Did i fail with lighting for my 40g?

[nvdiz]

sure 1 250w would be fine, but you're not gonna be lighting up parts of your aquarium. you'll be stuck in the middle. i have a 250w sunpod over my nano (jbj 24) and temp is constant at 78 with a small clamp on fan as my main source of cooling. i evaporate about 3g of water every week.

 

[lolgranny]

Ya thats why they suggested the 2- 250w, then im not missing light on the corners of the tank.

Keith!!! Get on those pics ma man. I want to see this bad boy

 

[keith sprague]

if your worried about full coverage. look into T5s some of the most beautiful tanks ive seen are on T5s. i love halide but like i said B4 ive been researching T5 and i like what ive seen

 

[lolgranny]

Ya im a fan of Halides as well, i havent looked much into T-5s.

Dear lighting,
I hate you
Love D

 

[stanlalee]

bottom line a 3ft tank is best covered fully with two halides OR an advanced reflector (lumen..this/that) that can provide proper coverage and intensity when raised accordingly (in which case you'd want a single 250w or 400w). Having 150wX2 over a 36"x12"x16" (same dimensions as a 40g breeder minus 6" front to back) if I had to do it all over again I would have done either 250wX2 sunpod instead of the 150wX2 I have now or ran 150wX2 with no lessor reflector than lumenmax 3s which wouldn't have cost much more than what I bought at the time. I still might upgrade. maybe even 150wx2 with a pair of T5 but not just average reflected 150wx2 alone.

I dont think its a total fail though. got three words for you:" Bonsai Tree Aquascape". build it high, drop it in the center area, tell us telling you its not enough to pis off :lmao:
example:

 

[lolgranny]

haha MA MAN, thanks for the imput. I was actually thinking of the scape just like yours. BTW it looks really nice. if you were to go with lighting again you would rock 2-250's then? You have 2-150's at the moment correct?

 

[lolgranny]

Those sunpod 250w x2 look snazzy. You think i would be better off rocking that then 2-250w IceCaps. I figure the Icecaps will be a couple hundred more, but when i upgrade to a larger tank i could always use them on that.

Or i could just keep the lights / 40g for a frag tank once i get the big mamma jamma.

 

[MrKite24]

what kind of hood ya got? cause im also always second guessing.and still thinking upgrade. although i love halides im really thinking.bout T5s. friggin tank drives me nuts

I made a custom hood. It's 14-16" tall. The Lumenbright reflectors expect the light to be 12" off the water which helps keep the water cool. I don't think you should think about buying something now then upgrading later. It'll be cheaper in the long run to do it right the first time. I know I wouldn't want to spend $400 now and $500 later. If you are doing a full SPS tank then you need 2 bulbs over a 36" tank. I had a single 175 over my 29 that was 30" and had dark areas on the ends of the tank. With an extra 6" you'll need another bulb.

 

[lolgranny]

I made a custom hood. It's 14-16" tall. The Lumenbright reflectors expect the light to be 12" off the water which helps keep the water cool. I don't think you should think about buying something now then upgrading later. It'll be cheaper in the long run to do it right the first time. I know I wouldn't want to spend $400 now and $500 later. If you are doing a full SPS tank then you need 2 bulbs over a 36" tank. I had a single 175 over my 29 that was 30" and had dark areas on the ends of the tank. With an extra 6" you'll need another bulb.

Ya im going to try and get a refund for this bad boy so i can rock 2-250w's
Anyone know if it would be better to go with IceCap / Hamilton(sp?) Or a whole fixture by Sunpod, which has 2-250w in it.

 

[mic209]

2-250's would be way over kill. I have a single 250 watt in a lumenmax reflector over my 40 breeder and grow SPS and Clams on the sides of my tank with no problem. I don't think these people who tell you that a single halide won't cover 3 feet of tank have any experience with it. I say single 250 in a good reflector.

 

[lolgranny]

2-250's would be way over kill. I have a single 250 watt in a lumenmax reflector over my 40 breeder and grow SPS and Clams on the sides of my tank with no problem. I don't think these people who tell you that a single halide won't cover 3 feet of tank have any experience with it. I say single 250 in a good reflector.

Good to know brothaman, thanks for the imput. Mind posting a pic of your tank? What do u think of IceCaps ballast or other brands? I haven't looked into any top line ballasts before

 

[2006]

1 x 150watt is no good unless sps coral is directly under the bulb. I would go 2 x150watt or 1 x 250watt with a very good pendant reflector.

 

[2006]

...or go T5

 

[lolgranny]

Mind suggesting some 250w / pendants I can look into

 

[2006]

Mind suggesting some 250w / pendants I can look into

Research the lighting and filtration forum. I think most will recommend lumen bright or lumen max. Make sure you get the pendant and not just the reflector when ordering unless your mounting in a hood.

 

[lolgranny]

Research the lighting and filtration forum. I think most will recommend lumen bright or lumen max. Make sure you get the pendant and not just the reflector when ordering unless your mounting in a hood.

Ya definatly, I was looking at a couple pendants. To be honest sps forums have been wayyy more helpful then the lighting ones that's why I'm hanging out here lol.

PS- go hawks, 2-0...11min in the 2nd... If any of u care haha

 

[lolgranny]

2-1... I jinx'd it... Ahhh

 

[mic209]

Good to know brothaman, thanks for the imput. Mind posting a pic of your tank? What do u think of IceCaps ballast or other brands? I haven't looked into any top line ballasts before

Here you go, its a Lumenmax DE 250 watt pendant, powered by a coralvue ballast with a phoenix 14k bulb. As you can see it covers the 3ft tank more than enough.

 

[mr.maroonsalty]

My 40 is an Oceanic show hex its basically 18x18 with a 6" hex on each end for a total of 3sf 30" wide I use a pfo ballast with hamilton 14K and Lumen Bright reflector. When i started this tank the lower light corals at the edges were getting blasted now with things filling in a little more above them I can almost wish they were getting a wee bit more light. I evaporate 1 gallon a day with ~3º temp increase. I believe I'd need a hurricane cooling the tank with another 300 watts in the canopy.

 

[5h3rW1N]

http://www.marinedepot.com/Current_...xtures-Current_USA-CU01083-FILTFIT5T5-vi.html

i would get this rather than using MH.

its a 36 inch Current USA 6x39W Nova Extreme Pro T5HO 3-10k/3-460nm Actinics