light upgrade- how

[yraveh]

Hi all At the moment I have 2 250W 10K metal halide pendants for 120 gallon 4X2X2 ' as shown in image.
I plan dominantly sps tank so a few questions please:
1. do I need to upgrade lighting
2. do i add or replace
3. add what or replace with what? please suggest good brands

thank you

 

[75mixedreef]

I'm not an expert on metal halide lights but you might have enough because I think 250W bulbs cover a 2x2 area. You might want to add some T5 bulbs to supplement. 4 48" bulbs with 2 on either side of the halides should do the trick for you, you might be able to get away with only 2 bulbs, but 2 feet high and 2 feet deep is a lot of area to cover so a bit more light wouldn't hurt.

10K seems a bit too warm white for a reef tank. You might get by if you add blue lights for the T5s, otherwise 14K or 18K is more standard. With your current setup you would either want to get 2 2 bulb fixtures or a retrofit kit for 4 bulbs with reflectors. Retro fit kits are available all over the place and I don't know any particular brand. Just get parabolic reflectors to make the most out of the light.

 

[thegrun]

1. You do not need to upgrade as long as you are okay with the heat and the power usage of the MH lights. You make want to add a couple of T-5 bulbs to the MH lighting, but two 250 watt MH bulbs should work fine. I love the Radium 20 K bulbs which look more like about 14K. The bulbs should be replaced every 12 months.
2. You will certainly save money in the long run if you switch to LEDs which use a lot less energy, almost always allowing you to no longer need a chiller which saves even more money and the emitters do not need to be replace every year like the bulbs in MH or T-5 lighting.
3. I'm running three AquaIllumination Hydra 52's over my SPS dominated mixed reef 120 gallon tank, but here are several great LEDs on the market now. You could most likely get by with two LED fixtures, but there would likely be a couple of slightly dim areas with just two (either in the middle of the tank or the two sides).

 

[Ron Reefman]

Or you could get a 48" Reef Breeders Photon V2 for way less than the AI Hydras and cover the entire tank.

But the reality is, 2 250w MH should be more than enough for a 4' tank. But in Miami Beach, be prepared for the A/C to work a bit more in the summer due to the heat.

 

[2smokes]

I would change the 10 000K with 14 000 K.10 000 has too much red in it,it is too yellow light and the color of the corals look more washed than with a 14 000.Also with the 10 000 k you have now you could grow unwanted algae in the display more than by using a more blue light like the one i recomended.Be aware that the 14 OOO k will look more dim than the one you have now to the naked eye but the PAR is the same.

 

[22bfan]

Fantastic growth growing sps under my hydra 52 lights. Takes a while to get them dialed, which is another great option with these lights . . . You can dial them in.