Do you run a chiller with your halides?

OCREEFLOVER

OCREEFLOVER

New member
I'm thinking about a switch to metal halides from LEDs. Would I need to run a chiller? What would be my best fixture for a 40 breeder?

Aquaticlife 2 150w and 4 t5s

Sunlight supply Lumen max 250w

Any suggestions?
 
That is a tough question....

Halides do not equal chiller. But if you are in a hot climate, and your house is not climate controlled, a chiller may be needed. Here in the North East, summer temps hit the 90's for a couple months....I have never needed a chiller. On the hottest, meaning 100 degree days, I do struggle with heat. Simply keeping lights off with a controller solves that. Fans go a long way in cooling tanks.

Watts are watts, T5s do not help, they will heat the room the same. I'd suggest a 2x150 setup and use actinic LEDs. I just picked up a lighting system- 2x150 LumenMax with dual SLS ballast and new phoenix bulbs for $200. Best of bothworkds is LED supplements and Halides as the main lighting.
 
James77 said:
That is a tough question....

Halides do not equal chiller. But if you are in a hot climate, and your house is not climate controlled, a chiller may be needed. Here in the North East, summer temps hit the 90's for a couple months....I have never needed a chiller. On the hottest, meaning 100 degree days, I do struggle with heat. Simply keeping lights off with a controller solves that. Fans go a long way in cooling tanks.

Watts are watts, T5s do not help, they will heat the room the same. I'd suggest a 2x150 setup and use actinic LEDs. I just picked up a lighting system- 2x150 LumenMax with dual SLS ballast and new phoenix bulbs for $200. Best of bothworkds is LED supplements and Halides as the main lighting.
Click to expand...

HQI or not? Would one 250w cover a 36" tank ok?
 
OCREEFLOVER said:
What about this fixture?

http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaticL...T5-AquaticLife-AK01205-FILTFIMHTSHDT5-vi.html
Click to expand...

Hi, I have seen those fixtures used on a couple of tanks at local pet store, they look and operate fine. Yes the dual 150's i a great way to go.

I have my chiller plumed with the sump return line and it turns on mostly in summer on very hot days. Right now it is 90 out yesterday and today. the chiller kicked on 5 times for 25 minutes roughtly each time. When ambient temps get into the 80's your tank water is going to heat up with whatever lighting you are useing, its just with halides it will kick on a little more. I seriouly believe that on very hot days, many guys do a dis-service to tank, by letting the temps get a little too high and many corals will start to suffer at 86 degrees or they turn lights out - either method does not help the long term success of your reef tank.

Yes, go with halides and get a small 1/10 hp or better yet a 1/5 hp chiller depending on your part of country and if you use central air or not.
 
dan-in-gr said:
Hi, I have seen those fixtures used on a couple of tanks at local pet store, they look and operate fine. Yes the dual 150's i a great way to go.

I have my chiller plumed with the sump return line and it turns on mostly in summer on very hot days. Right now it is 90 out yesterday and today. the chiller kicked on 5 times for 25 minutes roughtly each time. When ambient temps get into the 80's your tank water is going to heat up with whatever lighting you are useing, its just with halides it will kick on a little more. I seriouly believe that on very hot days, many guys do a dis-service to tank, by letting the temps get a little too high and many corals will start to suffer at 86 degrees or they turn lights out - either method does not help the long term success of your reef tank.

Yes, go with halides and get a small 1/10 hp or better yet a 1/5 hp chiller depending on your part of country and if you use central air or not.
Click to expand...

Great. Thank you for all the info. I will do some more research and go with halides.
 
I have 3 250w halides over a 5 foot tank and never had to use a chiller in ohio. I would say before buying a chiller test the light over the tank and see what it does. Also the height of the fixture also has alot to do with the temp of the tank as well.
 
I live in Arizona and we are already seeing 100-112 degree days. I have a 75G tank with 2 250W MH over it and I dont have a chiller or a fan running on the tank. Tank stays at about 78-80 degrees with just the house AC.
 
There are really only a few cases where a chiller is necessary, you have livestock that requires a controlled or cooler water or your heat management is lacking. If your home is climate controlled and you design the setup to not hold in heat then you should not need a chiller.

One of the biggest mistakes someone can make is to get a chiller for their reef and try to keep the temp in a narrow range. If you use the chiller to prevent extremely high temps than that makes better sense. Most reefs run into the mid 80's and fluctuate greatly within the course of a day. Their has been a great deal of study on this in the past 8 years or so and the old adage of keeping the tank cool is just nonsense and not healthy for the tank.

The fixture you are looking at will be ok on a 40 breeder. I don't like 150's when run on an electronic ballast as it under powers the bulbs, (there are exceptions) but on that short tank it will not be an issue.
 
allsps40 said:
I live in Arizona and we are already seeing 100-112 degree days. I have a 75G tank with 2 250W MH over it and I dont have a chiller or a fan running on the tank. Tank stays at about 78-80 degrees with just the house AC.
Click to expand...

Its hitting 90 out today for a second day in a row so we run chiller on tanks, by Tuesday the high temps are 77 for several days. Never had to experience 100 to 110 degree heat for over a day or two.
 
Last edited:
I used a 250W MH on my 40 breeder previously and a chiller was definitely necessary in my particular condition. It lot had to do with the fact that the halide was enclosed in a canopy. Even with fans in the canopy it was not possible to bring the tank temps down. It will depend a lot on your set up. How far up will the fixture be above the tank? Will it be enclosed in a canopy or simply suspended over the tank? Will you have central air and what will you set it for? It's really hard to predict.

I found a single 250W SE bulb in a spider reflector to be way more than enough to light the full 36" of tank. Even the edges had no problem growing SPS coral. I also think a single bulb set up will simply be easier for you to maintain and have one less bulb to replace. It might be a matter of personal taste.

If you do end up needing a chiller, then a small 1/10 size unit will be all that you need. I ran a 1/10 current prime on my tank and it was a wonderful unit.

FB
 
Thanks guys for all the great info. I’m still torn between going with an "ALL IN ONE FIXTURE" or just mounting a single 250w halide and reflector. Or I could just go with a ATI 6 bulb T5 fixture for about the same price and not worry about a heat issue. To many decisions :(
 
heres a recent pic...

heres a recent pic...

i love my 2 150w 14k phoenix bulbs my tank is growing nice...
IMAG0519.jpg
 
I run 2 x 400w 10k, on my 180g.
4 x HO 54w actinic
Main display and another 100w on the refuge

The Halides are 14" off the water surface my tank in summer runs at 76-77 C.
No chiller, But my tank is located in the basement and well ventilated.
I consume approx 2g a day in fresh water.

I didnt need a chiller.
 
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