is 250 watts enough?

[Steven0000]

i have a 55 gallon tank with a 20g sump
i also have a ballast for a 400 watt light and a 250 watt light(MH)

is 250 watts enough for sps and lps?
i don't really want a lot of hard corals
i want mostly leathers, shrooms, and zoos

i am trying to stay away from the 400 watt because of temperature issues

all comments appreciated

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Re: is 250 watts enough?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10020912#post10020912 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Steven0000
i have a 55 gallon tank with a 20g sump
i also have a ballast for a 400 watt light and a 250 watt light(MH)

is 250 watts enough for sps and lps?
i don't really want a lot of hard corals
i want mostly leathers, shrooms, and zoos

i am trying to stay away from the 400 watt because of temperature issues

all comments appreciated

is it a 48" long aquarium?
If so, you might be better off with two 175 watt halides.

 

[Steven0000]

no it is 3ft(36in) long
and i don't plan on buying anything but the mh bulb
and both of the ballasts i have are different
one is 400 and one is 250

but what i could do if the light doesn't strech far enough is i could add fluorescents i have 2 50/50's, 1 actinic blue, and a 10,000K

would that work?

 

[BeanAnimal]

Why not sell what you have and get what you need

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I'd use the 250 watter and mount it high enough so that it covers the 36" length of your 55. Does the aquarium have a center brace?

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10021201#post10021201 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gary Majchrzak
I'd use the 250 watter and mount it high enough so that it covers the 36" length of your 55. Does the aquarium have a center brace?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10021151#post10021151 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BeanAnimal
Why not sell what you have and get what you need

makes sense to me....

 

[albert2k]

How many light is necesary for a 72x24x24 aqyarium?

 

[BeanAnimal]

The longer I live, the more I find that "do it right the first time" holds true no matter where you look

 

[BeanAnimal]

Albert it depends on what you want to keep. There are many thriving aquriums that use 150W lamps over tanks of that depth. 250W bulbs would also be very good. I would imagine that (3) would be the minimum you could get away with.

The further you raise the lamps to get wider spread, the less light falls on any given area. In the end it depends on what you want to keep.

 

[albert2k]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10021295#post10021295 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BeanAnimal
Albert it depends on what you want to keep. There are many thriving aquriums that use 150W lamps over tanks of that depth. 250W bulbs would also be very good. I would imagine that (3) would be the minimum you could get away with.

The further you raise the lamps to get wider spread, the less light falls on any given area. In the end it depends on what you want to keep.

I want to haved (of course fish), soft coral, clams and another not hard corals.

 

[Steven0000]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10021201#post10021201 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gary Majchrzak
I'd use the 250 watter and mount it high enough so that it covers the 36" length of your 55. Does the aquarium have a center brace?

yes it does have a center brace

 

[Horace]

general rule is that most GOOD reflectors will cover about 2' of tank. Some really big reflectors (lumanarc) can cover up to 3' but with a center brace it would likely look pretty crappy IMO. I would go with 2 reflectors with either 150/175/250. Good luck!

 

[Steven0000]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10021593#post10021593 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Horace
general rule is that most GOOD reflectors will cover about 2' of tank. Some really big reflectors (lumanarc) can cover up to 3' but with a center brace it would likely look pretty crappy IMO. I would go with 2 reflectors with either 150/175/250. Good luck!

thanks!

where can i sell my stuff though?

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

one option not yet mentioned is to mount the halide off to one side of the center brace and not directly over it. You would place light loving Tridacna clams directly under the halide and corals that prefer less intense lighting off to the far side where they wouldn't be located directly under the halide.

 

[Ehgemus]

Here are some pictures of my 46g bowfront it is 36" long with 1x250w SE MH bulb. also a picture of what I did with my center brace.

 

[elegance coral]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10021792#post10021792 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gary Majchrzak
one option not yet mentioned is to mount the halide off to one side of the center brace and not directly over it. You would place light loving Tridacna clams directly under the halide and corals that prefer less intense lighting off to the far side where they wouldn't be located directly under the halide.

This is what I did in my wifes 4' 55gl tank and it works great. She can keep just about anything she wants in this tank.

 

[Steven0000]

did you replace the center brace with a piece of acrylic?

if not what is it?
i think im going to go with that idea

 

[areze]

not sure what he used, cause acrylic would probably melt... unless the light was way up off the tank.

if your gonna use 1 light, id definitely use the 400w btw.

 

[Steven0000]

good idea

but im still curious about what he used

 

[Steven0000]

wait.
what about heat issues?
does a 400 watt put out more heat than a 250?
im not going to buy a chiller