure you can find a good deal. Overall, I feel that MH are better for growth and shimmer, but I am a sps person overall and I know that there are issues with heat and such.
... just food for thought
well, for the specific MH question, I am running two Hamilton 400DE and my power bill is stable and I have yet to trip the breaker. Total bill for my home is less than $80 a month for electricity (as low as $55 some months), but thats the SC kWh rate of $.069 too. I run them 4 hours each with one firing 1.5 hours before the other so it is 6.5 hours of run time total.
If you just want to have enough light for a nem, I would suggest to spotlight it. Have one MH for over the area of the nem and have pc/t5 or vho. I think hellolights were running assembled 250w pendents for $215 recently. If you look around, I am sure you can find a good deal. Overall, I feel that MH are better for growth and shimmer, but I am a sps person overall and I know that there are issues with heat and such.
... just food for thought
