Anyone using a single HQI on a 48" tank?

[kmu]

HI guys I was thinking for my next reef tank on doing a large cube, maybe something like 48x48x20

How would it look if I use a single 250 HQI pendant in the middle lighting a single island with corals and an actinic T5 fixture in the front and on the back for supplement.

 

[kmu]

something like this

 

[NeveSSL]

You won't have much light on the sides and you'll need to get a good reflector, but it could work. I do think you'd be much better off with 2x250w, though.

Brandon

 

[kmu]

Another option I had in mind would be an ATI 36" 10x39watt bulbs fixture.

 

[kmu]

Like This

 

[sharky71]

I'm using a 250W HQI mini pendant on my 48 inch tank. I have all the SPS under the light and my LPS on the sides. It works but I want to upgrade my lights and possibly get a 48 inch ATI powermodule.

 

[AcroporAddict]

I think you'd be fine as long as you are only lighting a single island in the middle. You might want to consider a 400 watt HQI instead of a 250, which would give you the ability to raise the pendant a bit and get more bleed light to the 4 edges while still having enough intensity in the middle for your island.

You may not even need any supplementation if you go with a 20K bulb.
Dave

 

[username in use]

i agree with the 400watt and higher hanging idea. You can get pretty big reflectors, and if you hang it a couple feet above the tank you should be able to light most of it pretty well. Hell, you could put a 1000w on there and hang it up by the ceiling, but you may end up lighting more of the room than you want to. The t5 setup isnt a bad idea either. They give corals a really nice color, and they are easy to deal with in terms of heat. Also there are a lot of bulb choices for t5 leting you really tailor the look of the tank.

 

[Omar H]

I'd say 3 ft is the limit to using a single 250HQI, but it all depends on what you want to accomplish and how you like it. If you're thinking along the lines of almost using it like a spot light is used on a wall to accentuate say a painting, then I guess it would look fantastic, otherwise, you'll be missing parts of the tank from being illuminated.

 

[AcroporAddict]

A 4' x 4' tank is really cool, but does present some lighting challenges. I know that I could never just have a single island in the middle of a large tank.

I have a 30" x 30" rimless tank and I use a Reef Optix 4 reflector by sunlight supply. It is a reflector that is 21" x 21", about the largest single reflector I could find. I have a 400 watt SE metal halide bulb which does a fine job lighting it.
Dave