biocube 29 light upgrade

V

vwwanksta69

New member
I posted this in the lighting forum but got no responses so I thought this may get a few hits here in nano:

I have a few questions before I upgrade the lighting on my stock biocube which is currently running the stock pc lighting. The tank is located in Arizona so it is very hot in the summer but I keep my AC around 76 degrees and with the stock lighting I have had no issues with the temp in the tank. Therefore I decided that I was going to go with the current-usa 20" MH Sunpod HQI 150w so I could keep some sps corals.

http://current-usa.com/sunpod.html

This changed though when I was at my lfs and was talking to them about upgrading to this light and I was told not to do it due to heat issues I would have due to being in Arizona. I was told that the MH would cook my tank. Because of this I did more research and found a T5 fixture from current usa that would also work, the 20" nova extreme pro.

http://current-usa.com/nova_extreme_pro

I am trying to get opinions on whether or not to go with the T5 or just stick to the MH sunpod. I am trying to keep any type of corals, clams etc in the tank without having any issues. I have seen others witht the sunpod on their biocubes and they seem to not have any heating issues. If you have had experiences or input that would help I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks
 
depends on what type of sps...I have the nano tuners hood light upgrade for my 14biocube and digi sps grows like weeds in my tank now
 
^^ I have checked out the nanotuners upgrades for the oem hood and they look awesome but I do not want to spend time installing anything into the hood...I was just really wondering if anyone had any problems with the sunpod causing the tank temp to get 2 high. The last thing I want to do is upgrade the lighting and then have to buy a chiller for the tank... I will contact nano tuners and see what they suggest for the enviornment my tank is in...any more comments are greatly appreciated
 
I think it would handle it perfect, even clams. Plus less heat more color options, it would spread light over everything in the tank beter, and i think it is a beter looking fixture than the sunpod. I think i would go for it over all the other mods.
 
I recently upgraded from the stock lighting on my BC 29 to the 150W Sunpod and my temp has remained stable. I'm in Utah (not quite as hot as AZ in the summer), and my tank is in my basement where it stays around 78 degrees in the summer. Probably the only negative impact I've noticed so far is the increased evaporation and the need for me to top off more water. Time to invest in an ATO for my BC.
 
I was thinking the same thing, although I'm keeping several monti's with decent growth. The only problem with the extreme pro 20" is only current makes bulbs and they suck. I'm thinking about going with the 24' and just dealing with the overhang.
 
Snowsrfr-it seems that if you are not having any heat problems then my tank should have none as well thanks for the info....I would rather have an ato then have to buy a chiller

Msoar-I did not know about the bulb issue thanks for informing me about that I think now the sunpod is still the one to go with
 
well i got off the phone with nano tuners and bought the 150w sunpod...nano tuners was awesome about answering my questions...hopefully everything will work out and I can start buying some sps soon :)
 
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